Providing information, or learning of Hillview place. I saw the Hillview Community Club and thought it would be interesting to have an interactive directory there that could provide information about the area.
Aiming for public interactive, perhaps even the people living in the area.
2. The space that your project will explore
Neighbourhood area/Not well known part of Hillview Avenue
The use of maps and idea of navigation.
3. The form that your project will take (what form will the interactive narrative be…a game, website, visualisation, something else?)
Unity – Educational game <aiming towards younger audience, possibly children
Small 2D platform game, maybe accessing parts/levels through point system, levels are more side-scroller
Illustrations of past and current buildings represented with different colour themes.
Including of ambience sound from the area, giving a sense of space
Rough Idea of how it would look like interacting
Twine – Branching narrative <as more text-based, aiming for an older audience
Photos taken how present how Hillview looks like, for navigation
Including of ambience sound from the area, giving a sense of space
How it would look like in the making
Rough Idea of how it would look like interacting
Questions for guest lecture by Toh Hun Ping
1. Films in relation to the locations. Providing a sense of spatial narrative and a certain first image to the location. An example could be giving the location an eerie horror feel. Was that one of your aims/intentions for this database narrative?
2. Loop-like photos, looks like it moving, why did you decided to implement such photos (and what impression/feel were you aiming to express from them)?
Response of reading by Guy Debord
I had some difficulty wrapping my head around the concept of the spectacle. It took some further research to get a clearer mind of it. The explanation of the spectacle being seems unreal, as it seems perfect superficiality in our world, but still considered a part of our society, such as celebrity culture, or consumerism. Though unrealistic, it consists of a social relationship between people. It is considered positive and powerful, as it can affect the economy due to the desire to fit in or achieve the spectacle and feel of necessity. The spectacle being contradicting as it affects the economy through celebrities or influencers, driven by what mass media consider as commodities, leading to how it has overcome or rule the consumers instead of the other way round.
Research A PLACE IN SINGAPORE (on the ground) and discover something you didn’t know about it.
I continued my research of Hillview on ground. As Hillview is more well known for the rail-way bridge, railway mall and salvation army, I decide to head to the area my parents lived as I have never set foot at there before. We started from Hillview MRT and my mother already noticed the changes around such as the highway tracks.
We walked on foot, heading to Hillview avenue. I decided to map out the pics I have taken onto the map of 1993 I found through research by former Hillview resident (specifically the Princess Elizabeth Estate), Lam Chun See, as well as the 2008 archival map from NAS for easier reference.
My mother’s first reaction on our way to Hillview Avenue was saying these two bus stops and the nearby condo Hillview Heights (though some renovations have been done) are still here.
The first thing we noticed was the roundabout road my father talked about when he saw the map. It’s still one of the iconic or memorable things he remembers about the place he lived.
The old food centre and market was demolished and over it the HillV2 mall stands as shown. I was excited to see what took over the land where my father once lived, to only see it still in construction for the Midwood Condo. Beside that is the Hillview Community Centre, which seems to be rather new as my mother did not remember it being there back then.
Clearer pics
I expected the place to be more desert as it was more isolated, but it gave a sense of peacefulness and the area was more occupied by condoes and semi-detached houses.
Most of the condos were new and there were one or two of the factories (such as the Malayan Guttas, Union Carbide and Hong Kong Rope Factory) are no longer around/moved out, and builded over the land is Hillington Green( and Summerhill Condos), Hillview Heights and Glendale Park respectively.
One of the buildings that still remains is the Lam Soon Industrial Building, which previously was a factory my grandmother and grandaunt used to work at where they made soups and oil. Now it is for rent and sale, consisting of small shops.
My mother’s initial house was the one in white, since then it has been sold at least twice and another floor has been built.
The houses beside it both still remain the same.
It has quite a steep uphill to Hillview Mansion, and the area is blocked off by the iron gates.
Clearer pics
More pics on the journey along the Hillview Avenue road between where my parent’s lived
A dog running around Jalan Gumilang 🙂
Would have been a better idea to do a short sound recording of the place itself as well, as it was super serene you could get a better sense of the place on ground rather than online.
1. What did you learn from the URA tour of Singapore that you did not know already?
I got to learn the process and guide to Singapore development, like the use of the concept and master plan. Though the information that intrigued me the most was the central model and the history of the maps of Singapore and how they were used. The central model being a part of Singapore’s development and showing a different view of the cityscape. My initial thought of maps was they had to be accurate as they depict the area for navigation. Through the URA tour, I have learned the other possible uses of maps, especially the first navigation map mentioning Singapore by Admiral Zheng He. It was used to mark areas to avoid and navigate, also said to be 80% accurate.
Also the map that is inaccurate as it focus more on the seas/water around the islands.
2. What do you think is the purpose of the public exhibitions at the URA and what stories are being communicated about the city?
I think the purpose of the public exhibitions of the URA is to preserve and provide more history of the developments of Singapore, from how it was, how is it planned, how residents can play a part, and architects involved can affect the living situation or outlook of Singapore.
3. What do you think is missing or overlooked? What might be interesting to add or exhibit in the URA Galleries in order to interest your generation of Singaporeans?
I think the interactive spaces in the URA effectively provide the information the audience wishes to look at, and it would be interesting to have more of those in the URA galleries. Models showing other parts of Singapore (similar to the existing central model) would be interesting to look as my initial thought when I first saw the central model was to find where I lived (sadly I live more towards south west) in bird’s eye view. 🙂
More pics from the URA that may help upcoming project (focusing more on the place Hillview)
1946-1965 Map
1986-today Map
Reading response on the article by Stan Sesser
What points in the article stand out to you?
It did not occur to me how Singapore clears and renovated, aiming for effective tourism, it could lead to the possible removing of some of Singapore’s important history landmarks as well as leading to dull repetitions of high buildings/malls. There’s hence the debate on what old landmarks should Singapore conserve, as some may even be considered as historical or cultural sites, representing what Singapore is and being able to attract tourists as well. It’s also interesting how he describes Lee Kuan Yew and his style of government.
What do you agree or disagree with that the author states about his impressions of the city? Explain your critique thoughtfully.
I agree to the author’s impressions to a certain extent. Although not romanticising of the past could be considered a positive, as change resulted in the lifestyles most Singaporeans have and what others envy today. Example from the change of kampong/shophouses to HDBs. Though living standards are better, it is argued there’s the lost of the kampong culture (and spirit) along with the sense of familiarity. The city we have now being clean and safe is also resulting from the amount of restrictions and consequences we have, showing the seriousness of actions done. Also the compulsory amount of education we have to face which helps maintain the economy .
After the reading, I had some takeaways from it. Through the different mediums (such as libraries and digital) databases can be managed and paired with different medias (such as film, games and virtual interactive 3d space) it can show how the information is effectively given, also the whether it is for work or play. As cultural content tends to lend more towards databases (such as virtual museums), is it possible to include present such database with a (leisure considered) narrative media like games, and fully immersing the user in the experience? Possibly with how educational games are created. And how does a database have a narrative and is not just filled with descriptions?
The difference between narrative and descriptions, this has helped me change my initial thought, in which descriptions could be considered as narrative (as the user still navigates the virtual space to find the descriptions). If it does not help the plot/story move forward, it is not a narrative but a description. Is there ultimately enough narrative to tie all the descriptions together? Also, with the example presented of films, with the database as the material accumulated during shooting, and arrange them in a sequence to be as a form of narrative. Could the collection of game assets and scenes be a database and their arrangement could be narrative? I feel this are important notes to consider for my final project.
Also, the reading has further allowed me to consider whether creating a game for my final project, would present or give the information effectively. From the algorithm of the game, to the sequence (be it linear, nonlinear, branching), language of the story, and how to present the information aesthetically.
This helped me have a deeper understanding towards the meaning of database and narrative, and their relationship between one another. And the possible mediums/ ways it can be used/applied. It also opened my eyes to the possibilities of using different or even new techniques to create a new form of database narrative.
Each of you will research the NAS Archives and Singapore Memory Project see what you can discover about a place of your choice in Singapore.
The place I have researched is Hillview, especially Jalan Gumilang and Hillview Avenue, as they were the places my parents lived during the late remaining parts of their childhood. And it also played a part in how they met. My mother lived at one of the land estates at uphill Jalan Gumilang, while my father lived downhill at one of the HDBs Block 7 (was demolished around 2005-mid 2006) at Hillview Avenue.
Despite living through a walkable distance from one another, they met coincidently from one hangout with a group of mutual friends (through my mother’s best friend’s boyfriend’s friend’s friend’s) on Saturday evening. They came found out they lived near each other when my father wanted to fetch her home and since then my father would walk uphill to meet my mother. 🙂
^remembering Princess Elizabeth Estate near Hillview Avenue by Lam Chun See (Author of book Good Morning Yesterday)
1 video
^Talk by Tan Chuan-Jin on the series of events to help increase awareness on the ongoing engagement on the use of the former railway land (centering on the bridges, including the KTM bridge at Hillview) and also with the aim to explore, encourage and develop creative ideas for incorporation into the future of the Rail Corridor.
^Development of the Hillview Avenue and Hillview Road by a resident who used to live in a small quiet estate off Hillview Avenue. As it held lots of memories for him, he records all of his own stories in this blog.
This oral history caught my attention as it showcased an interview of an artist Ho Chee Lick and in the later part of the interview he explained on how he moved to house in 2006 and started a new studio at Hillview. He explained and talked about ink brush painting of trees in his new studio and he moved towards calligraphy. He experimented with different ways of painting, from less oil paint to more water ink, abstraction, and also how ink painting was related to music.
Examples of projects that you think address the notion of database or interactive narrative in an innovative or thought-provoking way.
Before going through the reading by Marsha Kinder, I associated the thought of databases with choices and selecting. Choice games came into mind, such as Until Dawn.
However, after going through the reading, I understand that database narratives can be seen as combining selected items from the databases to create a story. Rather than just choices and selecting, elements from different database categories are defined and used. It may have an unclear beginning and ending to them as well. Another example could even be the simple activity, One Word Story.
Until Dawn
Until Dawn is an interactive drama horror game where the player has control over the 8 characters that have to survive on Blackwood Mountain. This is game is shown from a third person view when you control a character to explore the environment and first person view when you make choices for them. With a unique mechanic in the game, the Butterfly Effect. Even the simplest choices made or items/clues you find may end up saving or killing characters, affecting their relationships, resulting in being closer to one another or being further apart. As the databases are hidden, this game has an unclear ending, with a potential number of outcomes.
One Word Story
This is a simple activity where people takes turn to each say a word, with the goal to create a coherent story. We can consider the sources of their choice of words to be their database memories. Using their own choices of words, this results in the combining of words with an unclear beginning, ending with different outcomes.
Also the map that is inaccurate as it focus more on the seas/water around the islands.
