b a u h a u s

|| For this creative response assignment, we had to do a bauhaus-inspired design while putting the context of Singapore into consideration.

 

Something that is really iconic to Singapore is the void deck space. In the past, void decks used to be places where residents could gather and conduct social activities, but with the myriad of rules of placed on permitted activities and control of the usage of this space, most residents would not choose to spend their free time chilling in the void deck and bonding with their neighbours. Coincidentally, a while back I took a photo of a void deck at my house which reminded me of how barren and boring void decks are. Being a resident of the HDB high rise flats community, I have always wished for residents to be given a chance to exercise creative freedom in our own living spaces.

voiddeck(); photo by me

This led me to think about a potential place to start: l e t t e r b o x e s.

Uniform and made of cold aluminium (both figuratively and literally), their current design really does not do much but emphasise the desolation of the void decks. Some residents even choose to lock the slits of their letterboxes because they want to avoid spam advertisements from being shoved in. In my opinion, I think the saddest thing is that residents do not even send each other any greeting cards, or any forms of letters. :’D

http://www.namlee.com.sg/sites/default/files/styles/galleryformatter_slide/public/boonkeng_letterbox.JPG?itok=ot682C0l

 

Inspired by the features of Bauhaus design, which is the consideration of functionality with form, geometrical shapes that are simple for mass production, I came up with a potential design for letter boxes in void decks (below)! The letterboxes are in hexagonal shapes, which not only are a really strong structure based on physics, but also resembles a beehive and represents how residents are living in a community like bees would. (hexagons would also make a lot more space for slightly thicker mail). The shapes are all relatively rounded off so that they appear more organic and less stiff, and the use of vibrant primary colours would give a splash of liveliness and congeniality to the entire void deck area.

Bauhaus-inspired letterbox design by me (Yue Ling)

I would be so incredibly happy if this sort of design were to be a reality in the future. *shamelessly hypothetically patents own design* :’D

Although a void deck literally means empty level, I really doubt it has to remain as a purely empty space. Something like a Bauhaus letterbox design would definitely do much to bring a sense of playfulness and conviviality within the living spaces of Singaporeans.

A r t N o u v e a u

|| A r t N o u v e a u

 

 

This Art Nouveau abstract design is inspired mainly by the blue pea plant, which asides from its striking indigo colour, is also used for cooking Peranakan dishes. Other plant patterns featured are also related to the theme of food from different cultures, such as the pandan leaf plant, thyme and curry leaf plant.

 

(I took some photos but they are all too large to insert into this post but you can check some of them out on @noyumipic on Instagram. [ https://www.instagram.com/p/BoMjTJfna63/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet ] )

 

Noticeably, many of the plants featured an outward-growing pattern and so I incorporated that into my design using (almost) radial-symmetry. The botanical theme accompanied with symmetry serve to recall the Art Nouveau style.

 

Plant inspirations:

 

(taken by me) The blue pea plant is used to make a local desert called Nonya chang (see below) because of its natural blue pigment.
https://prod-c2i.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1496108532592ccdf41b818.jpg

 

https://candy.com.sg/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Pandan-Leaves.jpg The pandan leaves of the pandan plant are used for their green pigment and fragrant taste and smell in local desserts like kueh salat (see below) and a bunch of other kuehs.

 

https://recipeswecherish.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Kueh-Salat-6.jpg

 

 

https://cdn2.bigcommerce.com/server3700/fxxw4to/products/187/images/2141/Herbs_Fresh_Thyme_pkt__78184.1434805304.500.750.jpg?c=2 Thyme is a Western spice used for dishes like spaghetti. There are small leaves growing outwards on a stalk.

 

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0608/2413/products/Curry_leaf.jpg?v=1456769791  The curry leaf plant looks like the bigger version of thyme and is used for making dishes like… curry.