Guangzhou sketches

The Guangdong museum

This is part of Saturday's drawing class - Yasmin showed us photos of her recent trip to Guangzhou, we selected a few and sketched them in class. We played music while sketching; 3 songs per sketch (about ten minutes) I water coloured in later.

Guangxiao Xi (Filial Piety) Temple and the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees

Next Week: Cambodia Sketches (1:30pm onwards at DNA)

Kindred Spirits

by Kok Ming

by Kok Ming

The Hunting Lodge by Jules Boag

We meet people in the course of our lives; some become friends after the third or fourth meeting while others are destined to stay at the fringe as acquaintances. Then there are the times when we meet people for the first time and the mutual feeling is one of renewed friendship. Like an old school friend whose bond was cultivated over hours of homework (or detention); or favourite cousin Freddie whom despite being a relative (and therefore not strictly a friend) always shared a laugh or a cigarette after Grandma’s obligatory Sunday lunch.

This year, I had the privilege of meeting two such people – one of them is a runner (editor) and the other is a sketcher (architect). For someone who does not make friends easily - this is indeed a bonus. The bonus of having someone share the hard miles with me in the early morning runs and tell stories (during the run - she's fit this one) about our other shared interests; dogs, traveling, art, warm people and cool films.
To have someone who share discoveries about architecture; a recent favourite speaker or building, an invite to conduct a workshop, ideas about teaching architecture and striking a balance between work and family.
Their warmth and openness makes me want to try harder to be approachable and generous when I deal with others - it's a work in progress.

Back to Uni

Last month, I was invited to lead the Tropical Architecture Workshop at NUS (National University of Singapore)

This annual event is the first project for 150 third year students. My theme is based on the idea of a tropical ‘village’ where students have to analyze the simple activities of eating/cooking, sleeping/resting and washing. The brief called for usage of passive cooling devices and consideration of interspatial relationship and the possible development of prototypes.

I prepared this pictorial documentary of the 7-day workshop, choosing to focus on the activities that took place and relationships made rather than the products of the workshop. For me, the real lessons learnt during the 7 days do not always show themselves in the final panels. These are lessons in teamwork, discourse and disagreements followed by decision and delegation of work, ending in an articulate presentation of their ideas. Much of which was done in a seriousness and skill that belie their mere two years in Architecture School; resulting in a body of work that explored social issues, urban planning, ecology, industrial design and energy renewal. The most enjoyable (and impressive) aspect of this workshop was the students’ ability to explain (and argue) their ideas at a moment’s notice, and without much sleep one might add.

For me, these are the rewards: to work with smart motivated young people that point towards the future of our profession. 

These are some samples of the students' work

Thai Lunch

 

We arrived in Bangkok at 4 pm (3 pm local time) - too late for lunch and too early for dinner; undaunted we led our tour guide to a hole in the wall restaurant called "Chotechitr" for our first taste of home cooked Thai food. There were 6 tables inside the shop and one outside by the street; run by a well-spoken (in English) lady who spent her childhood in Italy. The solitary cook meant that our meals took some time to arrive; which was fine as the neighbourhood was charming and people friendly.
We ate banana flower salad and crispy vermicelli in a tangy spicy dressing, followed by fried fish with mango salad, red curry prawns and chicken in yellow curry - all in the guise of a pre-dinner snack. Which ended up being dinner for all of us. 

Map courtesy of Yaowalak

I'd rather be sketching

After the hectic weekend, it is good to get back to doing what I enjoy as much as running; sketching.

The Fata Hotel is located in one of my favourite parts of Kuching. A rich confluence of childhood memories defined by my school, St. Thomas's Primary School and our sister school St Mary's Girls School to the right of the sketch. My grandmother's house is just a short walk up the hill to the right of the sketch; along Jalan Tabuan.
I remember a chendol stall just outside the St. Mary's school gate - doing a brisk business through the steel bars of the school fence during recess. An old man helped by his daughter. Then years later, only the daughter whom I still saw when I returned to Kuching. Now there is just a bus stop where the stall used to stand.

The temple on Wayang street has its counterpart across the street - a Chinese theatre on an elevated plinth which served as a stage. The audience brought their own seats and were entertained with old Chinese plays and drama pieces which (in the old days) were equivalent to news snippets from the home country. It was a versatile civic space; built, maintained and accessible to the local community.

Across town, the modern version of a Civic Centre; a pompous structure that is a far cry from its predecesors.

Sketch(es) of the Day

I must apologise for the lull during Chinese New Year; very little time was spent sketching on-site. Instead I spent quite a bit of time reading during the break. Now that I am back at work; doing the pleasant task of putting my ideas on paper while listening to "Emma Ayres on Classic Breakfast" ABC National Radio. With a hot cup of coffee nearby, life is good (and productive). These are some of the sketches done during the work day. I promise to have some on-site sketches in my next entry - probably of Penang or Malacca.

 

 I work on projects of varying scales and at different stages - the drawings above are design development sketches to illustrate some of my ideas. These sketches are copied to the engineers as well so that they can better understand our intent.

Sometimes the sketches describe an initial design idea; such as this one for a long connected series of spaces organised around a courtyard. The main circulation is a ramp that rises and fall with the 'contours' of the building whose curvilinear form alludes to a river nearby. The sketches are accompanied with notes so that they become more informative and less 'precious' to reader. After all, these are initial ideas and therefore works in progress - and are meant to be remarked upon.

The above are quick ideas drawn on a roll of butter paper ( at a pinch, I sometimes draw on GladBake which is readily available at supermarkets) - it is good to put ideas down quickly while they are fresh. These were scanned and emailed to the client while I was away from the office; this gives him a chance to review them before I get back. I like headstarts in almost everything I do.

I have been invited to teach Architectural Drawing to Second Year Architecture students in a local college. I am really looking forward to it as I enjoy the energy of young people; the money paid is not much but it will put new books in our DNA library.

Time travels

I feel that people who complain excessively about delays at the airport are unable to enjoy their own company. A good book or a sketch pad usually takes care of the situation for me. We are all prisoners and rich sketching fodder for me. 

this guy is probably texting his wife to inform her about the flight delay

People tend to fall asleep once the plane takes off so it is easier to observe them without distraction. The one hour or so of flying can be spent catching up with my reading or sketching my travel companions while they sleep.

Shanghai Airport

Lost in my 'space' capsule that spans from left arm rest to right - time travels quickly and a few sketches later - we have landed. If I am fortunate enough to not fly budget, the only interuption is a coffee and sandwiches. Life is good...

Sara with panda hat

Sometimes, I have travel companions of my own choosing such as Sara here in a panda hat from Shanghai. When she saw that I had over-accentuated her luscious lips in this sketch; she gave me a look and twitched her nose. Her unspoken sign of disapproval. I have not done her justice.

The real Sara

Sarawak Museum

I have always preferred the small white buildings along the road leading up to the museum; their scale and their intricate detailing is a good contrast to the main building.

An tribal totem is a nice counterpoint to the low sweeping arc of single storey buildings. The main Museum building is a local landmark, and although its exhibits have not changed much in years - it is still a much better place to visit than the new wing. It is open on Sundays and admission is free, for many of us it represents a nostalgic reminder to our school days.

travel sketches - penang

The Penang clock tower, near Fort Cornwallis
built largely from timber, donated by a Chinese businessman.
The local tourism centre is round the corner - where we got a map for the historical section of Penang.

Leong San Tong (Khoo Kongsi)


entrance to the Khoo Kongsi

travel sketches - Sri lanka

Galle Face Hotel, Colombo

kuching, sarawak

this is my home town, i know it intimately.
sometimes, sean and sara come along when i sketch around town.

travel sketches - cambodia

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