Week 2: Garuda Wisnu Kencana (A picture a day)

        Photo taken outside Garuda Wisnu Kencana at Bukit Peninsula, Bali using iPhone 5 camera and edited with iOS app

  
This was my first destination when i visited Bali. Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) is devoted to the Hindu God Vishnu, and his mount, Garuda, the mythical bird who is his companion. This photo is the statue of Vishnu and is around 23 metres. The original plan was for a 146 metre gold plated Vishnu riding Garuda on top of an 11-storey entertainment complex. If it was completed, it would be the largest statue in the world. However, this idea was met with controversy and religious authorities on the island complained that its massive size might disrupt the spiritual balance of the island, and that commercial use of of a statue of the Hindu god was inappropriate.

I chose this photo as this statue is one of my favourites when i visited Bali. Bali is a haven for many Hindu and Buddhist art. I love the intricate details on this statue of the Hindu God Vishnu, although it is not very visible in this photo. It was a pity that this statue could not be built to whole. Or it would definitely have been a very grand sight. This statue has no arms as it was not completed. But it reminds me of Venus de Milo. The statue of the goddess Venus and is famous for her missing arms.

Week 2: Penang Steel Rod Sculptures (A picture a day)

Penang Steel Rod Structures at Georgetown Penang

Penang Steel Rod Structures at Georgetown Penang

These photos were taken by me during my trip to Georgetown, Penang in Malaysia few weeks ago. These steel rod sculptures are a collection of caricatures placed on the historic streets of Georgetown by a Kuala Lumpur-based company "Sculpture at Work". The concept presented is to relate the history and characteristics of selected streets in Georgetown. The reason is to make the history of Georgetown interesting to visitors and resides, both the young and old.

Perhaps the Singapore Tourism Board can adopt a similar method to make learning history of Singapore more intriguing to tourists. I like these steel rod sculptures because at first glance, I thought they were painted onto the walls when looking at them from a distance. But upon going closer to view the details, I realised they were actually made from steel rods. This reminded me of my lessons on another module on how to translate art from 2-dimensional to 3-dimensional. I also love how these artworks was brimming with an Chinese South East Asian cartoonist art style.

However, I wish that these sculptures will try to balance things by creating more dioramas to feature non-Chinese themes. This will definitely showcase the rich tapestry of Georgetown. I hope that these sculptures will remain there for a long time, withstanding the wear and tear.

Week 2: Art Nouveau Architecture (A picture a day)

Close up of the Municipal House, Old Town Prague

Municipal House, Old Town Prague

In the late 1800s, there were many European artists, graphic designers, and architects who rebelled against the classical and formal approaches to design. They believed that the most wonderful beauty could be found in nature itself. Art Nouveau is French for “New Style”. Usually Art Nouveau buildings have characteristics such as asymmetrical shapes, extensive use of arches and curved forms, mosaics, stained glass and Japanese motifs.

The two photos above are taken from the Municipal House in Old Town Prague. These two buildings are from the Art Nouveau architecture of the 18th to 19th century. A tour of the Municipal House is sure to delight. This Art Nouveau beauty is detailed with mosaics, curved glass, sculptures, stained glass, and other artistic touches throughout. Leading turn-of-the-century Czech artists collaborated on designing parts of the Municipal House in the beginning of the 1900's.

I chose this particular architecture because I like to read up on western architecture design especially those in the 18th and 19th century. It is almost impossible to find any of these kind of buildings in Singapore. I love how the exterior design of the Municipal House has many fine details such as motifs on walls, the design of the metal gates complement each other beautifully. In my opinion, this stunning design has a bit of Victorian classical style to it. The painting on the main entrance is so pretty that I wish I was there to observe it up close. If given the opportunity, I would love to travel to Old Town Prague to enjoy the beautiful sights of these traditional architectures.

Week 1: Reflection

Nafa Classroom

Nafa Library

The first week of school was fun and interesting. Stepping out of my shell and making new friends was the only daunting thing. I was initially worried that my age difference with the majority of the class would make me unable to click with them. Fortunately, I was able to make some conversations with those sitting around me. Hopefully in the coming weeks, our class will warm up to each other and people of different race and nationalities will be able to work well together. 

For the lessons, some of the theories that were being taught to us were quite repetitive with other modules. But it still managed to remain fresh to me as they were delivered by different lecturers who have their own style of teaching. I was expecting the first week of school to have less workload. I was a little overwhelmed by the amount of work we had to complete for the following week. But I believe that I will learn to adapt and cope with the situation in the weeks to come. I hope that through this semester, I will be able to build a strong foundation such as developing my technical skills and creativity, and forge bonds with my fellow classmates.

Week 1: Taman Ayun Temple (A picture a day)

Photo taken outside Taman Ayun Temple at Kapal, Bali using iPhone 5 camera and edited with iOS app

The women were lining up orderly to enter the Taman Ayun Temple, a Hindu temple for a religious procession. I found it peculiar that there were no men spotted at all in the long queue. It is a rule for women and men to wear long skirts or pants in order to enter temples in Bali. This is to show respect regardless of your own religion. Men or women who do not obey the dress code will be given a sarong to wrap around their lower body.  

I loved how the bright pink waistbands and the tip of the headpiece stood out from their white top and the white cloudy sky. Pink is strongly associated with femininity and in this case I think it shares a relationship with the lotus flower. In Hinduism, the lotus flower, which is often pink, represents the awakening of the soul towards the highest form of spiritualism. 

The line was almost seamless and despite the scorching heat, the women maintained their poise in balancing their headgear. The headgear contains seems to be heavy, containing offerings for the temple. Offerings are called banten in Balinese. It is possible that the word comes from the Sanskrit word bali, which means tribute, obligation or gift. It may also be derived from the word enten, which means to wake up or be conscious. It is a consciousness of the gods.

Week 1:Summary on TED Video "Tim Brown: Tales of creativity and play"

Tim Brown: Tales of creativity and play Summary

• We need trust to play and to be creative

• Series of behaviors as kids that turn out quite useful for designers

1. Exploration: Going for quantity of ideas and coming back to the solution and developing it
2. Building: Thinking with hands by creating quick prototypes
3. Role-playing: Acting out to wrestle interaction-based problems