Manchester School of Architecture Portfolio

  The reason why I wanted to study at Manchester School of Architecture is because of the incredible facilities and prestigious education provided by the collaboration of two famous universities. As a student who has taken Visual Arts and Design and Technology, I understand the importance of imagination and creativity which is why I am drawn to apply to the Manchester School of Architecture as they also spotlight these qualities. Although I have never been to Manchester, this opportunity to study at the MSA will teach me how to step out of my comfort zone by developing this flexible creativity in different environments. The MSA will also guide me into thinking more critically and realistically about my future designs. In my opinion, collaboration is also an important quality to architecture and the MSA has demonstrated this perfectly by providing a program where two prestigious universities collaborate to create the ultimate education experience for students. 

  On a trip to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, I was able to experience an exhibition of figurative paintings and sketches made by the Malaysian artist, Kok Yew Puah. He portrayed the different emotions and connections around him which highlights his identity as a father, husband,teacher and friend. Some portraits included heritage architecture in the background, which made me curious to explore the cultural sites in Kuala Lumpur myself. He has managed to capture his identity, not only through his humorous close-up portraits of himself, but the emphasis of the background in his paintings and how he perceived Malaysian culture and the progressing modernisation at the time. 

  Frank Ghery is an American-Canadian architect, who is known for his award-winning designs in contemporary and deconstructivist architecture. As a pioneer in deconstructivism, his designs alienated from the stereotypical ideal for architecture, as his designs had curvilinear and asymmetrical forms that were inspired by modern sculptures. His ability to express emotions through disorientation, along with the creativity to improvise from pieces of architecture, has made him my favourite architect. His works demonstrate the importance and appreciation of the Arts such as music and the Visual Arts, as it’s inspired for everything and everywhere. 

  ‘The Interlace’ by Büro Ole Scheeren, reflects the complex yet enticing aesthetic of contemporary architecture. The unique or spontaneous stacking of the apartments, replicates the building bricks from my childhood. However, apart from the aesthetic, the design provides a method to create substantial housing without adding another tower block to Singapore's skyline. With the angled blocks and the hexagon-like shape, it catches light perfectly while allowing an accelerated wind between the gaps of each structure, the perfect combination of bright and cool. This work of architecture reflects my ideology of how architecture needs the consideration of local weather and some acknowledgment to the present global issues of limited land. 

  133mm x 230mm, my portrait in romanticism style   I have decided to explore Romanticism as it challenges my artistic skills for detail. I have first tested these skills by painting my own version of the figure in "The Mermaid" by John William Waterhouse with oil paint, to test the softening of textures and matching colour tones.With oil paint, I have taken some elements of hyper-femininity from Romanticism ( pastel colours, softened skin and etc.) for my portrait, but instead portraying a gentle and soft figure with a sense of innocence, I have portrayed femininity as a dark elegance, which reflects the idea of power. This was to highlight my intention of breaking the stereotype of femininity being only limited to the gentle or shy-looking exterior.  100mm x 230mm my version of 'The Mermaid'

  160mm x 160mm, gouache paint  I wanted to express my stress and procrastination through two separate pieces, one focusing on realism and another more surrealistic, however both are conceptual and figurative. For the realistic piece I used gouache paint as it functions similar to watercolour but layers with more pigmentation in colour. This was perfect to display the light and dark for this piece and I was able to highlight details such as the individual strands of hair and how the light reflects off of it.  160mm x 160mm, watercolour pencil, acrylic paint For the surrealistic piece I was able to test the layering of two different media, and portray my difficulty to focus, as I feel as if i'm looking through the book instead of focusing on its content. The two media I have used for this piece is watercolour colour pencil and and acrylic. The acrylic paint is for the purpose of layering and bolden the eyes on the book, so they are more in focus. 

  300mm x 300mm x 300m, plastic, card, cloth, wiring ( for lighting), wood  As a hobby, I enjoy assembling interior models of homes as it gives me experience for prototyping ( which I consider an important aspect to architecture). As this assembly comes as a bought package, this could also be considered a challenge, as assembly instructions were unclear, and some materials were missing or in the wrong size. So I had to use my creativity skills to make new pieces from scratch and make my own assembly plan and steps. For new materials, I have been able to laser cut pieces of plastic and wood in school for furniture, even sewing cloth for some cushioning of the furniture. The lights are attached by a wire which connects to a battery. 

  Around 100mm x 90mm, earthenware clay I used earthenware clay as it's softer and easier to sculpt than the other clays due to it's smoother and less sticky texture when wet. I based the sculpture off of my own hands, so this piece is also considered an observational sculpture.  The position is made to seem as if the hands are gripping onto something, as this was designed to be attached on top of mirrors to make it seem like hands are gripping and supporting the mirror. 

  320mm X 170mm, acrylic paint  I was able to capture the serenity and realistic aspect of this scenery by using different brush stroke methods, short vertical strokes for the detail in the grass and rough dabbing textures for the grass in the distance and the clouds.  I have painted a landscape (acrylic paint)  piece to display my appreciation for space and scenery.  Although the isolated tree is spotlighted, my piece demonstrates how it interacts with the shadows of the wave-like hills. The wave-like hills juxtapose with the calm sky, overall creating a soft and enticing atmosphere. 

A3, pencil and charcoal I was able to draw this heritage building (Malayan Railway Building) in Georgetown, Penang in Malaysia. Using the media of pencil and charcoal,I  have managed to capture some details of the clocktower ( such as the angle from my perspective, building tiles and some patterns ). This experience has led me to appreciate the details in heritage buildings and reflect on my passion for architecture and history. For the shading and textures of the building I was able to use charcoal in two methods. One was the normal application and smudging, and the other for smaller details I used a small brush with watered charcoal. The watering method also created a darker pigmentation for outlines and darker areas. Pencil was used for a the basic outline of the building.   

  360mm x 580mm, oil paint on wooden board my experimentations for the piece, 100mm X 230mm, pencil, 120mm X 120mm, oil paint  Using, oil I was able to replicate the smooth texture of clothing, to the rigid texture of rocks, and the calm waves on a cloudy day, and the scarf in movement with the wind. A potamoi is defined as male nymph ( river or lake god). As nymphs are usually associated with women, for my piece (oil paint)  I have decided add feminine traits to the male figure ( potamoi). Traits such as the curvilinear contrapposto pose and a silk scarf. So the male figure looks ethereal in a feminine perspective. This reflects to the term 'modern', as the figure is wearing modern clothing, and conceptually, people nowadays are now and should be more comfortable to express themselves. For the experimentation, an important element to sketch is getting the scale and body proportions correct in a figure, I was able to practice sketching (pencil) and painting  ( oil...

  A4, watercolour, pen, Chinese ink, pencil  I have decided to explore how femininity can be displayed on men, through a range of media (watercolour, pencil and a bit of Chinese and gold ink)  I was able to integrate hyper-feminine traits such as pose, makeup, hairstyle and jewellery. This is to promote my intention of battling gender stereotypes, and normalise a powerful depiction of femininity in both genders. Most of all, this strengthens my comfortability with different media. For the middle figure, I was able to merge the use of watercolour and Chinese Ink, watercolour was easier to display the gradients of shadows on the skin, while the ink darkened the feminine features such as the lashes. For smaller details, I used ink pen to draw patterns of the lace on his collar. To spotlight jewellery I used gold paint, and highlighted the details with an ink pen after it dried. For the figure on the far left,  I have also used watercolour, but this time, using colour, w...

700mm X 340mm, paper mache, paper clay and wire structure for sculpture.  planning for sculpture, A5, pen and gold marker   For this piece I have used paper mache and wires for the shape of the body, and then I have used watered-down paper clay as a plaster to create the variety of cracks with the porcelain white colour. The cracks are painted gold, and the fake flowers spray-painted gold as it complements the white and adds towards my intention. The flowers arrangements juxtaposed between a perfect arrangement and the spontaneous sprouting from the cracks and holes of the body. A bit of green for the leaves of the flowers are intentional, as it represents life in nature and adds towards the action of the flowers growing. The imperfect and messy colouring of the cracks were to give the impression that the gold is seeping through cracks. My intention is to display how society still considers the idea of gender fluidity 'worn out and incomplete', which is symbolised by the crack...