So we made it to the second day (Saturday) of Random Blends.
Despite the rain, it did not stop the rest of us from going to the ArtScience Museum through the unsheltered way. Yes, there was no sheltered way to the museum, how unfortunate. An underground walkway would have been nice.
Anyway, the place was filled with people, completely different from the Friday I went. As my friend and I went around the exhibits, we had differing views on most of the works, and it really helped us delve into different viewpoints. We had deep conversations on the aspects of the social issues that were brought up in some exhibits, as well as differing attraction to different pieces.
One piece we really liked was one of the games that we played. For the life of me, I cannot remember it right now, however, it centered around a polygon traversing the game’s map and growing and learning. I think what really attracted us to that game was the premise, the storyline, the undulating gameplay, as well as the setting. It really made us think deeply about the actions that we do, our pursuits in life, and the sacrifices we have to make to progress. The game was really thought-provoking.
We then sat down and watched a running video. It was a Virtual Reality simulation on a playable game about coping with depression. It did not really hit home because it was riddled with a lot of awkward moments of silence and pauses.
After surveying the various works for 45 minutes, we took a break and went back to the main hall to find our friend. Her experimental work consisted of an umbrella that lights up after a certain air quality threshold. She could not get it to work in the first place, only because the area was not appropriate for her experimental work.
I guess this exhibition was really a novel thing for me. Some improvements I have though was if it was more organised. Another venue would have been better, only because the exhibition area of ArtScience Museum is not really that attractive, and also extremely limited. All in all, it was still very underwhelming.
Maybe it was the time I went, or maybe it was the preview ceremony, but it was less than what I expected Random Blends to be.
Made my way to ArtScience Museum to view the Random Blends exhibition today. Since my friend had already left, I made my own sweet time to the museum.
The moment I got there, I was greeted by helpful, yet awkward greeters, handing me pamphlets and stickers. Saw a few familiar faces around.
Walking through one of the halls, I came across my friend’s work. I could really see the amount of effort she put into her work. However, knowing they had to move her work to another part of the exhibition hall, which distorted her shadow projections, was quite a saddening turn of events. (Which was interpreted wrongly beforen but oh well)
Everything seemed cool, saw people I knew from school, and saw some pieces already promoted on the Random Blends Facebook page, as well as the physical manifestations of works featured on their Instagram page.
Overall, the whole thing felt a little bit awkward and lonely, with the place being quite empty and awkward. I guess people just did not think about coming today.
Tomorrow will be better, I suppose. I will get back to you tomorrow on the atmosphere and pieces of work when I go with a friend.
Box explores the synthesis of real and digital space through projection-mapping on moving surfaces. The short film documents a live performance, captured entirely in camera.
Bot & Dolly produced this work to serve as both an artistic statement and technical demonstration. It is the culmination of multiple technologies, including large scale robotics, projection mapping, and software engineering. We believe this methodology has tremendous potential to radically transform theatrical presentations, and define new genres of expression.
9th March 2017, 2229 hours
From this visualisation, I have begun planting an idea on using 3D Projections to grow my Homage project.
Discounting the countless of work I have to put in for animation and design, I still have yet to come to a concrete concept on the homage. However, I have narrowed down the subjects of my homage.
Time will only tell what my idea can manifest into.
The art of concise presentations. PechaKucha Night was devised in Tokyo in February 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public.
ペチャクチャ
The Art of Concise Presentations
PechaKucha, the sound of chit-chat in Japanese, is a presentation style where 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each and a presenter talks as the slides go on without prompt.
This style of presenting, which keeps presentations fast-paced and concise, is a good way to empower speakers with the tools to drive their message to the audience with effectiveness.
First developed in Tokyo, Japan by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham, architects of Klein-Dytham Architecture, it has grown since to feature in PechaKucha Nights (PKN) across 900 cities around the world.
Given the task to do just 5 slides each was as daunting as having to originally come up with 20 slides. The difficult task of being concise about our assignment approach within 5 slides, or 1 minute 40 seconds, was brain-wrecking. Not wanting to appear lackluster, but also not including too much unnecessary information, was the struggle in coming up with the presentation.
However, the group I shared my ideas and inspirations with managed to come up with amazing presentations that not only showcased our individual ideas about our projects, but also the colours of our personalities.
The approach using PechaKucha really allowed me to see how well my project ideas could be pitched to a group of my peers, and the feedback from it really made me look at my ideas from a different angle.
Space for observation: LAN (Local Area Network) shop near The Centrepoint along Orchard Road
Background: I was friends with the receptionist at this particularly popular LAN shop, as I have been patronising the place for almost 10 years. I asked for permission with the owner to observe the space, but he was advised against disclosing the name of the shop. (Photos were not allowed either) Being a frequent and familiar face, I just sat at an unassuming corner with a good vantage point of the front desk, several rows of computers, while having a chat and some teh with the receptionist (of whom I am friends with). I was there from 1.30am to around 2.45am on a Wednesday night.
People who came into the shop had interesting personalities, especially at such odd hours on a weekday night. Already in the shop were a handful of customers, one of which had been there for almost the whole day already, according to my friend. I was taught never to question the reasons people stayed in a LAN shop for hours on end, but often to ask if they are experiencing problems or offered them tea breaks. Many connections have been made with resident gamers in this particular LAN shop.
LAN shop computers are all equipped with LAN cables, which have higher broadband speeds and stronger connectivities than that of WiFi networks. These LAN cables are a staple in all LAN shops and are the utmost importance that needs constant upkeep and maintenance to ensure the smooth running of the business.
Within the span of the hour I spent observing the area I settled in, two calls came in, both asking if the LAN shop was still open at this hour. A mix of groups and individuals came through the unassuming door of the shop, which to most from the outside, just looked like any normal door that leads to seemingly nowhere. Only the true patrons of the shop would be fully aware of the wonders hidden behind this door.
Most groups that came in, came in groups of 4 to 10, often requesting to play Left 4 Dead 2 (L4D2, Zombie Apocalypse First-Person Shooter) or Defence of the Ancients (DotA, Multiplayer Online Battle Arena). Most were men, of ages 18 to 27, while only 2 girls were ever seen with their respective groups.
Once the groups were assigned to and settled into their computer system and started playing, a single phone’s ringtone started playing from the corner of the shop. The tone rang for 2 minutes before dying off, of which I assumed the owner did not bother to answer the call, being too engrossed in the game to care for distractions.
The endless clicking of mice, chatter amongst groups discussing strategies for matches, as well as the nonsense shouts of frustrated teammates on their less than capable cohorts for screwing up a game, can be heard for the next 45 minutes. Girls screaming as zombies attacked them in L4D2, guys shouting “Ward, Ward! Attack, ATTACK!”, and the cheering from all over as teams won made the humble, dull coloured shop burst with entertainment.
Nearing the end of my hour-in-observation, my friend and I discussed the various strategies the shop was taking to ensure a continuous source of revenue, as data plans for LAN shops were rising, we looked for ways to cut on cost or bring in more people to use their facilities. We talked about the importance of digital culture, and the slow but steady shift to more handheld and console devices, as people preferred to explore the digital with their own devices. However, I assured him that the market for video games would never not die down so soon, as long as graphics for consoles remain inferior to those of the computer.
When my hour ended, I stayed for a couple of hours, making friends with a particular guy, who was a regular in the shop, and learned more on the reason he figuratively lived in the LAN shop. I learned that LAN shops are not just a place for gamers to abuse high-speed Internets, but it was also valuable to online business owners who rely on reliable connectivity to set-up bustling businesses, most of which their home systems could not handle. I also indulged in hours of gaming before getting a call from my boyfriend, asking for a ride back home from the pub he was working at.
I bid adieu to my new friend, as well as the receptionist friend, thanking him for allowing me to observe the dense digital space in a physical form.
RUN! SHOOT! KILL IT! HIDE! BEHIND YOU! GO GO GO! *times out*
