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F by alexander teoh
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Part I WORKS
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the (un)stable festival
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festival of the dead leaves
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the anti cloud 29 rituals 41 liberty coffee bar 53 mujo 71 flow residences 89 dwelling 101
Part II EXPRESSIONS
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of clouds and waves
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concrete studies 116 nomi 127 1000mm 134 600mm 162 yuwake 170
contents
PA R T I
Works 4
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The first part of this book displays the architectural and design related projects I had worked on, both in school and the industry in the years of 2014 to 2020. All were individual works with the exception of the Liberty Coffee Bar, which was a team endeavour in a design firm, and The Anti Cloud, a pair work with a studio mate.
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the [un]stable festival 2020 National University of Singapore, Year 3 Tutor: Richard Ho
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n the beginning, Balestier was formalised. To formalise is to make fixed, and unchanged. In time its old inhabitants broke forth from the formal enclosures of their stalls; out they encroached, claiming the unformal spaces. Bicycles, crates, burners and carts spilled forth. But Balestier began to age. And there these artefacts sat, unchanged; the charming unformal became the formal once more. Spaces turned inert. Perhaps, then, spaces should not be perceived simply as delineation, but rather as relationship — connections of relationships that oscillate wildly between stability and instability.
It is this the architecture seeks to embody. Neither an unstable nor a stable state, but one that destabilizes when activities grow stiflingly stable, and seeks stability when chaos spirals — a mutating architecture, altered by its program, and in turn alters its program again. Short-termed leased stalls are positioned along the architecture’s thoroughfare, and when occupied, they interrupt and elongate the main circulation path, diverting the people into the atrium of the desolate Balestier Point. The temporal nature of these stalls ensure that the relationship between the internal mall and the external thoroughfare continually changes, while their frontages adapt to the changing circulation. The reintroduction of human traffic might perhaps incentivize a revivification of the mall proper.
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process sketches The project sought the utilisation of short-termed leased stalls as a means to impart the element of change to the architecture. But how might the physical imposition and removal of stalls impart change? It must occur upon an established framework, lest chaos ensues. These drawings illustrate the attempt to design a system — of grids and axes — according to which the spaces of the stalls would expand, encroaching into their surroundings. They led to the idea of ambiguous spaces — spaces that hold the potential to attain different characters that are dependent upon the activities that surround them.
above A collage depicting the spatial reading of Balestier. A strong character of informality pervades the site, where activities and possessions spill out of formal boundaries. These unformal entities have remained so long in place, they begin to become formalised. Junya Ishigami’s idea on the complexity of a forest was applied here, positing that spaces should not be perceived so much in terms of delineation, such as building/street, or inside/outside. Rather, we should view them as unstable relationships that strive for stability.
right An internal scene of the new building, on the bridge that stretches across Balestier Road. Temporal short-termed leased stalls are defined by rotating wall panels. When rented and occupied, the walls would be rotated into place, diverting and elongating the circulation through the building. This altered circulation would in turn induce changes to the frontages of the existing stalls, which generally gravitate to face the main thoroughfare.
left The proposal is sited within the existing setback zone of Balestier Point. Formerly populated with commercial shops, Balestier Point has now regressed into a desolate place that experiences little pedestrian footfall. This could be attributed primarily to the presence of the setback, where pedestrians frequently bypass the building, rather than entering into it.
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elongating short the circulation. termed leased stalls. The main thoroughfare leading from Whampoa Hawker Centre through the building is indicated by the yellow line. The spaces in yellow represent the short-termed leased stalls (temporal stalls), while those bounded by the darker walls are the permanent stalls.
When the temporal stalls are leased and occupied, they divert the main circulation path, elongating it. This necessitates visitors to delve into Balestier Point to its atrium, remedying the problem where pedestrian footfall bypasses the building instead of entering it. The fluctuating rental statuses of the temporal stalls ensure that the relationship between the inside and outside of the former building is kept unstable, and that different routes continually appear and vanish throughout the circulation. This intervention at the former building’s facade would hopefully incentivise renewal works to be carried out in the remaining areas of the building.
These would be rented under 3-month long leases, partly to aid small businesses displaced by the pandemic, and to accommodate for more volatile situations. These would comprise largely of cafes and food stalls, to introduce competition to Whampoa Hawker Centre as a means of siphoning away its crowd density, which is ideal in a passive pandemic scenario. These temporal stalls could also be occupied by merchants selling festive merchandise, owing to the periodic occurrence of festivals that suit them for short-termed lease systems. The temporal nature of these stalls is intended to introduce a changing character to the site that is saliently absent in the inert atmosphere of Balestier at present.
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Usage of grey card indicates the original building. The basswood portions represent the newly built structures. The shorttermed leased stalls, designed to be delineated by rotating walls, are portrayed in white.
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Festival of the Dead Leaves 2020 National University of Singapore, Year 3 In collaboration with Saw Tian Aik
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ven as they watched, leaves wafted down from the trees like flakes of rust, alighting upon the massive gears that hovered amidst the tree boughs. The enormous contraptions ranged throughout the park like a ceiling, each enormous gear girdled round a tree trunk, linking the trees into a broad, assembled structure. Clear were the flat bodies of the gears, and the leaves that had fallen upon their surfaces were thus made visible to those gazing from the ground. Then a group of children leaped upon the tilted disc affixed to the base of the largest gear, at once turning it into motion, and the gears began to move. With this the leaves scattered atop the gears began also moving. Turning slowly, they piled into a heap against a curved beam, and were swept out of the gear’s edge, tipping into a round catcher that hung at its rim.
Now a child came bounding up, pouncing upon a zipline rope that hung from the underside of a tray, which sat upon steel tracks high above the ground. With a twist of her body the zipline spurred into motion, hurtling down the steel tracks that wound throughout the park. Passing beneath those round leaf catchers, it collided with their bases, tipping their contents into the tray above the rope of the zipline. At last the zipline reached the end of the tracks, where a trampoline, topped by a dome of wire mesh, sat. Here the tray emptied its leaves onto the trampoline as the child swung off the rope, landing upon the tensioned surface strewn with the leaves from the other gears. And even as they watched, the children leaped upon the trampoline of leaves, bouncing with exhilaration as the auburn flakes cascaded around their little figures like a gentle storm, hovering in display.
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This project consisted of a small urban intervention upon a provided site, where a park, abutting the Whampoa Canal, at the feet of several HDB blocks, lay. The brief was straightforward — observe the site, weave a narrative in a fourpoint framework around its agents, be they human or non-human, and propose a design prototype in a response to the narrative. The four-point framework structuring the narrative is articulated below.
“The Grass is a Battlefield” Erasure The trees of the housing blocks deploy their leaves. Origination Enemy flocks of fallen leaves overrun the immaculate turf. Transformation Unkemptness spreads; the turf is overwhelmed by the rampant chaos. Migration Brooms and rakes are called in to quell the leafy assault, but garbage defects to the side of chaos.
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site plan WORKS
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Trees in the park shed their leaves continually. The dead leaves are gathered, and cleared by the cleaners. Before that, however, these fallen leaves create an atmosphere of clutter, encouraging littering, and intensifying the burden of the cleaners. Can the mundane act of cleaning be celebrated? Can the leaves fall, without imparting a cluttered atmosphere? Can the collection of leaves be made into an activity of play, for the children of the nearby childcare centre to partake in? The Prototype thus seeks to accomplish these, to celebrate the collection of leaves, and allay the unkemptness of the area. This it attempts by introducing struc22
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tures to collect fallen leaves, reducing their ravages upon the ground and diminishing the cluttered atmosphere evoked by fallen leaves that encourages littering. It hopes also, on a larger scale, to imbue the mundane act of gathering dead leaves with an element of play. But how might this be achieved? If we are to defy that dull, quotidian perception of something as inane as dead leaves; if we are to inject a sentiment of fun and celebration into the act of gathering leaves — we need children, who delight in playing in piles of leaves, who look at dead leaves and rejoice.
urban intervention proposal
The site has hungered long for the spirit of play and the presence of children, with its aged demographic and placid atmosphere. Thus the Prototype, in introducing leaf-gathering contraptions, introduces also contraptions of play that latch onto the former. As the children play, they drive simultaneously the contraptions to gather the fallen leaves. Hence the children play. Hence the leaves are gathered. And upon the contraptions ride the leaves, until all have assembled — and at the centre of the park a leafy spectacle manifests as a celebration, and a phenomenon of delight for the children.
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01.1 Devil’s Wheel This is a wide disc, 2 metres in diameter, on a canting plane. The tilt enables the wheel to be spun when one steps on the higher section of the wheel, where gravity then pushes the wheel into a rotating motion. Vertical steel struts bolted to the disc connect it with the gear table above. The Wheel earned its name from the rather treacherous spirit of its usage, where children are easily flung off into the surrounding sand, but has persevered in existence perhaps because it is, admittedly, immensely fun.
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01.2 Hamster Wheel This contraption is designed after the motion of a Hamster Wheel. Children are invited to play within the wheel, instigating into motion which would turn the gears above. Unlike the other gears, the Hamster Wheel (totalling 2 in the entire system) collects the leaves from its attached gear above into itself, as it doubles as a compost tumbler. The resultant compost could be utilised in the community garden at the side of the park. WORKS
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02 Zipline
03.1 Deposition onto Trampoline
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03.2 Trampoline WORKS
02 Zipline A network of steel tracks, upon which ziplines run, link the trees. These ziplines latch onto the underside of collection trays above. When the children slide upon the ziplines, the collection trays simultaneously pass beneath the round leaf catchers of each tree, colliding with a board beneath the leaf catchers that tips their contents into the sliding collecting tray. 03.1 Deposition into Trampoline The sliding collection trays empty their leaves into a collection area. This takes the form of a trampoline, girdled by a structural concrete ring serving as a landing platform for the children on the zipline. The structure is upheld by steel strut supports at its base. Tensile springs secured the trampoline to the inner rim of the concrete ring, and this gap between the trampoline and concrete ring where the springs are stretched is covered with elastic fabric. A dome, constructed of curved aluminium sections, sits atop the structure, and is clad with wire mesh to contain the flying leaves. 03.2 Trampoline Upon the trampoline the leaves are gathered, inviting the children to come and play. This is to be the monument of delight; the bouncing of the trampoline, induced by the children, propel a flurry of leaves that simulate the sensation of playing in piles of leaves, while the leafy cascade simultaneously serves as a display of play.
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The Anti Cloud 2020 National University of Singapore, Year 2 Tutor: Lip Chiong In collaboration with Timothy Wong In mythology, the notion of water embodies a multitude of interpretations, some seemingly contradictory. Water is chaos. Water gives life. Drawing from the common perception of rain as an antagonistic entity, the project intends to invert this notion, re-portraying the rain instead as a benevolent entity. It transforms the element of antagonism – the cloud which brings rain – into one of benevolence – a cloud which protects us by collecting rain – and celebrates this through the production of sound. This was to be instantiated through the design of a “sensory pod”, within which one or two persons might huddle.
Rain distorts one’s surroundings and perceptions, owing to the fine-grained density of water droplets that result in a suffusion of noise. The envisioned cloud is therefore projected to modulate the sound of rain by altering the density of the rain droplets, controlling the fine-grained distribution of rain into coarser-grained accumulations that generate splashing and dripping sounds. The sound patterns are divided into three groups, each commanding a particular section of the cloud, which activate sequentially when the collected rainwater is released, introducing a decrescendo of sound from the cacophony of the storm to the silence of the aftermath.
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on art and altering perceptions The brief called for a “sensory pod” that modulated the environment. Rather than a physical manipulation of climatic conditions, the project sought instead to modulate one’s perception of the environment. This entailed the encroachment into the realm of art, for art concerns itself with questioning and altering perceptions. An art installation, then, was in place here, to celebrate the phenomenon of rain. 30
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the sound of water For this, I explored a myriad of materials that would comprise the pod – but if one was dealing with rain, could not water serve as the material? The explorations with plastic cups ultimately led to the curation of the dripping and splashing sounds of water into different categories of constant and cyclical sound patterns. These were captured into “cup modules” designed to be stacked, constituting the walls of the pod. Yet a plethora of different wall configurations was possible. If the “cloud” was to produce sound, then it was not so unlike the movements in a symphony – I needed a narrative, a structure to curate these patterns into a story.
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facing page Sketches for the tabulation of sound intervals and patterns. Different arrangements of the cup modules induced different rhythms in the splashing and dripping sounds of water. These studies demonstrated that patterns with varying densities of sound could be created, ranging from multitudinous soft sounds, to fewer but louder punctuations. From this, the idea of a decrescendo of the storm thus developed – the sensory pod, after activation by the storm, would continue its performance after the storm and create sounds that gradually dissipated as time passed.
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hybrid drawing T I M E A N D AT M O S P H E R E The drawing here is an attempt to depict, simultaneously, the objective and subjective qualities of the “cloud”. It is first of all a time graph. Rain, collected at the roof of the drawing, enters the pod. Here a 4-part act begins. The 4 segments of the walls, each enclosing a different sound pattern, are activated. As time passes, the water diminishes, deactivating the walls one segment at a time, thusly generating a different sound quality. The undulating lines, on the other hand, record the quality of sound, which is differentiated into sound frequency and character. Sound frequency is represented by the digitally-generated line, while the latter takes its form in 3 hand-drawn lines of smudged charcoal, owing to its subjective nature. They wind their way through the middle of the drawing, between the bounding walls of the cloud where the user sits – for this drawing is also an axonometric projection that portrays the playful swinging of the cups as they tip and empty the rainwater along the walls of the cloud.
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1:1 A part model of half the structure was conphysical structed, allowing a single user to sit within model its space. Pine strips were used for the walls, and aluminium struts for the roof, owing to its larger span. These were secured with screws and bolts, making for a sturdy model that could withstand the hefty weight of the collected rainwater.
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the anti cloud
pine, aluminium, acrylic, polypropylene 600 x 1200 x 1200mm
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exhibition with view to studio
clay reclamation
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Rituals 2 019 National University of Singapore, Year 2 Tutor: Melanie Francis We begin with the narrative of a potter – of the turmoiled life, the humble works of clay, and the ritual of toil. Imprisoned for a decade from embroilment in gangs, he began the craft of pottery at the closing of his term. It was a redemption of sorts – where once he partook in the destroying of things, now he works to create new things, beautiful vessels that remind one of life, of its inherent tragedy and salvation. So he toils now to fashion great works, and though his works have indeed attained greatness, though the mere gesture of looking into a bowl affords infinite contemplations, the echoes of his lesser past recurs; his works cannot divorce themselves from his dimmer past – they are seen as outpourings from an old transgressor, and from this they derive their worth.
But if the potter creates art, so much more is his life an art itself, for now he works to banish eternally this reminder, and we wonder if there would arrive a time where, at last removed from the shades of his past, the potter creates works no longer marred by memory’s scars, but by virtue of creation itself. The architecture seeks to express this notion of the potter’s darker past recurring throughout his works. It charts a journey through studios and gallery spaces to unfold the narrative of the persisting past and the eventual emancipation from such a past. Uniting spaces of process and spaces of product through different spatial relationships, it investigates the notion of how narratives might be affected by varying the relationship between the craft and the crafter, the pottery and the potter.
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process sketches The idea of narratives led to the study on circulation paths and directional spaces, for the phenomenological engagement with architecture holds a narrative quality. Rituals and sacred spaces were also explored, such as the notion of a “preparatory path� before a sanctuary that strips away the outside chaos. Perhaps this could be related to the idea of toil. Could this be demonstrated purely by the circulation through the architecture?
altering narratives through varying spatial relationships Establishing different relationships and sightlines between spaces of process and spaces of product. How does one perceive a work from the position of the artist? How does one perceive the artist from the position of the work? And how does one perceive them both, detached from the artist and his work?
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site, kallang
BASEM EN T scale 1:500
F IR S T
S TO RE Y
showing first storey and basement mezzanine
FI RS T
M E Z Z A NI NE
showing first mezzanine and first storey
S E C O ND
S TOR E Y
showing first storey and first mezzanine
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One is taken upon a winding path through exhibition and studio spaces, traversing at recurring intervals a large channel framed by two massive concrete walls. Phenomenologically stark, the space of the channel is broken by beams and trusses insisting their way through the walls; the brutal expression of the building’s structure distinguishes itself, arresting one’s attention repeatedly with each traversal of the channel. At last one emerges. Entering a teahouse filled with the handthrown wares of the pottery studios, one is granted repose as he faces the distant trees, with the river beyond.
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structural system
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V
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LIBERTY COFFEE BAR 387 Jalan Besar, Singapore 2 017 with imajin Originally a wholesale coffee supplier and roaster, the owners of Liberty Coffee approached our firm with the intention of establishing a café of their own. They specialize in roasting specialty-grade coffee beans and providing training classes for coffee-making techniques and coffee appreciation. The café was therefore required, in its design, to maintain the professionalism of the craft, yet avoiding the esoteric air of formality. The café was to incorporate a retail section, a bar for the customers, and a coffee cupping space. A backyard space was retained for informal seatings.
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Often termed “the handshake of the building”, the door handle was carved from timber, in a curved profile that fit itself into one’s palm when grasped. It recalls the design language of the café, which follows a motif of parallel lines along a gradient, presenting it as a series of varying wood stains.
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deformalisation of spaces in a home
translation to spatial layout in cafe
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storage layout plan
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architectural plan
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furnitures, fixtures, and floor covering plan
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liberty coffee bar // isometric section
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ISOMETRIC
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EXPLODED ISOMETRIC
The benches were designed for a dual purpose in the cafe – apart from their usual function, they were also made to be stacked above one another to serve as a table for coffee cupping. This was an activity which suited the use of a slightly higher table than the usual 900mm high table, which could have been achieved with two such benches, each 500mm high. In its stacked configuration, it simultaneously allowed for additional table space on the lower bench for items like bags and personal belongings. As a 500mm high bench was slightly higher than the average seat, the lower steel bar allowed for one to rest his or her legs on to eliminate the discomfort of sitting on a high bench. WORKS
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process to product
The timber panels that emerged as the final product underwent a rather interesting and note-worthy process that took it from concept to execution. They began their journey as high tables intended for use during the coffee cupping activities that were, when not in use, hung on the walls as a feature with the legs folded in. During the development and detailing stage, the design team reasoned that such an idea, despite its practical advantage of saving space and unique characteristic of a feature element, it was going to be a hassle in their maintenence, which
would bring about unnecessary trouble of taking them up and down the walls. Furthermore, such a system would increase the chances of an accident, which would be unnecessary were a different solution sought for. As such, the timber panels were developed to incorporate the sense of scale to the high walls that the wall-hung tables previously suggested; their design simultaneously flowed down to the bench, curving ergonomically as a backrest for the benches.
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mujo
an investigation of time 2 016 - 2 017 Singapore Polytechnic, Year 3 The brief called for the design of an office in a given site, a triangular plot of land seated at the junction of Cross Street, and South Bridge Road. This was along the boundary dividing Chinatown and the Central Business District; the locality where the historical shophouses ended and the skyscrapers of the modern Singapore began. This introduced an interesting dialectic at the site: at the divide where, metaphorically, the past and present met, could a new language of architecture emerge, one which simultaneously accommodates the changing culture of work, whilst paying homage to the memories of the past?
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36 Cross Street 72
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P LAC E // A RECOUNT OF HISTORY THOUGHTS ON THE SITE AT 36 CROSS STREET
It was not so much in the amalgamation of culture and variegated activities that marked the streets and backlanes – nor was it the long-preserved ornamental facades of the iconic shophouse, that emerged the significance of the place of Chinatown. When historicity transcended the divide between the past and present, manifesting itself no less tangibly than physical phenomena, then did the atmosphere of the familiar Chinatown see its establishment. It was indeed the narrative of the place deeply rooted in history that ensured its sustenance. Only through this could the conflux of people culminate in place-making – a modus vivendi that lent Chinatown its distinctive character that has persevered till this day. But even this has been threatened with the rise of modernity, their boundaries pushed to their narrowest limits. A new facet to the historical atmosphere has been presented through the dialogue between the old and the new, which would only mutate with time.
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Decay into Detachment a musing on the atmospheres of the shophouses
Decades ago in the 1970s, the streets of the shophouses in Chinatown were organisms of activity. Walking through those streets, surrounded by hawkers with their provisionally-erected stalls, by the loud voices of housewives echoing above to one another as they hung their washed clothes outside the louvred windows, one could not help being immersed into the atmosphere. It was the noise, the smells, the overload of visual stimuli, that gave birth to place. But soon arrived the advent of modernity, and with it the demolition of numerous shophouses. Seeking to alleviate their annihilation, the act of conservation arose. Yet this good-willed, misguided deed saw historical significance attributed solely to the highly ornamented, iconic facades of
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the shophouse. These were preserved with utter disregard to the human activities and composition of spaces around the shophouse – the rightful signifiers of history from which “place” derived its significance. Vehicular roads replaced the streets, burying the immersive atmosphere once sustained by the cauldron of activities, leaving a sense of detachment in its wake. It was this preservation of history and time as form, in the attempt to inhibit change, that led to the death of “place”. Time, thus captured in form and not in narrative, was frozen in place as delight for the eye, but not for the soul. Architecture became artifact.
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A N I N V E ST I GAT I O N OF T I M E mujo, or impermanence, seeks to introduce an immersive quality to architectural phenomena, as a riposte to the oppressive detachment one experiences in the present site.
In transgression of the untenable and self-defeating ideology of promoting architecture as artifact, mujo reintroduces human activities as building element to create and alter the subconscious awareness of duration. This informs spaces that sustain flux which derive their energy from a continually changing flow of people participating in temporal collaborations – the construction of impermanent “inhabitations” throughout the space – place-making on a micro scale. This narrative emphasizes the nature of space as a continuum rather than a constant through the use of duration. The immersive quality of place derived from time’s narrative is thereby imparted to the space.
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To inform the perception of duration, it was necessary for the level of flux, which created the sense of time through background movement, to be delineated clearly throughout the architecture. The level of flux was thus arranged along a gradient, where the spaces of greatest flux were concentrated at the central core of the building, with those of lowest flux placed at the peripheral areas. This enabled the choice for the people to immerse themselves into the central flux-space for collaborative work, or retreat to the peripheral spaces for individual or private work. Delineating the spaces as such allowed the flux-spaces to be greater emphasized through the contrast against the quieter, supporting spaces.
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time The French philosopher Henri Bergson distinguished the nature of time as physical time – the scientific measurement of time – and duration, which was the subjective perception of time. Physical time was seen as the formal expression of time as measured on a clock, whilst duration, on the other hand, was the narrative of time, its experiential quality as perceived by the person which has the capacity to vary subjectively. One could interpret the condition of the shophouses through this framework, where history and time were demonstrated through the facades, as a formal expression of time; history was preserved as form, while its narrative was forgotten. This narrative was the human activities of the shophouses, and insofar as it was disregarded, the immersive atmosphere was lost to the surroundings.
immersion We therefore see that the notion of immersion lies in the element of time; when time is expressed formally, it leads to detachment, and when time is demonstrated as a narrative, as a felt duration rather than an observed time, immersion of the person occurs. What, then, constitutes the point where immersion has occurred? It is when duration is altered – when one’s experience of time fluctuates, and time appears to speed up, or slow down.
3rd storey plan
6th storey plan
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mujo, sectional perspective WORKS 81
mujo, atrium through stories 2 and 3
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temporal spaces With the flux-spaces positioned at the core, they informed the type of activities that would occur there. Informal collaborative spaces were thus placed there, while the formalized privatized and individual workspaces were situated at the peripheral areas. The double-level atrium introduced spaces suited for transient, informal work styles centered around a cafeteria. Merging two floors of working spaces for an uninhibited circulation, the tiers of steps simultaneously serve as areas for relaxation and collaborations. Moving outwards to the periphery, the spaces formalize. One comes to clusters of tables intended for collaborative and individual work, then further on to the solitary spaces – rooms for individuals – at the peripheries.
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FACADE DETAIL
I N T E R I O R WA L L D E TA I L
TIERED STEPS & JUNCTION DETAIL
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mujo, sectional model basswood, grey card, mdf WORKS
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Infused with a rich history of the state, Commonwealth has watched the growth of the first high-rise public housing in the country. Now, over half a century later, much of these have begun their journey into written history, no longer standing as physical entities. The site of Commonwealth Crescent perches on the brink. In a held breath its memory and heritage remains still, engraved into the lifestyles of the elderly residents that linger on, imparting a pensive, contemplative air to the place. Presently, a vestige of the past remains in physical form, in the quaintly-contained provisional shops and eateries that sit among the encircling 10-storey flats. Here it is we see these elderly residents persisting with their interactions with a resilience as though to preserve the habits of an older time. Yet the uprising of offices around the area have imposed a silent limit to this practice, displacing them from their sanctuary in the lunch hours of the day as workers stream into the area. And so this last pillar of the past begins finally to fade.
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VII
flow residences a homage to history
2 015 - 2 016 Singapore Polytechnic, Year 2
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architecture of concession
With the gradual deprivation of traditional gathering spaces for the elderly residents in Commonwealth Crescent, one could see the fading of history, the passing of a generation, through the crowds that ritually, daily, filtered in and out of the site. Yet unsustainable it would be for the formal restoration of old, worn places. Thus an architecture of concession was birthed from this dilemma – one which allowed for the time-honoured interactions of the elderly to persevere, not against, but with the progression of society. Building form therefore conceded ground, functioning as a frame for spaces where such interactions would endure, and in that very act, integrate them into a modern context.
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typical part plan The design of the apartments circled around the concept of common spaces; balconies were seen to possess a communal nature, yet it was observed that more generously-sized options are a less common strategy in Singapore’s housing, which typically fixates on capitalizing sellable space. Deemed as a waste, such an approach backfired and balconies were scaled down, resigned to be used merely for the hanging out of clothes. In aversion to this capitalistic degradation of space, the design exploits the communal nature of balconies, permitting them to be reached not only from the living rooms, but also the bedrooms. With the balconies bridging the interior spaces, they sought to invite the occupants out onto these micro-communal spaces for the family, reclaiming once more the original purpose of the balcony. WORKS
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flow residences, sectional perspective 94
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sectional perspective Framed in the shape of a ‘V’, the blocks open up toward the coffee shop adjacent to the site – the locus where the elderly were gradually purged from by the daily crowds. This gesture, with the intention of giving back space to the residents, sought to expand their gathering place into the site, sustaining the remnant of history they each carry to this day. Continuing the notion of communal living to the inhabitants themselves, balconies were introduced to the apartments, serving as micro-communal spaces. These large, open-aired spaces informed the type of activities that might occur within the families – outdoor dining to name one. Extending out into the atrium-like space between the blocks, such activities had the potential to contribute to the atmosphere of the place.
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top communal sky terrace bottom elevations facing page view from the coffee shop
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S EC TIO N AL FAC ADE DETAIL showing precast elements of balcony and sky terrace
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VIII
Dwelling 2 014 - 2 015 Singapore Polytechnic, Year 1 Dwelling is the investigation and translation of an art form into spatial representations. The brief presented a local artist who draws his inspiration from a fashion designer, Hussein Chalayan. For one immersed into the creation, practice and performance of art, it was instinctive for his place of dwelling to possess a level of cooperation with these forms of expression. Concurrent with this would the character and philosophy of the artist’s art form be reflected in the architecture, in terms of its spatial qualities, tectonics, circulation system, and experiential phenomena. The design took the form of a double storey house intended for the residence and craft of the artist.
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concept
It was felt that the dwelling of the artist was not one to serve merely as a reflection of his character and art form, but more than that, to inspire and further his expression of art. It was a home, but likewise was it a workshop, a place wholly involved in his art. The philosophy of fashion designer Hussein Chalayan describes design as an exploration and a journey. It was therefore found appropriate if this dwelling place might, through an “exploration of spaces”, serve as an inspiration for the artist, owing to the element of surprise in its nature. The idea of the new, in the journey through the interior spatial phenomena, could function as a medium for the creation of ideas in the artist’s mind.
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FIRST STOREY
The segregation of the central spaces – living, dining, and library – each with their unique function, enable an experience of a “journey” through the house. This notion of a continually changing perspective harmonizes with the exploratory character of Chalayan’s works. Moving through the house, with its functions dispersed rather than congregated, one experiences the spaces as a moving collage, rather than a static impression.
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SECOND STOREY
The bedroom was positioned on the second storey for privacy purposes. A garden was made to abut the open corridor outside the bedroom for the provision of a space for contemplation for the artist. The library studio, a double-storey affair, enabled his workspace to be accessed with ease, and also allowed the means for an organized categorization of books and materials via level.
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of corridors The corridors around the house were generally long in nature, intended for the artist in his moments of contemplation and artistic creation. At intervals along these corridors would the artist then encounter the various spaces of the house as niches of pausing and diverting. The veranda of the second storey situated outside his bedroom sat as one such example, with a garden adjoining its length. Such spaces were provided in the endeavour to create places of repose and reflection where the artist could depart from his lines of thoughts to retreat into a quieter space.
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PA R T I I
Expressions This section compiles the works of craft and sculpture that I had undertaken over the past few years. I found a delight in working with the hand as a form of expression, to participate physically in translating intangible idea to tangible form. And over the years this interest had birthed a deep appreciation for process, and the immersive quality that working with the hands brought; it gave, in a certain way, the sense that one was brought back to his roots. It began as simply as it might perhaps have begun, at the back of a classroom twisting steel wires into a cage out of boredom. But from there, the interest in making things quickly evolved, and I discovered myself rather unexpectedly spending a huge part of my time learning about crafts that ranged from simple paper models to the metallurgical science of knife-making.
In time I found this interest aligning more towards works of wood and metal, though also incorporating a variety of other materials that included leathers, plastics, and concrete. Yet it did not stop there. I discovered, through this pursuit, different ways one might perceive the world through the senses. It showed me the silent importance of details, from the intriguing characters of materials to the fascinating processes that all things around us have patiently endured, and opened me to a world where beauty could be found in the banal and the unseemly, where deep narratives were woven inextricably into the simplest of things; even into the tables and the trees that walk always by our sides.
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01
of clouds and waves sculpture, 11.5 x 11.5cm mixed media 2 019
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02
concrete studies 2 018 - 2 0 2 0 mixed media A question that has perhaps long been asked by many is that if concrete might be employed outside its conventional usage in construction. These experimental works were thus begun not so much with the intention to chart new territory and uncover some ground-breaking, avant-garde application, than to grow intimate with the material and the process of casting it, that it might be used in future projects. Within the process there was already a repletion of aspects to explore — the proportion of mixture, possible forms, material and finish of the casting mold, and so on. In time the casting process grew familiar, but the casting results were forever unfamiliar. From the swirling patterns to the air pockets that adorned the surfaces of the concrete, and even to the heft and tactile quality of the material, one could anticipate, but never precisely predict. I wondered, then, if this might hold some potential in art. And I dreamed of a form of art where the artist abdicated, at last, some portion of his iron control to the workings of capricious nature, yet not collapsing into the irresponsible notion of vaunting artistic freedom under the pretext of self-expression.
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facing page // Concrete ornaments. I experimented with several designs to understand the precision of detail that concrete could assume, and the viscosity of the concrete mixture that would allow it. right // Dishes, or coasters, in concrete. Their hydrophilic qualities (propensity of absorbing water) could be adjusted through the treatment of the mold within which they were cast.
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Wood (walnut in images) was also incorporated, in part for the aesthetic quality of contrasting materials, and for blanketing the rough undersides that resulted from the casting process, to protect the surfaces that the dishes sat upon. In later iterations I developed a sanding technique that enabled the rough surface to be smoothened to a high degree, resembling the texture of matte terazzo.
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Many dishes were casted. By this time characteristics such as the colour, amount of air pockets, water absorbency, and surface smoothness were reined into control. Yet each piece persisted in differing from the previous; each piece held a different nuance from the other, in terms of, for lack of a better word, their mood. Their hefts and textural feel could never be prefigured. The unpredictable result of each cast led me, eventually, to produce countless more pieces in the hope of attaining that ideal texture.
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textural studies in concrete
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é‘¿
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03
N OM I japanese chisel
2 017 O1 tool steel, rock maple
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Crafting Tools of Craft / / ON EXP ERIMENTAT IO N
As I delved further into craft, into the particular area of traditional weapons, I found an inclination – an interest, if you would – towards Japanese methods of craft. Theirs, though ostensibly similar, was one of a wholly different philosophy. From their tools to the methods of working the materials, they varied greatly from the western style we are more familiar with. In shaping a piece of wood, for instance, it is not uncommon to find one wielding a hand file or even a sanding belt to mold the
material to his liking, as opposed to the japanese, wherein we might find a more frequent usage of a chisel for sculpting the material to shape instead. As I learnt more about this intriguing style of craft particularly from their most noteworthy work of art – the japanese sword, or katana – I could not resist trying my hand at some of its techniques. A project soon arose which called for the construction of a scabbard, and I decided to employ the
same method of the japanese in their scabbard constructions. Yet this demanded the use of a tool – a japanese-styled chisel for the specific usage in scabbard-making – which I did not possess at the time, and which I decided to fashion myself. For one, it would open to me a great many new doors if I could fabricate tools for myself; I too could save the crippling cost of purchasing the tool, whilst learning a new area of craft.
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A traditional Japanese saya nomi, or scabbard chisel, differentiates itself from the typical chisel to suit it better in constructing scabbards. Longer than most chisels, it is forged with a harder steel edge laminated onto a softer steel body, and is shaped with a gently rounded bottom and a lightly bent shaft. Harder steels contain a higher carbon content but suffer from brittleness, while soft steels offer greater flexibility. The bi-metal construction of a saya nomi thus allows for a harder, more resistant cutting edge, with its inherent fragility mitigated by the soft steel backing. The bent shaft holds one’s knuckles above the surface of the wood whilst it is worked, and the rounded bottom prevents the otherwise sharp corners of the chisel from digging into the sides of the channel.
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carving a saya (scabbard) with a saya nomi
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top unfinished nomi handle bottom cutting edge of nomi facing page, top fire brick forge facing page, bottom heating the forge
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The chisel I made differed from the traditional, incorporating instead a mono-steel construction using a type of tool steel called O1, which was manufactured specifically for tools and thus already possessed an ideal balance of hardness and flexibility. The chisel was heat treated after it was shaped, to impart the hardness to the steel. Here it was soaked in the forge to a yellow-white glow for a time, before it was rapidly quenched in heated oil. For brevity, the specifics of this process is not stated here. After its quenching, the chisel was tempered in an oven at 150 degress for 2 hours, to relieve the molecular stresses that would have accumulated in the steel during the heating and quenching stage. Concluding with the sanding and polishing stages, the chisel edge was ground and sharpened with 8-micron abrasives. A maple handle was carved to fit snugly into the palm, then affixed to the shaft and finished with a beeswax polish. In this piece of work I felt it appropriate to adhere to a utilitarian tradition – the chisel was carefully crafted at its working ends, while left rough and unpolished in the unessential areas which did not require the attention.
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04
1000-mm 2 016 - 2 017 aluminium, acetal, basswood, aerosol paint
Here was the attempt at a full length piece, which, understandably, presented a challenge less in terms of skill than persistence. The previous works were all of shorter lengths, due to the fact that they were primarily concerned with the study of techniques and skill which a longer piece would bring little advantage to. The design was adapted from one taken from a video game; the scabbard was an original design that referenced its language from the blade’s. The 80-hour work thus involved the making of the scabbard that referenced Japanese craft techniques.
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forming the blade / / MA R KIN G , C UT TIN G , S AN DIN G Upon a flat bar of 6061-T6 aluminium 4.5 millimetres thick, the profile of the blade was marked and cut out by hand, with both a hacksaw and a coping saw. The rough edges were filed smooth, and proceeding from there, the bevels of the blade were ground in with the same hand file. At this stage, the blade profile had been
sharply defined, though its finish was still rough and heavily scratched with the thousands of passes the file had made upon its surface. All these took 33 manhours from the start of the process. From here the blade would undergo the polishing process, and the various parts of the hilt constructed alongside its process.
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togi / / POL ISH IN G Here was the typical polishing method carried out, which consisted of taking consecutively finer grits of abrasive silicon carbide paper to the blade. The idea of abrasive polishing was to introduce gradually smaller and more minute scratches on the surface, to slowly eliminate the larger scratches. This resulted in a gradual smoothening of the surface, bringing it from a matte finish to a glossy, reflective one. 138
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In this process, a small piece of abrasive paper was wrapped around a wooden sanding block to stabilize it for a more consistent, even polish of the blade. Water was generously applied to both surfaces, washing out the fine particles to avoid clogging the abrasive paper and rendering it ineffective. As I slowly worked on the blade, drawing the block away from my body, then back in, and over again — once, twice, ten times, a hundred pushes — slowly the silent shine of the metal revealed itself. Like rubbing a long-faded and tarnished mirror to restore it, it was as though I were wearing away an outer layer to reveal the glow that lay hid beneath its dull, grey shell. Like gold was the gleam; the gold of grind.
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left to right 01 the polishing had to be carefully controlled to avoid smoothing out the sharply defined bevels of the blade 02 before the final polish 03 after the final polish
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In the midst of polishing the blade, the slurry of water and particles forms itself into a beautiful streak of patterns, like brush strokes upon the surface of the blade. It was here in these small, transient moments that I found the small, enduring fulfillments of craft.
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Five stacked layers of aluminium and acetal composed the hilt, with the aluminium pieces finished with a matte, brushed texture to emphasize its contrast with the blade. Acetal, a type of thermoplastic, had been chosen as the material for the hilt owing its tough, durable properties, which would undergo much stresses. Having never worked the material before, I had to research and experiment with various processes to examine how it responded to various methods, such as cutting, sanding and gluing. From what I had learnt, I found that passing a flame lightly over the surface of the acetal gave it a smooth, matte-textured finish which was strangely pleasing to the touch.
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saya // S CAB B AR D The saya, or scabbard, began as two flat planks of basswood. With the saya nomi, a blade-shaped channel was carved along the center of each piece, forming a hollow between the planks when they are placed together. These planks were glued, and their outsides were carved and shaped with knives and files of varying coarseness.
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Metal fittings were designed and shaped from 1-millimetre-thick aluminium to complete the saya. The saya incorporated mountings to allow it to be hung and worn, and a reinforcing piece — the koiguchi — for the more 148
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delicate mouth of the scabbard, which would see greater wear with the blade repeatedly drawn from it. These were curated into a coherent design language through aesthetic considerations.
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cutting the koiguchi
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A jeweller’s saw is used to cut the 1mm thick aluminium plate for the koiguchi – the fitting at the mouth of the scabbard.
completed cut
The blade of the saw is a mere 0.6mm in depth, allowing it to cut thin sheets of metal along small, sharp curves.
parts of the koiguchi
The parts are shaped but left unpolished, to check first for their fit before they undergo the final polishing.
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The saya is used as a molding block to shape the koiguchi as it is hammered around its form.
shaping the koiguchi around the saya
The top piece had to be precisely measured and cut to fit the curve of the bottom piece.
fitting the top plate
The blade was inserted to check if the koiguchi formed a tight seal around its profile. This would prevent foreign particles from entering the saya and scratching the blade.
testing the fit
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set of hand files The fabric roll pouch was fabricated to hold the various files I had come to own over the years. These were indispensible in the craftwork I had done.
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The metal bands and the engraved plate serve as points on the saya to which cords might be attached, in demonstration of how the piece would be suspended when worn. The geometric lines they sketch with their profiles align with the stylistic language of the whole. They are tested for their fit on the saya, which had been pre-painted and sanded to reveal its surface irregularities.
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Departing from the usual method of sanding the metal with consecutively finer grits of abrasive paper and ending with a metal polish compound, I found that if the sanding process were halted midway and transitioned directly to using the metal polish compound, the metal was imparted a noticeably different finish. Adopting the mirror-like surface that resulted from the metal polish, it retained a fine collection of lines from the scratches that were not removed by the abrasive paper. This gave it a subtly darker and grayer shade, which, visually, had a greater depth as opposed to the featureless mirror surface of the typical process. This was attempted on the scabbard mountings for that distinctive appearance.
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600-mm 2 014 - 2 016 aluminium, pine, basswood, synthetic leather, aerosol paint As one of the earlier incursions into craft, the making of this aluminium replica served as a familiarization with working with metal, and also as an introduction to various craft processes. Taking after an existing design from a film, this replica was an interpretation in aluminium, whilst the scabbard was an original design which echoed the stylistic motifs of the blade. The work began as a flat bar of aluminium, 4.5 millimeters thick, taken therewith through the various processes of cutting, sanding, and detailing. Being made solely by hand without the use of mechanized tools or machinery, it seemed almost a challenge of whether it would be the material or my tenacity which yielded first.
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left // The profile of the blade was first cut out by hand from a flat bar of aluminium measuring 50mm wide by 4.5mm thick. From there, a hand file was taken to its surface to form the bevels of the blade, after which it was taken through a light polishing. Progressively finer grits of silicon carbide paper brought the surface to a smooth, matte finish in preparation for the etching process that would follow.
middle // Here the blade is shown with the etching process completed and the pine hilts fixed to the tang of the blade. These were first shaped with a whittling knife before attaching them to the blade, where their forms were further detailed and refined. The screws were recessed slightly below the surface of the wood, and the recess filled with epoxy, to attain a homogeneous surface uninterrupted by the screw heads.
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above // The scabbard was carved out of basswood, in a 3-layer construction. After shaping, it was wrapped in black synthetic leather and sewed. The metal patterns were cut out of a 1mm thick aluminium sheet and bent around the scabbard form.
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left // The metal was given a coat of paint, and the outline of the pattern cut out to reveal the bare metal beneath. These exposed portions would dissolve to form the etched pattern.
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middle // The electrolyte bath. Together with the DC power supply and anode-cathode pair, they make up the electrical circuit for electroetching. right // Sketched outline of the engraved pattern.
The vine-like pattern was first engraved into the blade through a technique known as electroetching, which involved the use of electricity to dissolve specific areas of the metal surface, thus introducing the engraving. Extensive research and tests had to be carried out before the actual etching of the blade took place to ascertain the numerous variables in the process, which included the concentration of the electrolyte, the voltage and amperage of the circuit, and even the size and positioning of the etching design. After the first side was etched, it was discovered that the power supply was unable to provide a sufficient amperage for the large size of the etching pattern. Despite its sufficient depth, the etching sacrificed detail, displaying an outline that lacked sharpness especially when viewed up close. This was an incentive to look for a different method – chemical etching.
ELECTRO CHEMICAL
ETCHING Through the use of a copper sulphate solution which dissolves aluminium, the chemical etching proved to be a much simpler answer which did not forgo quality. It eliminated the hassle of a large number of equipment and simultaneously yielded an etching that was sharp and clean, as demonstrated on the reverse side of the blade.
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Yuwake
WAT E R - CASTIN G CO PPE R
06
Yuwake, the Japanese method of casting molten metal into hot water, is a largely uncommon casting technique that was used in making tsuba – the hand guard of a katana. Upon casting, a flat disc of metal – most frequently copper – was obtained, and would become the base from which the tsuba would be crafted. This was perhaps one of the more daring techniques I had attempted; based purely upon the theoretical research I had done, I gathered as much information as was available, and tried my hand at this technique. Any mistake or unforeseen factor could not be afforded, for accidents involving molten metal occurred was often very severe.
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raw copper is sourced from discarded cables and accessories
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A large number of tools and equipment were required of this process, ranging from gas fuel to protective goggles. These tools were primarily those used for working with heat, and therefore consisted mostly of long-handled implements. The forge for the heating and melting of the copper was, as before, thrown together from scrap fire bricks. Within the steel pot was a metal ring on which a layer of canvas was fastened. This would serve as the surface on which the molten coper would be poured on during the casting.
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topmost canvas secured onto metal ring above copper ingots left tools used for yuwake
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the forge OF H E AT, BR I C KS , AND COP P E R
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t was a challenge, with basic equipment, to construct a set up which would not only produce a tremendously high amount of heat, but also contain that heat. Many different configurations of arranging the fire bricks were tested for the most heat efficient set up, and there were various factors that complicated the process. For instance, the torches required an outlet to vent out their flame, without which the fire would ricochet back toward the torches and reduce their heating efficiency – the configuration had to
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account for air flow directions and thus could not be completely sealed. Two MAPP gas torches had to be used, for a single torch, despite the sufficient temperature of its flame, could not transfer heat to the crucible quicker than what was lost to the surroundings. Copper melts at 1083 degrees, but the temperature had to be raised higher than its melting point to enable it to be poured as a liquid. The heat generated by the forge was blinding as it rose to the ideal temperature.
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TH E Y U WA K E P RO CE SS 01 //
03 //
05 //
A pot of hot water is prepared, with the canvas surface immersed inside. Using unheated water would result in a steam explosion, spraying molten metal everywhere. 02 //
Upon pouring, the copper instantly vaporizes the water it comes into contact with, forming a steam bubble which slows the cooling of the copper, and prevents damaging the canvas.
04 //
The copper disc lies upon the canvas surface as it begins to cool. At this stage, the intense heat of the copper throws up large bubbles, agitating the water surface.
06 //
When the heat of the copper is no longer sufficient to sustain the steam bubble, it collapses in on itself. The water hisses with a distinctive roar as this occurs, signalling the conclusion of yuwake.
Casting copper as such greatly reduces oxidation, blasting it off the surface by the rapid vaporization of the water. Charcoal chips are at times mixed in the crucible with the copper to further reduce oxidation.
Here the layer of air around the copper disc can be seen clearly, insulating and preventing it from cooling too rapidly. A light brush of oxidation on the copper can also be observed.
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Thus ends the beginning The smooth copper disc is retrieved from the belly of the canvas, the water still hot to the touch. Its surface is mottled, oxidation painted in irregular patterns around its circle. This would carry on its journey to serve as the base piece for making a tsuba – the hand guard for a blade.
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compiled 2020