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FEAST
OF THE
SENSES
HONG KONG
SUMMER SCHOOL 2014
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Index 3
Introduction
5 Brief 7
Sensing the City
9 Taking Hold 11 Feast of the Senses 13 Opening Night 14 STORE 15 Woodrite 16 MODA
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Introduction The first short course in design and architecture in Hong Kong by STORE and Woodrite saw students create a sensory installation comprising a lightweight sculptural canopy and richly textured concrete furniture. Marking the start of an international educational collaboration between Londonbased design collective STORE and Hong Kong organisations Woodrite, CTU Education Foundation and MODA, the installation provides seating and shade for a previously disused roof terrace at the CTU Education Foundation’s multidisciplinary training facility in Kwai Chung. The final installation was designed and built in five days to a budget of just £500 by local students with little or no architectural background. Taking as our brief “the Feast of the Senses,” students were encouraged to look beyond visual aesthetics and to privilege touch, taste, sound and smell in their designs. Tutors began by working with students individually to explore the stimulation of specific senses through simple devices shaped around the human body. Students were then asked to synthesise their personal explorations into a single proposal.
Marrying their conceptual interests with a long-term brief, our students orchestrated an animated landscape for the culmination of the summer school. Two canopies of generic white scaffold netting billowed in the evening breeze, hung with a collection of finely cast concrete counterweights. For the rest of the summer, concrete seats cast with the imprint of local vegetation sit in sharp textural contrast with the softly undulating canopy above, which provides much needed shade. Throughout the course, students benefited from immersion in the HKCTU Educational Trust’s community of skilled craftsmen and the need to respond sensitively to the needs of a real client. Tuition emphasised the development of individual skill sets through individual portfolio tutorials, confident presentation in regular crits, and collaboration as tutors worked alongside students in the final construction phase.
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Brief Space is experienced through the senses. In the age of the internet - Dezeen, Tumblr, Instagram, etc. - architecture and design can seem like purely visual experiences: endlessly reproduced through photography on screen. But this is a mistake. The real thrill of space and place has always been its enveloping, overwhelming immersive-ness, the overlaying of sound, smell, taste and texture onto emotion, memory and feeling. This year, we start at the zero ground of design: the inside of our own heads, and work outward through our senses through the process of making objects and experiences.
1. SENSING THE CITY
2. TAKING HOLD
3. FEAST OF THE SENSES
On our first two days, we each designed and constructed devices which distorted, enhanced, curtailed or accentuated a particular sense, or set of senses. These became our tools for engaging with the city and finding new ways to document and explore its qualities.
The conclusions of these explorations formed the basis of a series of site specific proposals around the city. Designs for a spatial installation were developed through drawing, physical and digital modelling and full scale prototyping.
Our work, discoveries, and investigations flowered into a monumental, thrilling, immersive and intense display and collaborative installation, incorporating sound, light, form, mass, touch, smell, taste and emotion, aiming to rediscover and unravel the original primal intensity of the experience of the city.
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1. Sensing the City
During a short walk through the varied urban landscape of Hong Kong’s New Territories, students were asked to reflect on a specific local sensory experience. The oppressive humidity of Hong Kong’s remaining patches of tropical forest, the feel of the pavement underfoot, and warped and bubbling paint textures were communicated and amplified in a set of devices, tailored by students to one another’s bodies.
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Emily Lam’s piece explored the transition between air-conditioned spaces and the outdoor heat with a head-mounted carousel, dragging a variety of textured curtains across the wearer’s face.
Simon Lai created a flamboyant sweatcollection device, with a folding mirror focussed at the wearer’s armpit to stimulate perspiration.
Anjin was fascinated by surfaces which appear hard, but feel soft. He created an appendage with fine metal “antennae,” which deformed to record the texture of a wall.
Andy Tam reflected on the ways that areas of the foot are thought to link to other parts of the body in traditional Chinese medicine. Pumps strapped to different areas of the feet blow a whistle or ruffle a tassel, translating underfoot sensations directly into aural and visual phenomena.
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2. Taking Hold
Following their initial individual investigations, students were asked to relate their ideas to one another’s work, and respond to a specific site, brief and client. Our host institution, the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions’ Kwai Chung training campus, offered a disused fourth floor roof terrace as the site for our final installation piece. Students were asked to marry their initial conceptual investigations with a practical programme: the provision of seating, planters and a sun shade for the training facility.
Students immediately began surveying the site, before producing scale drawings and models. Conceptual drawings and full scale prototypes were translated into scaled proposals for two canopies spanning the breadth of the site and a modular system of concrete planters. At the end of the first week, students presented their final proposals to HKCTU management for client approval, honing their presentation skills while getting invaluable design feedback from the installation’s end users.
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Concept sketches
Proposal and site plan, 1:50
Model, 1:50
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3. Feast of the Senses The second week of the summer school focussed on a collective construction process as students set out to realise the two contrasting elements of their design. The canopies were shaped by plywood profiles scaled up directly from a working model. These were suspended on overhead tension cables, spanning some 15 metres across the site. Generic white scaffold netting was stitched to each profile, pleated and
stretched as students experimented with large scale form-making.
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The manufacture of our concrete planters became an iterative design process, as students tested formwork for a number of different modular pieces. Ultimately, a modular interlocking design was chosen for the seating. Textural interest was added by lining concrete moulds with local vegetation. Simplified basins were cast to match the module of existing paving on the roof terrace. Finer casts in pigmented cement and plaster were used to create ornamental counterweights for the canopy.
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Opening Night After five days of hard work, students presented their work to local councillors and representatives of the Hong Kong Arts Promotion Office, as well as inviting family, friends and the general public to take part in the Feast of the Senses. For many of our students, this was a first opportunity to test their ideas on a spatial scale, as vistors wandered through the installation enjoying the tactile, visual and spatial experiences framed by the students’ installation.
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The canopies and concrete furniture created a range of particular social conditions, as visitors could choose to poke their heads through holes in the canopy for more intimate conversations or gather in the diffuse glow below.
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Legacy
Long after students and tutors have left, the installation will endure for the rest of the summer, offering seating and respite from the summer sun. We hope that we have been able to inspire our students with a sense of adventure and ambition in their nascent design careers while imparting a
set of very practical skills in drawing and making. Most importantly, we have forged a set of relationships with individuals and organisations that will help us bring the STORE/Woodrite Summer School back to Hong Kong and continue a promising international dialogue in design teaching.
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Testimonial
SIMON
EMILY
HIN
“Because I have never built any structure in such large scale, it gave me an experience to deal with real making issue and learn how to solve design problems. During the design process, I also learn how to collaborate with others’ ideas. I really enjoyed the course, I learned a lot during this two weeks. It was nothing like any summer school that I have been. I feel like we were working as a team and designing a real thing. I hope I can join summer school again next year.”
“I think it really helped me to experience how to finish an artwork in a large scale. After the course, I had experience in skills like measuring scale, drawing floor plans and cutting wood. I think these would all help me to relate architecture to installation art. All in all, the course let me experience new things and I enjoyed it! “
“Before the course started, I thought design was just about having an idea. After I joined the course, I saw things totally differently. We needed to build it out. In the beginning, it was a bit difficult thinking how to draw the plans. In middle, I was happy that we made smooth progress, putting our ideas together. Finally, it was fun to make things with concrete! “
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Tutors
NED SCOTT
VIKTOR WESTERDAHL
GABRIEL WARSHAFSKY
Ned received his MArch in Architecture with distinction from The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, in 2012. His work has been internationally published and exhibited including at The Royal Academy, in the Architectural Review and on the cover of Blueprint magazine. Ned is also a tutor at the Bartlett and has been an invited critic at The Bartlett, Greenwich University and The Royal College of Arts.
Viktor graduated with distinction from the Bartlett School of Architecture in 2013. He was awarded the Design Technology Prize in 2012 and his work has been published internationally, including in Dezeen and the Architectural Review. He has been an invited critic at Cambridge University and Central St. Martins College of Art and Design. He was given the opportunity to lecture at the Bartlett School of Architecture, as well as teach a series of design workshops at Cambridge University. Currently based in London, Viktor has in the past worked for the prestigious architecture office Herzog & de Meuron in Basel, Switzerland. He has also worked closely with the social enterprise Woodrite in Hong Kong to develop a range of furniture from reclaimed wood.
Gabriel graduated from the Bartlett School of Architecture with distinction in 2012. He has worked for architectural practices in London, Berlin and Toronto on projects ranging from exhibition architecture to racetracks. More recently, he has run urban regeneration schemes in outer London for Jan Kattein Architects, incorporating elements of bespoke fabrication and public art. He has been an invited critic at the Bartlett, Cass, and the University of Brighton. His independent work explores the boundaries of aesthetic taste and the limits of the body. An interest in soft, rough and sticky materials has informed recent experiments with inflatables, fabrics, ceramics, and cast sugars. A collaborative design for a private residence in the France is due for completion in the summer.
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Store STORE is an experiment and an education. It is defined by the artists, architects and designers who form an association and by the physical spaces they inhabit. The association began simply as a group of people united in their shared impulse to teach, to learn and most importantly, to create. Since its inception in 2010 STORE has grown significantly - in size, status and ambition - which has most recently been marked by the association becoming a Community Interest Company (CIC). This transition describes a consolidation of STORE’s core values and objectives - namely, its pursuit to drive and facilitate local change within the urban environment. A highly collaborative approach is central to STORE’s working method and means of engagement. The process of working together and shaping projects on their own terms has been key to STORE’s evolution. We believe collaboration to be vital to sustaining an active learning environment where new knowledge and meaning can be produced. Open dialogue is at the centre of this belief and something that we value highly and see as the necessary starting point from which to develop important relationships and ambitious projects. It is from here that we can begin to find new and progressive models which can successfully contribute towards the future of education and practice. Over a period of five years STORE has operated from a variety of temporary spaces in Bloomsbury and the experiences gained during this time have come to define the associations key objectives. STORE actively embraces the neighbourhood in which it is situated - dedicating itself to meaningful engagement in local issues and to the development of sustained relationships with the community. STORE simultaneously maintains a high level of
flexibility in regards to the construction of its local infrastructure and is continually open to the potential of new sites and opportunities. Its extensive network of skilled and energetic individuals and its links to dynamic organisations and business establishments, allows the association to foster and develop a diverse range of satellite enterprises. STORE’S programme of summer schools and short courses has allowed the association to extend its research and creative exchange further into the public sphere, enabling a wider audience to be reached. STORE is currently in the process of building a new model of affordable education - one that will integrate knowledge of spatial practice in both art and architecture and develop
highly ambitious projects that are in direct dialogue with local issues and agendas. STORE aims - in its collaborative approach - to develop student’s individual confidence and their design and craft skills. We believe in the need for a new educational model, which can - in its practical manifestation - achieve both affordability and flexibility. The aim of this new model should be to offer the highest quality education to selfmotivated, inspired individuals who do not necessarily possess the means or opportunity to access higher education. These beliefs are central to STORE’s motivation and practice and could potentially, if met with the necessary support and circumstances, be a catalyst for positive and successful social change.
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Woodrite Woodrite was established in 2013 with the aim to promote sustainable development. We collect used furniture and reclaimed wood and our designers and carpenters recreate new furniture more suited to everyday use. We hope that by implementing the “Upcycling & Refurbish” concept, it will reduce the impact of waste on our planet and educate our next generation to cherish the earth’s resources. Upon deducting mandatory operational expenses, all the remaining funds will be donated to Food Grace, a food recovery project that aims to collect unsold food and give to the needy. You can find more about Food Grace here at: http://foodrecyclinghk. wordpress.com/ Every piece of waste or scrap wood that is thrown into landfills, not only takes up space but upon decomposing cause further problems to our earth. Upon decomposing, one ton of waste/scrap wood releases around 200kg of carbon dioxide and 200kg of biogas. It takes 43 large trees an entire year to absorb just 1 ton of carbon dioxide. Every day, 300 tons of waste wood is tossed into landfill, and we need 2,580 trees in order to completely absorb the carbon dioxide released. Our group is committed to recovering wasted wood and realizing its hidden value. Through our expert’s renewal, waste wood will be transformed into dining tables, chairs and other everyday household items. We at Woodrite are extremely passionate about seeking out further purpose in discarded resources, and breathe new life into them for people. There is “strength in numbers”, and in order to spread our environmental message, we openly invite communities who share our vision to join our team, develop ideas and promote environmental awareness. With the continuing increase in land prices in Hong
Kong and a growing trend for manufacturers to move northwards, the traditional wood carpenter profession is diminishing. A true traditionalist, Master Chan still insists on usage of local production. A passionate environmentalist, Master Chan is often consulted and interviewed by local media for his expertise in handmade fine wood production. With his help, our goals become obtainable. Ming Wai and Wai Ling are young local designers and strong supporters of sustainable environment. Because of this, they created Déjà vu Creation, meaning a sense of familiarity. Their concept is to collect old discarded wood, and with their creative design, recycle and transform the wood into functional and beautiful furniture. The materials that they use are precisely those which we have thrown away, waste wood that was once familiar to us.
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MODA MODA (Mode of Design Alliance) is a Hong Kong based design organisation founded by a group of professional with devotion to advocate public interest in Art & Design. Since its establishment in 1997, we have been bearing the mission to promote Art & Design in all areas for the benefit of the industry and the general public. MODA has continuously developed and modified its services in response to the new challenges and demands amidst the changing industrial environment of the post-2000 era. The services provided by MODA address the industrial support and education needs. We are working with partners in different aspects, including consultancy services, industrial liaison, project promotion and education programme.
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HKCTU The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions is a pro-democracy labour and political group in the Hong Kong. It was established in 1990. It has 160,000 members in 61 affiliates (mainly trade unions in various sectors), and is active in the political arena in Hong Kong. The HKCTU is represented in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, challenging government policies and pushing for legal protection of worker and trade union rights. It is one of the two most influential labour groups in Hong Kong. The principles put forward by the HKCTU are “Solidarity, Rice Bowl, Justice and Democracy�. The group focuses on the rights and interests of workers, and the development of a democratic political system in Hong Kong. It calls for the right to collective bargaining and protection against dismissals for involvement in trade union activities. Besides calling for universal suffrage of the Chief Executive and Legislative Council of Hong Kong, the group also supports prodemocracy movement in mainland China, including the struggle for independent trade unions. It participates in a number of human rights and labour rights networks to oppose the alleged suppression of labour movements in mainland China.
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Tutors: Ned Scott Gabriel Warshafsky Viktor Westerdahl
Students: Andy Tam Emily Man Yi Lam Simon Lai Tong Hok Hin Clara Cheung Chun Hung Chan Suki Tse Si Ki Lam Hiu Yan Cheung Sau Ying Tam Kasey Lau Ka Ying Lai Mako Wong
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Contact STORE 144 Eade Road London, N4 1DN t: +447972845785 school@s-t-o-r-e.org www.s-t-o-r-e.org/school