The INTERVIEW Issue|| Sep-Oct 2012/13 Issue N°1

paperspace 纸空间 N° 1: the INTERVIEW issue

___________ Editorial Team Jax Tan Jessica Tan Ang Jia Cong Sandra Lee Wynne Chen ___________ Special thanks Ben Ng Brandon Lim Farhana Hossain Genevieve Ang Marisa Kueh Natalie Cheung Peter Then Teo Zi Tong Vikram Shakthi ___________ Issue N째 1//September-October the INTERVIEW issue on personalities ___________ Paperspace PS.is a bi-monthly publication by The Architecture Society. http://paperspace.wordpress.com http://withintheaquarium.tumblr.com ___________ The Architecture Society National University of Singapore School of Design and Environment 4 Architecture Drive, Singapore 117566 Website: www.tas.org.sg

Credits|2

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___________ PROLOGUE. by jax tan ___________ WHAT?! a collection/obssession portait of vikram shakthi beyond school portrait of teo zi tong ___________ WHERE? where beauty is portrait of genevieve ang in studio portrait of natalie cheung ___________ WHO. by jessica tan & jax tan ___________ WHY?? the conviction portrait of ben ng drawn to people portrait of brandon lim ___________ WHEN! gone digital portrait of farhana hossain ___________ WHICH? way to go portrait of peter then simply says portrait of marisa kueh ___________ SOUND by sandra lee

Content Page|3

________________________________ We are curious creatures.

We like to kaypoh.

Why not kaypoh about people like us?

We are all different But somewhat similar after all.

Same same, but different.

We present to you our average Joes & Julies Your eyecandies, your competitors, your neighbours, some strangers...

Our architectural community is this.

And this is who we are. PS.

Prologue|4

“I’m afraid I forget”, she said.

“Forget what?”, he asked.

She didn’t answer his question, instead continued, “as I grew older I started to see words grow useless”.

“Occasionally people want to know what I ate for dinner the night before, but I just lie to them.” She paused.

“Sometimes it’s peas and chicken with rice, sometimes its broccoli and udon.”

She swallowed, “it matters not, does it?”

He furrowed his eyebrows, but she didn’t look up to receive his reaction.

“Food goes down and gets generated into shit anyway, there’s no way the conversation gets anywhere”, she sniffed.

He stopped looking at his fingers and looked up. She couldn’t be serious, could she? Getting upset over small talk. He shook his head, and just felt helpless. I didn’t ask for this, I don’t need to listen to this.

“In class they like to ask us for our opinions and such. Sometimes I get lucky and some idiot spills out their innermost, politically correct, look-at-me-I-think-so-deep shit”, she drawled a huge breath.

“But sometimes they see my face, and they point at me, demanding answers.

What am I supposed to say? Everything they question, they have already a preconstructed mindset! What is my one answer going to do? Make a difference? Ha!”. She spat.

He was surprised by her sudden spurt of anger, and crossed his arms as a protective measure.

“All the thought in the world is not going to change anything. I feel like everything is just talk, no action. What is a politician unless he promises something he cannot do? What is an employee in your office unless she talks through the interview? What is anyone of any status anything, unless their talk designs a personality for their audience?!”

She was practically wailing by now. He did not know what to say. Unfolding his arms, he almost reached out for an awkward pat on her back, but withdrew mid-stretch. Instead, he looked down and stared back at his fingers, now surveying intently at the line across the nail of his index finger.

“When I realised nothing would make itself out of speech, I stopped talking about myself. I am my thoughts unshared, I have no personality, no humanity. But I listened. I heard all the self indulgent remarks of the many, I heard and it made it harder even for me to speak. How could I? So jaded was I, even to voice so much as an opinion. I’m so tired, so tired of being suspicious all the time, that because of my lack of personality people just wants someone who will absorb all that crap they talk about themselves, their compliments- expecting self-digs, the expectations of their predicaments, their work, their choices in life. People fucking love monologues. No, not listening, talking! Talking, talk talk talk!

He raised his eyebrows, then furrowed them. The irony... PS. Prologue|5

______________ obsession in collection a portrait of Vikram Shakthi

What?!|7

______________ No, not every line.

Only every essential line...

What?!|8

Tell us a very personal story of how and why you ended up in architecture.

I have a keen interest in the creative industry, to influence the built environment in Singapore. This interest has been compounded over the years through childhood activities such as playing with lego blocks, transitioning to playing strategic computer games such SIMcity, SIMtower, SIMhospital and other SIM labels and real time strategy games such as the command and conquer series and transitioning to watching numerous types of documentaries all relating to architecture and buildings. As such, architecture seemed to be a suitable avenue for me to explore my interests further.

Tell us also about your very special collection of building plans from Orchard Rd I actually collect building site plans from places like URA and the firms that designed the place. You never know what you can find on the internet, everything is possible. Usually companies place very generic plans on their website, but that can be scaled to URA’s boundaries and land plot area, which will help me define the plan for the building.

How did you get started on that?

It was actually in year 3 sem 1 during the design of the flower market project, when I was in Davisi’s studio. It was an urban project, so the context was very important. As a result, a lot of research and site analysis was required at the beginning of the design to set the context. I continued collecting the site plans and built on my collected areas even after the studio, so that was how it all began.

Which area are you working on right now?

I‘m working on the Beach Rd/Nicoll Highway area, once again due to its relationship to an urban workshop us design students had during recess week, where we had a project situated near Golden Mile Complex. As I wanted to do a perspective of the place, I needed all the exact plans of all the CBD areas, and even Marina Bay area. For me I wanted to collect all the information I can about the place and its surroundings in the process of the design.

So you try to collect every line on plan in the cad drawing of the place?

Nope, not every line. Only every essential line of the place. Like the pavements, the sidewalks... For me the precision and accuracy is important.

What?!|9

When do you tell yourself to stop, how do you define the perimeter or the area where you cad?

When I get tired of it. But I just do it in my leisure time, when I get a break from school, and when I already have my full share of leisure activities and want to start on something productive. When that happens, I work on my collection.

Where do you see your collection going, do you intend to one day gather the whole of Singapore?

I think my ambition would be one day to make my collection available to everyone. I find that it is very hard to find buildings and their related information all in one place. There are a lot of architects in Singapore who often get uncredited for their building design. I think mainly most buildings in Singapore except for a few famous ones, they’re left uncredited and anonymous, which undermines the whole built environment and the identity of the country into a mere series of unnamed buildings made by unknown people. This is in particular the case for big projects done by starchitects in Singapore. Most people hear that a certain project is designed by Zaha Hadid, or even OMA. Most of the time, the design is headed or marketed as designed by these famous people, but there are also some local designers who work on them who might not be as famous or even recorded in history. My obsession is with collecting the missing information until satisfaction where I find the gaps are filled.

URA actually has their own collection of such information in their database, and they do this via ArcGIS, a geographical mapping and software system. Why do you still see a need to collect building information in your way?

I think my urge to collect information is made stronger by authorities who don’t share their resources. That is the primary driving force for the ambition of one day making this information shareable between students or just the masses. I will make an allusion to Batman:Dark Knight Trilogy. Some people argue that the Batman is a bad person because ultimately because of his presence, evil is drawn to rise up in an attempt to challenge him. This is why the Joker exist. Batman is the psychological stimulance for the Joker and they fight him and harm society to emulate him or challenge him. In a way, I see the relationship of Batman and the Joker like me and authorities like URA. PS.

What?!|10

______________ beyond school

a portrait of Teo Zi Tong

What?!|11

______________ ...the first thing he said was, "you look like an over-aged student".

What?!|12

Tell us a very personal story of how and why you ended up in architecture.

I wanted to be an astronaut...Hahaha...I’ve wanted to be an architect since I was in Sec 4. I think I was also influenced by my dad.

Was your dad an architect?

No, he was actually a carpenter, then he moved on to sell kitchens and did some basic interior design for our house.

So why not Industrial Design?

Architect sounds cooler. You got to agree.

We heard about your attempt to document the whole of your cohort before everyone separated and went for year out. Would you like to tell us how the idea came about?

I was bored in studio, and wanted to test out some lighting equipments. So I actually began testing out on my friend Zhi Jie. And then I’m not sure what happened from there, but I just wanted to do something fun that involved everyone, with an ultimate goal of hopefully exhibiting these images, printed poster size and pasted on the wall beside the big steps.... But anyway in the end the sponsorship didn’t happen, I didn’t write to anyone for a sponsorship or anything, but it was fun and people kinda used it for their resume, so I guess it didn’t go to waste.

Were you successful in capturing everyone?

Not really, but I managed to get most people into the shots. There were camera shy people who just didn’t want to be part of the project, what a pity!

Did you suggest how people should pose, or it was really just free and easy?

There were two. One normal, and then I told them to give me a stressed look, especially those people who had the rep of going crazy. But they kept asking me, how to give stressed look? but posed anyway. On a side note, try to frown and smile at the same time, it's fun!

What’s your favourite camera?

Please write this down clearly, hopefully someone will sponsor. My favourite camera is the Leica MP x0.85 (Cognac Leather), ala-carte. But actually its no longer for sale I think. And even if it is I have no money to buy it.

This is your final year in architecture school. Do you feel nostalgia at how far you’ve come?

What?!|13

I feel old. Saw Chee Huang the other day, and the first thing he said was, "you look like an over-aged student". I guess the feeling wouldn’t kick in till graduation. So for now, nope.

If there was anything you could change about NUS Architecture School, what would that be?

Firstly, I would say, I cease to critique unless I have a better solution, and in most cases I don’t have one, thus I would usually go with, " I’m issue-less" I think it's pointless slamming, without constructive comments. If I were to change anything, and if the school was to improve collectively, I believe greater dynamics between the different years would probably help? Academically, we can learn from the different years, which would in turn produce more diverse works than just repeated ideas and projects. Perhaps more exposure?

Sometimes we are ignorant, and thus do stuff others have already done 3 year, 5 years, 10 years ago. Just maybe.

Who is your thesis tutor, and would you share what you’re working on for thesis right now?

I’m under Dr. Joseph Lim, and he’s really open. Right now I’m still working on a concept and social issues. But currently I’m looking at the potential of ferrofluid as climatic regulator and poetic expression for the facade. On a parallel track, I would be working with Dr Tan Beng Kiang on immersive virtual reality representation for architectural purposes, but it is still at its infancy.

What did you do during your year out?

WOHA. Oh, what was that experience like?

Incredibly stressful, beautiful office, generally great people, site experience was an eye opener. One thing that made the experience very heartening was that I worked on the SPACE project, which was nominated in the World Architecture Festival this year, under the new-old category. I think that’s the rewarding part.

Where do you foresee yourself working, if not in a firm like WOHA? I guess I would like to work on small-scale developments, small houses etc, a small firm perhaps and hopefully a multi-disciplinary one where I can do 'other' stuff, not purely architecture.

One thing I’m pretty certain, I would like to retire as a mobile-ice-cream-seller uncle. PS.

What?!|14

nus.paperspace@gmail.com

writing. photography. painting. debating. communicating. graphic design. line drawing. cad maniacs. perspectives. poetry.prose.grafitti artists. songwriters. lomographers. filmmakers. paper artists. oil painters. exchange students. abstract artists. pencil users. intellectuals. gossip mongers. fashionistas. party-goers. avid readers. critics. couch potato. documenters. collecters. travellers. hungry people. for any reason at all, anything you do, lets have a chat.

nus.paperspace@gmail.com Advert|16

______________ where beauty is

a portrait of Genevieve Ang

Where?|17

______________ I do generally find things that contain the element of time beautiful.

Where?|18

Tell us a very personal story of how and why you ended up in architecture.

I always wanted to become an architect, ever since I was a kid. I always stared up at the buildings and wondered how the buildings are so straight, when even drawing a straight line freehand is so difficult. I think my dad also influenced me with his love for architecture, as he used to always point out interesting buildings to me.

Who is your favourite tutor thus far? What lessons did you learn from them?

I don’t have a favourite tutor, but I was under Jiat Hwee and Sanson in Year 1.

I think they are both good and have taught me different things. From Jiat Hwee I learnt how to throw away ideas. While from Sanson, I think I learnt the idea of balance in how I design. As in there are the designer’s design, where only designers can appreciate. Meanwhile there are the design where a lot of people can appreciate. I think the balance comes in achieving design that can find common consensus amongst the informed public and even designers.

Tell us what is ObscuRed.sg about? How and when was it started?

Together with a friend we founded this site as a place to curate raw and beautiful works that are homegrown. I have a personal blog and I used to follow this other blogger because I always just thought it was very interesting. So one day I left a comment and we sort of began a friendship. We first met up at a cafe on Duxton Rd, The Pigeonhole. There we just began talking and we realised that there was actually a lot of local talent in Singapore. I think ObscuRed began from a spontaneous text message, like why not we have a site that contains all these talents and they could have this place to see what others are up to and that can create the opportunity for collaboration.

How does ObscuRed work.. how do you balance updating the website with school?

Actually I’m very grateful to my collaborator. He’s in army now, so he was mainly the one who pushed for the project to happen. Basically we have two main roles in ObscuRed. They are the curators and the writers. The curators basically source for things to feature, while the writers write and elaborate on the findings.

What is your role at the magazine?

I manage the site together with my friend and also curate by looking out for local cafes to feature in ObscuRed.

Where?|19

So which cafe is your favourite in Singapore?

I really like The Plain. However, it is very crowded nowadays, too crowded for my liking. But it still is a very nice place with a beautiful collection of magazines and good coffee.

What is beauty to you?

This might sound cliche, but I believe beauty is beyond just things I can see or touch. It is something that has to be felt. To me beauty is still a mysterious thing. It differs from person to person so much that it is hard for me to understand. It is human nature that we influence each other so I guess beauty to me is never fixed or defined. Having said that, I do generally find things that contain the element of time beautiful. Hmm, I wonder if i phrased it correctly; I like vintage objects and old spaces or somewhere that changes with time...those things make me feel.

Do you think beauty or aesthetics is important in any design, for instance the works curated on ObscuRed, do they get noticed because they are beautiful or show aesthetic sensibility?

In my opinion, aesthetics is important in design while beauty is really subjective. Hmm, I guess to me beauty is more of a personal experience that can only be defined by the person experiencing it and no one else, so it can’t be defined by the designer. If I make sense. For obscuRed, the works get discovered probably because of both beauty and aesthetics. Since we have a bunch of curators going around, the works selected is probably beautiful to them, and that’s why they chose it. What evokes this perception of beauty is perhaps due to the aesthetics with which each sensibility of the individual portrays.

Finally, do you personally find aesthetics important in the field of architecture based on your experience in year 1 and 2 architecture exposed you to?

I think aesthetics is important in the field of architecture. There is different type of aesthetics, but it depends on how one base their aesthetics. What is seemingly unattractive can be seen as attractive in another way. PS.

Where?|20

______________ in studio

a portrait of Natalie Cheung

Where?|21

______________ Thinking makes me panic and I panic a lot.

Credit:Tan Yao Zhong

Where?|22

Tell us a very personal story of how and why you ended up in architecture.

It's really a dumb story. So there's the computer game, SIMS which I played a lot, but never really played the game (the right way) ever: I'd spend most of my time building up my own house. It was really fun cause I really liked making it personal and I liked to explore different ways of putting things together. I was always interested in architecture, but it was something I didn’t really want to voice out, mainly because it was so much of what I wanted to do and it was so personal that I didn't want any of my friends or relatives to judge me on it because I was afraid I'll get affected by their opinions about my 'dream'. I was actually really happy when I got into architecture because I got emailed 2 weeks after all my other friends went for the aptitude test and interview. I'm still in the state of not believing that I made it in, because it's something I really wanna do.

What other interests do you have?

Oh i like Geography a lot. More like physical geography, volcanoes and stuff. If I hadn’'t gotten into Architecture, I'd probably be in FASS studying geography.

I wanted to work for National Geographic for awhile.

Who is your current tutor for your studio?

Wu Yen Yen. She makes our studio work hard and she's really particular about details and theoretical stuff. She helped us a lot during our first few assignments and she also gave us a lot of extra things to do. She was also very strict and we had to produce very precise drawings with grids, scale bar and technical annotations. But in the end, I gained more experience and I learnt so much more. I would say I had the most fun in the studio because first of all everyone is there and everyone is going through the same thing and there's comfort in that. But it's mainly because of the people that make up my studio.

They really push me forward and I enjoy being together with them. I like how everyone has their own style and character and we have so much fun.

Right now in studio, we have so much work to do. It is really overwhelming and sometimes I feel really lost and you know how it is with our deadlines and there isn't any time to think. But besides being frustrated and lost, school is really interesting for me and I enjoy every one of my lectures. My favourite’s ideas because I gain so much knowledge.

Which architect have you come across that inspires you?

I came across the works of Theo Jansen while researching on my wood structure for my current assignment, and I was so impressed and inspired by his Walking Structures. I mean it's only made out of Pvc and some sticks and it's able to move like it's a real thing. Like an animal. There was this video Where?|23

I watched where it walked towards the sea and withdrew from the water as soon as it touched water. and the great thing is that, he made everything by himself on the beach with just the materials that he could find around.

Tell us about your first encounter with architecture school, and how has the few months you’ve been here turned out?

I am very very happy to be here, and I feel like the course is extremely interesting, there is always something that I can learn. It's like when I'm doing my readings I always sidetrack and start reading other examples from google about the architect and school is just so great.

Any culture shock?

There are a lot of students from the art stream, and a lot of them can draw very well. I can’t actually draw, like sketch and that worries me a lot. My studio mates and people around my studio are actually very helpful and they really offered me a lot of advice and help, which I’m grateful for. I guess I just worry about grades, sometimes. I am curious about how I fared.

How did you feel about the studio space?

I think the studio space's just right although it could be tight to other people but I have a strange theory that the messier a place is, the more homely a place feels and then I'd feel more comfortable there. that probably explains why my space in the studio is so messy.

You’ll feel right at home more and more then! The studio always gets messier by the end of the year. How did you manage to secure your seat in your studio, did you chope it on the first day?

I did actually! I came on the first day to put my name on it. I wanted an open space so that I could breathe cease I didn't want to be stuck at a place where I'd be facing the dustbin or a wall.

I do like my seat. It's comfortable and I also “pimped" up my side of the studio.

I stole an office chair from somewhere downstairs which I'm not supposed to and I also bought cushions so I'm pretty comfortable and contented.

Do you feel like you have a style or approach towards design at this point?

I guess the only probably good characteristic I have is that I'm willing to work really hard, like most of the people. I also like to be hands-on when I approach my project, and try to draw and make models or do something to show progress, rather than spend too much time thinking about it. Thinking makes me panic and I panic a lot. I can be quite insecure and I think I also do

Where?|24

Do you feel like you have a style or approach towards design at this point?

I guess the only probably good characteristic I have is that I'm willing to work really hard, like most of the people. I also like to be hands-on when I approach my project, and try to draw and make models or do something to show progress, rather than spend too much time thinking about it. Thinking makes me panic and I panic a lot. I can be quite insecure and I think I also do architecture with the hope that being here will help me to be more confident about my designs and my ideas.

What do you mean by that sometimes you’re insecure? You come across as very outgoing and confident!

Not very. I have a lot of insecurities about a lot of things and that is bad. But everyone in architecture are accepting and that is comforting in a lot of ways because I feel less insecure and more confident.

Do you think you can persevere through the five years, do you get scared when you think about how much hardwork you have to go through, through the multiple years?

I think about this a lot and I get scared but strangely I also get excited and I look forward to what's coming. PS.

Where?|25

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PS.

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______________ the conviction a portrait of Ben Ng

Why??|35

______________ I don’t think there is any concept that is bad or unworkable...

Why??|36

Tell us a very personal story of how and why you ended up in architecture.

Wow, its a long story. To begin, when I was in JC I lost interest in studies and was retained for a year. During that period I started to think seriously about my direction in life and what I wanted to do. I felt that there could only be motivation to work hard if I was clear about my life goal.

At that time I was quite involved with model making. It was an interest I had since young but over time I found less joy in the process of model making. I still appreciated detailed models but was not enthusiastic about making them myself so I started looking for places where I could get professionals to build models for me. I found this hobby shop at Sunshine Plaza. When i went down and asked the shopkeeper about the average price he in turn asked me about which professional’s work I was interested in. My lack of knowledge showed and I was quite taken aback when he rebuked me for not having done sufficient research. He described the hobby as a specialised field where people took their craft seriously and developed different styles. The talk with him inspired me to learn more the model making field and the hobby became a serious pursuit. By this time I was certain that I was not cut out for a 9-5 job. Instead I wanted something that would allow me to continue my interest and challenge my creative skills. This interest in model making eventually led me to consider architecture.

After graduation I interned at a landscape firm Okashimo and Associates to see if this was the career direction for me. It worked out and I applied for architecture at NUS. I got into industrial design but appealed and managed to secure a place here.

How do you think your experience during internship relates to designing in studio here?

I think I picked up quite a bit while working. I was mostly helping with models at the firm and I came to understand how things work through model making.

The project that the firm worked on with Kengo Kuma’s office also provided design opportunities as I was roped into the design team.

How would you describe your working style?

I like to spend a long time thinking about concept. Sometimes I would spend days just thinking about the different concept ideas after receiving a brief. I find that if you think things through properly at the start of the project the design process is much smoother as you have already thought about the potential problems that you might encounter. I don’t think there is any concept that is bad or unworkable, I think what is important is how you express the concept in the final product. If you have a simple idea but can express it very nicely through the design then it is a good project.

Why??|37

Have you encountered projects where you have had difficulties in the design process?

Definitely but through the design process the problems would be worked out.

For example the recent group project we had was slow in progress initially but after interim our group managed to work out the problems and come up with the design.

I think as long as you stick with the concept and work hard at the design process the problems can be resolved. I do not think of architecture as work.

For me architecture is an interest and part of my life so I spend a lot of time thinking about it and don’t mind putting in the hours. PS.

Where?|38

______________ drawn to people

a portrait of Brandon Lim

Why??|39

______________ ...design of architecture should relate to humans and not be too indulgent...

Why??|40

Tell us a very personal story of how and why you ended up in architecture.

I always liked to draw and I took art at both ‘O’ and ‘A’ Levels. I knew I wanted to do something related to the creative industry, which architecture allows me to explore in a good way. My perception of architecture is one that is different and that it is exciting, because in my opinion, its art that’s being realised.

There’s some particular magic when you can translate a 2-dimensional drawing and project into a 3-dimensional space. That is exciting.

What do you usually draw, and why?

I usually draw people. I would say I am less interested in things that don’t move because they can get boring. People are interesting because everyone has different features, and the ratio and proportion that makes up each and every face is very different. Human expressions are intriguing as I find it the most difficult and challenging to capture.

Do you prefer the pencil or the pen?

I prefer using pen because I think pencil gives you the excuse of making mistakes and redoing things. I think its okay to make mistakes, and that we should embrace our mistakes and keep doing it until its right, as opposed to keep redoing. I think there’s a difference in the two.

What do you do other than drawing and architecture, or what other interests do you have?

I enjoy gaming, and I see it as other people’s fantasies. I think it is a good way to relax, but I think gaming is good for training lag time, or our reaction time.

It’s also like dreaming, where the place becomes an outlet for fantasies and events. I also enjoy watching movies, anything in particular except for romantic comedies, or chick flicks. I feel that they are cheap and degrading in their portrayal of romance. I guess I value movies which have high value information. There’s a book called The Information Diet, written by Clay Johnson, and it talks about how we should be more conscious in our consumption of information. I don’t subscribe to popular culture, and try to be very selective on what I choose to read or take in. I appreciate comedy, action, or even fantasy, where there is high level of creativity and intelligence whether in the visual or in the verbal content, as opposed to reality TV on people like the Kardashians.

Why??|41

What is your approach to architecture?

I define architecture as subjects of shared territory, more about the interior sequence and an architect choreographs the space to facilitate movement. I would say the way I design is very anthropocentric, like I design for people.

And to me, design of architecture should relate to the human and should not be too indulgent, as some designers tend to be.

Who is your current tutor, tell us more about him/her, and also who is your favourite tutor throughout your 4 years of study at NUS. I’m currently under Ng Wai Kean, and he is a kind and nice individual. His approach is practical and down-to-earth, and he’s not very authoritative or takes the top down approach to design. Which, I think is not a very regular trait of tutors. I believe that there is something I can learn from him. My favourite tutor has to be Shirly Gilat Robins from Year 1. She was really encouraging and very patient. I think I like her mainly because she is not very critical and has a lot of empathy, in the way she always tells me “I can see why you did that”, when I produced very intuitive works which I found hard to explain. I think criticality is very important in architecture, but it is a bit overrated. Some tutors are critical all the time, and it is very hard for a student to move on and they can feel dejected. Shirly is not overly critical during normal consultations, although she is critical when needed, as in interim crits and final crits. Unfortunately she has since left Singapore for Israel.

A hypothetical question: Imagine you managed to finish everything one day before final submission. Someone creeps into studio the night before presentation while you were resting at home, and replaced all the chairs in your floorplan with sketched-in toilet bowls. You come into studio the morning 2 hours before your presentation.. how will you react?

My first reaction would be anger. I think I will be very pissed that people don’t respect other people’s drawings. Then I will experience frustration, and finally followed by resignation when I just go up and present the drawings, and hope that the tutors don’t see them. I won’t change the drawings because I think 2 hours is insufficient time to erase everything and draw back my chairs.

One last question: If you had a superhero skill, what would it be?

Flight. Because it’ll be super ironic. PS.

Why??|42

WITHIN THE AQUARIUM withintheaquarium.tumblr.com

______________ gone digital

a portrait of Farhana Hossain

When!|45

______________ In fact I spend a lot of time during the day composing paintings in my head...

When?|46

Tell us a very personal story of how and why you ended up in architecture.

My parents wanted me to get a professional degree from specifically NUS. I also joined architecture because I was not sure I wanted to pursue art seriously since it was still just a hobby for me at the time.

So when did you start painting?

I actually only started painting seriously during the long break before architecture started. I first ventured into the digital world because I was looking for distractions during the A'level-study period. So I joined an online interface on which I painted using a mouse. Around that time, I was lucky enough to land a few simple illustration jobs, which drove me to buy my first tablet (thank goodness because it's 1000x easier than using a mouse).

Photoshop was once just something I fooled around with as a kid, but I reacquainted myself with it after getting my tablet, and it has been my biggest tool since then. Now sometimes I look back at the paintings I did when I first started and cringe. I do believe I've come a long way.

How do you cope with painting while being in architecture?

I don’t actually paint much during the semester, unless I’m working on a commission. But painting is a good break for me from architecture. It's no secret that architecture can be very stressful, so I use art as a way to relax myself. But painting can be a lot of work too, especially when it comes to gathering references, figuring out light, shadows and colour schemes and of course adding in the detail.

What do you usually paint?

I love painting people. It's more intuitive, unlike architecture which can be more mathematical. When I draw people I don't have to worry about exact distances and measurements, it's all about the proportions I perceive with my own eyes, which comes more naturally to me. I usually paint fantastical environments and characters, sometimes even movie scenes that I find inspiring, and portraits, many many portraits.

When?|47

What is the shortest time you take to do a painting?

1 hr for something very simple. And the longest time I ever took was a month.

Some that I've never finished might even take years before I get interested again.

Have you ever given up on any paintings, like did them half way and never got back to them again?

Yes, in fact, most of my paintings get abandoned halfway, either because I lose interest or something else more pressing comes up. I always have a lot of ideas.

In fact I spend a lot of my time during the day composing paintings in my head, but only some of them make it onto the canvas, and even fewer actually get completed. But I definitely work hard on commissions and those get completed for sure.

How do you see painting tying in with architecture?

I actually quite recently ventured into painting landscapes. I'm hoping to improve in that area and maybe one day be able to use the skill for one of my archi projects. I still have a lot to learn and many more skills to acquire before I can trust myself to attempt that though. PS.

When?|48

______________ road taken

a portrait of Peter Then

Which?|49

______________ Probably propose that each chair is a toilet bowl and weave a concept around it.

Which?|50

Tell us a very personal story of how and why you ended up in architecture.

Architecture was an 'accidental' decision, which I am very glad that it happened. One thing led to another, and here I am. There are some things you don’t know you are good at until you try and architecture was that for me. It became my interest and I decided to keep at it. I think so long as you pursue your interest and you're honest to yourself then its fine.

You said architecture wasn’t your first choice but you got into it. What was it on your list and why?

You know, parents have that aspiration for their children to become doctor or dentist. Those occupation would be a highly meaningful service to the society, and which I really wouldn't mind because they would give me a great sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. Which I really admire!!! But as of now, I would choose Architecture over anything else. haha!

We heard that you have a preference for hand drawing, would that be a working style that you would keep with for your future projects?

I hand drew for many projects, i.e. KTM interim because it is so much faster. Its more convenient to draw up things by hand for instant communication, as means of exploration. It also has got that "FEEL" factor!!! But my thesis final presentation drawings would probably be done in cad as there will be more modifications to the project in the long term and especially since its such a large scale project with many drawings.

A hypothetical question: Imagine you managed to finish everything one day before final submission. Someone creeps into studio the night before presentation while you were resting at home, and replaced all the chairs in your floorplan with sketched-in toilet bowls. You come into studio the morning 2 hours before your presentation.. how will you react?

I think it would depend on the scale. If its a small project then I could probably fix things before presentation. But if its a large scale thing then I would try to "integrate" it into my concept. Probably propose that each chair is a toilet bowl and weave a concept around it. I’ll probably see whether the professors buy my story and if they don’t then I’ll own up. HAHAHA!

Which?|51

Who is your current tutor?

I’m under Tay Kheng Soon. My initial project dealt with allegorical criticism but I’m now working on water architecture.

Could you explain your initial project and what you meant by allegorical criticism?

My project attempts to create an image of urban self-recovery, redefining the thought process of global warming while the society reflects within and across the offshore facility. This kinetic facility offers reflection on the tranquil pleasure of nature and empty neutralized landscape. It reacts to the constant change of rising sea water and continuously redefines the aesthetics of the site landscape through kinetic sculpture; an anti-mass culture device. The exploration of architectural space would be aimed to juxtapose the awareness towards nature through its aesthetic representation. Crazy. I know. Hahaha!

When someone asks you to describe how has your experience of architectural education had been in NUS, what would you say?

It has been meaningful! I learnt together with the system, experimenting along the way; what works,what doesn't, and what could have been better. As you design more, you become more transparent with yourself ! Drawings are honest in that way. Above all else, it is a self-learning process.

What do you think NUS architecture education can change/improve?

It is all up to you to express the change. It should be an initiated concern. But if I may suggest, I wish that there is higher priority on the essential hands-on design skills, rather than electronic softwares, such as CAD or REVIT (urgh).

They are wonderful, and helpful tools! But I feel that design tend to become so "homogenised" and "regulated" through these devices.

How do you feel about soon leaving school and entering the workforce.

Nervous, or excited? Why? I am hopeful that the working environment would be as, if not more explorative and vibrant than school life. At least let me think about it that way for now. Hahahaha!

We learnt that you have an exclusive facebook page set up by others, ‘Then Peter Says’, that regularly uploads some of your quotes overheard in studio. How would you complete the sentence: “Then, Peter says”?

I would say be happy. You know, make the process memorable. I think its important to enjoy school and have a sense of humour as long as its not offensive. PS.

Which?|52

______________ simply says

a portrait of Marisa Kueh

Which?|53

______________ ...my studiomates call me white, rather than fair.

Which?|54

Tell us a very personal story of how and why you ended up in architecture.

I enjoy designing in general. I started drawing, doodling and sketching when I was very young, and throughout most of my life. Architecture was introduced by my family, since it was related to my interest in design and their work field.

So have you fallen in love with architecture yet?

I’m learning to love architecture, but I’m inclined towards graphics and design.

That’s what I enjoy doing most and I do it in my free time; working on some graphic projects or illustrations, occasionally for friends/relatives. All for the fun of it. I just like to draw.

What is your favourite cartoon? Why? The Simpsons---just the way they look and the humour (in the cartoon).

What is your favourite tool for drawing?

The mechanical pencil, even though I have been told to stay away from it. I also use it for fine art drawings, probably because of its precision. I…may… have a slight obsession for precision.

How long do you spend your time panelling? Do you use your graphic tendency to your advantage in panelling for crits?

Not very long. One and a half rushed days I guess, just like everyone else. Well, I’ve been asked a few times by school mates if certain panels were mine. They seem to find my panels identifiable with me.

How would you explain that? How do you think your drawings reflect who you are?

I think I tend to use small, minimal fonts and a lot of white space. A lot.

Do you standardise the way you draw right from the start so that there’s coherence to panelling? What’s your strategy?

I try to, but it’s very hard to know what you want to do right at the beginning, since we’re all still exploring. Ideally, I’d like to do presentation panels within more days, but time is often very limited. So I plan with small thumbnail sketches of my panels. It helps...

A hypothetical question: Imagine you managed to finish everything one day before final submission. Someone creeps into studio the night before presentation while you were resting at home, and replaced all the chairs in your floor plan with sketched-in toilet bowls. You come into studio the morning 2 hours before your presentation… how will you react?

I will correct as much as I can, and hope for the best.

Which?|55

So we can guess that you belong to the breed of students who always work up to the last minute.

Yeah, you can say that. I have the tendency to work ‘til the very end.

We’re curious why you’re always in black. Do you also wear black at home?

Yeah, I wear black 24/7, to sleep too. Sometimes blue or grey. It’s the colour that I feel most comfortable in.

It contrasts how fair you are!

Yes, my studiomates call me white, rather than fair. I don’t know why, but sometimes when we go for a site visit, I’ll get tan for a day and then I’ll be white again the next day. Hahaha. PS.

Which?|56

SPONSORS ___________ Platinum Sponsors ONG&ONG DP Architects Pte Ltd Hunter Douglas K2LD Architects RichardHO Architects Singapore Institute of Architects ___________ Gold Sponsors Basheer Forum Architects National University of Singapore Tang Guan Bee Architects W Architects XTRA Designs Pte Ltd ___________ Silver Sponsors Bedmar & Shi Pte Ltd Designshop.architects Pte Ltd Ezra Architects Ip:li Architects Million Lighting Co Pte Ltd Studio Lapis Unit 33 Pte Ltd ___________ Product Sponsors HP MUJI Optiled Smiggle ___________ Printing Sponsor Xorex Press Pte Ltd

Sponsors|57

Sound|58

______________ Tycho - Daydream Dive (2011) Grimes-Genesis Visions (2012) Foster the People- Helena Beat Torches (2011) Five Iron Frenzy- My Evil Plan to Save the World Quantity is Job 1- EP (1998) Grizzly Bear- Speak in Rounds Shields (2012) Boy and Bear- Rabbit Song With Emperor Antartica- EP (2010) Freelance Whales- Generator ^ Second Floor Weathervanes (2009) Dillon- Thirteen This Silence Kills (2011) Lykke Li- I’m Good, I’m Gone Youth Novels (2008) Ok Go- Needing/Getting Of the Blue Colour of the Sky (2010) http://8tracks.com/nus-paperspace/no-1-interviews

Sound|59