Photo Journal: Copenhagen 10.2011 (part 1)

Places of Interests

The city hall carries a strong whiff of Nordic
 culture manifested as architectural features.

Bronze fountain with mythical sea creatures

outside the city hall.

Café Paludan to enjoy coffee with

heaps of books for company.

A place where real candles are lit.  Fire is not enough risk.

Illums Bolighus home store.  Be converted to Scandinavian chic.

A house of top quality furnishing products in museum scale.

Eccentric looking Grundtvig’s Church, 1940 at Bispebjerg
by P V Jensen Klint.  The expressionist building is alive and kicking beyond architectural history books.

A closer look of the unique yellow brickworks -

quite unworldly an entrance.

The interior with no-frills decoration, a yardstick for minimalist designers today.

More of the church and its architect at here.

The Royal Library by Schmidt Hammer Lassen in 1999.  Affectionately called the Black Diamond with black granite cladded exterior set against the sunset.

A modern interior with unmistakable Nordic curved walls.  For architectural buffs, make sure to visit the subtle transition where the old library meets the new.  Sundial ran out of battery on the day unfortunately, no photo of this part can be shared.

Bronze mermaid guarding the black diamond;

it is visually more engaging than the famous one.

 Passed the touristy canal cafes at Nyhavn, the Playhouse of the Royal Theatre at Kvaesthusbroen marks a new cultural district.

Exhibition pavilions along the pier of the Playhouse; at the background is the new opera house of the Royal Theatre.

Cultured locals come here for

 coffee and canal watching.

Danes ride the bicycle in style

Coffee man and his upmarket tricycle.

One has to see to believe: the Danes do not lock their bikes!

International competition at city centre

during the time of visit.

Smart police attire and their bikes.

Ørestad

A strip-like new town at the south of Copenhagen with high aims for creativity and sustainability, it commands an execellent collection of contemporary architecture.  The master plan is developed by Daniel Libeskind and buildings designed by star stunned architects.  Young local teams, BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) and Lundgaard & Tranberg Arkitekter, managed to snatch up a number of projects.

Research Centre at the IT University.

Campus Building at the IT University

Student residence of Tietgenkollegiet near the IT University.

Circular courtyard inside the student residence.

University residence as zigzagged linear blocks,

thus named “Housing Snake”.

Studio/small apartments on pilotis with

identity forming elevations.

Central park with private apartments at the background.

Curvilinear balconies dominate the exterior

of the private apartments.

Unmanned metro link connecting Ørestad with the old town of Copenhagen.  "Mountain Dwelling" by BIG can be seen at the left.

“Mountain Dwelling” originates with a brilliant concept of apartment-cum-terrace raised above carparks.  Silkscreened snow mountain, representing the carpark storeys anchored on ground, offers poetic imagery.  (photo from www.bustler.net)

Aerial view of Ørestad City from the north.  Notice the metro link cutting in the middle.  (Photo from www.orestad.emu.dk)

Ørestad City in relation to the old town 

towards the north.  (Drawing from www.byoghavn.dk)

When Design Is Unbearable - Iluma Mall

 Iluma in Singapore, designed by the renowned

local architects WOHA.

The mall is opened in June 2009 and closed for phased renovation until mid-2012. 
The interiors have a wastefully short life span.

Conspiracy theory

It is tempting to speculate that the interior designer of Iluma in Singapore had a hidden agenda prior to design inception stage.  With all the creative talent demonstrated to deliver brimming ideas in the finished work, the schemer must have carried a strong conviction.  What hidden agenda?  With a subversive trait myself, I wish to have the naiveté to believe that it was the intention of the designer to undermine our era of mega mall culture by producing an exciting looking interior with a secret mission to expel shoppers.

 The overall ceiling inspires Sundial of a fantastic
pinball machine mounted upside down.

Bend over backwards design

The Iluma interior has all the vibes a designer would be excited to work on or a shopper to visit.  It has one of the most complex layouts conceived in retail-cum-entertainment arrangement, circulation pattern and floor plans.  The giant atrium as the focal point, is spectacularly carved out from layers of circuit-like floor plates, some overlapping each other whilst others forming amoebic voids as if floating restlessly in mid air.  It is a visual treat by the designers with plenty of creative muscles flexed.

Under optical illusion, the linoleum floor seems to have
varying levels and shifting plates.

(photo from Tim Griffith & Patrick Bingham-Hall)

Shoppers not doing their “duty”

To reflect the design extravaganza on the floor, each level is meticulously drawn out with dazzling contour patterns.  It has a consistently overblown design intensity that captivates visitors.  In a subconscious way perhaps, this engaging floor design encourages one to meander along to explore visual connections.  Based on my experience working with mall developers, and despite all the design goodies, I must confess that this is not what they wish shoppers to do.

 A huge mall with patchy pedestrian flow the day I visited.

 Shops left vacant or closed as seen with by white hoardings or unlit interiors.

In contrast, Bugis Junction, the traditional mall across
the road, is always packed with shoppers.

(photo from http://www.dish22.files.wordpress.com)

The diagnosis

In all, the Iluma interior job is a convincing showcase of great flair and dedication.  However it is perplexing to find that there are markedly less shoppers here than those at the other mall of the same owner: the Bugis Juction across the road.  As observed, the shop vacancy in this mall is disturbingly high in this city-state, where the retail sector is still booming.  The reason may have its source from the over-zealous display of design features.  The excessive inputs by the architects as described have overshadowed the shops, distracting the uninitiated visitor from his/her shopping experience.  Depending on the shopper’s level of visual literacy, the mall may even cause discomfort to the eye as the interior is heavily loaded with design per se.

This is by far the “busiest” looking shopping mall I have seen. (photo from http://mithunonthe.net)

Roof plan and section of Iluma. 

(drawings from WOHA Architects)

The remedy: shopping mall as white box

In plain language, these experiences are not desired by the shop owners; and the developer would not like the shoppers’ attentions diverted, not least by the mall design itself.  To think parallel, it is just as destructive as an attention seeking museum interior space with little concern for the artworks housed inside.  In fact, the going trend to design a mall interior is to provide a clean and subtle backdrop against the shops.  The rationale is to let the shops shine with their interiors or shop fronts in order to raise consumer spending.  The mall would only speak its design at lift areas, restrooms, entrances and through other ID details like signage, lightings etc.

(Photo from www.dezeen.com)

(Photo from www.dezeen.com)

(Photo from www.dezeen.com)

A typical 'white box' approach to mall design at Pacific Place , Hong Kong by Thomas Heatherwick - the upmarket shopping mall has undergone its first major overhaul since 1988 in order to keep up with strong competitors in the city.

I see Kandinsky in this ceiling at Iluma, what about you?  We may never see this unusual design again after the renovation.

Designer exercises restraint

Iluma is a classic case of design dominance overriding users’ needs.  It is a temptation that any talented designer, no matter how well-intended, should guard against.  By the time this article is about to be written, I happen to find a post from The Straits Times reporting that the mall is about to be renovated due to poor attendance by shoppers.  One can read more from the following link: Iluma mall a 'ghost town': shops closed and building deserted.  

不能承受的商塲設計 – 星加坡Iluma 〈中文摘要〉

以筆者反動的思維，星加坡Iluma商塲的設計師WOHA在概念階段是否已埋下不可告人的動機？話說這商塲設計新穎，造型標緻足以趕走購物遊人。懷疑者可往下閲。

甫進入室內，目光不由自主被它的豐富設計元素吸引着。無論是平面佈置、人流線向、天花、樓面、以至顏色選擇均匠心獨運、優秀異常。基於上述觀察，這室內設計表現絕非一般設計師手筆。誇張點說，作者好像要籍著這項目展示一下他們的至臻功架。但這樣出色的作品卻有違商塲設計以吸引顧客消費的基本原則。另外，這裡稀疏的人流較馬路對面的Bugis Junction商場，盡是失色。細看下，這兒有著出奇高的空置率，完全不符合當下星加坡經濟尚佳情況。

這吊詭現象只能歸究于過份奪目的設計所引發之後遺症，商塲的〝病因〞是這個澎湃的裝璜已蓋過商店的光芒，而複雜的人流動線亦不鼓勵訪客久留。誇張點說，部份視覺敏銳的顧客可能對紅色的墙及交叉跌宕的造型感覺不自在。最後，商塲設計一旦誤致揣擾效果，其害處有如俱喧賓奪主的博物館設計；就是說，應給予展品的目光一一被周遭氛圍強搶過來。這並非商塲或博物館主人歡迎的。

現今商塲設計大方向旨于為店舖提供簡潔的背景，致力讓商店突出它們的設計，吸引遊人內進，從而引導消費。商塲重于清晰佈置，設計亮點則集中於電梯廳，洗手間，大堂等公共空間及其他细部處理。

只顧設計效果忽略用家需要的課題，Iluma是一經典例子。不管動機如何或好意連綿，這單向思考模式是所有設計師需審慎提防。在此文章完成時，筆者發現星加坡《海峽時報》網上報導此商塲因人流缺乏，即將進行大規模的翻新設計，其考慮相信與本文論述不謀而合。

按以下連结跟進相關消息： Iluma mall a 'ghost town': shops closed and building deserted.

"Footnote" -

Graduation Exhibition of the
Hong Kong Art School

On the 13^th year under the leadership of RMIT University, the art school hosted the BA (Fine Art) graduates’ exhibition in August 2011.  All students’ final works were on show.  The blog has no intention to draw comparison with the CAFA student show (refer to earlier page) in Beijing in April this year.  After all, the CAFA show was an elitist display of selected works from the prominent art schools in China.
 

For an enjoyable 90 minutes of viewing on a variety of artistic endeavours, it was all the more convincing that there are budding talents around in this city of commerce.  On the whole, the students provided a good mix of media for their works as one would find in contemporary art.  Among all, a small number of works are briefly discussed below.

Transformation of Life 蜕變

by Yeung Ka Wai, Desiree 楊加蕙
Acrylic on MDF boards

Artist Statement:

Every second, a world of miraculous microscopic events take place within the body, making the difference between life and death.

Desiree investigates the transient territory few choose to enter – her personal experience of nestling life within the human body.  The work provokes dialectic thoughts on the realms of the conceiving (self), the conceived (other), corporeality and the mind.  What is admirable is the fact that the group paintings are not one dimensional to glorify the positive aspects of life in simplistic narratives; but they touch on the notions of death and perils of life through moribund dark tones, flimsy visceral connection and cocooned existence.  These characteristics form the facetted realities of life.

Pond  池塘

by Hui Kim Ho, Philip 許劍豪

Oil on canvas

 

Artist Statement (excerpt):

They desperately search for things that they desire endlessly.  Insiders are always attracted to the water and unable to withdraw themselves from it.  This is a metaphor of people’s desire for materialistic life – they are willing to pay any price, forgetting the relationship between people and their own nature.

Philip’s work is a particularly moving piece which is strong on concept and imbued with local specifics.  As a personal experience after reading the work, the re-awakening is two-folded: the painting is reminiscent of childhood playtimes at nearby running streams; secondly, it makes interesting comparisons with “Hylens and the Nymphs” by J. W. Waterhouse – the Pre-Raphaelite painting hung at Manchester City Art Gallery, where Sundial paid many afternoon visits. 

“Hylens and the Nymphs” by J. W. Waterhouse

One can say this contemporary oil is a through and through classical painting not only in terms of techniques and composition but its allegorical content.

Diary 夜記

by Cheng Ching Yee, Yvonne 鄭靜儀

Bamboo and lighting

Artist Statement:

I enjoy lingering about

on my way home

looking up the clothes

hanging freely on the

bamboo sticks

shooting out from the flats

with the sky as the backdrop

changing along with the weather

moving along with our live

My mind swinging around

In my every stage

poping up – her special glow

hanging firmly on my

bamboo stick

shining through my window

In the open sea as my star

casting light on me

setting fire on me

“Diary” brings home moments of heartfelt memories of faded Hong Kong ways of life.  Just like Yvonne, my mother used bamboo sticks to hang wet clothes dry.  This installation exploits on a local phenomenon, tells a story with personal flashbacks; it is parochial yet easily connected emotionally.  The resulting expression is admirably straightforward and neat.  Yvonne’s conscious effort to hold back frivolities, in my book, saves the work from trappings of sentimentalism.

Bridal Cloth of Girlhood

by Lee Suet Ying, Lee 李雪盈

Mixed media

Artist Statement:

At the age of eighteen, my mother and aunts had already married to someone they met only a few times.  Because of the words of their parents, they were forced to become a woman[sic] in a short period of time.  The ‘braids’ had to be cut off due to the reality, the end of girlhood.

At the age of eighteen, I’m just an ignorant girl, and until now, nothing has changed.

Lee’s examination of the local subject – womanhood amidst the change of times, is very valid but strangely uncommon in contemporary Asian art.  Itself a complex thesis to focus and tackle, it encompasses layers of historical, cultural and social issues that are interrelated with no simple conclusion to be drawn.  Lee should be given credit for braving a very difficult subject.
 

Having said that, the resulting work with the cursory use of stereotyped imageries, is lethargic and peevishly eerie.  It only reinforces pigeonhole mentality that the older female generations suffered from unspoken family rules and social norms.  Of course, the reality of the subject matter is never simplistic and far from any humdrum horror spoof style of interpretation.

Button 臍

Sit Ling Yung, Eunice 薜領容

Installation with video

Artist statement:

Starting from this point, to explore, to experience, to feel, to share…

MK Trainer Street

by Tan Siew Cheng, Anny 陳秀珍

Video installations, abandoned trainers, white tapes.

Artist statement (excerpt):

Some (her audiences’) responses simply referred to waste, while some thought that the trainers were a product and supported more consumer choices, and that the brand was important.  There were many different and interesting answers…  A pair of trainers is not just a functional product.

Like many artists who are obsessed to test the boundaries of art in their works but do not manage to produce good art, Anny and Eunice’s audience participated acts are typical examples of this phenomenon.  Both artists seek to question stereotyped values, in this context, the former on hidden sexuality (belly button and taboo) and the latter on perceptions of everyday items (trainers as objects for experiment). 

The works are successful challenges on the notion of rooted consensus that have been taken for granted.  Notwithstanding the outcome of some interesting details, the installations are messy and the impacts are barely comparable to the findings of a good TV documentary.  Furthermore, the representations of both works do not elevate themselves to the level of outstanding pieces of art.  These comments might be a bit demanding on the young artists but they are concluded from observations of a prevailing trend.