What is Nature ? Nature is outside, everything around us.
But Nature is also inside, who we are. Human Nature.
The result of human nature is Culture.
Bamboo is a natural material. But it is also a cultural material.
We studied about bamboo and found that it has many qualities:
soft, bendable, a grass.
The outside is hard, resistant, tough.
The inside is soft, vulnerable, destructible. Much like us.
This is not natural bamboo - selected, treated.
It has been processed.
So, we processed it further.
What is inside ? What is outside ? How are they related ?
This is outside, i am standing in an outside space.
If i have a platform to stand on, am i now inside ?
And if there is a wall, which side of the wall is inside ?
Which side is outside ?
What if there is a floor ? can the outside come inside ?
Sometimes, even though we are vulnerable inside,
it is better to let the outside in and take the risk.
Sometimes it is necessary to go outside, express yourself, to show the world who you are.
I found that nature is not static but changing, growing, dying;
It is cyclic and infinite.
I found that it is natural for man to design, to make things, to create.
I found that in the process of making things, we also destroy, waste and pollute.
We are not sustainable.
I found that it is not easy to know what is right and what is wrong.
It is not natural for humans to fly,
but it is natural for humans to want to fly.
It is natural to dreamt what we dream of is not of the natural world.
So, what happens when we make our dreams come true ?
Is that natural ?
it was interesting to see what the different studios came up with. photos i’ve taken shows the different explorations, designs and jointing methods of the different groups.
so yup, the write up above kinda sums up my studio’s focus and what we did for the first project (6 weeks). questioning the idea of nature & culture. understanding of the material itself. coming up with different possibilities - making paper, flying bamboo lantern, clean and woven joints. creating spaces - inside outside, for meditation, a canopy and dancing bamboos. final critique went quite smoothly, it was quite well received, the whole presentation was interactive and fun with the dancing bamboos and meditative space in the middle ! overall, it was a good experience, and i’ve definitely learnt a lot from my studio mates, from technical to design stuff, everything ! studio 13 : )
glad this whole bamboo thing is over man.. like finally.
totally zen !
