From left to right: Paul Morgan, Elle McFadzean, me, Adrian Fernandez, Elizabeth Campbell Photo: Isabella Peppard-Clark — From left to right: Paul Morgan, Elle McFadzean, me, Adrian Fernandez, Elizabeth Campbell
Photo: Isabella Peppard-Clark

The Personal Relationship of Architects

April 05, 2021 in Collaborations, Cultural, Just a thought

A few weeks ago, on my 25th Birthday, I stepped forward with a mic to host a public event.

It’s been a while since I’ve found myself speaking publicly in front of an audience, not to mention standing on my own and chairing a conversation. Even though I’ve been through the process of coordination of events - this was the first time where I was able to take ownership of a subject I’ve cared deeply about for a long time…

K-Pop Music Videos Is My Architecture Escape...

August 27, 2020 in Just a thought, Just for Laughs, The Media

In an industry that heavily depends on visuals, aesthetics and appearances, it would be an understatement to say that Korean Pop Music (aka K-Pop) industry is very extra. Although I’m not a hardcore enthusiast of the K-Pop music industry, I still find myself drawn to their efforts. There have been many times when dinner table conversations at a Korean restaurant have been interrupted by captivating images of their music video on the television hanging by the corner. K-Pop somehow embodies some of those fantastical elements that may be kitsch yet enticing. Not to mention, the ensemble of staging, storyline and styling has offered a window of escape into an alternative form of architecture appreciation when I need a break from reality.

And so, I thought it would be fitting to highlight some of my favourite music K-Pop music videos that I enjoy revisiting for various reasons.

Letters to Artists // Dear Louise Bourgeois

July 02, 2020 in Just a thought, Just for Laughs

Dear Louise Bourgeois,

I’ve been dying to invite you to my dinner table - where it will be just the two of us within a humble kitchen. We would feast on stories about memories of heartbreak, grief and family conflict while enjoying the food magically prepared before us.

Whether it’d be a letter, an email or a video introduction, I have always wanted to write to you in many ways. Whenever I come across the trivial question “Who would you like to have dinner with?” without a doubt, you would always be the very first guest.

Letters to Architects // Dear Robin Boyd

May 12, 2020 in Just a thought, Just for Laughs

Last year in December, I embarked on my first solo trip to Japan. I visited Osaka's Expo 70 site. Yes, I saw the sizeable child-star statue (I did not realise that the figure had another face at the back!). I went to the lone standing pavilion (Pavilion of Technology, I believe) and saw a collection of all the exhibits and items that were displayed in the exhibition. When I saw Australia's artefact, my heart broke at the preserved Corals from the Great Barrier Reef. Given the state of it now, who would have thought that we could be so destructive to our landscape?

Letters to Architects // Dear Le Corbusier...

May 01, 2020 in Just a thought, Just for Laughs

Dear Le Corbusier,

I have been meaning to tell you… you are a frustrating architect I cannot escape from.

It all started in first-year of architecture school when our communications teacher assigned us a building to rebuild with Rhino. Guess what I’ve got: your infamous Villa Savoye.

I know. I know. I was fortunate in getting that building – that my friends and I could rebuild it with ease. While I was rebuilding Villa Savoye, what were your clients thinking when they were forced to compromise with living in an experimental house? How did they feel about the ramps and the spiral staircase (which was a pain to remodel)? What did they think of the bathtub (the photos make the bathroom look tiny)? Just how did they cope?

It’s been three days, and I am still crying over Extraordinary You… — It’s been three days, and I am still crying over *Extraordinary You…*

Making that emotional impression for architecture like dramas do...?

April 09, 2020 in The Media, Just a thought

Last week, I found myself in an emotional mess as I watched a pair of heroes bid their farewell to the show. It has been two days since I’ve braved myself again to finish the show I regretted binging. At this point, I have prepared myself mentally by reading the synopsis recaps to prevent myself from wallowing at the conclusion. I was already holding onto a melancholy after intensely watching the story, and I did not want it to spill into my week.

I could not be more wrong.

Social Isolation? I’ve been there, but that was 18 years ago.

March 30, 2020 in Just a thought, Lessons from Hong Kong, Politics, Shared Conversations

Eighteen years ago, while I was still growing up in Hong Kong, I was in a similar crisis – SARS. Yes, I know that SARS is very different from the current Corona Virus, but I can’t help but notice how the reactions have closely mirrored the present. Eighteen years ago, our worries were not as amplified. Our central source of information was restricted to television and newspaper – all we could do was monitor the numbers and statistics. Each day was a count down for us, slowly tracking the declining numbers of deaths, those who were infected and being reminded to be thorough with our cleaning. The SARS did overtake Hong Kong’s paranoia, our schools did shut down (we had online homework as well), professional practices began to introduce casual clothes into the weekdays beyond Friday to regulate our laundry habits. Public places were perfumed in bleach – the caution was evident.