i needed to hail a taxi, pronto, and head to the festivities tonight.
after all, there was a reason i came here this weekend and that reason was to partake in an inaugural experience.for the first time in the country, a digital projection and an audio visual mapping event was planned as part of the DA + C festival, and i wanted to be there to witness personally history being made in the local design industry.
( again, do click : http://dacfestival.com/audiovisual.htm )
it would be an exciting design centric adventure, where projections of powerful animated visuals, supplemented by dramatic theatrical bursts of light and symphonic manipulations of sound, would be skillfully orchestrated to create a mosaic of fantasy and abstract images to narrate a memoir of sorts to the audience present that night.
i truly was excited.
after aimlessly being driven around in worrying circles for an hour searching for the right place by the local taxi driver, i finally reached just before 7 pm. and i loved the majesty of the venue once i arrived, and it was called the Suffolk house.
originally built around 200 years ago, it was a residential structure built as an Anglo-Indian garden house for British administrators when the country was colonized, and today is one of the island's most important colonial heritage landmarks. it was left to ruin, in a horrendous state of apathy and neglect for many years before, thankfully, a cultural and economic driven initiative was launched by the state government to revitalize its existence after its fall from grace decades ago.
the restoration work was so well done, the design team behind its resurrection won an award as the Winner of the Award of Distinction in the 2008 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation, and that's quite an achievement.
so as you can see, they've done a wonderful job.
i walk around for a while admiring this architectural jewel of a design, and appreciating the details i see as i explore the premises.
and i come across a sense of reassurance i'm in the right place.
and as soon as i walk in, i see a slender monochromatic interior, classical and nostalgic in nature. i really instantly felt i was transported to the past to a more refined time as i walked in, but unfortunately i couldn't go up to explore the spaces above. it was prohibited, sadly.
and so i walk out and start looking for my friend, after months of absence since we last met at the design conference earlier on in the year.
"where are you, babe?" i asked. "come behind," she replied.
and as i walked behind the building, i saw a modern pristine structure inserted into the overall scheme of the traditional site, adjacent to the Suffolk house. a white skeletal - framed box with open plan, with relaxed seating lounges in its interior.
and once i walked in, i finally met her and we finally caught up after so long and it was a delightful conversation of personal topics.
topics ranging on how things have been, how events have culminated this past year resulting in this thrilling evening, how momentous tonight's event really was, how personal and family lives played key roles on our work, and a host of other engaging dialogues.
the usual stuff between us designers, you see. suzy and me.
and after drinking coffee and catching up on old times, an unexpectedly prominent guest joined us on her kind insistence. it was the architect himself, laurence loh and suzy's associate, who personally, taking great interest, directed the restoration work at the venue and who came to sit with us, as part of the audience that night. i was fortunate to speak to him directly about challenges pertaining to the design and restoration works of the Suffolk house and i told him earlier on how i had seen him present his work at DATUM in KL prior to today's chance encounter.
expressing appreciation, it was a revealing conversation, to say the least.
and in the midst of the oncoming dark of the night, the house began to take on a more romantic and easeful aura, bathed in subtle and soft nuances of dying twilight.
i walk out of the modern box.
glanced upon a tree, being shot with gushes of artificial light.
and soon, i start admiring the older box.
the magic was beginning to take place.
after he left us, i told suzy i was hoping to get in the building, but unfortunately it was locked and barred. i was hoping she could pull some strings and get me in, and she did just that. i was silently ecstatic and i walked in to take a closer glimpse of the interiors.
she took me upstairs and showed me around, and we came to a corridor where she told me where the projection screen would be. this was where that magic was going to take place.
its colonial design appearance and structural vocabulary was expectedly classical in nature, specifically the towering circular columns, reminiscent of the influence of British design that the architects who built this place were trained in. certain tropical - centric design influences were clearly evident though, the most prominent being high wooden ceilings and wide elevated wooden verandahs to allow and promote cross - ventilation within its interiors. and the suspended lamps were a nice touch.
once i walked out, suzy needed to excuse herself and prepare for the night. she was the emcee for the event, and of course, she needed to go.
"we'll catch up later, and good luck tonight," i said. "thanks," and she left.
i walked around for a bit before things started.
capturing an interesting shot or two. i loved how the deep blue of the sky provided a wonderful contrasting background to the white walls of the house, as it was being illuminated with an orange glow from within.
and eventually, headed to the control center. i saw the model and the mechanisms on how the projections were going to take place and controlled, and the impressive technological wizardry behind tonight's venture.
and after a while, its was completely nightfall, and she took the stage soon after. the night was about to begin.
and she presented herself.
and after she announces the agenda for the night, from a tenebrous corner, a dragon appears.
slithering and soaring through the colonnades, a yellow skinned dragon, slender and flexible, flies in and out to the wide vertical gaps in between the existing columns and arches of the Suffolk house.
like enigmatic ninjas who suddenly strike their enemies down in complete surprise, this oriental serpentine emerged astonishingly out of the dark of the night, and danced nonchalantly in the emptiness of space of the night.
and it danced, it tantalizingly seemed to be mischievously playing with the piqued curiosities of the audience as it glided across the veneer of the classical facade.
it soon became evident, it was chasing something. something bright and orange.
and after the dragon disappeared into the celestial heavens above with its new toy, we were presented with a visual narrative. the intriguing history of the house itself was being brought to life, image after revealing image, animation after lively animation, telling us the story of its existence, from its glorified origins to its unfortunate fallen state of despair, and now to its restored pristine brand new identity.
from the blueprints of its original development ...
to the figures behind its conception ...
to occupation of foreign powers ...
to its state of being reclaimed by nature's embrace ...
a full circle kinda of thing.
and after the narrative was over, slide after slide of abstract concepts and visuals began to dominate the sequence of the programme.
brilliant striking images and vibrant glowing silhouettes of mysterious looking animated symbols and graphics began to transpire on the facade.
and as all this was going on, stories, through the mediums of sound and light, were being told, left
to the inquisitive minds of the audience to interpret and decipher.
it was an intriguing programme assuredly, and i felt so thankful to have been there that night, witnessing history being made right in our own backyard. after the last few images were projected and the music slowly fading into oblivion, it was time to call it a night and head back to the guesthouse.
before i left, i met suzy one last time to joyfully convey my gratitude on how much i enjoyed the presentation every moment it was being carried out, and how impressed i was that she passionately brought all this together, working tirelessly with her dedicated team.
it really warmed my heart to see that they are people out who are trying to make their dreams come true with unbridled energy and enthusiasm, especially in the design industry, and the rest of us get to have a front row seat to witness the amazing results when it all comes to fruition.
this is why i admire people who do things, and suzy, you're definitely one of those people. well done, babe.
keep it up, and see you next year.
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