Jaelle Liu | Portfolio: Architecture

IN ADAPTATION

ARC1133

THE ART OF ADAPTATION

PROJECT 1:

INVISIBLE CITIES, CHAPTER 9 - ITALO CALVINO

INTRODUCTION

This exercise is in preparation in the lead-up to the Final Project of adapting the literature Invisible Cities to the local conditions of the Greater KL. The everyday life of cities and its banality is a scene that has been taken for granted. While the experience of the everyday life is banal, there are a plethora of mediums/channels by which stories of cities are told/expressed, one of which is literature. Literature is a medium in which stories are told, some of them original but most are tales from across the centuries adapted to a contemporary or different context, or to a modified theme to enhance the storyline. Using the literature, Invisible Cities, as the basis, students are to study, analyse and creatively adapt it using a graphical representation.

OBJECTIVES

The objective(s) of this project are is to introduce adaptation from literature through different artistic mediums

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Critically analyse a theme or subject matter from an artistic mediums. Focus only on three elements (e.g. art/architecture/film/literature)
Source, cite and discuss themes and references from fields related to the current and contemporary context that are significant in re-telling of stories
Re-present the story in a graphical approach based on the contemporary context of time

TASK METHODOLOGY

Select a chapter from Invicible Cities by Italo Calvino
Read and describe the story and the ideas extracted from the story using mind-mapping
Creatively adapt the story by way of painting the graphical/visual representation

OBSERVING THE EVERYDAY

PROJECT 2

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this exercise is to have a deeper understanding of the city in which we inhabit but do not necessarily seek to understand, Kuala Lumpur, and her greater surroundings but that of an objective standpoint in comparison to personal subjectivity. In this exercise of objectivity and subjectivity, you will select an artiste/philosopher/”idol” of choice whose methodology you prescribe to or can identify with, and observe a selected area in or around the city of your choice in the eyes of him/her.

OBJECTIVES

To create an objective observation of the people and society of a specific area within KL
To draw analytical inferences from informed yet authentic observations
To be aware of the difference between forming an assumption and making an informed conclusion

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Critically analyse the Greater KL
Use appropriate materials and methods of research in the process of observing the Greater KL

TASK METHODOLOGY

Identify how the cities grow/ move from one to another in the chapter you’ve selected from previous exercise (from Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino)
Identify an area within KL or Greater KL to study
Examine and observe how the area grows relating to Italo’s description in the chapter
Record and document your observation
Highlight main physical character of the city (i.e. architecture language, planning pattern, landmarks, etc.)
Select nine (9) strong image of the site to describe your findings

RE-SYNTHESIZED AN EXPERIMENT

PROJECT 3

INTRODUCTION

Exercise 1 is an attempt to adapt literature into graphics/visual expression of the city, while Exercise 2 is an attempt to ‘see’ the ordinary city in an extraordinary or unique way. The final project is a synthesis of the surrealism and imaginary in Exercise 1, and the realism and physical fabric of the urban conditions in Exercise 2. It stretches further the idea of ‘adaptation’ in the style of how a film maker would overlay an imaginary (utopian/dystopian) city into the real space. In brief, this project is about the exploration of an adaptive process between the imaginary and the real, and non-physical and the physical.

OBJECTIVES

The objective(s) of this project is to understand the process of translating ideas through the process of creative adapation

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Learning outcome(s) assessed in this exercise include is to apply learnt skills and techniques in an exercise of creative adaptation (video/model)

TASK METHODOLOGY

Based on Exercises 1 & 2, identify the issue that contributes to the significant characteristic of the city as narrated by Calvino
Structure a storyboard proposal of how the city changes through time if the issue is unresolved. Make a projection timeline of predicted situation in 25 years, 50 years and 100 years from now
Identify the projected timeline to be visualized as a dystopia or utopia city
Produce the creative adaptation using the appropriate tools and references that you have identified in your proposal
Produce a 250-word post-production text explaining the elements translated in your short and why it is appropriate/relevant with accurate references and citations. 06 Visualize your idea through any media as you wish to best resembles the scenario