BACHELOR OF ARTS (HONOURS) INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE
E-PORTFOLIO
LIU JIN | 0347410
SEMESTER 6
APRIL - AUGUST 2024
ARC60708 ADVANCED INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE DESIGN I
PHASE1 KITH
IN THIS ASSIGNMENT, WE ARE TASKED WITH EMBARKING ON A JOURNEY THROUGH A SELECTED PLACE OR STREET, WHERE WE WILL EXPLORE AND ANALYZE A SPECIFIC SCENARIO THAT WILL SERVE AS THE CENTRAL NARRATIVE FOR OUR PROJECT. THE GOAL IS TO UNCOVER OR SPECULATE ON THE HIDDEN STORIES WITHIN THE CHOSEN THEME, AND TO DEVELOP A SERIES OF SCENARIOS THAT RESONATE WITH THE CONTEXT.
TO EXPRESS OUR DISCOVERIES AND IDEAS, WE ARE ENCOURAGED TO USE CREATIVE METHODS SUCH AS SPECULATIVE DRAWINGS, PHOTOGRAPHY, FILMS, LYRICS, POEMS, AND SHORT STORIES.
My journey began in Kuala Lumpur's Petaling Street, a place rich in cultural history. It was here that I discovered a traditional tea house, a peaceful retreat from the bustling streets. The inviting aroma of tea and the calming atmosphere immediately captured my attention. During my visit, I engaged in a conversation with the tea house owner, who shared with me the captivating story of how Chinese tea made its way to Malaysia. This narrative of cultural exchange, though familiar to me in parts, opened up a new perspective on the rich history of tea.
The tea house owner also shared his concerns that traditional tea houses are becoming less popular, especially among younger generations who are more drawn to modern milk tea shops. This insight motivated me to create a space that would not only preserve but also rejuvenate interest in traditional tea culture, making it relevant and engaging for a broader audience.
CRIT1
The initial stage of my creative process involved translating the tea house owner's story into a visual narrative. I began with a blackand-white line drawing, a traditional-style long illustration that aimed to depict the journey of Chinese tea to Malaysia. This detailed visual narrative focused on the production and harvesting processes of Chinese tea. However, I soon realized that the emphasis on these aspects, along with the lack of color, made it difficult for viewers to fully grasp the broader story I intended to tell. The monochromatic design, while traditionally elegant, did not effectively convey the vibrancy and cultural richness of tea's journey to Malaysia.
CRIT2
Recognizing these limitations, I transitioned to the second stage of my project. I experimented with a poster format, hoping to present the story in a more engaging and accessible way. To enhance the experience, I surrounded the poster with tea bags and used tea-scented perfumes to create an immersive atmosphere. My goal was to stimulate multiple senses, allowing viewers to connect more deeply with the narrative. However, the complexity of creating such an environment, coupled with time constraints, meant that the final setup did not achieve the desired impact. The immersive experience I had envisioned was not fully realized, and the overall effect was less powerful than I had hoped.
Miro draft on the whiteboard
PHASE1FINALVERSION.1
The spread of different teas in different places
Traditional tea picking in Chinese tea mountains
Tea Making Process
Tea has been passed down in Malaysia and has developed into local culture.
Zheng He sailed to Southeast Asia and brought tea to Malaysia by ship
FINALLY, I CREATED A LARGE, TRADITIONALSTYLE ILLUSTRATION THAT NARRATES THE JOURNEY OF TEA FROM CHINA TO MALAYSIA. THISILLUSTRATIONISMORETHANJUSTANART PIECE; IT’S A VISUAL NARRATIVE THAT DRAWS PEOPLE IN AND INVITES THEM TO EXPLORE THE STORY OF TEA. THE IDEA IS TO CAPTURE THE IMAGINATION OF THE AUDIENCE, SPARKING THEIR CURIOSITY ABOUT THE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF TEA. BY PRESENTING THIS STORY IN A VISUALLY STRIKING MANNER, I AIM TO MAKE THE RICH TRADITIONS OF TEA MORE ACCESSIBLEANDINTRIGUING,PARTICULARLYTO THOSEWHOMIGHTNOTBEFAMILIARWITHITS HISTORY.
PHASE1FINALVERSION.2
To further enhance this narrative, I designed a six-sided teapot, with each side representing one of the six major types of Chinese tea: green, black, white, yellow, oolong, and dark tea. This teapot is not just a static object; it’s an interactive piece that encourages exploration. Each side of the teapot highlights the unique characteristics and processes behind these different teas. By engaging with the teapot, visitors can discover the diversity and richness of tea culture in a way that feels dynamic and modern. This design seeks to blend tradition with contemporary appeal, making the experience of learning about tea both enjoyable and memorable.
GREEN TEA WHITE TEA
YELLOW TEA
OOLONG TEA
BLACK TEA DARK TEA
CONCLUSION
THROUGH THESE STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT, MY PROJECT EVOLVED FROM A STATIC DEPICTION TO A MORE ENGAGING AND IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE. THE FINAL DESIGN, FEATURING BOTH THE TRADITIONAL-STYLE ILLUSTRATION AND THE SIX-SIDED TEAPOT, CREATES A SPACE WHERE TRADITIONAL TEA CULTURE IS NOT ONLY PRESERVED BUT REIMAGINED IN A WAY THAT RESONATES WITH MODERN AUDIENCES. BY BLENDING VISUAL STORYTELLING WITH INTERACTIVE DESIGN, I AIM TO SPARK A RENEWED INTEREST IN TEA CULTURE, MAKING IT RELEVANT AND APPEALING TO PEOPLE TODAY. THIS PROJECT IS ABOUT MORE THAN JUST RECOUNTING HISTORY— IT’S ABOUT REINTERPRETING TRADITION IN A WAY THAT SPEAKS TO THE CURRENT GENERATION, ENCOURAGING THEMTOEXPLOREANDCONNECTWITHTHERICHHERITAGEOFTEA.
REFLECTION
PHASE 1 OF THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN A TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE, DEEPENING MY UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO PRESERVE AND REIMAGINE CULTURAL HERITAGE FOR A CONTEMPORARY AUDIENCE. INITIALLY, MY BLACK-ANDWHITE LINE DRAWING CAPTURED THE TRADITIONAL NARRATIVE OF TEA’S JOURNEY BUT LACKED THE VITALITY NEEDED TO ENGAGE VIEWERS. THIS REALIZATION LED ME TO EXPLORE MORE DYNAMIC APPROACHES, ULTIMATELY CULMINATINGINTHEUSEOFCOLORANDINTERACTIVEELEMENTSLIKETHESIX-SIDEDTEAPOT.
THE PROCESS OF MOVING FROM A STATIC PORTRAYAL TO A MORE IMMERSIVE AND ENGAGING DESIGN TAUGHT ME VALUABLE LESSONS ABOUT BALANCING TRADITION WITH MODERN SENSIBILITIES. WHILE SOME STAGES DIDN’T MEET MY INITIAL EXPECTATIONS, THEY PROVIDED CRITICAL INSIGHTS INTO THE PRACTICAL CHALLENGES OF DESIGN. THE FINAL COMBINATION OF THE TRADITIONAL-STYLE ILLUSTRATION AND THE SIX-SIDED TEAPOT REPRESENTS A SYNTHESIS OF THESE LEARNINGS, SUCCESSFULLY MAKING TEA CULTURE ACCESSIBLE AND APPEALINGTOABROADERAUDIENCE.
THIS PROJECT HAS REINFORCED MY BELIEF IN THE POWER OF DESIGN TO CONNECT PAST AND PRESENT, AND I HOPE IT INSPIRES OTHERS TO EXPLORE AND APPRECIATE THE RICH HERITAGE OF TEA CULTURE IN NEW AND MEANINGFUL WAYS.
PHASE2 LIVEPROJECT-REXKL
BASED ON PHASE 1, WE WILL WORK IN GROUPS TO DEVELOP AN EXPLORATORY LIVE PROJECT. THE SCOPE AND DIRECTION OF THE PROJECT ARE DETERMINED BY OUR GROUP, ALLOWING US TO EXPLORE A WIDE RANGE OF POSSIBILITIES THROUGH EXPLORATORY DRAWINGS. OUR IDEAS SHOULD RESPOND TO THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF THE SITE AND CAN TAKE VARIOUS FORMS OF DESIGN EXPRESSIONS.
FOR OUR SECOND PROJECT, WE EMBARKED ON A TEAM-BASED ENDEAVOR FOCUSED ON DESIGNING A PUBLIC FACILITY THAT REFLECTS THE UNIQUE CULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT OF REXKL. THIS HISTORIC SITE, WITH ITS RICH BLEND OF HISTORY AND MODERNITY, PROVIDED THE PERFECT BACKDROP FOR OUR EXPLORATION.
OUR TEAM AIMED TO CREATE SOMETHING THAT WOULD NOT ONLY SERVE A PRACTICAL PURPOSE BUT ALSO ENRICH THE COMMUNAL EXPERIENCE AT REXKL. AFTER THOROUGH RESEARCH AND DISCUSSIONS, WE DESIGNED TWO KEY ELEMENTS: MODULAR SEATING WITH OPEN SHELVING FOR BOOKS AND MODULAR WOODEN COMPONENTS FOR SHELVING AND WEAVING INSTALLATIONS. THESE DESIGNS WERE INSPIRED BY THE NEED FOR FLEXIBLE, MULTIFUNCTIONAL SPACES THAT CAN ADAPT TO THE DIVERSE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY WHILE ALSO CELEBRATING THE RICH CULTURAL TAPESTRY OF THE AREA.
IN THIS TEAM PROJECT, I WAS ASSIGNED TO THE DOCUMENTATION GROUP, WHERE MY PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY WAS TO FILM AND EDIT A DOCUMENTARY CAPTURING THE ESSENCE OF OUR DESIGN PROCESS. WHILE I FOCUSED ON CREATING A COMPELLING NARRATIVE THROUGH VIDEO, I ALSO TOOK ON ADDITIONAL ROLES TO SUPPORT MY CLASSMATES, REFLECTING THE COLLABORATIVE SPIRITOFOURTEAM.
BOOKSTRUCTURE
AS ONE OF THE FEW MALE STUDENTS IN THE CLASS, I FOUND MYSELF STEPPING IN TO ASSIST OTHER TEAMS WHENEVER NEEDED. I HELPED THE WEAVING TEAM WITH THEIR INTRICATE WEAVING TASKS, PARTICULARLY IN HANDLING PARTS THAT REQUIRED A LIGHTER. ADDITIONALLY, AFTER COMPLETING MY FILMING DUTIES IN THE WORKSHOP, I JOINED THE BOOK STRUCTURE TEAM, ASSISTINGTHEMWITHCUTTINGANDASSEMBLINGTHEIRMODULARCOMPONENTS.
DOCUMENATION
THIS PROJECT ALLOWED ME TO CONTRIBUTE BEYOND MY ASSIGNED ROLE, OFFERING SUPPORT ACROSS VARIOUS TASKS. BEING INVOLVED IN DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE PROJECT WAS INCREDIBLY FULFILLING, AND I AM PROUD TO HAVE PLAYED A PART IN BRINGINGOURCOLLECTIVEVISIONTOLIFE.
REFLECTION
REFLECTING ON MY ROLE IN THIS PROJECT, I REALIZE HOW INTEGRAL TEAMWORK AND ADAPTABILITY ARE TO THE SUCCESS OF A COLLABORATIVE ENDEAVOR. WHILE MY PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY WAS DOCUMENTING THE PROJECT, I FOUND IMMENSE VALUE IN STEPPING OUTSIDE MY ASSIGNED ROLE TO ASSIST OTHER TEAMS. THIS EXPERIENCE NOT ONLY ENRICHED MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE OVERALL PROJECT BUT ALSO FOSTERED A DEEPER SENSE OF CAMARADERIE WITHIN OUR GROUP.
WORKING WITH THE WEAVING AND BOOK STRUCTURE TEAMS ALLOWED ME TO ENGAGE WITH DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE DESIGN PROCESS THAT I MIGHT NOT HAVE ENCOUNTERED OTHERWISE. WHETHER IT WAS HELPING WITH INTRICATE WEAVING OR ASSISTING IN THE ASSEMBLY OF MODULAR COMPONENTS, THESE TASKS GAVE ME A MORE HOLISTIC VIEW OF THE PROJECT AND UNDERSCORED THE IMPORTANCE OF EVERY DETAIL IN BRINGING A VISION TO LIFE.
THIS PROJECT ALSO HIGHLIGHTED THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FLEXIBILITY IN A TEAM SETTING. BY CONTRIBUTING TO VARIOUS TASKS, I WAS ABLE TO SUPPORT MY CLASSMATES AND ENSURE THAT ALL ASPECTS OF OUR DESIGN WERE EXECUTED SMOOTHLY. THE SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT I FELT FROM BEING ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN MULTIPLE FACETS OF THE PROJECT MADE THE EXPERIENCE BOTH FULFILLING AND EDUCATIONAL.
OVERALL, THIS PROJECT TAUGHT ME THE VALUE OF STEPPING UP WHEN NEEDED AND THE POWER OF COLLABORATION IN ACHIEVING A COMMON GOAL. IT WAS A REWARDING EXPERIENCE THAT NOT ONLY ENHANCED MY TECHNICAL SKILLS BUT ALSO STRENGTHENED MY ABILITY TO WORK EFFECTIVELY WITHIN A TEAM.
PHASE3 GLIMPSESOFKITH
PHASE 3 IS THE CULMINATION OF EVERYTHING I’VE DEVELOPED DURING PHASES 1 AND 2. IN THIS FINAL STAGE, I’M TASKED WITH CREATING A SPATIAL LANDSCAPE THAT REFLECTS THE NARRATIVE I’VE BEEN BUILDING. THIS LANDSCAPE SHOULD BE REPRESENTED THROUGH VARIOUS MEDIUMS THAT ALIGN WITH MY CHOSEN TOPIC AND THEME, WHETHER THAT’S MODEL MAKING, ANIMATION, COLLAGES, HYBRID DRAWINGS, OR INSTALLATIONS.
ALONGSIDE THE SPATIAL LANDSCAPE, I’M ALSO REQUIRED TO PRODUCE A SET OF SPECULATIVE DRAWINGS. THESE DRAWINGS WILL COMPLEMENT MY NARRATIVE AND SHOWCASE THE MATERIALITY, SCALE, TECHNICAL ASPECTS, AND OVERALL DESIGN EXPRESSION THAT I’VE DEVELOPED THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
A SPACE THAT BLENDS TRADITIONAL TEA INTERACTIVE EXHIBITS AND WORKSHOPS TO EX TEA. VISITORS CAN ENJOY AN IMMERSIVE EXPE HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES LIKE MAKING SCENTED S UNIQUEPIPESYSTEM.
CULTURE WITH MODERN ELEMENTS, FEATURING XPLORE THE RICH HISTORY AND DIVERSE USES OF ERIENCE FROM A HISTORICAL JOURNEY OF TEA TO SACHETS AND TASTING VARIOUS TEAS THROUGH A
FINAL FINALPRESENTATION PRESENTATION
REFLECTION REFLECTION
This semester has been a transformative journey in my exploration of spatial design. From the inception of my first project, where I delved into the rich narrative of tea culture, to the final culmination in Phase 3, I’ve pushed the boundaries of my creativity in ways I had never attempted before.
In Phase 1, I started with a traditional narrative, illustrating the journey of tea from China to Malaysia. This project was my first foray into blending cultural heritage with visual storytelling, and it taught me the power of design in making history accessible and engaging for a broader audience. The process of refining my ideas, from a simple line drawing to a colorful, interactive installation, was an invaluable lesson in adapting traditional elements to resonate with modern sensibilities.
Phase 3 built upon this foundation, challenging me to create a spatial landscape that embodied the narrative I had been developing. Through this project, I experimented with different mediums and speculative drawings, pushing myself to think about space in new and unconventional ways. This process allowed me to see spatial design from a fresh perspective, one that goes beyond the physicality of structures to consider the stories and emotions that spaces can evoke.
Throughout the semester, I learned not only technical skills but also a new way of thinking about design. By approaching projects from a narrative-driven perspective, I discovered how space can tell a story, connect with people on a deeper level, and preserve cultural heritage in innovative ways. This experience has broadened my understanding of what spatial design can be and has inspired me to continue exploring unconventional methods in future projects.
Looking back, I am grateful for the challenges and opportunities this semester presented. The skills and insights I’ve gained will undoubtedly shape my approach to design moving forward, and I am excited to see how these experiences will influence my future work.
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