Eating in Shanghai

Two popular places to eat in Shanghai. It is interesting to see the differences and similarities. The third photo was taken at a market in the same area renown for selling Louis Vuitton knock offs and pirated DVDs.

boring white monstrosity

Went to visit the new National Library today. I wasn't expecting much and as it turned out, everything was pretty much underwhelming and somewhat boring. We had the project manager explain to us the functional and ecological aspects of the building (which included a short description of what is low emissivity double glazing *yawn*). He also "interestingly" pointed out that the central lending library in the basement is for books that can be borrowed out and the reference library on the higher level is for books that cannot be borrowed out(duh!). The presentation was obviously recycled from another presentation which was not targeted at people who couldn't care less about architecture.

Everything in the new building was nice and new, the spaces were mostly bright and generous but there was nothing extraordinary. The spatial concept is purely functional and does not show much attempt to comment on the role of the library in the larger society or experiment with ways of how a library can function (if there is, I can't really see it and the people didn't really explain it). One thing I do like about the building was the observation pod on the 16th level. Its bulging glass facade provided some thrills but it really has nothing to do with a library and will not be open to the public when the library opens in July.

I took quite a few pictures of the interiors however I decided that there is really nothing worth showing.

Went to dinner later at Nanjya Monjya which was much more fun. We had okonomiyaki made live on a hotpan in front of us. I liked it but you can tell from the picture that it wasn't Justin's favorite food.

Shang'hai on Prada

I was fortunate enough to be able to see the Prada exhibition at the Peace Hotel when I was in Shanghai. Named “Miuccia Prada: Art and Creativity”, it showcased the concepts, techniques and the craftsmanship of Prada skirts dating back to the late 80s. The exhibition was curated by AMO- the research arm of OMA. As something you might expect from AMO-OMA, the presentation was very interesting. Giant cut outs of the skirts lined the lobby of the hotel while the main exhibition was in 3 suites on the 7^th floor. In the main exhibition, skirts were set to spin on mechanized hangers and others were worn over swinging weights which mimics the form of the skirt while someone was walking in the skirt. The forms of the skirts are also explored by displaying them in a flat vacuum packs and creating sculptures by setting skirts in stiff metal frames. Magnifying lenses were also provided to allow the viewer to observe intricate details on the skirts. It was announced during the press release of the exhibition that Prada will be building an epicenter store in Shanghai in the next few years. It will no doubt be an extraordinary store in contrast to the mostly bland architecture of the city. But I hope that somebody else other than OMA designs it.

The emphasis placed by Prada on Shanghai solidifies the role of Shanghai as a new centre of consumption in the world. Indeed rapid development and the rise of new-money have boosted the consumption power of its people and pushed it into the echelons of a major global city. A conversation I had with my friend, Ryan, brought up the comparison of Shanghai with Berlin in terms of the amount of urban development and construction going on currently. However, I feel that the two cities, other than experiencing high speeds of development, are taking very different approaches to growth. Berlin is desperately trying to revive its glorious days before the World Wars and the Cold War, as a centre for commerce and culture, through strict and careful urban planning and retention of the pre-war urban fabric. There is a great emphasis on building the character of the city. On the other hand, Shanghai seems to focus more on economic and material growth and risks losing its distinctive character.

Ryan also commented (which I slightly paraphrased) that Berlin is moving towards the future while looking at the past but Shanghai is just about the future. It does echo what I felt about Shanghai. The whole vibe that I got in Shanghai was a compulsion to participate in an almost vulgar pursuit for money. From the persistent street vendors hawking knock off Vuittons to the revoltingly opulent new modern buildings that are sprinkled around the city. Everything seems to be about money and status.

Perhaps I should not fault Shanghai for being materialistic but see it as a phase that it is going through before its rise as a truely great city.

Shanghai Grand Theatre

This is the Shanghai Grand Theatre, one of the relatively more imagnative modern buildings I saw in Shanghai. I like it for the attempt to abstract traditional Chinese architecture. The reference wasn't too obvious but the result was modernity with a touch of Chineseness , avoiding the overt usage of "traditional" building elements.It was closed to the public so I didn't get a chance to go inside. It doesn't look to exciting though. And the roof-floating-over-box form did remind of the new Supreme Court in Singapore, except that it didn't induce any fear of an extraterrestrial invasion.

back!

Wow! I am finally back from 8 days of brainless traveling, done in a virtually endless cycle of eating, walking, shopping, sitting on the tour bus and queuing up for the toilet.

The trip started with a bumpy ride on China Eastern Airline accompanied by the moody faces of the stewardesses. But everything went quite well once we reached Shanghai airport. The whole journey was filled with many interesting sights, from centuries old villages to the ultra modern architecture. Food was also extremely cheap. The journey was marred only by the throngs of rude (and loud) tourists flooding the places that we visited, the phlegmy locals and some not so nice toilets.

Other than the sights, the thing that I saw most was people. There are people everywhere, especially in the city areas. Boarding a mode of transport, like ferries and trams, or entering an arena for a show usually involves a great amount jostling and pushing. It was almost impossible to get a nice peopleless shot on the camera and this was coupled with the fact that many people just did not care if they were walking into your frame. Another thing that impressed me was the incredible ability of motor traffic, pedestrians and cyclists (so many bicycles!) to coordinate and weave through each other smoothly and safely. Crossing the road was always a harrowing experience.

I also admire the ability of the China tour guide to incorporate shopping in many of the attractions we went to see. For example, a visit to the Nanjing Museum ended in jade shop, a walk in the Song Qingling Memorial Park was followed by a talk on fengshui and a sales pitch for some auspicious ornaments, a stop at the Nanjing Bridge tower was an excuse to herd us into a glass ornament shop at the foot of the tower. Perhaps it is not the tour operator I should praise but the Chinese government for incorporating these (government owned) tourist traps into these almost unrelated attractions.

Great trip but I wished I had more free time to explore Shanghai on my own.

More pictures to come. I’ll upload the photo album once I get it organized.

Appointment with Mao Zedong

I'm off to China for a week. Be back next weekend.

毛主席万岁!

Ken Yeang's white bohemoth

Singapore's new National library opens in July. It's about time. There hasn't been a decent alternative in town since the old one closed. Designed by Ken Yeang, the famed green architect, the white behemoth contains his signature sunshading devices and elevated gardens. Just heard on the news that the building was awarded some ecological building award by BCA. Haha, even before it is in use. There doesn't seem to be any architectural breakthrough here and to quote American Idol judges, "It is a very safe choice". Despite its organic asymmetrical form, it is essentially still an assembly of extruded glass boxes. And the one thing that I really dislike about the building is that only three of the four facades were designed. The facade facing Bras Basah Complex is simply a blank wall cladded in white metal with regular glazed openings. I'm not sure if it is done due to economical or ecological reasons, but I felt that it is unnecessary cold and harsh to its neighbour, especially since people living there will see it everyday.

The building right now looks okay. It might be nicer when the trees start to grow. However, like many other "designer" buildings in Singapore, I feel that this lacks the *gasp* factor. Not that Ken Yeang is known for making that kind of buildings, but I think it is the quality that a good building should have. Neccessary if they want an iconic building.

TAS is organizing a sneak preview for aki students on the 26th, I think I'm going. I hope the inside will not turn out to be some purely functional and uninspiring space. We shall see.

If you want to know more....

Åsas pjölkvän Daniel

Was playing around with Photoshop today. This is the kind of thing that people with no life does. But whatever. I tried using the different filter functions, many which I had never used before, attempting to replicate the monotone illustrations of faces which I often see on T-shirts and other graphical illustrations. Daniel's face was unfortunately chosen to become my guinea pig. But fortunately, his face wasn't too badly mutilated in the end and I was quite surpised at the wide range of effects I could achieve. Some of the not too bad ones are shown, others are best left in the recycle bin.

Super no life! haha!

guerilla retail

You may or may not have heard of the Comme Des Garçons guerilla stores. These stores are located at obscure locations around the world and are only open for a fixed period of 1 year regardless of whether a profit is made. Their off beat locations take advantage of the low rentals that are offered and the fixed operation period frees it from having to wait to turn a profit, as unprofitable stores will be closed. Costs are also kept low by removing the need to excessively renovate a shop space, like a permnant store would require.

The guerilla retail concept is really not a fresh idea. It is already commonly practised. A example is this drinks stall operated from a van along Orchard Road. It may lack the intentional inconspicuousness of the CdG stores, but it is done in the very same spirit. The mobile retail space allows the operator to move according to availability of business opportunites and is not affected by factors like locality and other contractual liabilities. The mobile nature of the stall also allows it to occupy a strategic point in a major pedestrian thoroughfare. It may be there now but it may not be there afterwards. I would argue that this pushes the guerilla retail concept even further. Its transcient nature is even more pronounced, giving a stronger sense of impermanence. It is able to position itself where it makes the strongest impact and disappear and reappear without notice.

Another place where the guerilla concept is applied is the pasar malam (or night market) where stalls (as opposed to stores) are opened at an empty location for a fixed period of time.

The Comme Des Garçons guerilla stores concept are really not so edgy but only rehashing a tried and tested retail strategy. But this should not detract from the edginess and originality of their products although some are not always wearable in normal circumstances. If you are interested in seeing the CdG store in Singapore, it is at 26A, Temple Street. Opens till 26 April 2005.

Time stopped momentarily for some on this busy Friday to bid farewell to former president Wee Kim Wee. The funeral procession was telecast on TV and various screens throughout Singapore, including this one outside the Singapore Visitors' Centre at Orchard Road.

In this age of the spectacle, I would still like to think that Singaporeans really do care and are not so indifferent after all.

photoshop CS2

Just when you thought that Adobe cannot think of anymore functions to add to Photoshop, they manage to produce another souped up version of it. Photoshop CS2 was launched last week with an even more dazzling (and not to mention confusing) array of functions.

One of the most relevant new functions that me and my dearest compatriots at NUS would use is the Smart Objects function. When a layer is set as a smart object, it can be modified reversibly and without a loss in quality. In older versions, the "dumb" objects would become blurry and pixelated if they are reduced and enlarged again, but with the new function, the integrity of the layer remains intact. So you can tweak it as much as you want. What's even better about smart objects is that when it is duplicated, the different copies can be linked and changes can be made simultaneously on all these objects.

Other new functions include vanishing point, which makes placing objects in the correct perspective easier, and batch processing without affecting normal operations.

If anyone has a copy, pass it to me ok?

more info at Photoshop CS2

see the bearded lady

Wacky cover of the May edition of V magazine with Kate Moss sprouting a beard. Taken by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.

The editors of V write, "The beard should look fake, we agree. It should clearly be drag. Kate as the now-version of Hibiscus, star of the hippie documentary The Cockettes. Why do we associate a beard with deity, with spirit, with freedom, with magic? Can androgyny take us beyond ourselves? Could Kate?s desirability make us forget about war, money, power, and other catastrophes? I f***ing hope so."

Yeah, right. It can surely be explained as a perversion of beauty or a comment of how people view beauty. But I say it's just shallow gimmickry. "Come witness the latest spectacle at your nearest bookstore now!" Perhaps a modern version of the circus freak show staple, the bearded lady. Both have the same intention, they are just out to get your money.

star wars prequel

I am now convinced that Norman Foster is some kind of alien conspirator. In the last few years, he's been secretly preparing for their arrival. In fact, a spaceship has already landed in Singapore before the supreme court.It's the Expo MRT station.It is however a lighter and smaller version of the flying saucer, perhaps to ferry the recce troopers here to prepare for the final invasion.

The invasion has also begun in London on a larger scale (where else than Foster's hometown). The GLA building and the Swiss Re building at St Mary's Axe are the most recent landings.

I rather enjoyed these buildings, much more than the new supreme court. Perhaps it is not a fair comparison considering that the supreme court has yet to be completed but these buildings definitely look and feel more interesting, not your generic office building.

war of the world in singapore

The mothership has landed! Run for your lives!

The new supreme court is approaching completion. I still don't know whether I would ultimately like the building, but right now, I'm leaning towards hating it. First the landing pod below the flying saucer looks almost generic. Second, The cladding on parts of the box looks really weird, natural stone under a piece of glass in a steel frame. And somehow, it lacks the pomp and pageantry that an institution like the supreme court should have. I don't know. Some people might like it just because it is designed by Fosters and Partners but I don't know. I wonder how much of it actually involves Norman foster himself. Most of the work is probably done by CPG anyway. We'll see.

topsy turvy

Nothing wrong with the orientation, the pictures are not inverted. This is the new Viktor and Rolf store in Milan. Everything is upside down except for the clothes hanging on the racks and the people inside. It looks pretty well detailed. The idea is simple and somewhat gimmicky but it's a fun take on a fashion store. Visiting the store will be as fun as wearing their clothes.

exams' over!

Time to catch up on my reading. But instead of finishing the half read books sitting on my table, I decided to start a new book. Kinokuniya is having a 20% storewide disocunt today and tomorrow at the Liang Court store and what better time to buy a book.

Bought a book called "Why I am not a Christian" by Bertrand Russell, quite possibly the greatest philosopher of the modern time. The title really appealed to me as I've always had objections to the practices of certain Christian organization (which I shall not name). The cover was quite nice too. But I want to state that I am not anti-christ or in some satan worshipping cult, I just don't agree with some of the things they do and claim. And I've remained unmoved despite the many attempts by different individuals to convert me.

Next book on my list, Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Satre. That is if I finish my current book before the next semester starts or I can avoid being burnt at the stake for Blasphemy. haha!