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A new place for pictures I have been taking over the past few years.

Just a few more weeks.

Just a random study. Each cell is a a solid box carved by a sphere that is changing in shape performed by BooleanDifference in Rhino.

It’s been interesting to see how Korean students are almost always forced to memorize infinite amount of information as part of their education. If one fails to do so, unwanted consequences ranging from lower test scores to physical punishments follow. In efforts to compete and be successful in this system, the students often choose a path that maximizes their ability to memorize facts: learning through repetition. From this a type of art emerge, the process of learning is expressed through blank pieces of paper, ink, and time. The students refer to this as Ggamji meaning black paper.
 

It’s interesting to find that Koreans from few hundred years ago also had very similar ways of learning. These are scans of old books that you can easily buy all over Korea. These are traces of students from the past copying their textbooks over and over to memorize the contents. It’s a funny feeling buying thousands of hours of one’s effort to learn with just a few bucks.

The west shoreline of Korea got some amazing tidelands. Miles and miles of mud. These pictures are from Gwanghwa Island, truly an awesome place.

Pictures by Yang Min Jong

I’m always impressed by the way traditional architects build. Hahoe is one of these preserved areas where people still live in the old Korean spaces. Although I’m a huge fan of the digital technology for all its advantages, precise calculations or heavy-duty machines are obviously not the most important elements in creating masterful designs. I feel as if I have become a little too computer driven. I love the fact that all the houses, the streets, and the natural gardens at Hahoe are so beautifully scaled for small daily activities. There is no overwhelming sense of sublime architecture. The wooden structures, stone walls, and paper windows are all very human in size, proportion, and arrangements. It’s amazing how everything manages to humbly blend into the natural surroundings.

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photo by Yann Arthus-Bertrand

I’ve been back in Korea for about a week now looking for new things to do. This photo has caught my attention and now I have a new world to explore in my home land. I have no idea where these old streets of Seoul will take me to. But, these are some extremly complex spaces created over a long period of time for living. It’s incredible… Unfortunately, most of them are being replaced with tall apartment buildings. I’m looking to see if there are any possibilities of renting a room in these areas.

These are from a while ago when I visited the Bei Hai park in Beijing. I feel both the water calligraphy and taiji are forms of art that is very expressive and dynamic. China is always on the move -_-v

last weekend, we had a deadline for the xiamen project. we didn’t sleep for maybe two nights. intense but the best times :)

the project is finally ready…. props to my team for all the hard work. the project was approved by the client and is moving forward!

here’s a few images from the final booklet.

me + wangwei

wangwei and meiling

joao in tokyo + dave in xiamen. cranking renders

mat. germans cad on beer -_-b

koreans cad on tea, coffee, and energy drinks

must pingpong

sunrise

good morning. spider :P

few hours before the flight to xiamen.

crtl+i in photoshop is like magic.

I love images in process.

It’s been a cycle of: Ideas – Conversations – Paper/Pen – Printer – Maya/Rhino – Renderer

A lot of times, they’re more interesting than the result. And, that’s very frustrating sometimes.