‘T’ is for Trying.

Inspired by the ‘A is for Andy’ exhibition (Andy Warhol), I did a pseudo silkscreen print using a photo I took during the exhibition. I don’t think it turned out good, but just an attempt, no harm trying! In the true spirit of creativity.

The Green Can Man!

This is one of the freelance project I did recently. Basically what I did was the video editing (putting together the video clips and photos which was provided to me). This video was a way to for the team to sum up their effort in the year.

Ignite Your Ideas!

Ignite! 2004 was a special project organised by NTU WSC. It was held at Toa Payoh HDB Hub. I participated as the Media Head in that event. With the help of my great team, we did the a 2-VCD video of the preparation and concert proper. Below are some of the clips from the VCDs.

Event opening, and booths:

Pre-Concert Video:

Thank You Clip:

Those Were They Days.

Producing is definitely a process which requires quite a bit of creativity. From coming up with the plot, sequences and angles of filming, video editing (selecting the right clips with the right transition to go with the background music), it is a lot of work. For me, it had been quite a nightmare as producing video used to be related to sleepless nights, rushing out the videos for screening during camps. Everyone loves to see themselves in the videos, kids and volunteers. Tho’ it was very tiring, I loved doing video editing during my uni days in the Welfare Services Club. Other than camp productions, I also did Welcome Tea videos and special event videos. Also did some freelancing and special personal videos for my friends.

Considering the tools were using and the required output resolution, these videos definitely look amateurish. But still, they bring back great memories and is part of my showcase of creativity.

This video was created for the RSP Elders 10th Anniversary dinner:

Which Door Shall I Wait?

This is a poster I did for the product we developed in the MT5003 Creativity and Innovation Project. The main idea behind the innovation is to empower commuters with information of the vacancy of train carriages so that they are able to decide which door they should wait for the train.

The main slogan of this poster spells out our message loud and clear, our product will answer your question to “Which train door to wait?”. At the back of the poster is a form for lottery ticket and on top is the dice. Waiting for trains is like placing a bet, you will not know there is more space on which carriage.

The train carriages are like cans of sardines with people packed inside.

And finally at the bottom left corner is the user interface of the product, that gives you the information to make your decision.

Flash from the Past.

Winding the clock back to year 1997, when the Internet access was probably only available at Internet cafes and homes use 14.4kbps dial-up modems, creativity was beginning to become the new buzzword in local education system.

During those days, my junior college organized a “Creativity and Talent Week“. Together with a friend, we bagged the first prize for the “IT and Mathematics” category. It was probably one of the very few prizes I ever won, but it made a great impact on me.

Creativity then, was about combining ideas, applying technology knowledge, and selling your story. Back then, I had first-comer advantage. With Web 2.0 and so on, a once creative idea is no longer considered so anymore.

The idea then was to combine gaming with education. We developed a website that was totally based on hyperlinks, not even frames or any Javascripts. The site “Haunted Camelot” (surprisingly still online), is a Role Playing Game site where you need to explore all the rooms of the castle to find gems in order to complete the mission. There is a tiny plot for site: Under the full moon, the ‘Haunted Castle of Camelot’ rose from nowhere. Inside, filled with demons and evil spirits. Users navigate around the castle with the help of the map. Each room features one particular topic, for example ‘Vampires’ or ‘Doomsday Cults’. Users need to collect the gems throughout the site, which they’ll find upon reading an article. Eventually, when the users complete all the rooms, collected all the gems and exit the castle, they’ll get complete the game – drive away the evil and get the priceless treasure!

There was an article on the college’s newsletter about the site. The article, Creative with a Capital ‘C’ can be found here. A silly neoprint for our glorious moment.

Buildings and Landscape and Everything Else.

Creativity probably can be trained through practicing. Once you feel that passion and start to look out for great angles, you will be snapping away at almost everything. And you will get better and better in finding that interesting frame. The way of finding that frame itself is become a natural creative process.

Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (above)
The hundreds of sculptures in this Hindu temple make a fascinating photo. And when you combine the shape of the temple with that perspective of looking up at it, it seems grander than ever.

KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (above)
A sky diver jumped off from the top of the KLCC tower. I waited patiently for him to land by in between the towers, and at the right height. I knew in mind what I wanted to capture and I was ready for it when the moment came. The diver, the towers, and my favourite reflection from the sun. Luck, by definition of Professor Charles Lee, is when preparation meets opportunity. In this case, I was lucky.

Gamla Stan, Stockholm, Sweden. (above)
From the dark alley of the old town, the grand old church stood tall in the sun.

Bredgade, Copenhagen, Denmark. (above)
The Alexandra Newsky Kirke, a relic from the 18th century, at the crossroad of the modern street lamps cable lines.

City, Copenhagen, Denmark. (above)

Styrsö, Göteborg, Sweden. (above and below)
Odd objects at some places may form a nice photo as well. Of course, there is nothing odd about a beautiful sail boat in the sea. =p

Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (above)

Riddarholmen (”The Knight’s Islet”), Stockholm, Sweden. (above)
More beautiful clouds! And this time, with the intricate details of the tower of the Riddarholmen Church.

Djurgården, Stockholm, Sweden. (above)
The river glowed in the glorious sun.

Flam, Bergen, Norway. (above and below)
From he great Fjord of Norway to the narrowest part of the valley. Nature gives us some of the greatest beauty and inspirations.

Vestergade, Copenhagen, Denmark. (above)
Man-made structures can also be really inspiring too. The roof top of the National Museum from inside.

Oslo University, Oslo, Norway. (above)
And sometimes, we draw inspiration from the Art. I posed at the steps of the grand Oslo University entrance. What inspired was Edvard Munch’s famous painting, “The Scream”.

In Another World.

Ever been to a place and it felt like a scene from a game or movie? Simply use your imagination and relate to your experiences. The feeling is so unreal.

Myrdal, Bergen, Norway. (above)
This was the train ride to the snow mountains. It felt like a scene from the “Seven Years in Tibet”.

Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (above)
If the photo in Myrdal seemed like a scene in the movie, then this photo seemed like a scene from a game. “Prince of Persia”? This is the magnificent Putra Mosque.

The Sun.

The Sun is another of my favourite subject.

Styrsö, Göteborg, Sweden. (above and below)
The sun glows in the dusk like an egg yolk, casting a long reflection into the sea.

Nørrebro, Copenhagen, Denmark. (above and below)

City, Copenhagen, Denmark. (above)
This was taken at a street soccer match in the central of the City. The supporters were standing on the viewing gallery, and it is obvious they were supporters of which team.

Karl Johanns Gate, Oslo, Norway. (above)

Riddarholmen (”The Knight’s Islet”), Stockholm, Sweden. (above and below)
They are like rays from the heaven shining upon us.

Reflections.

There are usually more than one side to things, eg. a coin has two sides. What about the world of our reflections? And what happens when you put them together? If you are able to see more than one side of a problem, and attempt to put them together, you may be surprised to see how beautiful the solution can be.

Tycho Brahe Planetarium, Copenhagen, Denmark. (above)

Styrsö, Göteborg, Sweden. (above and below)
Does the sky reflects the colour of the sea or the sea reflects the colour of the sky?

Christiansborg Slot, Copenhagen, Denmark. (above)
The puddle of water reflected what is beyond the frame of this photo, the details of the sky.

Oslo University, Oslo, Norway. (above)
Another example of reflection of what is beyond the frame. In this photo, I wanted to capture the image of ourselves inside the beautiful map signage of the university.

Nørrebro, Copenhagen, Denmark. (above)
Taking a peek into the subway station through these little glass pyramids at the side walks. And once again we stare at our own reflections.

Silhouettes.

Sometimes although we are unable to make up what we are seeing, we assume that we know, and jump to certain conclusions. However, looking at the same object, from the same angle and same position, but with different light, often gives us a different perspective and feeling. To be creative, we do not have to move, but we must see beyond what the details tell us, and examine deeper.

 

Hotorget, Stockholm, Sweden. (above)
Orfeus statue by Carl Milles outside the Concert Hall.

Royal Palace, Oslo, Norway. (above)
This photo brings together the statue and the Royal Palace in a single frame.

Churchill Park, Copenhagen, Denmark. (above and below)
Once again, at the Churchill Park, a little girl posed at the fountain, against the statue of Gefion and her oxen. And below, a closer look at Goddess Gefion, ploughing the island of Zealand out of Swedish soil.

These silhouettes help us to pay attention to the beautiful outlines of the statues.

Styrsö, Göteborg, Sweden.
On this little island of Styrsö, a stalk of flower grew near the waters. What I like about this photo, isn’t the flower. I love the colour of the sky!

Foreign Skies.

Clouds are like works of art in the sky. Somehow, the skies outside Singapore seem to have more clouds in different shapes and patterns.

Riddarholmen (“The Knight’s Islet”), Stockholm, Sweden. (above)
Between the Tower of Birger Jarl and the Riddarholm Church, you can see Riddarfjärden, the bay of Lake Mälaren. And across the the sky was this beautiful formation of clouds. It was like a carpet, paving the way cross the great square, where the statue of Birger Jarl stood, to the calm lake.

Churchill Park, Copenhagen, Denmark. (above)
In the park where you can find the world famous Little Mermaid statue, I saw yet another beautiful feathery cloud which looked like the wings of the phoenix.

The Other Faces at Night.

In the night, with only artificial light, everything seems a little strange. Sometimes, they may be even distortion to what we see…

City, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (above)
The KL Train Station rising from a sea of tiles.

Yishun, Singapore, Singapore. (above)
This photo was taken from the windows of my room. It is interesting to see how everything glow in orange when it was actually quite late in the night. I tried experiment with different among of light to reveal the other face of the quiet neighbourhood.

Central Business District, Singapore, Singapore. (above)
The all so familiar Singapore skyline, seen from the Esplanade. Some buildings were brightly lit, while others formed just another silhouette. The wonderful mixture of colours can be seen in the Singapore River.

Who Am I?

I always wonder if my feelings are reflected on my facial expressions. I decided to do some expressions on my web-cam. It took quite a bit of effort to put up meaningful facial expressions. There are really many expressions we can do with our facial muscles. Of course, giving others a smile, takes only 17 muscles and is usually the most rewarding.

“…ate my muffin?! ” – anger

“Impressed? So proud of me?” – joy

“Woh.. for me?” – gleaming

“1+1=?…” – deep thoughts

“A for MT5003” – satisfied

“Still a long way to go for this portfolio…” – sulk

Why ‘C’ is for Creativity Expression?

Creativity is the mental process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations between existing ideas or concepts. Creativity takes form in innovation and invention, and more popularly in arts and literature.

So how can one express their creativity? Arthur Koestler once said, “True creativity often starts where language ends.” The aim of this weblog is really to showcase my expression of creativity, mainly through the visual arts (such as graphics, photos and videos) which I have done over the years. They ain’t fantastic, but the processes of producing them involved creativity. Dewitt Jones will probably agree with me. Besides showcasing them, hopefully I can provide some descriptions on the thought process or what do I see in them, when I look back at my works from another perspective.

Creativity isn’t a after thought, or a method of doing things, but it is really what you do everyday. From appealing to our senses, to making money from innovations, to benefiting the society and other social causes, creativity is of the essence in these activities.