Installation artwork commissioned by Garden International School designed to be put up on highway pillars in Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur. Designs are inspired by the cultural and historical context of the area.
PROCESS
Cultural & Historical Context
Mont Kiara is known to be a diverse area in terms of the people who live there. I wanted to emphasize this by taking elements from a couple of different art styles influenced by different ethnic groups.
Responding to Research — Batik Patterns
Ink Drawings + Photoshop
Artist Inspirations & Responses
Goal: To incorporate local artists and more cultural influences into my work
Nala Designs (left) | Victor Chin (right)
Environmental Context
Mont Kiara is also known to previously be a rubber plantation pre-urbanization. The area now, though mostly consists of high-rise buildings, is still the home to ficus trees and areca palm trees. I wanted to find a way to incorporate this into my work, which is where the leaves + floral themes are introduced into my designs.
The Area
These were the pillars the designs were intended to be on: initially as hand drawn paintings. I decided to try mocking up the designs, however they were not striking enough, hence why we chose to go to the digital, banner route.
Initial Mockups + Change of Direction
Instead of painting directly on the surface of the pillars, I thought banners wrapped around the pillar would look better, as I could incorporate more color in to the work and experiment with digital designs.
Designs also wouldn’t get damaged easily
They can be also more intricate and colorful through using digital art platforms
They can be also more intricate and colorful through using digital art platforms
Final Artist Inspirations
Julie Marie Designs (left) | Alexander McQueen + Damien Hirst (right)
I chose these two artists due to the intricate details of which I wanted to try and incorporate into my work.
Responses
FINAL DRAFTS
