Ginny Wong (Arch 1101): Lesson "0" ~ [before the first class]

Hello!

Firstly, I'd like to share with you one of my favourite pieces of music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmg8xinUO-M

after all, I believe that pages like this should not be read in silence ! Enjoy ..

"Young Girls at the Piano" (1892)
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Oil on canvas

[A] "Girls at the Piano" (2010)

Ginny Wong

Photograph / Tableau Vivant

During my high school years, we had the chance to explore the medium of the "tableau vivant" - where costumed actors remain motionless and silent in a scene, as if they are characters in a picture.. Based on Renoir's "Girls at the Piano" which investiages the role of women in society, I created a tableau vivant to convey the idea that females should be able to do things with experiencing prejudice. Whereas the original painting is colour and portrays women that are docile and elegant, in this tableau vivant we are blatantly presented with girls wearing full-faced masks and seated at a piano in a fairly egalitarian setting. The girls have the freedom and choice to play the piano, and the masks (which are made from music scores) represent the fact that they should simply be seen for what they are doing, not who they are.

[B] Cattedrale Vegetale (2010)

Europe is renowned for its churches but the Cattedrale Vegetale of northern Italy definitely stands out from the rest. Also known as the Green or Plant Cathedrale, the choice of materials is original and thoughtful. The columns in this five-aisle basilica structure are created by delicately weaving hundreds of chestnut and hazel branches around fir tree poles, and the upperrmost branches curve together to form the arches. As the man-made columns will slowly and inevitably deteriorate, a single beech tree has been planted inside of each column. This means that over time, the trees will grow over the structure, ultimately creating a natural forest wall. A beautiful process that reflects on the passage of time, and nature's eventual triumph over the man made environment.

Architect: Giuliano Mauri

[C] Untitled (September 2013)

It is said that beautiful things don't draw attention to themselves. I had taken a photograph of a young child, probably around 5 years of age, curiously looking at the masses of lock attached to the bridge in front of the Notre Dame. I already found this quite lovely a it was reminiscent of my own childhood, that innocence and anticipation in learning new things. Much to my own surprise, I discover that there is an elderly woman in the background, seated in a wheelchair. And like the child, she is also looking at the locks. I feel that this brings the image to another level, a possible story starts to form - in my eyes, I see a story about human life. The elderly woman could represent wisdom, whilst the child could signify hope and new beginnings. And of course, in the romantic city of Paris, one can only dream of love ..