From the Studio: Tokyo Protocol, Project 1

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Michael

My four dear sisters:
Although I have been talking to you four girls more often than last year-it doesn’t seem to be quite enough. You guys seem so committed to C4, so I guess I’ll have to just post here to satisfy you guys! (You know I am a perfectionist and its hard to just post a ‘sketch’ of an idea).

Anyways, I wanted to share a bit From the Studio! Project One of our semester has been quite a challenge, but we got through it and I am proud of what I accomplished.

Our initial idea comes from an interpretation of nature and what it means to be in “symbiosis with nature”. Gigi and I designed an installation for this project that played with gradients and transparency to communicate the idea that you can be hidden in a number of ways and also exposed in a number of ways.

This is a mock-up model we made with tracing paper, bamboo skewers, and pieces of paper.

We decided to construct our installation with wood and fabric of varying transparencies.

The final product was quite satisfying, especially in experiencing the installation. Getting to walk inside of it and explore all of the spaces and different ambiences was really fun!

This is a diagram of how we expected it to work (which, in the end didn’t deliver in quite the way that we hoped).

I put together a booklet that explains more about where our ideas came from and some background.

Just wanted to say to each of you: I love you!!
Jessie: Wish we could share late night chats and work together on our own crazy projects.
Maddie: I need a playlist for working, miss your fun and sassy work vibes. 🙂
Rachel: 加油！我觉得现在你可以明白我的情况多一点。别忘了，我也认识你的情况（studio生活，工作很晚，什么的）不好天的时候，就给我打电话！(and practice your Chinese!)
Megan: I really miss drawing with you (It is so much more fun than drawing by myself).. wish you were around to help me out with some of my drawings!

Museum Findings

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Rae

I thought you might enjoy looking through some of the snapshots I took while exploring the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History on Saturday. I especially enjoyed the exhibition detailing animals from the ice age. Its funny because some of the exhibits with fish and sea-monster-looking-dinosaurs reminded me of our days watching “Ice Age,” when Sid freaks out while walking around, alone, in ice tunnels.

The way that these creatures are displayed in skeletal form is spectacular. Five weeks into drawing classes, I am beginning to “visualize on paper” everything that I see; from plants to cars to dinosaurs. The information that is communicated by the skeleton version of these creatures is extremely helpful to an overall understanding of their form and movement.

I know the above description may be too small to read, but try to zoom in anyway… the second portion of this excerpt is very relative to the way items and scenes are captured today. So many of the photos we tumblr or draw come from every day occurrences– just think about instagram when you read this.

Depicted above, is my favorite painting from the short hour I spent walking into rooms full of art. I love the serenity illustrated through the lone ship and solo ice burg. The artist did a beautiful job depicting ice and water.

Finally, these chairs… aren’t they fascinating! Imagine a C4 studio with one large wood table in the middle, surrounded by 2 of each of these chairs… and the “scriptorium” rolled out with markers aplenty- some day maybe 🙂

Miss you all-I can’t wait until you get to come and share some of these experiences with me for real!

My Studio

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Rae

Hey guys,

Below are a few snap-shots of my Freshman studio this year! We were given this space (with 24-hour access) so that, while working on various drawings/models/photography assignments, we have the opportunity to brainstorm, converse, and gain insight from fellow classmates. Initially, I didn’t think that this was completely necessary. I mean, art is one of those subjective professions right? wrong. Design is so much different than the art-style I was accustomed to in high school. I’ve learned over the past few weeks, that the success of my work depends so much upon the ability to communicate a message to an audience- and in this case my classmates serve as substitute audiences.

We are often accused of “living” in studio because we all spend so much time there. I don’t mind, though, because not only is our studio spatially relaxing and comfortable, but it is also full of such awesome people, lively music, and homeliness. Studio classes run from 8:30-11:30 here every morning and our professors come to us! That is a pretty big privilege on our part 🙂

I view this place as our “office,” per say, as we come every morning and usually spend most of the day at our desks.

On site in Pittsburgh

Posted on September 7, 2013 by Rae

Hey my sibs,

Seeing that I’ve lived in Pittsburgh for 3 weeks now, its high time that I share some snapshots of my new home with you. These photos were actually taken for a school studio project. Groups of three were assigned specific locations around Pittsburgh to explore and photograph. I was one of the three to travel downtown for the exciting photo-expedition. I had no idea where we were headed until I literally stepped off the bus into the classy, theater-filled, waterfront of Pittsburgh. It has been such an interesting place to photogrpah.

Lion King is in town this month, so all the theaters have festively dawned yellow banners and Safari characters in their windows for the occasion.

As I look back on these few photos, I am again amazed at Pittsburgh’s unique atmosphere. From pink bridges and sculpted flowers, to flash thunder storms and cathedrals, this place is perplexing.

Thats all for now, I hope these pictures say a thousand words about my experience here so far… its at least a little clearer than telling you about it over Skype 😉 Have a great weekend! Miss you guys!

From the Studio: Analysing Yau Tong

Posted on March 2, 2013 by Michael

Our first project of the semester involved analysing the peripheral site, Yau Tong.

I loved getting around the site and exploring the area. We produced this drawing throughout the first few weeks- looking at how specific areas of the site effect each other and how we can draw conclusions from those findings.. (click the image for a closer look)

From the Studio: Architecture Analysis

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Michael

It has been an interesting semester thus far in my second year of architecture. We are working on Architectural Urbanism, exploring how architecture effects the city, and how a single building can change a certain site.

Our first step was to analyse the site-Monkok, a highly dense area in Kowloon that hosts a range of programs like street markets, book stores, live-work lofts, illegal structures, and big box malls.

The analysis of tenement housing in the site led us to the discovery of the eventual reclamation of the whole area.

I am excited about the next step of design and finding interventions that will change the city’s fabric.

Here is the full analysis with textual description and other drawings:

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Tianjin Memories

Posted on September 1, 2012 by Michael

I’ve been back to Hong Kong for a week, and getting back into the swing of things has been difficult. Looking through my photos for this post made me miss Tianjin and remember the summer and all the adventures I had.

I remember the huge construction materials market-and dreaming about new projects.

I remember the hundred year old architecture in downtown Tianjin, where I spent times with my sisters, mom and friends.

I remember brainstorming with Jessie on her art portfolio and working in the blog office.

But I guess most of all, I remember the times I spent with my family. I miss you guys.

This post is part of my Memories Collection-revisiting places where Connecting Four really connected and explored the world together. See my Thailand Memories post here. See my Guilin Memories post here.

Blog Office/Studio: Redecoration

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Michael

Today is my last day of work, and I have only two weeks left in China. One project I want to complete before I leave is our current office. It was a place for me to set up my studio when I come to visit, and also a place for my sisters to work on art.

Now that we are focusing a bit more effort and time on the blog, I want to inject some crazy colors, patterns and inspirations into the room to get those creative juices flowing and provide a fun place to blog and create.

I’ve been inspired by a few people, namely: Katie from Paperfashion, Bri from Designlovefest and Joy from Oh Joy!.

Here is Katie’s office:

Inspiration from Bri:

Got some ideas from Joy for throw pillows (This&That):
Pillows below from

I’ve started a pinterest board-and started sketching:

I even tried to see if I could render the space with sketch-up:

We are well on our way for the re-decoration project! So excited to get rid of this:

On The Streets: Art and Design

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Michael

Only a day after getting back from vacation, I am getting back into the art, design, and architecture world. Hong Kong is known for it’s many design exhibitions and conferences, and last semester I visted the Detour exhibition, which was focussed on recycling and the use of so called “useless” items. Today I attended the Fotanian Open Studios Exhibition, a kind of progressive exhibition where artists, designers, and architects open their studios to the public. Located in Fotan, Hong Kong; many artists have started to take over industrial buildings for their galleries and studios. This reminded me of countless other industrial areas that have been converted to art districts, such as the 798 Art District in Beijing (http://www.798art.org/ | http://www.798space.com/). Past the industrial elevators and corridors, there were many studios that I really enjoyed. Here are some pictures of my favorites, a good mix of architecture, design, and art.