Project 2B : Man Made Structure

My Bamboo Sound Tool (BST)

I named it the bamboo rattler.


It was a tough and hectic weekend as the 2010 batch of first year students are required to join the GETTHO orientation weekend. Consequently, we had limited time of getting bamboo as well as producing the instrument throughout the weekend.


To tie the knots and bind all the little stems of bamboo together on the large stem is my first time. I had to keep on tightening the string every time i play with this tool of mine.

The chaos : The submission of this project has to come along with pictures of our BST. I did not manage to print them out due to technical errors of my printer late at Sunday night. In the end I submitted it without the pictures, which was the best thing I could do at that moment. Well, there's no point submitting it with pictures late. As Dr Ilias said, we should remember our pasts, but live in the present while looking forward to the future.

Lessons learnt from the making of BST :
-be resourceful & utilize what you have
-always be precise and neat in your work
-start your work early and have a back up plan

Relating BST to dot.line.shape.form.space...
Everything has dots, line, shape, form and space. I can see dots representing the knots form my BST, lines of the bamboo stems and the strings and the cylinder shape of the larger stem.
As for this bamboo rattler, there are 2 layers of stem. Layer 1 : the body (large stem). Layer 2 : the small stems (keys of the instruments).
Spaces are formed as the small stems are aligned together. As I brush through the stems with another bamboo stick, the spaces between the small stems will then create sound.

This is the sound made by the brushing of the thicker bamboo stick.

This one is with the thinner stick, which sounded in higher pitch.

This was my first experience with bamboo instruments in a group and it was pure fun to get to collaborate with many other different sound tools!

Esquisse 4 : bamboo sense

Here is my list of descriptive words on what I see, hear and smell from the pictures given during RUS 101 class on 23 July 2010.

The list of words were then put into my first Wordle experiment.

Project 2A : Natural Structure

Our task : To study the structure of bamboo in a bamboo cluster.

This is the collection of my sketches.
We were told to focus on the joints and so I did sketches on the overview of the bamboo clusters, some of the stems (uncut or cut), the joints at the stem, the shoot and the leaves.

Project 1B : Me, My Thoughts & I

This is my first time drawing so many lines 3mm apart. We were given this task to study an invention from USM and to show how it is going to relate and contribute to the 2012 Disaster Plan.
My invention to study : IBSZ Low Temperature Lead Free Solders.
After some analysis, I decided to make this invention relevant to the reconstruction of the built environment after the disaster.

Project 1A : What I Heard

It was a 9 o'clock Integrated Studio 1 class for all new batch of 2010/2011 School of Housing, Building and Planning (HBP) students held at E48(B).
Mr Wan Burhanuddin Wan Abidin, one of our Studiomasters gave us, the local as well as the foreign students a very warm welcome, breaking the ice among the newbies :)

Introducing the concept of Accelerated Programme of Excellence(APEX)
Mr Wan B. showed us the flow chart regarding the targeted goal for APEX done by our Vice Chansellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Y. Bhg. Profesor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak. Mr Wan B. hopes for the students to see USM's vision of transformation for a sustainable tomorrow and to be fired up in joining the mission.

The 3Ps
intention-action-product
Later, Mr Wan B. talked about the mindset to achievement. To have the desired outcome (product), we should start with an intention, then followed by actions.
people-principle-place (3Ps)
Next, I have learnt that intention begins from every particular person (APEX people). When people act according to the rules (APEX principle), the product will always happen somewhere (APEX place).

Actors
In order to realise USM's vision, we need to have the doers (actors). The actors include all USM students, lecturers, office staffs and the community involved in the mission.

inputs from the actors...
Among the Studiomasters and assistant studiomasters who gave us a welcome speech are...
Ar. Mohd Najib Mohd Salleh (Assistant studiomaster for Architecture)
Dr. Abdelnaser Omran Ali (Studiomaster for Construction Management)
Sr Dr. Ilias Said (Assistant studiomaster for Construction Management)
Dr. Mohd Hanizun Hanafi (Assistant studiomaster for Construction Management)
Dr. Azizan Marzuki (Assistant studiomaster for Planning)
Dr. Mohd Zailan Sulieman (Studiomaster of Building Technology)

In short, I have learnt to always be prepared and ready for the future undertakings, to strive for the best and not forgetting to enjoy the process of learning here at HBP.

Something to share - to hear or to listen?
During the Q&A session, Dr Wan B. raised the question of the differences between hearing and listening.
This is what I found out from the dictionary :

hear ~ to perceive (sound) by the ear
listen ~ to make an effort to hear something

Thus, I believe that what we should practise more is none other than listening.
Cheers to the days ahead!