Constant/Variable

Making Mamak in Montréal - The Blueprint 29 AUG 24 In between Island < > Peninsular < > Island, I travelled back to Montréal, one year after I started the project in the same city, same institution of the CCA @canadiancentreforarchitecture . In my talk, I laid out the blueprint on three tables where the audience gathered around. Inviting them to peruse and ask questions, my talk discusses how the collectives embed and negotiate spatial politics of their sites. Designed by @constantvariable.cv , the blueprint is to simply present the data collected for further investigation. I say, “Making Mamak also tests the notion of civic spaces, programming a space for the public but not by public funding or government, but rather programming your own civic management – commoning,” a testament to rethink beyond our reliance on welfare state. I talked about key concepts such as gotong-royong, aunties and uncles, and the sentience and spirituality of space almost like another member. Last year, Making Mamak had a different name, the Precarity of Gathering, and a speculative possibility of a performance lecture of an imaginary arts council. Through the process of curating, it changed into a workshop, an edifice of my public arts days. Coming back to the island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was a homecoming like no other. We engaged with other artist collectives (or artist centres, institutionalised by province-level arts funding in Quebec). and I went to visit DARE-DARE @daredaremtl in Little Burgundy and talked to the coordinator of Ada-X @ada_x_mtl further and imagined floating libraries with @tyramaria.trono and @painwithoutrage .We drew lines of a site-specific practice that held multiple mappings of place and community. Thankful for friends who came to my small sharing.

Making Mamak: Collective Ecologies of Urban Space APR 22 - SEP 24 Developed as part of the Emerging Curatorial Residency at the @canadiancentreforarchitecture , Making Mamak is a curatorial tool, a workshop methodology to use tools of mapping to explore a collective ecology of relations. Other than a tool, it is also the moment of encounters akin to a mamak stall. ‘A mamak stall, commonly referred as “mamak” alone, is an accessible and unpretentious social gathering place distinct to the Malaysian (and Singaporean) social milieu. It is typically a place where friends, colleagues, families gather—at any hour of the day or night—to eat, gossip, have discussions; more generally, they are social spaces for collective gathering.’ - written with @notnotganymede When discussing this with folks in Malaysia, there is a distinction between lepak in the roadside by the carpark, the nasi kandar vs. mamak, sitting on grass just outside the premises, or malay roti canai stalls. In all these shifting, living typology, all encompass a moment of making. To make kin, to build connection, to share time, to speak in relation to. We compiled the findings into a blueprint, a document designed by @constantvariable.cv Five arts collectives (Little Giraffe Story House, COEX@kilang besi, Ruang Tamu Ekosistem, Papanhaus and Kapallorek) were invited to participate in a: 27 APR 24 Mapping Workshop with collectives at Papanhaus 28 APR 24 Conversation on Collective Spatial Practices on Arts Communities with Yap Sau Bin @yapsau and Cheah Ee Von @cheaheevon at Papanhaus 29 AUG 24 Making Mamak in Montréal to present the blueprint (invited in spirit via the blueprint) with DARE-DARE @daredaremtl , Ada X, Daphne and Articule photos by @constantvariable.cv

A few years back, Richard Meier was asked to reflect on the changes in architecture industry since the 60s, in which he points out that the most significant change has been the scale of buildings. "There's a scale to New York as there is a scale to London, and that's what makes the city great – as you walk from one area to another the scale changes and you feel related at ground level to what's around you. That's started changing – the way it is now, it's disrespectful. It's disrespectful to a whole city, so I'm very concerned that everyone's trying to make a taller building here. This is not Kuala Lumpur, it's New York. New York has a quality to it and you have to respect the context." Yes, KL has a towering issue. - But at this point, what can we do about it? Drawn by the things that make the buildings and the city happen, and by the things that buildings and city make happen. “Desires & Encounter” offers a unique perspective of the city we live in. Made up of vertical frame towers, horizontal planes, and slanted/ diagonal stair-like structures, all put together in a way that lets us see our cityscape truly from a more human and personal perspective. It’s a human scale skyscraper! All kinds of skyscrapers are already patched in our city’s identity, as if they are one of us. We live inside one as our home and within them as our neighbours. This is not an attempt to address the issue, but rather to embrace it. Maybe the most sustainable way to live/work/play/explore in this city is just to live with and within it. Perhaps, that is Kuala Lumpur. “Desires & Encounters” is a folly submitted by C/V, for @kldesignfestival 2023.

Screening: Small Practices: In Conversation with Malaysian and Japanese Architects -/~ Project The documentary follows Noorul Fadzlee Khamis (NFK) in pursuit of gaining new fresh perspective(s) on architectural scene that small practices can offer. This effort by NFK involves sets of interview with Malaysian and Japanese architects that includes; Normal Architecture WHBC Architects Studio Karya No-To-Scale* CODA Satoshi Okada Architects Atelier Kazuki Wakahara Design Team Architects Atelier Ryo Abe This is a film by Constant/Variable for Suburbia Projects Music by Tentang

Fact-finding: Majlis Ilmu -/~ Research “Majlis Ilmu” is a depiction of a perfect school environment that theoretically can provide an ideal design solution for Malaysia’s education structure in the future. A coalescence of (1) formal and (2) informal ways of learning is entailed to achieve this holistic learning experience. Informal environments allow formal spaces to flex and evolve, stimulating for deeper connection, more-artistic innovation, and limitless discovery that both enhance formal learning exchanges and encourage independent exploration and collaboration. SLIDE 2 Formally designed spaces will have the flexibility to be utilized informally if its amenities and atmosphere are conducive to learning. This ability to bridge the formal and informal learning environments has the potential to rigorously support students' interests and personal skill development. This research aims to blur the line between formal and informal learning experiences by “informalizing the formal way of learning and formalizing the informal way of learning” to create a dynamic and productive learning environment. SLIDE 3 Formal learning is a more structured learning experience that is presented in a methodical and deliberate manner. It offers a more traditional delivery method in which lessons are taught via textbooks and other educational materials, adding a level of immediate interactivity between learners-students. Collage elements include; Regular grid – Flat view – Rigidity - School utilities – Formal activities SLIDE 4 Informal learning gives students more control and flexibility in how they consume information because they can learn at their own pace and at any time - with anyone (mostly with their friends). C/v wants to push this narrative because we sometimes learn the most when we converse in these small corners - areas where we “lepak” – as this is when we’d have spontaneous discourses, creating a deeper learning/sharing experience. Collage elements include; Irregular grid – Perspective view – Flexibility – Break-out spaces - Informal activities —— Now, this is the “perfect” school. #kamimereka #kamimerdeka #km02

Reflection: A Souvenir From the West -/~ Musing We had a conversation with En Nizam, a local craftsman in Sabak Bernam, Selangor whose motivation and passion is rooted in the Malay Traditional Heritage. He shared with us a few thoughts of his own, some inspirations and most of it reflections... More on our blogspot, link in bio.

Reflection: An Object of No Place -/~ Musing When it comes to architecture without context; it’s not necessarily just about attention-seeking and extraordinary structures. The design intention can be used to create new trends and design languages, not only in terms of aesthetics, but also as part of a sustainable or radical movement. This write up is beyond doubt an attempt to widen the spectrum of the term’s definition by exploring its potential within the context of our subject matter... More on our blogspot, link in bio.

will be formulating worlds through photo essay. ___ #DesignPractice #Design #Architecture #Art #GraphicDesign #GraphicArt #Branding #Print #Type #Visual #Cover #CoverArt #VisualArt