Virtual ‘Orient’

Before Easter holiday, Kieron gave me suggestion to record something first about this project.

So I went to Chinatown to search some Chinese elements, I took photos of the facade of every shop.

During the process, I found many interesting things in Chinatown, such as the total of the name is like a 'Virtual China' combined with a long history, Chinese Kongfu novels' and Cuisine Emperor.

INITIAL IDEA

Virtual ‘Orient’

I found every shop in Chinatown has showed its own Chinese characteristic, the building is divided into 3 categories:

1.  the feature of traditional red walls, green tiles and stone lions, like the Forbidden City.

2.  a combination of China and UK architectures.

3.  completely westernized buildings.

These 3 categories and the name are also reflecting what China experienced in the history.

Based on The West use their theories and history shaped the image of “Orient”.

I reassembled the buildings of Chinatown based on the characteristics of eaves to form a virtual wall of the Forbidden City.

Every shop's name of the virtual image in the photo from right to left are, 'Dumplings Emperor','Imperial China', 'Golden Pagoda', 'New China', 'New world'.

THE WEAKNESS

The work is lack of hierarchy and rhythm.

Not clear in meaning.

THE PROCESS

Virtual 'Orient’

I developed the initial idea of reassembled the buildings of Chinatown to form a virtual ‘Orient’ City.

Then I extracted the colour of red wall, lanterns and green roof.

I was thinking about to select red wall and lantern, green eve and small element like 'lion' and 'dragon' to summarize Chinatown.

- What if I make a book contains all Chinese elements in Chinatown?

(red / green + Black and white)

THE OUTPUT

I was inspired by Paul Kenton's series of artwork – City In Motion, which style is inimitable to depict the fluidity, motion and mood of a city.

Virtual 'Orient’

So I was planning in favour of the immediacy of driving into the essence of the building and the meaning behind it.

I depicted the statue of stone lions in an exquisite style, and dripped lines of eve and people inside with a mood.

THE HIGHLIGHTS

The form of wire frame combined with photo is interesting.

Line drawing character is full of Chinese painting style.

THE WEAKNESS

What if combined with UK’s architecture?

THE OUTPUT

Virtual 'Orient’

Based on The West use theories and history shaped the image of “Orient”.

I I extracted the elements of red and green and reassembled the buildings of Chinatown based on the characteristics of eaves to form a virtual wall of the Forbidden City.