RYAN CHAN
PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO
For my P2 group project at the Bartlett, my team and I were tasked to design an installation piece at the V&A Storehouse overlooking the Clothworker’s Study.
The final piece was a device to look near and far, inviting visitors to reach in to gloves and explore foreign objects. This would cast shadows onto a translucent screen positioned to directly view the workshop, allowing viewers to observe the fabric workers while creating captivating visuals through replicating their movements.
A Mockups of installation piece at 1:1 scale
B Close up photos of interaction with board
C Installation from afar, users visible behind the screen
My role in the project was to design and fabricate a pair of light holders for the installation.
I first created cardboard and tinfoil mockups to test the strength of light. Then, steel sheets were cut out and joined with dowels spot welded in the corners. Finally, the tabs on the side of the light holders are bolted to a steel frame.
A Exploded isometric drawing of components
B Cardboard and tinfoil mockups of light holders
C Unfolded light holder, dowel details
D Connection details to frame
E Folded steel light holder
F Final light holder
As our project site was situated above the Clothworker’s Study, we created tactile objects that would allow visitors to replicate movements performed below. There were 7 movements including: tracing, cutting, sewing, dragging, rolling, and folding.
A board to hold the objects was also designed so it would naturally position viewers to face the Clothworker’s Study. The frosted acrylic windows would allow light from the funnels and cast shadows. It was first sanded, laminated, then stained to achieve a smooth finish.
A Plan technical drawing of board B Fabrication and hand-finishing of wood C Final board with objects placed
I was inspired by a Burmese mask with antlers at the V&A Storehouse, originating from a ritual where shamans transcend and become one of 37 deities. I crafted 37 fragments that interplayed between natural and man made materials, which were hung from a bar to create composite shadows and allowed me to interact with and distort the projections.
A Final installation and projection set up
B Shadow projections
C Final elevation drawing of installation and fragment details
This project started as an investigation on the contrast between built and natural spaces.
The final product is a mixed media installation piece that resembles a city at a smaller scale. It also acts as a canvas, depicting scenes of hectic environments from Hong Kong while exploring parallels between dreamscapes and experiences in real life.
Interested in the contrast between rigid and organic forms, I casted fruits & vegetables and man made tools in plaster. Noticing interesting spaces in the casts, I wanted to explore how these forms might be reinterpreted on an architectural scale.
A Conceptual drawing of plaster city
B Recording of forms before and after casting in plaster
C Final catalog of all plaster casts
Arranging the casts into a city, I attempted to relate the spaces to human scales. Zooming in revealed intimate spaces, while zooming out showed a larger cityscape.
Expanding on my interest in mechanical parts and the spaces within them, I deconstructed an old radio and photographed the components. Then, I reimagined how the different components be combined and reinterpreted as inhabitable spaces relating to sound.
A Photograph of radio parts
B Imagining how radio parts can be inhabited
C Conceptual mockup of concert venue
D Conceptual mockup of a DJ club
I reassembled the old radio, sprayed it in white paint to abstract the forms, and opened up the possibility of creative reimagination. I subsequently created a dense, atmospheric cityscape, and then traced over the images, pondering how inhabitants would feel: either peaceful or claustrophobic.
A Exploded axonometric drawing of radio
B Photos of spaces inside the reassembled radio
C Conceptual drawing of fishing dock
D Conceptual drawing of dense city center
