EXPORT – IMPORT Excerpt
by Chiyan Ho, AA Foundation
7 January 2012
Architectural Association, London
During a unit trip to Rome, I created a series of studies of the transient celestial hues and tones of a sunrise from a bridge on the River Tiber using watercolour pencils. On my return to London I wanted to map and integrate this picturesque and almost ‘cliché’ beauty of the Roman sunrise with the nitty-gritty of everyday London to illustrate this cultural exchange. Using litmus paper (used to test acidity and alkalinity), London became my "petri dish"; collecting an archive of litmus tests that ranged from the dregs of a Subway soft-drink dispenser to the urinals at the AA. The litmus tests were arranged in a structured box to associate the different colours of the litmus with my studies of the changing skies in Rome to translate the ethereal beauty of a perceptible but intangible sunrise into the tangible residue of everyday urban life in London. Through this, we begin to understand that the intrinsic individuality of a moment can be found in varied and seemingly divergent instances.
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