I found this field trip full of knowledge. First of all I had no idea that a bank could have its own gallery.
I can't quite remember which section of the museum this was from but I enjoyed looking at all the old currency from the olden days. I had no idea that there was an extremely large variety of different currency from animal shaped objects of varying sizes to tiny gold coins smaller than a fingernail!
(left: elephant shaped ingot, right: rooster ingot)
These two ingots struck out to me the most as they were in the shape of animals. Ingots are essentially blocks that are either made out of steel, silver, gold or any other type of metal. Depending on the size and type of material is used the higher or lower the currency is. Perhaps the type of animal could signify the amount as well as some animals are more 'powerful' than others.
Throughout the Pusaka exhibition, I mostly appreciated the art instead of tying to understand it. I guess it was because there was so much to see in such a short time. Nonetheless, I thought that this piece by Jamil Zakaria was very 'quirky' and modern. Only using barbed wire as well as wood he created several sheep which reminds me of the nursery rhyme, "Ba Ba Black Sheep" or even counting sheep to help you sleep. If I were an art collector I feel like this is something I would have at home.
(Left: This Is Certainly Not Like We Thought It Was - Ahmad Fuad Osman 2014, Right: Immunity - Zulkifli Yusoff 1993)
To me, these two installations are much more abstract compared to the previous one. Osman wanted to portray self reflection in this piece. He often spends his time thinking of the future but these days he finds himself looking into the past. To him, he believes that self reflection and finding yourself is all part of the creative process. From my perspective, I feel like the books represent all the knowledge Osman has picked up on over the years and the stones represent the different memories from his past.
On the ground floor there was a small interactive gallery for children much like Petrosains. It was actually just as informative as the other sections though this was more catered towards children. We even had the chance to make our own money where it explained what each step meant.
The talk given by Muid Latif was very inspirational, who knew working under a museum could be that interesting! He explained how we as designers have our own rights and that we can make our own decisions. Latif mentioned how we should prepare our own Red Card (or page?) that is basically a price list that we can show clients what they are getting for the price they are paying. I think that this is really useful as you won't have to repeat yourself so many times to clients and can just simply send this document and from there, they would be able to pick out the package they'd like.
Muid Latif also talked about how we should never be afraid to try out new things and from all the artwork he showed us, it is clear that he isn't afraid to do so. Taking risks is so important as we are able to learn from our mistakes or even find a new style we enjoy. I think that for some (including myself) like to stay within our comfort zone as we are afraid of the outcome but after listening to his talk, I would like to try out new techniques for any upcoming projects.
Alia, nice reflection. Really loved some of your thoughts here, for e.g. different animals could signify different values depending on their 'strenght'. Interesting! Ahmad Fuad Osman's piece is also a play on the childhood fable, the crow and the pitcher. i'm not sure if you are familiar with the story, if not you can look it up and it will enhance your understanding a bit more. Personally yes, I never force myself to 'get' the meaning of each artwork whenever i visit a gallery. Because I realised that artworks can mean so much and have so many layers, most times we need prior knowledge on the topic the artist is trying to say before we can fully connect with the…