Project 2: DOCUMENTATION STUDY

 

This project is to study a street in Asian city to understand the historical and social aspects of the city by examining the development of tradition, modernization and globalization of the streets. In a group of 6, we were required to visit a selected street to identify the architectural elements as visuals/ symbols that construct the semiotic interpretation of the street, or its iconography. All observations are to be captured in photography series and a written summary. For the final submission, we were required to produce a online photobook with introduction and individual photo series with annotations and also a street map of the street.

 

Our selected street is Lorong Haji Taib which is widely regarded as one of the most infamous streets in Kuala Lumpur due to the unsavoury activities that go on within its vicinity over the years. The streets of Lorong Haji Taib echo with tales of pros- titution, drugs and gangsterism, its notoriety causing many people to avoid the place altogether. The main road and its five lanes, which were named after a ty- coon from the 19th century, did not start out that way. The tycoon, known as Haji Mohamed Taib Abdul Samad, migrated to Kuala Lumpur in the 1870s and worked his way to becoming one of the wealthiest Malays in his time. Our theme of the photobook is “Beauty In Decay” which we can found it in the 5 aspects of the streets which are Culture and History, People and Activities, Architectural Elements, Hazard Architecture and also Poetics.

 

Through this project, I am able to describe the historical development of the main strands of Asian Architecture. I am able to identify a broad range of issues related to the historical and chronological transitions of Asian architectural history. Also, I am able to interpret architectural language in relation to the development of Asian architecture and urbanism based on theme of tradition, modernity and globalization.