Yellow

Photography & Art Direction: November Wong
Model: Ling Li & Elaine Chow
Assistant Photographer : Tom Fichtner

---

Emotions in Hyperrealism: Transcending Reality

Photography : November Wong
Art Work by Sam Jinks

---

This series delves into the projected emotions embodied by hyperrealistic sculpture. These closed-eyed figures exist in a state of inaccessibility, prompting questions about the nature of their physical and emotional presence. The dynamic between the lens and the subject evokes both closeness and distance, leaving the viewer to ponder the complex relationship between the observer and the observed. Are these subjects in a state of slumber, or are they waiting to be roused?

Within this body of work, the artist explores the intersection of artifice and authenticity, employing hyperrealistic sculpture as a medium to blur the boundaries between reality and illusion. The meticulously crafted figures, frozen in an eternal moment, convey a sense of enigma and emotional depth. Through their closed eyes, they offer a gateway to a realm that lies beyond our immediate perception.

The use of hyperrealistic sculpture enables the artist to capture the subtle nuances of human emotions and vulnerabilities, encapsulating a profound and visceral presence. Each figure exudes an aura of inaccessibility, their closed eyes hinting at a world of inner contemplation and introspection. They beckon the viewer to embark on a journey of self-reflection, inviting introspection into our own desires, fears, and aspirations.

The relationship between the lens and the subject in these photographs adds an additional layer of complexity. The lens acts as a mediator, revealing and concealing elements of the subjects' inner lives. It captures their beauty and mystery while simultaneously distancing them from the viewer. This interplay between closeness and distance sparks a dialogue about the power dynamics inherent in the act of observation.

By presenting these closed-eyed figures, the artist challenges conventional notions of perception and representation. The absence of direct eye contact allows for a more intimate engagement, transcending the boundaries of physicality and inviting a deeper exploration of the emotional realm. In this way, the series acts as a catalyst for self-exploration and introspection, encouraging viewers to reflect upon their own desires, fears, and aspirations.

In essence, this project serves as a poetic exploration of the human experience, capturing moments frozen in time and inviting viewers to delve into the enigmatic depths of the subconscious. Through the hyperrealistic sculptures and the lens's interplay, the series challenges us to question our understanding of reality, perception, and the complexities of the emotional landscape. It beckons us to step beyond the surface and embark on a profound journey of self-discovery, unlocking the potential for transformative experiences and a deeper connection with our own humanity.

Amour Fou

Photography & Art Direction: November Wong
Model: Karina 
Styling: Mowa Lu

---

Carry On, Turn Me On

Photography & Art Direction: November Wong
Model: Chiung & November
Assistant Photographer : Tom Fichtner

---

In Light of Shadows

Photography & Art Direction: November Wong
Model: anonymous

---

Hotel Commission

Paintings: November Wong
Location:  Dianthus Medical Group, Taipei

---

Dianthus Medical Group commissioned November to create total of 68 art works for their 11 storeys new postpartum care center. The scope of the work including 14 oil paintings to be displayed in elevator hallways, 54 limited edition prints on canvas for all the rooms, plus two origianl wall sticker designs for the hallways. 

Moving Maps A series of Mixed media on small to medium wooden panels.
The idea was inspired by the desire of flying over the planet, discover the dynamic of the changing texture.

New York City New Jersey Boston Montreal Quebec City Toronto Ottawa Vancouver Seattle California Berlin Paris Lessac Barcelona Reykjavik Prague Amsterdam Copenhagen Athens Santorini Rome Milan Venice Genoa Capri Salerno Naples Florence Orvieto Vatican Taipei Beijing Shanghai Hangzhou Suzhou Hong Kong Maucau Xi an Tokyo Kyoto Hokkaido Huangshan Bologna Cinque Terre Aegena

 

Once upon a time, we all have a wild inner child that cannot resist the temptation of taking on an adventure all by oneself. As time passes, the appetite to explore and to experience slowly dies off as we grew emotional attachment to Mondays, Fridays, and social labels. This series of collage and compositions represents what feminine spirit can mean beyond the changing bodies and minds.

It is not just the youth that reserves the privilege to be carefree and adventurous, once in a while we all need to release the self imposed constraints and see the world with fresh eyes. Venturing out alone is not lonely.  It is precious to have more time to notice the signs and to ignore the noise. To be mindful is to understand what makes a woman independent, optimistic, mysterious, naive, erotic, stubborn, and sof

We are islands, we grow our own plants and sometimes share the same current. We are dreamers, magicians, light, mirror, and our own window. Feminity is versatile, we are who we can vision. We stare with hopes and whisper with warmth. Some of us wander off beyond what is seem to be out of touch but longing to be reconnected to our desire to feel our own presence while taking risks.

Brave women embrace their wild side, taking leaps in the face of fear yet knowing on the other side of fear awaits freedom. Let go, and let in.

Composition 

Design: November Wong

---

A presentation was held at the end of the week to share each participant's discovery and final works. Domaine de Boisbuchet provide a lovely working environment in addition to the interesting networking opportunities.

The workshop "Material Behavior" was led by Dutch designer Lex Pott. Participants were encouraged to experiment with different material from the studio and around the farm.

The initial explorations including oxidizing brass and copper; creating patterns on leaves with the process of photosynthesis; mixing different kind of clay and play dough and putting slides of wood into a sand blasting machine

An interest was focus on creating objects that tells the unique experience of living in Domaine de Boisbuchet. Branches of cork were collected on site, then combined with some rods of aluminum, brass sheet and metal wire.

The finished pieces resembles organic forms such as plants, sea anemones and bones & muscles. Everyday each meal was served with warm atmosphere and unexpected deliciously combination.

The idea of displaying the final works in an edible way to remember the wonderful dining experience came to mind.

For the final presentation, a large meeting room was selected for the display of the pieces. Large plates and utensils were borrowed to accompany the seemingly "edible" works. Such arrangement suggest the viewers to perceive those delicate objects as food which was humorous with a hidden metaphor.

Installations

Selected projects at M. Arch, McGill University

---

The Depth of Comfort

Group project by a team of 7 in 1.5 months
Instructors | Manon Asselin + Katsushiro Yamazaki, Sinisha Brdar

The project is a constant play of transitions, between the seen and unseen, darkness and illumination, transparency and opacity, private and public. It identifies comfort as a general sense of well-being, a comfortable space, here, being one for introspection, reflection and self-healing. There is comfort in the feeling of calmness and serenity that exists in the glow of the first moments of wakefulness.

Spatially, comfort subsists in the private enclosure and the ability to perceive, through the materiality, the indistinct presence of others beyond; to be alone without being alone. Thus, the project creates a personal sense of place that fosters self-contentment as well as an intimate connection to others. This is achieved through a language of hierarchies, wherein the same unit that generates the plan also divides the spaces.

This language links the spatial model in a continuous ensuite assembly separated by clustered units whose faceted geometry allows the play of materiality to achieve a variation of effects that enhances the overall feeling of the space.

Medusa

Group project by a team of 6 in 2 months
Instructors | Maria Mingallon

The Challenge
The project consists on the design and fabrication of a sunscreen aimed to prevent the entrance of excessive sunlight through the windows of the first year studios. Situated on the first floor of the Macdonald-Harrington building, this studio room is oriented southwest and thus, suffers from excessive sun radiance from early afternoon until sunset. 

During the winter months while the sun is at a lower incidence angle, glare and excessive light is the main concern. However, from April onwards, students suffer as well from excessive heat from the sunrays entering the room through the clear glass.

The concept arose in the digital fabrication of a sunscreen that provides users with local control and freedom over their exposure to sun, glares, heat, and shade at any given time. 

Glare and its causal effects (mainly heat) are the main issues in the studio at the Macdonald-Harrington building as it disrupts vision, comfort, and an overall learning environment. The design opted to reduce glare instead of blocking out the sun altogether. The sunscreen was envisioned as multiple local light fixtures based on a single design concept.

We opted to use a fabric with enough translucency to diffuse the light in the space. The user, through a simple act of pushing and pulling, stretches the fabric to various degrees in order to allow for a different concentration of light and shade. When opened, the fabric stretches in a radial direction and protrudes toward the user, as if the light fixture was blossoming. 

The structural grid produces a parallax effect and the depth creates varying conditions in light and heat. The device becomes an object that resembles a jellyfish, stretching over a curved surface to diffuse light in multiple directions.

Our sunscreen can easily be expanded to various site conditions. Each fixture is fabricated separately, and each individual fixture adheres to the same design concept. The design can be modulated by extending the rails to add more fixtures, allowing the sunscreen to cover virtually any surface size. 

This means of fabrication allowed us to explore the future of digital parametric design to further push the limits of the material and uncover the potential for advanced fabrication. For these reasons, our sunscreen seeks to blur the boundaries between a functional shading device and an art installation.

Forces The tensile strength of steel can withstand approximately 17,000 PSI. The strength of acrylic is 10,000 PSI in tension and 11,000 PSI in compression. The tensile strength for wood ranges from 175 PSI up to 1,400 PSI and anywhere between 3,900 PSI to 1,0500 PSI in compression.

Rails
The rails are an undulating pattern of peaks and valleys we have compression and tension acting on different points along the structure. The forces acting on the valleys are the reverse of the forces acting on the peaks. (fig.1)

Arms
The arms provide the structure for the membrane (fabric). By adding a ‘stabilizer’ to the arms of the jelly, the force exerted by the user to push the rod forces the arms inward, while pulling the rod forces the arms outward. Simultaneously, the rails guide the arms of the jelly upwards. (fig.2)

Steel was chosen for its compressive and tensile strength, its high strength to weight ratio, and its ability to reduce friction when opening and closing the jelly. We tested plexiglass in our prototype but quickly realized that the smaller connections would break and the rails would deflect with ease.

We opted for steel instead of pursuing a hard wood or a different type of plastic because by using the plasma cutter, the machine allowed us to fabricate our sunscreen without changing too much of the design details.

For the rods, we opted for a 1/4” thick acrylic rod that wouldn’t need to sustain much deflection since they weren’t supporting much and the movement was primarily in one axial direction. The fabric was chosen based on its aesthetic and functional qualities since it was not a structural element.

Experiences
The field of architecture requires team members who understand the time sensitive objective as well as being able to come up with creative solution under constant pressure.

The most valuable experiences come from self taught skills and learning from peers, international networking opportunities and understand the joy and obstacles of designing different scales and types of projects. Most offices were led by principals that embodied the mind of an artist, and those environments and ways of seeing indirectly influenced my own artistic career.

Responsibilities The levels of involvement depends on the type and the scale of the projects. There are two types of projects : International competitions and built projects.

Responsibilities including: translating competition brief, researching site and history, participating schematic design, making scaled physical model, creating design development drawings, 3D modeling and rendering, applying zoning & egress code and regulations, attending meetings with local contractors, developers and engineers, graphic design and preparing presentations for client meetings. Please see official websites for complete list of credits for each project.

Studio Fuksas
Rome

MAD Architects
Beijing

Handel Architects
New York

Champalimaud Design
New York

Studio Fuksas

Beijing, China

---

Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport Terminal 3

The concept of the plan for Terminal 3 of Shenzhen Bao’an international airport evokes the image of a manta ray, a fish that breathes and changes its own shape, undergoes variations, turns into a bird to celebrate the emotion and fantasy of a flight.  The structure of T3 - an approximately 1,5-km-long tunnel – seems to be modeled by the wind and is reminiscent of the image of an organic-shaped sculpture. The profile of the roofing is characterized by variations in height alluding to the natural landscape. The symbolic element of the plan is the internal and external double “skin” honeycomb motif that wraps up the structure. Through its double-layering, the “skin” allows natural light in, thus creating light effects within the internal spaces. The cladding is made of alveolus-shaped metal and glass panels of different size that can be partially opened. Shop boxes, facing one another, reproduce the alveolus design on a larger scale and recur in different articulations along the concourse.

Milano Box contains several retail stores in the Bao’an airport which are located alone the axis of the boarding hall. 

China Wood Sculpture Museum

The museum mainly houses local wood sculptures as well as paintings depicting the ice and snow of the regional scenery. In the context of the large-scale modern urban setting, the museum itself serves as a new interpretation of nature. The surreal interaction between the museum and the city breaks through the tedium of the urban shell, revitalizing the surroundings with a new cultural feature.

Conrad Hotel This platinum five-star hotel sits at a busy corner at the east 3rd ring road of Beijing’s CBD, the city’s most modernized district. The exterior facade is a neural network that reacts to the interior grid structure, moving sinuously as it reaches towards the sky. MAD’s design represents the subtle invasion of nature into our built landscape, softening the rigidity of efficient and anonymous structures. To the south of the hotel lies a rare piece of serene nature, the Tuanjiehu Park. The Conrad Hotel serves as a transition between this natural paradise and an otherwise urban terrain. The mutation of the form breaks the monotony of the city, adding fresh energy and raising the expectation of what one can hope for urbanity. My task was to document while it was under construction and report any problem that needs to be solved regarding its facade. 

Handel Architects

NYC, US

---

The House at Cornell Tech

Handel Architects’ residential tower for Cornell University’s new Roosevelt Island Campus includes 350 residences for students, staff and faculty. The 26-story building, called The House, is part of Cornell's 2.1 million square foot technology campus in New York City, a partnership between Cornell and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The building is being developed by Hudson Companies, the Related Companies, and Cornell University.

The building is being designed with a focus on sustainability and energy performance, and when complete will help Cornell achieve its goal of a net-zero campus. My tasks include physical scale model building, help to finalize facade design proposal and presentation illustrations.

Champalimaud Design

NYC, US

---

Okinawa Inbu Beach Resort

The team together produces interior schematic designs, material and furniture selections, presentation for clients in Japan and collaboration with local Japanese architects. Different configuration were proposed upon client's needs and preferences.

Architectural Projects

Selected Projects at M.Arch, McGill University

---

The Crystallized Mountain

Team project completed with Eloise Choquette
Instructors | Aaron Sprecher + Elisabeth Bouchard

Living in the North implies numerous adaptations: the cold, the loneliness, the desertion, and the darkness. Indeed, for almost four months, the sun does not shine above the 82th parallel.

Thus, since the sun is so terribly absent, how do you crystallize its shine for the long months it disappears south? How do you celebrate its journey when it is invisible? Based on scientific data, the form of Crystallized Mountain is derived from the maximal sun angles that the sun reaches during the 227 days it shines.

In the same way, data encountered in a nearby weather station showed that the prevailing winds were mostly coming from northeast to northwest.

In order to deal with both the sun and wind constraints, a mountain-shape structure was chosen, as a mean to incorporate the scientific station in the landscape in a way that takes into account the climate of Alert, NU. As for materiality, a stainless steel structure, combined with EPFE panels and shallow foundations was retained, in order to maximize the total assembling efficiency of the station.

The design of the perforated facade can reveal certain degree of privacy from the inside; it provides natural light during the day and adds aesthetic value to the site during the night.

The Drawing Machine

The Urn

Cage of Shadows

Floater Frames

Sculpting Time 

The Drawing Machine

Project for Architecture History class

---

The drawing machine was created using rhino modeling, laser cutter, screws, luck and patience. The machine was used to produce line drawings which evoke a sense of rhythm and a crafty quality from the imperfection of the mechanism. It is a combination of gear; operates like a pantograph and a spirograph, but with a sense of freedom and unpredictability. Two dimensional images contain a capacity for spatial illusion and this perspective of abstract art is related to architectural design.

The Urn

McGill University
Team: Amalie Lambert, Mark Lien, N. Wong

---

Each team member select an object and gives it life by identify its character which may or may not relate to its physical property and usage. A photo collage is then created to demonstrate the internal conflict or struggle that each character might hold.

After each character is assigned, all three characters will play a role in a metaphorical narrative written by the team. 

After the photo collage and the story were completed, a short film was created to celebrate their death by dismantling the objects, which leads to the creation of an urn for their memory.

The urn was created individually. The steamer was chosen as a symbol of illusion and hope, it's reflective and acoustic quality were taken to generate the next project, the light instrument.

The Cage of Shadow

The box is designed to contain 8 special pebbles.
The shadow reads as the 8 pebbles are connected and penetrated by the "space divider".

Pieces of cherry wood were drilled with holes that allow suede laces pass from one side to the other. The box is structured with wooden dowels, tighten with the tension of the one long suede lace layering back and forth horizontally and vertically.

Knots were tided on each end as the lace reaches the outer side of the box. On the surface, thin copper sheets were oxidized with nitric acid which turn them into green weathered texture.

The Floater Frame

A personal project on building customized floater frames for art works.

Sculpting Time

An exercise which to exam a particular physical property of a fruit or vegetable. Bell peppers were sliced, illuminated, peeled, dissected, dried and finally cast with plaster. A focus was placed on the inner surface by capturing the negative and positive movement that alternates from the cell structure.

Spectrum Above

Concept/ Artistic Director: November Wong
Performance by November Wong & Maria Forqué
Photo by Ralf Graebner
Location: NYC

---

The reflective film was laid on the rooftop as if the sky was the background and the two dancers spread pigments and paints with their bodies layer by layer, until the rainbow was painted and rolled all over the canvas of sky.

Primavera

A Site-Specific Dance Performance design & curated by November Wong
Movement Coordination by Justin Conte and Lukas van der Fecht
The Vazquez Building facilitated by No Home Gallery
Location: NYC

---

The immersive painting performance/ installation "Primavera" introduces dance as a medium to translate a narrative into an improvisational, collective dance, in which the performers express their sensuality and spirituality through their movements and imagination.

The setting is designed to invite the viewers and other collaborative artists to embrace their own vulnerability and creative confidence using their most primitive and child-like instincts. The performance speaks of transcendence and enlightenment through its discourse. 

The narrative starts with three "spirits" entering a lifeless room with sleeping "seeds" waiting to be awakened. The spirits emerge and ignite the souls of the seeds, as the seeds seek each others existence, they blossom together and eventually grow apart. 

The room was wrapped with paper prior to the arrival of the performers in the morning, the story was briefly described to the performers and the rest of the emotions/ movements were performed impromptu and improvised by the performers to construct the world they experience.

A to E

This is how you compose a song
maybe you don't get a song in the end
but you get an expression out of this
new found belief.

first, select a piece of inspiration
extrapolating what
makes you smile
raises your heart rate
makes you want to share with your friends

second, spot patterns that could be a theme throughout
subtract the rest

last, put them in order that make sense
to you.

repeat, repeat and repeat
The essence of your subconscious will appear in all you do.

Intimacy Therapy

Indigo Children

Colorblind

Opia

Chasing Rhymes 

Intimacy Therapy

Concept/ Artistic Director: November Wong
Photo by Francesco Mosto

---

An exploration of a intimate relationship and the hierarchy between creator and creation using medium which are emotionally associated with warmth, comfort and innocence: melted chocolate and candies.

Colorblind

Concept: November Wong & Maria Forqué
Performance by November Wong & Maria Forqué
Photo by J. Labaziewicz

---

Opia

Concept/ Artistic Director: November Wong  
Performance by November Wong & Maria Forqué
Photo by Francesco Mosto

---

The Poetics of Movement

Mitte, Berlin

---

The space was designed to host an interactive installation which consisted of a piece of hanging installation, a grass like area for movement sessions and a paper-covered area to draw using the released energy from the sessions.  Inspired by the art’s previous project “Hér” made in Iceland, the place was transformed from a event space/conference room into a safe space where viewers were invited to join a guided session, then translating those new learned physical vocabulary onto paper.

An installation was created in two days using hundreds of ziptie to create several concave surfaces which resembles the breathing skin. The hanging mobile occupied the space below the skylights which soften the atmosphere above the green carpet. Participants were encouraged to interact with the installation while moving around the space.

Body language by definition is “the conscious and unconscious movements and postures by which attitudes and feelings are communicated.”

How our bodies move in daily life is mostly functional according to our habits. Much like the words we use to communicate, a comfort zone is created and the lack of exploration limits our imagination.

The guided movement sessions awakens participants’ consciousness towards their movement of each body part. Once the awareness is established, the exercises emphasize on paying more attention to the relationship between the body and the surroundings, like a conversation between people and even within oneself.

The collective movement is not quite like a dance as it was meant to be experimenting something new physically and to trust one’s intuition. It’s a process of learning to use unfamiliar words to write poems without hesitation.

The movers translate what they’ve learned in the three dimensional space onto two dimensional surface, yet the conversation continues.

The fluidity of the movement travels across the paper and overwrites what came before. The instructor sometimes give cues to break the rhymes such as claps her hands and asks the participants to write down any word that come to their minds.

A sense of freedom and relaxation is often experienced by the participants. Letting go of worries to perform help them to focus on being in the preset thus allowing their energy to flow.

Duo movement: November Wong & Thais De Almeida Prado
Special thanks to: Melissa Pische, Bonan Zhu, Marcela Fae, Thais De Almeida Prado, Caroline Chaves & Timm Hammer Sponsor: Donnerstag/ Clubmate Taiwan
Music(top left to bottom right): Before and After by Collectress, Feel Good Inc by Gorilla, Blue Paint by Kevin MacLeod, Rosegold by Entro Senestr, Closer by Nauges, Mes by Murcof, Wen uuu by Shlohmo, These Semi Feelings They Are Everywhere by dné, Comptine d'un autre été by Yann Tierse, Hypnos by Daemonia Nymphe.

Eclectic Dreams

New York City

---

Primavera

A Site-Specific Dance Performance design & curated by November Wong
Movement Coordination by Justin Conte and Lukas van der Fecht
The Vazquez Building facilitated by No Home Gallery
Location: New York City

---

Three site-specific paintings were created dedicated to the energy of the dance performance "Primavera". See more of the performance go here.

Yesterday's Color

Solo Exhibition at Associazione Culturale "Il Labotatorio"
Trastevere, Rome

---

Ripple Of The Elapsed Time

Solo Exhibition at Associazione Culturale "Il Labotatorio"
Trastevere, Rome

---