Some words and photographs

I would like to start off by disappointing you. This will not be a well-written and elaborate post like the previous one - my patience and thinking capacity are at an all-time low.

OK, hi! Where to begin ... I am 'the other half' of this blog, Zi (which is short for Zi Xin, by the way). For the past three years I have been studying architecture and now have a degree which is quite honestly, a little useless! Ha ha, no not really. 2010 is my year-out work experience year, which I will be starting in less than a month in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I am quite excited, but nervous at the thought of full-time nine-to-five office work. Ideally I would to take 2011 off to work some more and prepare myself for my final two years studying the Masters of Architecture, but that does not seem likely. Long term wise, I am working towards an architectural career specialising in conservation and heritage architecture, and also small-scale architecture (residential, temporary ...).

I remember in high school being worried about not having an idea of what I want as a career, and not having a deep passion and love for anything at all. It is only in recent years that I have realised my love for all things art, design and military/social/cultural etc. history ... which is why Melbourne is kind of the right place for me right now. There are so much going on, so much talent seeping out of a tight-knit creative, and more importantly, accessible community. Malaysia will be interesting. Big change, and the Malaysia I know is the one I knew when I was 13 (when I lived there last). I am looking forward to discovering and be a part of it all.

Unlike Amelia, I haven't got any formal training in art or art history. Of course you could say that architecture is art, but lets not get technical, lets not start. I studied three years of art in high school and for HSC, but have always kept myself informed with art history books and things. I do still paint, draw, watercolour etc., but not as often and as much as I would like to. There are some pictures of these that I have put up on my other blog, but I will also post some up here in the near future.

I do like the idea of this collaborative blog - it means I am not completely out of the loop while away, and vice versa. I have to mention this though - I met Amelia on a art history uni trip to Rome. At the risk of sounding cheesy and kiss-assy, I have really learned a fair amount from her ... whether it be in photography (which she is excellent at), art (including and especially street/public art) and ... coping with being socially awkward ha ha. Only kidding.

OK - abrupt end. I'm going to eat some ice-cream, goodbye. (I also enjoy baking things, like blueberry and lemon friands).

on alphabetical order and introductions

Graeme Base, A, from Letterheads

Well, I guess I get to start things off, given the a-zi nature of this whole affair. I'm Amelia, the 'A' of this blog, also known as Meels. Ever since I was little, I've always liked that my name started with the very first letter of the alphabet, especially when teachers put us in lines or read out the roll (although pesky Alexandras over the years did spoil my fun somewhat). At risk of sounding supremely nerdy, I like how the letter a looks - both the symmetry of its capital form, and the hat-like arc of its typed, lowercase form - both of which are beautifully captured in Graeme Base's contribution to the recent Letterheads exhibition (more on that later though).

A is also good for me because a is for art, and frankly, art is what I am about. I am currently completing my honours in Art History at Melbourne University - writing a thesis on Italian Futurism, (not sure quite what that is? start by getting an eyeful here) and doing a coursework subject on Old Masters prints, both of which will likely crop up in my posts and preoccupations - and, whilst not doing that, trying to immerse myself in as much art as possible. That said, I'm not an artist myself, although I do dabble in a bit of amateur photography. Upon meeting new people, the conversation tends to go "Oh, art history? So you're a painter then?" No, folks, HISTORY of art. But I digress. 

I think my theoretical background helps me to approach new (and old) art with a critical eye. Each new thing I see gets assessed as to how it functions as a continuation of theoretical paradigms, how it draws on  and redefines these longstanding artistic traditions and lines of  inquiry. That may seem a little dry and scholarly, but for me it means I get to enjoy the way individual works of art bouce off each other in a neverending cycle throughout history. Nerdy, but fun! My mum is a product designer, now teaching high school design, so as a result I also have a soft spot for clever, original and eyecatching design, both at a graphic and 3D level. As someone who just waxed lyrical about how much she enjoys the appearence of her own initial, it's clear I love typogaphy too. 

So that's me, and those are the areas of interest I'll be bringing to this blog. The idea behind from a to zi is to bridge the physical distance (Melbourne and Malaysia) between two like minded friends (Amelia and Zi) through sharing creative inspiration and intelligent observation. Wow. Now that's out of my head and on the screen it's a fairly ambitious manifesto. But now it's out there - no going back. For now I leave you in Zi's capable hands.