Back to the roots
A Final Year Project by Koh Jia Hao
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These 4 years passed in a breeze and it all came down to the last project everyone has to do.
Back to the roots is my topic as the aim is to create social awareness of Traditional Chinese Medicine
which people may or may not come across often.
which people may or may not come across often.
By breaking down TCM to the basics, I hope that this project can allow people to understand
more about TCM and view it in a different light.
more about TCM and view it in a different light.
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Booth layout : Consist of three walls, each represented by different teachings of TCM
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The left wall :
Logo consisting of Chinese characters; 中药 (zhong yao) which is chinese for TCM. I wanted to keep it
clean and original, thus, breaking it down to curves with contrasts of thick and thin lines.
Logo consisting of Chinese characters; 中药 (zhong yao) which is chinese for TCM. I wanted to keep it
clean and original, thus, breaking it down to curves with contrasts of thick and thin lines.
The 3 basic shapes represent the need to simplify TCM for easier understanding.
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The middle wall:
Meridian Tropism: representing the basic ideas of how TCM work where Qi, blood and body fluid pass through the meridians and acupoints in our bodies.
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The right wall:
The Five Elements: where all objects in the universe are categorised into these five areas;
Fire, Water, Metal, Wood and Earth.
Fire, Water, Metal, Wood and Earth.
Logo combining chinese characters 中药 and the contrasting of thick and thin lines creating aesthetic representations.
The juxtaposition of the three basic shapes fitting into the products.
Square being the theory book, Circle as the meridian clock, Triangle as the interactive information.
Square being the theory book, Circle as the meridian clock, Triangle as the interactive information.
The left wall: consist of theory book, handmade meridian clock and the explanation of the three realms
Theory book that explains various concepts used,
for example, 五脏六腑 (Internal and external organs) and the history of TCM
for example, 五脏六腑 (Internal and external organs) and the history of TCM
Handmade meridian clock which is a tool that aid in the examination of energy imbalances.
For example, at 12am, the heart is the core organ which works the most / most active.
For example, at 12am, the heart is the core organ which works the most / most active.
The ideology of three realms speaks greatly about the relationship between us and the environment.
Upon flipping each flap at the end of the triangle will be a short explanation of the corresponding realm.
Upon flipping each flap at the end of the triangle will be a short explanation of the corresponding realm.
This takeaway brochure is a namecard size scroll. It records which organ should be more taken care at any particular timing according to the meridian clock.
Meridian Tropism
Many of us have absolutely no idea what meridian tropism is or even heard of it before.
To be honest, this segment was the hardest to represent as an installation.
To be honest, this segment was the hardest to represent as an installation.
Upon researching on it, there were many technical terms and the lack of imageries result in needing to approach
various experts on this topic.
various experts on this topic.
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I used nails and strings as the medium to represent and and tried to pinpoint the acupoints with the placement of the nails.
It was a simple technique, but actually proved otherwise as it was a very tedious process in making sure the strings were held in place with nails. The different coloured strings signified the different meridians in our bodies as well.
It was a simple technique, but actually proved otherwise as it was a very tedious process in making sure the strings were held in place with nails. The different coloured strings signified the different meridians in our bodies as well.
The Five Elements
Made using strings and nails so as to keep the medium consistent throughout the project.
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The idea was to create a visual representation of the five elements which is explained more in the theory book itself.
Though this idea could have been done easily via printing and pasting the theory onto the wall, I opted to use this medium in portraying TCM in a very different way, something that is out of the norm, where people never seen it before.
Final words:
It was a really tough year, spending nights and nights to bring out the different representations that TCM can present to the audience. I have to give thanks to my professor, TCM experts, fellow FYP mate KA and everyone else for the feedback on this journey. I do not regret covering this topic although it may be unconventional as it was a good chance for me to learn something that I won't in the future as well.
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