Studio Brief 01 - Tiling patterns

Tiling patterns are integral to the design and character of the shophouses. Including these in the publication would add to the overall design of the publication. Peranakans are known for their intricate tiling designs that decorate in and out of the shophouses. Majority of the research done in finding tiling designs resulted in Peranakan  tiling.

On the shophouses, the tiles decorate the architecture highlighting the construction through its placement on the columns beside the windows and the small ledge below. By having the tiles laid in this way consistently on all of the shophouses, the fixed layout then becomes an identifier and associated with Peranakan shophouse tiling patterns. Therefore the layout can be used on the cover of each booklet to summarise the content and to set the narrative.

http://vagabondbaker.com/2014/10/13/penang-street-art/

http://vagabondbaker.com/2014/10/13/penang-street-art/

For the Arab Street area, Malay tiling patterns were researched. Malay tiles are usually geometrical in design. The colours used are natural dye colours that are formed within simple motifs and clean lines. Unlike the elaborate Arabic pattern designs, these are not as intricate as the Malay community was not formed yet. Using a Malay pattern would also be more appropriate in representing the races in Singapore. As a way to justify that these are representative of the Malay culture, a Malay relative agreed that these patterns effectively represent and are associated with the culture. In terms of colour that represented Malay culture, she agreed that green is appropriate and said that gold could also be used to represent royalty.

Researching Indian tiling patterns for Little India produced varying forms of designs. Some follow a geometric design with clean bold lines that intertwine to create a complex pattern on first view. On the other hand, some tiles were very intricate with heavy symbolic motifs to their culture in simple configurations. Understanding the limitations of screen printing, a simpler design would produce a better registration, especially considering the small scale of each booklet. Not only is this consideration for the Indian designs, but for all of the possible tiling patterns to be screen printed. 

  
Tiling on Chinese shophouses are an uncommon decoration and when it is used, Peranakan tiling is seen. This is due to the Peranakans being descendants of Chinese immigrants who came to the Malay archipelago including British Malaya (now Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore). Therefore the Chinese who do reside in the shophouses are not pure Chinese but rather Peranakan Chinese who have had their own culture influenced by the Malays.

These hollow traditional Chinese jade tiles are different to those seen on a typical shophouse facade. As well as being decorative, it is meant to allow for ventilation and possible sunlight for the structure. As a way to communicate the Chinese culture more effectively to the reader, the tiling pattern could consist of both Peranakan and traditional Chinese tiles in its design.