The root of architectural creativity is imagination, which begins as a visual abstraction translated into sketches, and often into models. As architectural translation is necessarily three-dimensional, the model is regarded as the best medium to interpret private imagination for public viewing. It is for this reason that the narratives for RE/MIXED are translated into models. The collection of models comes from different practices and individuals at various stages of their architectural careers. They are not intended to compete with one another but are merely depictions of various Malaysian minds in their own processes and interpretations of various ideas.
Several architects find it important to interpret their thoughts in purely abstract terms, while others find it necessary to showcase their work in more or less the end of the long architectural design process. Quite clearly, several of the exhibitors treat their architecture as works of art, where artistic expression begins their mental process. Several others clearly take architecture as practice, where the proper representation is a tangible building. Several of the models are not recognisably architectural but appear as pure art.
The models, on public display bring to light to the public the ways that architects think, which are different from the way that are normally presented in the market place. Architects cherish the freedom for creativity, which is not often allowed for in the market place, and RE/MIXED is merely the forum where some of this freedom for creativity can be expressed.
The title of this exhibition echoes an open attitude towards embracing the different levels of thought processes, therefore enables a mixture of different expressions and different levels of architectural thinking without being judgmental about the works. The audience too would come with different levels of expectations and preferences, and would be drawn to different exhibits. Being purely aesthetic and offered without explanations, the audience is invited to evoke her own imagination to speculate on the individual works.
Collectively the open attitude is reflective of the multi-ethnic Malaysian society, where its best moments lie in the acceptance of people of varying ethnic backgrounds, often sharing common spaces and enriching one another. In realising the rich tapestry that makes up the Malaysian society, it is then beneficial for the audience to probe beyond the appearances of the works and speculate on the background of the various authors. This would be the appeal of this exhibition, where many of the works are a revisit by the authors, brought together and mixed together in collective offer to an unknown audience.
The models are selected through an open invitation and merely skim the surface of the wealth of architectural imagination in Malaysia. The variety of expressions reflects the different stages of the architectural careers and the mental preoccupation of the exhibitors. With this exhibition, Malaysian architects enjoin their peers from elsewhere in the world when the exhibits go on display at the Venice Biennale 2010.