Penang

Saturday 14 – Sunday 22 July 2012

George Town – the ‘Pearl of the Orient’ and capital of Malaysia’s ‘heaven island’, Penang – will be the setting for the first AA Alumni Workshop (AAaw). This distinctive gathering will provide the opportunity to go beyond discussion and to tackle hands on the ubiquitous question of the street, a suprisingly generic term for a chaotic and vivid setting. 

 The workshop will take up the challenge of rethinking the obvious – the street – within the protected and well-preserved core of Penang, which has recently acquired UNESCO World Heritage status. A novel design approach using a sequential perception of cultural layers to inform specific interventions on the forgotten voids in the city centre will aim to highlight the possible and to illustrate the unseen. We will work to develop sustainable and sensitive responses that act in concert with the place, taking into account the tropical climate and Penang’s intrinsically multicultural society while questioning materiality and performance. 

Open to AA alumni worldwide, AAaw will combine studio work and presentations with a platform for emerging digital and manufacturing tools. The workshop explores a fusion of traditional and contemporary architecture that goes beyond traditional preservation strategies, suggesting a direction for the twenty-first-century development of George Town.

Applications

The deadline for applications is 29 June 2012. All participants travelling from abroad are responsible for securing any visa required. After payment of fees, the AA can provide a letter confirming participation in the workshop. A portfolio or CV is not required, only the online application form and payment.

Fees

The AA Visiting School requires a fee of £695 per participant, which includes a £50 Visiting Membership. If you are already a member, the total fee will be reduced automatically by £50 by the online payment system. Fees are non refundable. Fees do not include flights. Accommodation during the workshop is not provided, but advice accommodation options can be advised. Students need to bring their own laptops, digital equipment and model making tools. Please ensure this equipment is covered by your own insurance as the AA takes no responsibility for items lost or stolen at the workshop.

Eligibility
The AAaw is a new Visiting school dedicated and open to AA alumni only. AA graduates from across the broad range of courses are welcome to join and participate in this week-long workshop, which proposes to pursue a dialogue and offer creative responses amongst the thriving pool of AA alumni.