No-To-Scale

🔮 LUST approached NTS* with the intention for creating a cover artwork that best represented their upcoming album, TUGU. Here we’d like to share our process on how we developed the idea to fruition 📏🖍️

🔊 LUST shared demos of their upcoming songs for us to get a feel for and we developed several ideas, one of them was this approach that you see as the final artwork.

💭 The TUGU tower design was based around the idea of moving particles as the album, TUGU, revolves around the topic of a central universal force binding us all together (or how we interpreted it lah).

🟣 Wanting to take a more playful approach, we decided to convey this through the use of a large scale marble run set. The marble run as an analogy to life works here as it has layered meanings to the ideas of fate, our actions and what we can control.

Swipe through for process snippets! ⏩️

🗼 Structure:
* The base is a concentric layer of columns, with a main central column in the middle and 3 outer columns surrounding it. Similar to that of an atom structure.
* The main column, in red, branches out to the other sub-columns. The challenge here was to create a marble run set where the marble (guli) would travel the greatest distance before coming to a stop, for each individual column.
* Figuring out the routes and connecting together the pieces together was a nightmare, but fun to say the least 😄
* It took almost 500 parts and pieces to assemble the tower together, including the base and the cut-out islands.
* The tower was made of a combination of laser cut + 3D printed parts, CNC-cut base and custom off-the-shelf plastic components.
* Dimension wise the tower stands about 1 meter high with a base footprint of 45cm by 45cm.

Overall it was a great build and we had fun making it. Terima kasih to LUST and Amir for trusting us for this project. Looking forward to more future projects guys! .rjohari 

TUGU TOWER for LUST:
Design & Fabrication: NTS* Sam & Nadhrah
Technical Assistance: Zan Nureen
Photography by: Amani & asst by Saiful Azwan

NTS* & Mebelle, Featured exhibitors for Indonesia Contemporary Art & Design 2023, Jakarta 🇮🇩

Thank you ICAD for this complimentary catalogue, and for the opportunity to be part of ICAD 2023, where we unveiled a product prototype in collaboration with .
One of many regional collaborative works to come InsyaAllah.

A Huge thank you to the ICAD team for extending the invitation to us and for their massive support in facilitating and supporting the project, ‘Bolak-balik’. Happy to be able to contribute however small we can, towards the regional conversation.

ICAD (Indonesia Contemporary Art & Design) 2023 was held at Grand Kemang Jakarta. And will be opening again this year during October.

As we close in on the year, here is a sneak peak of a project we recently completed at TRX’s Food Exchange - A wall piece made up of 40% recycled plastic. More on this soon!

We would also like to announce as a build arm of NTS, focussing on interior and architectural services for retail and commercial spaces. A way to bring our ethos of joy and delight into everyday spaces.

We are proud to be joined by in leading MODE together. Nureen is an experienced architectural designer that we have worked with consistently over the years, and with whom we trust in realizing our visions.

More to come in 2024.

Dell Reimagined ‘Technology’ Category Winner

Nadhrah was invited to participate in the Dell Reimagined: competition, a concept design challenge that sees creative talents from Asia Pacific & Japan (APJ) coming together to reimagine landmarks across the region, using Dell Precision workstations which they kindly loaned out.

The proposal ‘Papan Cultural Restoration Renaissance’ emerged as the ‘Technology’ category winner.

Centered on revitalizing Papan Town’s rich cultural legacy, Nadhrah creatively demonstrated her ability to blend craft and technology using 3D digital scanning as a modern conservation tool, turning the sleepy town into a vibrant hub for knowledge, skills, and stories.

Participants were asked to reimagine sites in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Korea and provide proposals to rejuvenate and activate the sites.

More on the project;

“Papan Cultural Restoration Renaissance,” which involves a prototype intervention and program aimed at showcasing how an innovative approach to conservation can be achieved through large-scale 3D scanning, archiving, and printing of cultural objects, artefacts, and heritage building components.

This approach will act as a testbed for a novel conservation method that blends craft, technology, and education, transforming Papan into an exchange hub for knowledge, skills, and stories between residents and visitors alike.

Site: Papan Town

The town of Papan, derived from the Malay word for ‘plank’, started out during the mining boom in the 1800s. Located in Perak, Malaysia, what used to be a buzzing tin-mining town is now overtaken by mostly abandoned heritage buildings, after the 1980s crash in tin prices.

BOLAK-BALIK

Variable dimension,
Mahogany hardwood, tempered glass, stainless steel fixtures.
Shou Sugi Ban and Duco finishing.

NTS* in collaboration with

The fine details of this object was made by the very capable craftsmen from Mebelle, a fine furniture maker based in Indonesia. Mebelle focusses on sustainability and creates high-quality, meticulously crafted handmade furniture and sculptures.

For Bolak-Balik, Mebelle produced the object in two finishes, one with a Shou Sugi Ban finishing; a Japanese technique involving charring the wood before finishing it with oil (a technique from the 18th C) and another one with an orange Duco finishing. Both were made from sustainably sourced Mahogany hardwood.

We are honored to be able to work with Mas Tommy and the Mebelle team to turn this idea into a reality. And much thanks to & the ICAD team for introducing us to Mebelle and for making this collaboration a fruitful one.

We hope to continue our relationship with craftsmen and designers based in Indonesia and to many more exciting collaborations ahead.

BOLAK-BALIK was commissioned and displayed for ICAD (Indonesia Contemporary Art & Design) in GrandKemang, Jakarta.

We are deeply honored to be invited by the curatorial team of ICAD to take part in this prestigious event.

NTS* initially developed the early prototypes of Bolak-Balik in Malaysia with technical assistance by .s

Photos kindly provided for by and

‘Sarang Billboard’
(Desc Continued)
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No-to-scale* proposes these harsh structures to be housed in dilapidated highway billboards that currently dot our vehicular roadworks—hijacking existing roadside structures as a way to combine both functions of consumer capitalism & farming into a singular form.

The ‘Sarang Billboard’ is a signifier of our post-modern condition.

Notes: Addendum reference images of sarang burung walit from around the region.

‘Sarang Billboard’
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Exhibited as part of Interim Atlas and Interim Cinema at Archifest, Singapore ongoing till 28th October taking place at the Festival House in Kampung Gelam.

Desc
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Swiftlet farms are apparent throughout the region; though not easily recognisable initially, they exist as ubiquitous blocks of concrete commonly found in urban peripheries and rural areas.

A common sight as one traverses along the many expressways in Malaysia, these ominous blocks can be found along the highway between the lush greenery of its backdrop.

Swiftlets, or ’Burung Layang-layang’ or ‘Burung Walit’ nests, are harvested due to their traditional medicinal properties and being somewhat of a delicacy in this part of the world. These farms are aperture-less concrete structures and are often placed in rural areas. It presents a jarring reminder of our attempts at capitalising on nature.

(Continued)

In line with Tarimosi’s MV ‘RELAPSE’, along with NTS* designed a series of tees to commemorate the launch of Relapse.

Gildan white tshirt.
Made to order.
RM60 each

Link to merch in our bio 👆🏼

Images courtesy of Tarimosi.

Tarimosi: Auditory Rescue Unit

From the onset we were impressed with Tarimosi’s vision and direction. It was an approach that we had not seen before in local acts and the visual direction and concept of the band aligned with NTS* interests and the topics we were looking into.

So we developed some visuals along with to formulate a design language that suited the world-building aesthetic of Tarimosi for their upcoming single, Relapse.

RELAPSE MV will release on 17.04.2023

Physical merch will also drop in line with the MV launch.

Tarimosi: Auditory Rescue Unit

“Towards an Indigenous Guardianship of Resources”
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A manifesto for the convening of the UIA (International Union of Architects) Congress in Copenhagen, compiled under the International Manifesto Relay (IMR)

“What are the current social, cultural and political functions of the manifesto? Where does its impact lie? In order to answer these questions, the Copenhagen Architecture Festival (CAFx) has compiled 45 manifestos from around the world that explore the role of architecture in envisioning and constructing a sustainable future”

“Towards an Indigenous Guardianship of Resources”
was highlighted by the CAFx Curatorial team as among the manifestos that best captured the spirit of the IMR.
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We had the pleasure of crafting out this manifesto with Dr. Najah Md Alwi (Universiti Malaysia Kelantan), Dr. Aiman Mohd Rashid & Dr. Nor Izura Tukiman (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia).

Dr. Najah was the Chairman of PAMNEXT (PAM Graduate Committee) 2021-2022.
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Gangsapura just released the Live recordings from ‘Pengembaraan Satu Malam’ and it is an absolute joy to listen to.

Full track listing from the performance nights for those that want to relive the experience or for those that missed the shows. This is for you.

Musical composition by Teuku Umar Ilany and Mohamad Faliq.

Much thanks to for releasing this gem into the world.

Now streaming on all major music platforms.

LINK IN BIO

Detik-detik malam pengembaraan.

Shots by .codex and .

Thanks to all that came and shared news of PSM.

Perjalanan mesti diteruskan.

Much thanks to our partners and sponsors for making this a success, .codex .official and to for their financial support.

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