Cheng Tsung Feng’s Sailing Castle

Hello Hi reader,

It’s that season again, I smell In-Depth in the air, I taste In-Depth in my food, I reflect In-Depth in my sleep, it’s In-Depth season. For the newcomers, my name is Hanson, last name irrelevant, and In-Depth is a 5-month long project unique to Gleneagle’s TALONS program. This project provides an opportunity for students to explore a new skill both individually and with a mentor. Every three weeks, a high-quality progress update will be posted on students’ blogs which you wouldn’t want to miss. Fully armed with context, you are now ready to be shot by what I have chosen for In-Depth this year.

For In-Depth 2022, I will be investing my time into a sturdy set of woodworking skills. However, I will not be learning woodworking from a traditional perspective since I am a unique TALONS learner with an IEP. Instead, I will be attempting to incorporate architectural/design concepts and context into the woodworking projects I will be tackling. Examples of how this may go include investigating supportive structures/structural design with wood or even creating small-scaled architecture such as birdhouses. Furthermore, many specific architectural concepts such as light and form can be experimented with the use of wood. This leads to my master thought on why I settled on woodworking.

The main reason being woodworking opens up more creative freedom and creative perspectives. The best way to explain this is like a child upgrading from the 16 set Crayola pack to the 96 set Crayola pack. The skill (or new colours) expands one to more perspectives and ideas previously unimaginable. Having the knowledge of woodworking allows me to think about architecture (my main interest) and how I express my ideas in new ways.

The second reason that convinced me to do woodworking this year is simply because I want to make some stuff with my hands. As some of the fans on this very populated blog may know, I’ve studied Rhinoceros 3D last year for this project. Rhinoceros 3D is a crucial and very powerful computer program for industrial/architectural design, and it has saved my life on many occasions throughout 2021. However, as fun, as it was, it remains a computer program. It was missing the WUMPH and adrenaline from actually turning a chunk of material into a creation of my own. Something about taking out a saw and actually grinding away at the wood seems more satisfying than CMD + /cut.

Next, I’ll be discussing my goal this year. I’ve only solidified one broad goal so far since I didn’t want to box myself in amidst so many open doors. Upon discussions with my mentor, assessment of what is possible throughout the timeframe and with the tools available, I will hopefully be able to provide a more specific plan in the next blog. For now, my only goal is to set a strong foundation in woodworking. This is like planting a seed in the garden, the seed has to have enough space, have plentiful sunshine, and have healthy soil before becoming a plant. I want to take advantage of the time I have with my mentor to solidify my understanding of the tools, have strong safety in the shop, and be confident enough with the foundational knowledge where I can grow further beyond this project.

Now, least but not last, I will introduce my mentor. The legend, the man, is a jackpot mentor in my opinion. He has a background in architecture and is currently working in education. Furthermore, he has self-taught knowledge of woodworking that is unlike traditional techniques. He seems to fit the criteria that I haven’t even set. I think there is going to be a lot of value in learning from someone like him, and he will be able to understand knowledge in both woodworking and architecture, bridging my two focuses.

I hope you come along for the ride and don’t miss the tri-weekly updates. In June, at the end of this project, I will be copying Lucas’ celebration by enjoying 2 baked goods and a restful slumber to top off this adventure.

All the best,
Hanson