The architectural firm 8X 3D Ha Noi has created a new way of peering back at ancient Ha Noi, one using the latest in 3D technology and computer graphics. The group’s innovative work is a testament to their enthusiasm, talent and love for the capital.
Images of Hanoi in the past recreated by 8X 3D Ha Noi. The group of architects hope their images will encourage young people to learn more about the city’s history.
The eight young men who make up the firm (hence the "8X") came together over the shared idea of setting up some kind of 3D playground for the enjoyment of anyone interested in that field of technology, though what form this project would take was at the outset still unknown. The final decision was set forth when they all agreed to open a coffee bar.
"All the members of our group are ultimately architects, and at that time there wasn’t any place for such people to gather together and share their interest in the field, so we wanted to open a bar. This turned out not to be so easy," said group member Viet Phuong.
Due to limited finances, the alternative – a modestly-sized coffee bar – opened on the narrow lane of Cha Ca bearing the name "Align – 3D coffee" and exhibiting both a unique design and decoration drawn from members’ creations.
Instead of covering the wall with something typical such as limestone facades, the group left the exposed bricks to show off their colour. On this wall they skilfully hung 3D pictures.
In a short time the bar became more and more famous. With some savings, the group was able pursue further activities like holding discussions and exhibitions about 3D rendering produced at universities. Furthermore, they all arrived at a risky, interesting idea: recalling the picture of Ha Noi in the past through digital 3D imaging.
3D perspective
One of the images shows a building ravaged by bombing but still flying the Vietnamese flag.At one of their architectural design exhibitions, the group happened to meet a girl from Germany namely Lena Herman. Being a student, Lena wanted to create a photo exhibition about Ha Noi.
Not only did the group help Lena find a place to live in the city, they also took her out to enjoy life in the capital, visiting the city’s famous sites and beautiful pagodas, bringing her to see the sunset from Long Bien Bridge or go shopping at a night market.
Ha Noi gradually became familiar to Lena and her picture collection was on the way to completion. At the same time, the group began to hone in on a time frame for their glimpse at a vanished Ha Noi: tracing the city’s changes from the middle of 19th century to the middle of 20th, stopping in the winter of 1946.
"A lot of young people our age don’t know much about Ha Noi’s history. I hope that by looking at our 3D pictures, they can learn more and find more to love about the capital," said group member Phuong.
The task the group set out for themselves was not easy. It took a year for the whole group to gather sufficient information about the history of the capital as well as of the capital’s architecture in order to begin plotting their images.
"What we didn’t know or understand we had to ask, and after one year, all of us can be proud of the fact that we can talk fluently about Ha Noi," said Quang Ngoc, another member.
Over a four month period, the members tried their best to finish 40 three-dimensional pictures. Lena helped the group by telling them her feelings about the energetic, active Ha Noi of today, a city on the path of renovation and development.
Without funds for their exhibition, the group had to pool their money and took their works to the Hang Bai exhibition room to ask for permission to use it as their presentation space.
The director of the Hang Bai exhibition room became so emotional while watching these pictures come alive with the ancient atmosphere of Ha Noi that he immediately decided to ask for assistance on behalf of the group toward exhibiting their works.
The group’s determination finally yielded success when, at the beginning of 2007, the exhibition "Ha Noi: Views Through Time" went up at 21, Hang Bai Street.
The Fund for Assisting Viet Nam-Sweden Cultural Activities sponsored an initial five-day exhibition and then renewed it for a longer second phase.
Through more than 40 pictures composed using digital 3D rendering technology, the audience gets a chance to step into a Ha Noi of the historical past, a place possessed of a beautiful harmony between Vietnamese and French architectural style.
In the exhibition’s works. Ha Noi expresses its unique beauty through three important periods. During its periods of resistance and war, Ha Noi looked courageous, carrying its the noble features with an outward peace. And through time, the capital is always well known as the city of romance, simple and attractive.
"After seeing the pictures at the exhibition, I’m really surprised by the fact that the soul of an older Ha Noi has been forgotten for a long time. The group 8X 3D Ha Noi has revived this Ha Noi, which maybe we can restore one day," said one visitor to the exhibition.
In these 3D pictures, the Ha Noi of old is grounded in the sensibility of the new. The streets and people life look so real by virtue of the multimedia which has been popular among young people.
"The exhibition has showed the love and responsibility of young people for Ha Noi, feelings which proudly suggest that in the future they will have enough ability to join, through their commitment to the city, in the country’s construction and development as a whole," said Nguyen Tan Van, Chairman of Viet Nam Architects’ Association.
The group doesn’t feel contented with this success. To these young people, they continue nurturing new dreams.
"We are working on the project of imaging the Hoang Thanh Thang Long (Thang Long Royal Citadel) and also busy completing a historical cartoon story," said Phuong.
"We hope that enabling young people to approach history through technology such as 3D imaging will be a good way to help young people develop a love of history and a renewed desire to study it," concluded Phuong.
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