Why do I study and sketch hotels and hotels?
Hotels and hostels are temporary accommodations when people are traveling. As the physical space involves humans, it can be studied in an academic way (e.g. psychology, sociology, archaeology and anthropology) while I learn by curiosity, observation and sketching.
Anything involving humans can be studied in the form of various academic fields like psychology, sociology, archaeology and anthropology. Don’t worry if you don’t have those knowledges because curiosity and observation matters much more.
Hostels
Let’s speak of hostels first, which used to be my main accommodation when I travelled for a long period of time. The reasons for staying there could be simple: affordable prices which allow me to stay overseas longer, but as I stayed in more hostels, I found that I would choose the one with stunning public space, where I could cook, read and meet friends.
The bed of hostels are worth studying. It used to be a bunk bed only, but the owners have been improving them over the years, from adding lockers for storing even suitcases which improves security, to personal lamps, sockets, drawers, curtains and even desktops (!) to create a lovely tiny personal space with privacy!
Of course not every country has the same pace of evolution. In some countries we regard as not modern, the hostels can be very competitive that the owners there are able to provide fully equipped (even handmade) beds. Hostels in modern countries like the UK are still relatively minimal. Don’t get me wrong, as they still meet basic demands of travellers like personal plugs and lockers in most cases.
Hotels
I mainly stayed in hotels in recent years after moving to the UK and starting travelling locally.
Like hostels, hotels should also be considered as one of the most important places to visit, especially during winter. It’s a place for me to travel inwards (understanding inner self or allowing me to reboot), and a site to overlook the city or town I am visiting.
Staying in a room also allows me to rethink what my home can be, like what I can learn from the design of the room I am staying. Why can’t I simply enjoy my home? Why do I need a temporary hotel room?
We talk too much about how to settle permanently by owning a perfect comfortable house, but what can make us settle, is not our own kingdom in a fixed area, but when we sometimes need to switch to various environments. Keeping moving while resting for a while is the main reasons why we need hotels or hotels: they can recharge and inspire us!
Methodology: Sketch
Sketching is the way to understand the hotel room I am living through enhanced observation. I said enhanced because there is something I may overlook by simply looking at, even in detail ways.
I usually spend an hour or two in the evening or the early morning drawing on location on my Moleskine notebook, by trying to include all the angles of the room. As I have done more and more, I can get used to the bird view now when I am in the room, and continue my work with colours on Procreate for iPad.
But what can contribute to our self? Every detail inside, from the hair dryer, to the colour of the wall, to the sunlight outside, to the size of the windows, to the view of it, to the staff and the people we meet...
Hotels are my second home. I can’t own them, but I can become where I have stayed.
