Page 127 - Proceedings Collega2023

to Figure 4). Drone enabled the aerial views of the site to be captured on a larger scale and in a more
precise resolution than Google Earth and has the potential to generate other forms of mapping if required.

Figure 4

Drone Usage for Aerial Photos and Videos for the Taiping Project

Interview sessions are conducted with local agencies, caretakers of the sites, the locals, and
tourists to gain more insights into their perceptions, challenges, and plans towards the heritage sites. The
project team would arrange for a briefing session by the local municipal to gain more information about
the site, existing reports, and plans and ask further questions concerning heritage conservation. The
interview sessions are recorded using video and photographs. The students shifted from using a voice
recorder to using their smartphones to record the interviews since smartphones have become a standard
mobile communication tool for most people and are equipped with the voice recorder application. A
survey is another complementary tool to assess the public’s perceptions and experience about the site.
However, the survey was only adopted during the Taiping project in 2022. In the Taiping project, students
created survey boards with short and specific questions. They used coloured stickers to represent
respondents from different age groups as an exciting approach to getting participation from the public.

To document samples of the intricate heritage elements, such as patterns and motifs, the students
used moulding and tracing to replicate a real-life size of the element (refer to Figure 5). Moulding of
elements was done using clay and plaster. Most of the moulding process would be done on-site. The
constraint of this process is the time required for the clay to dry, the fragility of storing, packing, and
bringing the plaster moulds back to the studio without breaking, and the added weight during the travels,
especially when visiting international sites. Over the years, students have opted only to do the clay mould
on-site and the plaster mould when they return. The patterns and motifs are also measured and drawn
through sketches and captured using photographs for students to digitise to produce technical drawings
later. Another tool to document the intricate heritage elements is tracing on paper with charcoal. However,

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