Wendy Teo
Architect
Wendy Teo為英國皇家建築師協會（ARB/RIBA, UK）註冊建築師，同時也是 Wendy Teo Atelier 與 Borneo Laboratory 的創辦人，該跨領域事務所設立於馬來西亞婆羅洲。她亦於臺灣逢甲大學擔任助理教授暨訪問學者。在研究與教學方向上，她與團隊致力於將社會與文化對話嵌入建築創新之中。
出生於婆羅洲，取得逢甲大學建築學士（優等）、英國倫敦大學學院 Bartlett 建築碩士（優等）。其職業生涯曾於 Foster and Partners 建築事務所任職，同期間完成劍橋大學 ARB Part III 課程，並獲得 LEED 綠建築認證。
她的作品曾獲得多項國際殊榮，包括 Holcim Sustainable Next Generation Award（首獎）、Archiprix、Threadneedle Prize 等。作品亦於英國、法國、德國、斯洛維尼亞、土耳其及臺灣展出。其重要展覽之一為 2013/14 年於龐畢度中心館長 Frédéric Migayrou 與奧爾良當代藝術區（FRAC Orléans）館長 Marie-Ange Brayer 策劃之 Archilab「Naturalising Architecture」展覽。
2020 年初，她的參與式空間藝術計畫 〈Beanstalk in the Staircase〉 獲廣州非美術館典藏為永久收藏作品。2018 年，她亦受英國文化協會（British Council）提名，入選由英國 AVIVA 集團舉辦的「未來女性（Woman of the Future）」東南亞分區獎助計畫。
Wendy Teo is a ARB/RIBA (UK) Chartered Architect and founder of Wendy Teo Atelier and Borneo Laboratory, a multidisciplinary practice based in Borneo Malaysia. Teo is also a visiting scholar in Feng Chia University (Taiwan) as an Assistant Professor. In Teo’s research and pedagogical direction, she and her team focus on embedding social-culture dialogue in forming architectural innovation. Born in Borneo, Teo received her B.Arch (Dist.) from Taiwan Feng Chia University, M.Arch(Dist.) from Bartlett, UCL. During her career with Foster and Poster, Teo also accomplished her ARB Part III course from Cambridge University and qualified as LEED green associate. Teo’s projects were endorsed by a number of international awards such as Holcim Sustainable Next Generation Award (First Prize), Archiprix, Threadneedle Prize et cetera. Her projects were exhibited across UK, France, Germany, Slovenia, Turkey and Taiwan. One of the notable exhibitions is 2013/14 Archilab ‘Naturalising Architecture’ exhibition curated by Pompidou Center director Frédéric Migayrou and FRAC Orlean Director Marie-Ange Brayer. In early 2020, her participatory spatial art project ‘Beanstalk in the staircase’ in is being collected as a permanent piece in Guangzhou Fei Art Museum. Teo was nominated by British Council as a fellow in 2018 ‘Woman of the Future’ South East chapter organised by AVIVA group.
This dynamic installation merges bionic form with interactive technology, inspired by observations of living creatures’ instinctive “perception–response” mechanisms. Shaped into a claw-like form with offensive and defensive implications, the spiral structure is driven by multi-axis mechanisms and servo motors, generating a tension that echoes the rhythm of life. Audience voices, captured by sensors and processed through an Arduino control core, trigger the claw’s real-time opening and closing, while synchronizing with a Websim.ai virtual module to create an immersive interactive experience.
More than a fusion of technology and aesthetics, the work stages a sensory dialogue between humans and machines: when artificial intelligence and mechanical devices acquire the ability to respond, do they also begin to redefine the boundary between “consciousness” and “instinct”? Claw Catcher invites viewers to experience the projection of emotion, mechanics, and survival will within this interplay of interaction.
《彩虹帶》是由 Borneo Laboratory 發起的集體行動，透過一系列精心策劃的跨界合作，為古晉帶來更多光芒——包括才華、正向能量與社群凝聚力。作品的建築幾何設計靈感來自 U + X 的整合，象徵藝術與跨領域交流的融合。
裝置懸浮於交通花園新舊發展交界的門檻之上。白天，陽光透過全息面板投射，形成流動的反射與色彩光譜；夜晚，不同色彩的線性燈光與噴霧結合，使帶狀裝置化為發光弧線，喚起彩虹稍縱即逝的魔幻意象。
創作年份：2022
媒材：錄像（橫式）
尺寸：—
Rainbow Ribbon is a collective action initiated by Borneo Laboratory to bring more light—of talent, positivity, and community—into Kuching through a series of curated collaborations. Its architectural geometry is inspired by the integration of U + X, symbolising the unity of art and cross-disciplinary exchange.
The installation floats at the threshold where the existing and new developments of the Traffic Garden converge. By day, sunlight filters through holographic panels, casting shifting reflections and a spectrum of colours across the ground below. By night, linear lights in varied hues, together with a mist spray, transform the ribbon into a glowing arc—evoking the fleeting, magical presence of a rainbow.
Year: 2022
Media: Video (Landscape)
Size: —
與土壤共作是一種深具謙卑感的經驗。這種看似平凡的材料，實則訴說著其來源地的風土故事。以土壤建構的結構與物件，承載了其內在的意義，然而這份意義往往被社會規範所掩蓋。在本計畫中，我們從古老與新興實踐者的視角，探索土壤豐富的語彙與表達方式。
此專案源於疫情期間，Wendy Teo與 Eliza Collin 之間持續的智識交流。成果以多媒體方式呈現，包括出版書籍、一系列播客、四場工作坊，以及兩場展覽。
該計畫於 2021 與 2022 年獲得英國文化協會 Connections Through Culture Grant 支持。
創作年份：2020-
媒材：錄像（橫式）與出版品
尺寸：—
Working with soil is a profoundly humbling experience. This humble material tells a tale about the very landscape it comes from. Structures and objects constructed using soil absorb its inherent significance, though this meaning is often overshadowed by societal norms. In this project, we embark on a journey to explore the rich vocabulary of soil through the perspectives of both ancient and emerging practitioners.
This endeavour was born from the enduring intellectual exchanges between Wendy Teo and Eliza Collin during the challenging days of the pandemic. The outcomes of this project are presented through a multimedia approach, including a published book, a series of podcasts, four workshops, and two exhibitions.
The project received the Connections Through Culture Grant in 2021 and 2022 from the British Council.
Year: 2020-
Media: Video (Landscape) and Publication
Size:—
作為古晉城市輻射式發展的零點，庭院在本館亭設計中承載了深刻的地理與象徵意義。設計將起伏的景觀視為噴泉延展的漣漪，由圓柱排列的竹架支撐由棕櫚葉製作的帳篷，帳篷高度不一，呈現層次感。此亭設計專案為跨領域合作成果，參與者包括建築師（Wendy Teo, UK ARB/RIBA）、Primates 舞蹈編導、當地工匠及古晉供應網絡。
建築製作作為社會對話工具
我們關注如何透過建築製作過程，作為社會議題討論的媒介。與 Rainforest Fringe Festival 合作的美好之處，在於能全方位參與材料演進、技術、地方工藝及其社會價值的討論。在我們 2018 年與該藝術節的先前專案（《重設婆羅洲工藝》與《樂器—竹製樂器》）中，社會討論聚焦於喚起對消逝工藝產業的關注、重新評估工匠的社會角色，以及透過融入新元素對地方工藝進行創新。
創作年份：2019
媒材：錄像（橫式）
尺寸：—
As the zero point of the radial city development of Kuching, the courtyard provides a profound meaning to the creation of this pavilion design, geographically or metaphorically. The design sees an undulating landscape as the extended ripples of the fountain, with the cylindrically arrayed bamboo frames support the canopy made out of palm leaves with varied height. The pavilion making project is a cross disciplinary collaboration between Architect Wendy Teo (UK ARB/RIBA) and choreographers of Primates, local craftsmen and network of suppliers in Kuching.
Architecture making as an instrument for social discourse
We are interested in exploring how an architecture making process could be an instrument for social discourses. One of the beauty of working with Rainforest Fringe Festival is, we get to be part of the conversation of evolving material, technique, local craftsmanship and its societal value holistically. Over our previous project with Rainforest Fringe Festival in 2018 (‘Redesigning Bornean Crafts’ and ‘The Instrument- a Bamboo Musical Instrument’), the social discourses we focused on are about giving awareness to the issue of disappearing crafts industry, re-assessing the societal role of craftsmen and innovating on the crafts through infusing new inputs into local crafts practices.
Year: 2019
Media: Video (Landscape)
Size: —
為了啟發希望，我們需要將希望具象化。位於 Think & Tink 建築屋頂的蝴蝶花園，以逐步建立的可食用花園呈現社群的集體努力，象徵城市範圍內正向轉變的實踐。
「毛毛蟲以為那是世界的終結，蝴蝶知道那只是開始。」
這句話也是 Borneo Laboratory 想與古晉這座城市分享的重要訊息，鼓勵社群在這個決定性的人類時刻中「廣泛連結、深度思考、大膽行動」。
花園設計以蝴蝶為隱喻，從市中心即可感受其象徵意義。亭頂的帳篷圖案呼應蝴蝶振翅的紋理，木製座椅設置於帳篷下方，以便觀賞整體結構；同時，結構框架的安排讓古晉市中心景觀成為花園的背景。
創作年份：2021
媒材：錄像（橫式）
尺寸：—
To inspire hope, we need to visualize hope. With Butterfly garden’s apparent presence at the rooftop of Think & Tink building, the incremental community efforts in setting up edible garden is serving as a manifestation of positive transition, organised in a city wide scale.
‘What the caterpillar thinks is the end of the world, the butterfly knows it’s only the beginning.’
The quote is also an important message Borneo Laboratory would like to share with its beloved town Kuching, to encourage our community to ‘Connect Widely, Think Deeply and Act Daringly’ in such defining moment of humanity.
The design of the butterfly garden would like to recite the metaphor of butterfly to the viewers from the downtown area, the pavilion rooftop translated butterfly flap’s texture in our patterns design for the canopy. Timber seating is allocated underneath the canopy to view the canopy structure of the installation. Meanwhile the structural frame allows the view of Kuching downtown to be included as the background of the garden.
Year: 2021
Media: Video (Landscape)
Size:—
本作品於 2024 印尼當代藝術設計節（Indonesia Contemporary Art and Design Festival） 展出，地點為歷史建築 Grandkemang Hotel，展期為 10 月 10 日至 11 月 10 日。
協作夥伴：Paperina, 雅加達（紙材使用）
紙張作為隱喻景觀 | 2024, 雅加達
《Serumpun》展覽設計將剪裁、變形及印刷的紙張轉化為沉浸式景觀，置於 Grand Kemang 住宅區大廳空間。觀眾可在紙景中穿行、探索三年工藝研究計畫 Serumpun 的故事。
由於紙材脆弱，整個創作過程需要細心與溫柔的操作。
創作年份：2024
媒材：錄像（直式） + 出版品
尺寸：—
This artwork was featured at the 2024 Indonesia Contemporary Art and Design Festival at the heritage hotel Grandkemang, running from October 10 to November 10.
Collaborator: Paperina, Jakarta on paper material
Paper as a Metaphorical Landscape | 2024, Jakarta
The exhibition design for Serumpun transforms cut, deformed, and printed paper into an immersive landscape within the lobby space at Grand Kemang residential zone. As the paper shifts into space, visitors can walk around, through, and within it, uncovering stories from our three-year craft research project, Serumpun.
As paper is fragile, the process required care and gentleness.
Year: 2024
Media: Video (Vertical) + Publication
Size: —
