Travel memories crystallised in architect’s journaling – his sketches record the experience of a place in a way no photograph can
- Tom Schmidt looks into places rather than just look at them, and his detailed hand-drawn sketches reveal perspectives no drone camera could capture
- A collection that is equal parts teaching, sharing and reflection, Schmidt’s travel portfolio will make you see journeys in a new way, and maybe draw them too
In more ways than one, we’re grounded. Eagerly awaiting the restrictions of a global pandemic to lift, Hongkongers are clamouring at airport gates, passport in hand, desperate to see the world.
But this interlude triggers new questions: what does travel mean to us now that it’s no longer an option? What will our next holiday look like?
Tom Schmidt’s latest book, The Bumbling Traveller: Sketching the World, might offer some answers. A deviation from his “Bumbling Through” series – following the frenetic exploits of architect “Bob” as he stumbles through semi-autobiographical adventures across Borneo, Sumatra and Hong Kong – this addition forgoes narrative, adopting a new, more personal voice.
A 156-page portfolio of teaching, sharing and self-reflection comprising an archive of art, exhaustive field notes and site plans from countless exotic destinations, the book offers an alternative way to think about travel. Capturing its spirit is the opening quote: “See the world before you leave it.”
United States-born Schmidt, who has lived in Hong Kong since 1996, presents more than a paint-by-numbers guide to illustration. Rather, he urges us to reconsider how we see and savour the places we visit. For him, the camera doesn’t quite cut it.