By unit of measurement (2016)
Varied dimensions and materials, 525 photographs
Varied dimensions and materials, 525 photographs
By unit of measurement continues looking (see 2 Parts 2 and This way forward) at the construction fence as both metaphor and physical icon of the Singapore landscape. It features a long white construction fence surrounding part of the former Bidadari cemetery, a site soon to become an estate of HDB flats and private residences. Consisting of 525 photographs, the fence is photographed methodically with a 40mm lens from start to end. The idea to circumambulate the site struck when I realized this was one of the longer, sprawling construction fences that could be approached easily enough. Despite general sentiments of frustration and resignation towards land development in Singapore, construction fences remain such a normalized element of the Singapore cityscape; they often go unnoticed or are silently blotted out of private imaginations. Following the fence is a way of keeping these sentiments at the forefront, and to also encourage others to take a look at what the fence stands in proximity to. This fence in particular teeters along various terrains and inconvenient places, including the backyards of private residences, cramped passageways and steep slopes. Standardizing the lens's focal length is vital in maintaining my relative distance to the fence and also in revealing the various positions I was forced to situate myself.
The first rendition of By unit of measurement materialized as stickers for a publication reader of CONCRETE ISLAND, organized by NUS Museum. 504 images were selected and paired with pages of orange-lined grids, demarcating spaces to paste the stickers within. The second rendition designed for Public Living Room takes the form of a large 7-sided structure. 490 images of the Bidadari fence line the inner side of the structure's panels, while 7 images from a series of another construction site, As quietly as rhythms go, take up the panels' exteriors. On the opening and closing nights of the exhibition, a performer in worker's coveralls meditates within the structure's walls. At The Substation, a third rendition of this piece was made for the exhibition Each blade of grass Each shrub Each Tree, with almost 200 photographs snaking round the walls of the gallery, fencing and containing the space with images.
The first rendition of By unit of measurement materialized as stickers for a publication reader of CONCRETE ISLAND, organized by NUS Museum. 504 images were selected and paired with pages of orange-lined grids, demarcating spaces to paste the stickers within. The second rendition designed for Public Living Room takes the form of a large 7-sided structure. 490 images of the Bidadari fence line the inner side of the structure's panels, while 7 images from a series of another construction site, As quietly as rhythms go, take up the panels' exteriors. On the opening and closing nights of the exhibition, a performer in worker's coveralls meditates within the structure's walls. At The Substation, a third rendition of this piece was made for the exhibition Each blade of grass Each shrub Each Tree, with almost 200 photographs snaking round the walls of the gallery, fencing and containing the space with images.