The title of our installation is III Movement ―where movement can imply both the physical and the aural movements in a compositional piece. The ‘III’ has an abstract reference to book shelves that is incorporated into the design of the art installation at the site where the (former) National Library of Singapore was situated.
The materials for this installation comprise salvaged construction "waste" procured from nearby construction sites that reflects our considerations for conservation of material resources as an appropriate and sustainable design strategy in response to the temporal course of the installation. These materials are then crafted into a volumetric and visual rhythmic composition, while performing synchronously as a receptacle of sounds for the audience to the chosen site, Bras Basah.Bugis and beyond. This integrative treatment of the visual, aural and architectonic materiality therefore highlights the physical articulation of our collaborative proposal for this public art installation as an urban intervention.
One interesting point to bring up was the irony of the changes of the site of our initial proposal at Plaza By The Park. The Plaza By The Park (PBP) site is an interesting plot of land sandwiched between the PBP Carpark and Kopitiam, a food court. We are very much intrigued by this overlooked/leftover/disregarded space. We learnt that it was owned by an old lady who refused to sell the land. It remained untouched (only covered with gravels) for years until LTA takes over it for the current MRT construction. In fact, many changes have taken place in that area since we submitted our initial proposal. One of the most obvious changes is the removal of almost all the trees along Bencoolen Street on the side of the PBP site to make way for the construction.
The materials for this installation comprise salvaged construction "waste" procured from nearby construction sites that reflects our considerations for conservation of material resources as an appropriate and sustainable design strategy in response to the temporal course of the installation. These materials are then crafted into a volumetric and visual rhythmic composition, while performing synchronously as a receptacle of sounds for the audience to the chosen site, Bras Basah.Bugis and beyond. This integrative treatment of the visual, aural and architectonic materiality therefore highlights the physical articulation of our collaborative proposal for this public art installation as an urban intervention.
One interesting point to bring up was the irony of the changes of the site of our initial proposal at Plaza By The Park. The Plaza By The Park (PBP) site is an interesting plot of land sandwiched between the PBP Carpark and Kopitiam, a food court. We are very much intrigued by this overlooked/leftover/disregarded space. We learnt that it was owned by an old lady who refused to sell the land. It remained untouched (only covered with gravels) for years until LTA takes over it for the current MRT construction. In fact, many changes have taken place in that area since we submitted our initial proposal. One of the most obvious changes is the removal of almost all the trees along Bencoolen Street on the side of the PBP site to make way for the construction.
We chose the PBP site because we thought it was the best site to discuss our concerns about the lack of balance between human-made sounds and that of nature in the city's soundscape. It would have also provided a possibility as to how such a public space can be activated. We think it could become a sanctuary for people to contemplate on these issues through active listening of sounds in the Bras Basah.Bugis area, and thus titled it The Aural Sanctuary.
The idea of using construction wastes was actually inspired by the Plaza by The Park site. The gravels covering the ground of the site would have become the ‘ready’ material for the construction of our sanctuary’s walls. We intended to return it back to the site after the exhibition is over.
The idea of using construction wastes was actually inspired by the Plaza by The Park site. The gravels covering the ground of the site would have become the ‘ready’ material for the construction of our sanctuary’s walls. We intended to return it back to the site after the exhibition is over.
Therefore, it came as a shock that we had to abandon the site, almost immediately after we learnt that our proposal was selected by the Hub- to-Hub curators. When it became clear that we definitely could not use the site for our installation (in fact, a few of the sites listed for proposal could not be used later because of urban development - one other good example is the site opposite Selegie Centre), we embarked on a search for a new site around the Bras Basah.Bugis area. We found quite a few disregarded/unused/overlooked sites in the area during our walking trips. It was a great city study on foot, and we must say the experience was enriching and an eye-opener. It took us about 4 weeks to settle on our current site. And because the site has changed, the context of our proposal has to change a little. The current site is now a transitory space. It is already a sanctuary with flora and fauna. Thus, the sanctuary idea has to be dropped. However, the part about environmental sustainability and the reuse of construction waste remains.
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