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7 Multidisciplinary teams from Singapore and around the world, made up of architects, artists, designers, technologists and businessmen, are selected to participate in the Hub-to-Hub public art program. They will develop 7 temporary installations and provide alternative ideas of public spaces and programmes to enliven the City’s urban and forgotten spaces in Bras Basah.Bugis – the Arts, Culture, Learning and Entertainment Hub of Singapore. These projects will animate the various chosen sites during the Singapore ArchiFest 2011, and demonstrate the ability of temporary interventions to act as agents to interrogate public space and present new possibilities for physical and programmatic use.

Date of Exhibition: 14 Oct to 4 Nov 2011
Venue of Exhibition: Bras Basah.Bugis

Sites Teams
 

Little Big Orchard Road TEAM MINUS / DHOBY GHAUT GREEN

Team

Valarie Yang (Sculpture, Singapore), Say Xiang Yu (Film, Singapore), Mervin Tan, Tan Ying Yi, Sim Cheryl, Vanessa Tan (Architecture, MINUS, Singapore)

Design statement

Shopping draws people, sales draw crowd. In our culture, Shopping is one of our biggest pastime and we mapped that onto our site – Dhoby Ghaut Green. Looking at the green issue at a larger scale, putting the trees on sale makes a comment on the monetary aspect of our greenery. It is not cheap to be a green city. The investment in green is heavy and we do pay a heavy price to be a green city. The instillation cheekily packaged the trees for sale as a satirical note to the issue. Other than a satire, the installation is a giant exhibition of sorts, with larger than life installation such as paper bags around the trees. This demonstrates that the ability repackaging has in rejuvenating this public space.

Jury Citations

The installation is an interesting critique of consumerism. It is a good idea to address the underutilisation of some urban parks, and questions, such as who owns public spaces, and whether public spaces can be put up for sale. The selection of site is good. Play with scale is great, it could be more colourful and expressing fun.

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Stilt House TEAM EUROPE / DHOBY GHAUT GREEN

Team

Prof Wolfgang Weileder (Art, UK), Prof Simon Guy (Architecture, UK), Oliver Heidrich (Recycling Technology, UK)

Design statement

STILT HOUSE is a site-specific artwork consisting of two interconnected structures that are made from recycled plastic waste. Sited at Dhoby Ghaut Green, the architectural installation offers, through it's perforated black walls, an elevated and translucent perspective on the surrounding land and cityscape. By reinterpreting this traditional housing typology, that was originally made from sustainable local materials and was ecologically adapted to the specific climate and landscape, the STILT HOUSE encourages us to rethink our relationship with the environment we inhabit. It also confronts us with the debris of our consumer society in the unexpected form of an innovative building material that translates waste into new productive and aesthetic uses.

Jury Citations

Jury Citations: The Malay stilt house typology is very interesting in terms of environmental sustainability. It is thus relevant to the local context, questioning our cultural and environmental awareness as there are not many stilt houses left in urbanised Singapore.

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PATCHES: A THINNER SHADE OF GREEN TEAM CHINA / CATHAY OPEN SPACE

Team

Skew Collaborative (Architecture, US; China; Singapore), Ben Houge (Sound Art, US; China), Barbara Edestein & Jian-Jun Zhang (Visual Art, US; China)

Design statement

This is a journey of reflection on the thickness and thinness of our landscape, through visual arts and cinematography. The first section is a pixelated wall made out of recycled food containers that are stacked to produce the texture of a city. The idea of the "instant greening" of the city is manifested through the painting of nature/green onto the food containers, thereby exposing the "thinness" of the operation. On the other side, there are multiple "pinholes" that invite the visitors to look through them, where a number of videos on close ups of nature will be screened (as a reference to the Cathay Cinema). The ambient soundscape is a looping track that swells and ebbs with different layers of music and sounds., which engages itself in the whole dialogue between thickness and thinness.

Jury Citations

The installation is exciting, and worthwhile to be developed. Public could be engaged through unique experience and journey of imagery, light and soundscape.

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III MOVEMENT Team Aural / STAMFORD GREEN

Team

atelier | small (Architecture, Singapore), Tang Ling Nah (Visual Art, Singapore), Zai Tang (Sound Art, Singapore)

Design statement

||| Movement is a site-specific installation exploring the cycle of construction, deconstruction and renewal within the city. It comprises three zones―remembering, contemplating and transforming ―reminiscent of three movements in a single musical composition. Sound recordings from the urban environment are transformed and fused with architectural elements made from construction waste to create a distinct aural‐spatial experience. The work encourages the public to slow down, stop and contemplate on the perpetual cycle of urban transformation through the act of listening. This collaborative work hopes to highlight the local and global need to find a balance between our continual desire to reshape our environment to accommodate our way of life. Have you slowed down and listened? Can you hear the waves of urban transformation, sounds of our dependency on energy to fuel economic developments, hyper-commercialisation...?
More at http://lllmovement.blogspot.com

Jury Citations

The installation has a good concept, good use of materials and site responsive. It is site-specific, utilising an over-looked disregarded space. The idea of a quite room for reflection in the middle of a buzzing city is good.

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Last Tree on Earth SAM, Queen Street

Team

Leong Yiat Yam (Architecture, Singapore), Gavin Sooriya (Tattoo Art, Singapore), Rueben Rajandran (Business, Singapore), Haryady, Naufal Kyshenko, Michael Choi, Veera Rajandran (Students, Singapore Polytechnic)

Design statement

We are living in the world of capitalism where our lives are economic driven and controlled by major capital holders. Every decision we made must be in tune to their interest. We can only act upon their approval. We lost our freedom. The environmental crises are the subjects of political debate.

In this sculpture, we reflect upon our humanity's inactiveness. We propose a situation of the aftermath of the environmental issues left unattended. In this crucial time, we ask whether we are reacting fast enough. Have we done enough? Are we only subject to the capitalism?

Jury Citations

This is a simple installation and yet conveys powerful message about human attitude toward climate change. It is an interesting way for public engagement with the installation. It will be a good fun and educative for children too. It is suggested to have larger-scale human-beings sculptures surrounding the small tree.

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MULTICULTURALISM AND THE GIANT MOP TEAM AUSTRALIA / SAM@8Q

Team

Cida de Aragon (Media Art, Australia), Jesse Lockhart-Krause (Architecture, Australia), Alan Fan (Interior, Singapore)

Design statement

The kaleidoscope of hanging strands will engage the public, both physically, and intellectually; exploring ideas of multiculturalism and interaction. The sculpture presents itself as a 'field' of soft rubber tubes, the inquisitive visitor drawn into interaction due to the sheer unusualness of the object. The hanging tubes are questioning gravity. Moving towards the strange hanging sculpture, the individual begins to perceive that this 'mop' moves freely in the wind, the individual having the ability to touch and move these hanging strands, even to disappear inside it. Here in the multicultural 'mop' the artist, designer and architect have collaborated to create a celebration of Singapore's multicultural society, providing an interactive and inclusive urban installation.

Jury Citations

The installation is site specific, low-cost and yet elegant and enhancing the sense of space, where the installation is sited. It is likely to offer a uniquely different experience for the public, drawing in a big crowd. The idea of hanging is good, questioning and challenging gravity; so are the glowing ropes at night time. The installation is made for this courtyard.

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Fragile Balance TEAM COINCIDENCE / WATERLOO CENTRE

Team

Edwin Cheong (Environmental Art, Singapore), Tan Sock Fong (Glass Art, Singapore), Ong Sheng Hua (Lighting Design, Singapore)

Design statement

A unique blending of glass art, environment design and lighting design, the installation features the possibility of interdisciplinary work in an everyday environment. By recycling the familiar 'Kopitiam' chairs, they are theatrically positioned on a layer of white pebbles, a familiar yet uncommon setting in the ubiquitous HDB voiddeck. At night, the chairs, with its stain-glass-inspired bottom, turn into light fixtures that transform not only the large blank wall but the entire space. This is an installation that will spark dialogue with the residents and passers-by, about the common space shared by them, about the nostalgia and the everyday life.

Jury Citations

The installation looks interesting, especially the colourful lighting effect. It is applaused for the use of recycle glass. The installation would work well at night, it would be better if components could tap on sunlight during the day. The idea is relevant to the site, making reference to stain glass design at cathedrals and churches in this area.

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