The Space within the Space within the Space
2009
Taking the 9 Emperor Gods Taoist festival as its initial topic, the installation The Space within the Space within the Space investigates the performative and social dimensions of the religious practice while reconstructing the different spaces structuring its unfolding.
A defining aspect of the festival is the essential role of transportation marking the different phases of the festival that generally spreads over nine days. On the night of the first day, the cortege of participants go to ‘invite’ the deities on the shore of a body of water (sea or river). The deities are symbolised by a yellow clay bowl in which large incense sticks would be kept burning for the duration of the event. This bowl is then placed in a palanquin, in turn placed onto a truck to be taken to the temple or temporary site of the celebration.
Following the principle of Russian dolls, the installation is made up of two bodies of work interacting with one another to re-enact the ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ of the event. Gilles Massot’s photographs, taken during the festival, look at it from the ‘inside’ and focus on the performative aspect. The photographs by his four LASALLE students look at the ‘outside’, that is the space forming the backdrop of the event, the physical space of Singapore and the roads travelled on.
Installation View
TransportASIAN
Singapore Art Museum
2009
Singapore Art Museum
2009
Installation View
Rainbow Asia
Angaram Art Museum
Seoul Arts Center
2010
Angaram Art Museum
Seoul Arts Center
2010
'Inside'
Exhibited Prints by
Gilles Massot
Gilles Massot
'Outside'
Photographs taken by students from LASALLE College of the Arts:
Wayne Lim, Nel Lim, Poch Moricio, and Esther Sutanto
Wayne Lim, Nel Lim, Poch Moricio, and Esther Sutanto
Writing
Photography: A
Historical Perspective
(TransportASIAN Publication, 2009)
Historical Perspective
(TransportASIAN Publication, 2009)
Installation View
TransportASIAN, Singapore Art Museum, 2009
Artwork Writeup Published in the Exhibition Catalogue
Essay Published in the Exhibition Catalogue
Email Conference with R. Streitmatter-Tran
Presentation preformed on the opening of TransportASIAN with R. Streitmatter-Tran
Installation View
Rainbow Asia, Angaram Art Museum, Seoul Arts Center, 2010
'Inside'
Exhibited prints by Gilles Massot
'Outside'
Exhibited prints by students from LASALLE College of the Arts
Lim Wang Jie (Wayne)
Lim Yeow Sen (Nel)
Moricio Pochaulo (Poch)
Esther Sutanto
