Traversing Space

Singapore Art Museum’s new presentations explore space as crucial extensions of art.

Words Jewel Chuaunsu
April 22, 2024

Singapore Art Museum (SAM) highlights leading Southeast Asian artists Simryn Gill, Charles Lim Yi Yong, and Nguyễn Trinh Thi, showcasing the diverse stories of artists from the region. Their latest exhibitions, The Sea is a Field and 47 Days, Sound-less, both feature a unique approach to using the exhibition space to create immersive and multisensorial art encounters for visitors.

47 days, Sound-less

The convergence of visual and auditory elements often serves as a gateway to exploring complex narratives and perspectives. Nguyễn Trinh Thi’s 47 Days, Sound-less – showcased at the Engine Room as part of the Moving Image Commission, supported by the Singapore Art Museum – offers a captivating exploration of history, memory, and sensory perception.

The Moving Image Commission, a collaborative initiative between SAM, the Han Nefkens Foundation, Mori Art Museum, and M+, Hong Kong, aims to support emerging artists of Asian origin or nationality in expanding their artistic practices within the realm of moving images. Trinh Thi’s selection for the inaugural edition of the Commission underscores her exceptional talent and innovative approach to storytelling through the medium of film. 

Installation view of Nguyễn Trinh Thi's ‘47 Days, Sound-less’ (2024) at SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum

“Hanoi-based experimental filmmaker and moving image/media artist Trinh Thi is known for her practice that is consistently engaged with the history and memory of Vietnam, with a great interest in finding innovative ways to expand modes of the cinematic and moving image, connecting them with explorations in sound practices, performance and alternative forms of storytelling,” said SAM Assistant Curator Syaheedah Iskander.  

Trinh Thi’s concept of “peripheries” serves as a central theme in her work, challenging viewers to look beyond the surface and uncover the hidden stories and characters that often linger at the edges of our perception. Through her meticulous curation of visuals and soundscapes extracted from American and Vietnamese movies filmed in Southeast Asia, Trinh Thi invites audiences to delve into the untold narratives of Southeast Asia, revealing the interplay between colonial legacies, sensory experiences, and cultural identities.

Installation view of Charles Lim Yi Yong’s “Sumatra by the Side” (2023-2024), as part of Simryn Gill & Charles Lim Yi Yong’s The Sea is a Field at Block 37 Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Image courtesy of Charles Lim Yi Yong

The artist meticulously weaves reconstructed images of trees, leaves, and the sky alongside echoing soundscapes of dripping water, chirping crickets and birds, interspersed with visuals and sounds of the Jarai people from Vietnam’s Central Highlands. Through foregrounding these more-than-human perspectives, she draws attention to the interconnectedness of nature and all living things and celebrates the richness of the human condition, indigenous cultures and their knowledge systems. 

The exhibition space at the Engine Room was transformed into an immersive environment, with two prominent projection screens placed at the center, diagonally facing each other. “Conceived as an expanded cinema, the projected imagery differs from one screen to another at any given time, removing the experience of a single-screen viewing of 47 Days, Sound-less and encouraging visitors to instead prioritize a non-linear, exploratory mode of watching,” added Iskander.  

This design choice, coupled with the use of mirrors to reflect fragments of footage onto surrounding walls, invites viewers to engage with the work from multiple perspectives. Trinh Thi’s intention was to create an intimate experience that encourages audiences to re-attune their senses, as reflected projections activate the corners of their eyes, being peripheries themselves. 

The Sea is a Field

The SAM Fellowship Programme is a testament to the museum’s commitment to fostering artistic exploration beyond the confines of traditional exhibitions. It provides artists with the resources and platform to delve into research and collaborations that may not manifest as discrete artworks. In the spotlight of this program is the collaborative project between acclaimed artists Simryn Gill and Charles Lim Yi Yong, titled The Sea is a Field. Gill and Lim’s collaboration, rooted in their shared interests despite their divergent practices, epitomizes the spirit of this initiative.

Video still of Charles Lim Yi Yong’s “Sumatra by the Side” (2023-2024), as part of Simryn Gill & Charles Lim Yi Yong’s The Sea is a Field at Block 37 Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Image courtesy of Charles Lim Yi Yong

Gill and Lim’s project serves as an exploration of the links that connect their respective locales—Gill in Port Dickson, Malaysia and Lim in Singapore. Their journeys, documented through video, photography, and writing, captured the nuances of everyday crossings and migrations in the region. 

Aside from the practical need to travel between where the two artists live, the trips were also “an opportunity to explore the geography of this zone: the daily ferries that crop traders, workers and tourists take between the small port towns of the Malay Peninsula, Indonesian Sumatra and Singapore; as well as the unique weather patterns of the intertropical convergence zone and its shallow waters,” said Singapore Art Museum Curator Selene Yap. “The space between these two locations forms a geographical and relational in-between for the artists, and this installation serves as an evocative reminder of how the culture and climate of the region we live in shape the way we move through the world.”

Video still of Charles Lim Yi Yong_s _Sumatra by the Side_ (2023-2024), as part of Simryn Gill & Charles Lim Yi Yong’s The Sea is a Field at Block 37 Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Image courtesy of Charles Lim Yi Yong

The collaboration between the artists and curators Chanon Kenji
Praepipatmongkol and Selene Yap was pivotal in shaping the themes of the exhibition. Discussions centered around intersecting ideas on weather, art, climate infrastructure, and the politics of collecting, conservation and ethnography. 

The exhibition space at Block 37 of Tanjong Pagar Distripark, left in its raw state, became an integral part of the artwork—a site of convergence for the artists’ observations and sensibilities.The design of the exhibition emphasized vulnerability and sensory engagement. The warehouse's raw, unadorned interior provided a stark contrast to the regulated infrastructure of traditional gallery spaces, inviting visitors to engage with the artwork on a visceral level. The porous and organic presentation encouraged exploration, with the space itself serving as a medium for artistic expression.

Installation view of Simryn Gill’s “Untitled” (2014), as part of Simryn Gill & Charles Lim Yi Yong’s The Sea is a Field at Block 37 Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum

Nguyễn Trinh Thi: 47 Days, Sound-less runs until 14 April 2024 at Block 39, The Engine Room, SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Simryn Gill & Charles Lim Yi Yong: The Sea is a Field runs until 21 April 2024 at Level 1, Block 37, Tanjong Pagar Distripark.