This project looks at the current status of the wild boar situation in Singapore. Without a natural predator, the population of wild boars here has exploded in the last few years. Wild boars are known to cause severe damage to the forest floor and the damage is very visible today in our central catchment nature reserves. The government has started to cull wild boars (one of the first to be culled was in June 2012 when a rogue boar attacked a boy) but this move was met with resistance from animal interest groups. Much of the debate hinged on ethical questions and the fear of upsetting a natural balance we did not yet fully understand.

This installation explores the different perspectives through which we observe nature, as well as the sense of uncertainty people feel about our interactions with nature. The concept of wilderness and nature in Singapore is defined by various systems of control - the media, official bodies, academia and animal rights lobbyists.

 

A vision of the universe
250cm x 150cm x 60cm
Diasec, Standing frame

 

Black holes #5
150cm x 100cm x 5cm.
Diasec, wood

 

Black holes #1

182cm x 102cm. Diasec, standing wood frame with pole

 

Black holes #2

182cm x 102cm, Diasec, standing wood frame with pole

 

Shooting Star
170cm x 110cm x 50cm
Piezographic print on linen inside a wooden cabinet with (5x) 3mm wide peep holes, Red LED lights

The peep holes allow the viewer to look at only selected parts of the image that is hidden in the cabinet.

 

The quieting and the alarming
Wood, Rope, Acrylic
220cmx 100cm x 260cm

Life-size replica of wild boar trap.

360 small holes drilled at the top panel of the trap to allow light to leak through. The small light leak is then reflected by an acrylic base in the trap.

View inside, The Quieting and The Alarming

 

Installation view at The Singapore Art Museum