Tag Archives: SEASTATE

DD3006_06_Mapping Singapore

This week is my group’s turn to present and we are presenting on Mapping Singapore. As I researched more on the contemporary artist, I would like to write more on an artwork that even from researching it has made me think think and see things differently : SEA STATE by Charles Lim Yi Yong (2004-present)

Link: https://www.charleslimyiyong.com/seastate

At first, I really could not understand why one would do such a long term project and I tried to read more and more review (but most of them online would say the same thing and point with some rephrasing). I couldn’t find it until I decided to watch the film he produced (posted on the link mentioned above), and…..voila!

Watching it with the cinematography, sound etc was totally different than reading about it. It gives out the feeling, the tone and intention and most importantly it gave me the chill of message the artist trying to say.

My view was changed from merely artwork representing the different stages of the sea, into a basically warning alarm! It summarised the dangerous part of humanity that want to take over and control of the nature, colonialism of the nature in a way.

The stages show how the process started from something common and unusual but slowly but surely, has taken root and taking more and more over time and eventually claiming the nature for human to own.

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Even though in this case is specifically talking about and leading towards land reclamation, I feel this context and pattern is applicable to other things between human and nature in general. Something that seems so ordinary is actually leading towards something dangerous for the nature, which actually include the survival of mankind.

Maybe.. soon (real soon) should be the time to map our own boundary as a human…