State Of Motion 2017: Through Stranger Eyes (SOM) is back as part of the annual Singapore Art Week, led by film researcher Toh Hun Ping and curator Kent Chan. Exploring how Singapore is portrayed internationally as well as locally in film, the events hopes to cultivate more interest and give more significance to different parts of Singapore by adding to its national narrative.
The five films picked for this year's edition are Ricochet (1984), Saint Jack (1979), The Wild Eye (1967), Ring Of Fury (1973) and In Search of the Unreturned Soldiers in Malaysia (1971).
Participants will have a glimpse of all five films, a bus tour to different locations featured on the screen and experience art works that respond to the films and the site. Bending space and time, participants are invited to look at Singapore through a different lens, beyond the every day, and dig deeper into our history. How do different groups of people view monuments erected in Singapore? Are there places that held more importance in the past compared to the now?
The constant questioning and immersive artworks will accompany you through the entire journey. SINdie has the privilege of attending the tour, and experiencing ourselves what the SOM team has prepared.
This is what the film screenings will be held, and how it looks like
from the outside. Very simple bars and lights to guide the pathway for
participants. There are interviews, artifacts and some posters to look
at in relation to the films.
The makeshift screen, Palimpest (2017) by Randy Chan
works as a cinema. This is the starting point of the tour and speaks
volumes about the site it is in (National Library Building Plaza). Made
up of mainly sheets and wooden sticks, it is an impressive sculpture
that holds its own dialogue even when no film screenings are happening.
Amanda Lee Koe's work responds to Saint Jack, and is held in a KTV lounge. Immersive, creative and lots of fun, it is a discovery of images and writings shown on the walls. It is one of our favourites for choice of location and how the work presents itself. To top it off, participants will view her music video No One Wants To Dance (2017).
State Of Motion 2017: SOM is still running until February 5th, with panel discussions, film screenings and more. Check out their website for more information.
You may browse the rest of our photographs on the tour at our Facebook page.
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Photography credit: Darren 'Merovign' Tan
Written by: Teo Dawn