a shapeless mass; a network of times

The Chinese Garden, located in what is now called the Jurong Lake Gardens, was closed for redevelopment in 2019. During this closure, its pagodas, gates, bridges, and other architectural features are still visible across the water, yet these are surrounded by scaffolding, construction vehicles, debris, and bare ground. Therefore, the Garden can only be experienced in fragments: in this scene, viewed only from a distance; in photographs, limited by their own borders; in memories, with all of their gaps and imperfections.

a shapeless mass; a network of times takes as its subject this iconic site of Jurong, and how it exists in people’s memories while in its inaccessible state. The project’s starting point was a pool of recollections contributed by members of the public. These responses ranged from the detailed and heartfelt, to the brief, vague, and even potentially inaccurate.

To embrace memories of all forms, the final installation was a machine-knitted “diagram” that translated these memories’ variations and commonalities into an abstract representation. My subjective analysis of each response was visualised and converted into machine knitting instructions using algorithms developed in the Singapore University of Technology and Design. Inspired by the frequent references to lantern displays during Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节) celebrations in the Chinese Garden, each of the 128 responses was knitted on a Shima Seiki knitting machine using polyester, acrylic, and thermal fusion bonding yarn, then heated over a mould to stiffen the knitted fabric into a lantern. The lanterns were hung to form two interlocking spirals that invite visitors to meander through this immersive installation.

Accompanying the main installation were three other elements: 1) a series of diagrams that documented the logic of translating the data into lanterns; 2) eight fabric scrolls that showcased the various stages of this process, from spreadsheet to sketches to code; and 3) a video documenting the fabrication process.

The title of this work draws from one translation of Jorge Luis Borges’s short story ‘The Garden of Forking Paths’ (1941). The two halves of the title represent the progression from “a shapeless mass” of this data set of memories, to the realisation of a textured “network” of memories that, even in all their differences, describe a common space.

a shapeless mass; a network of times was exhibited as the second cycle of Art in the Commons: Data Visualising Jurong, from 16 June to 11 September 2022. It was commissioned by Singapore Art Museum as part of their collaboration with Science Centre Singapore to embark on community-based art programmes within the Jurong district. The initiative is supported by Tote Board Singapore.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This installation was created in collaboration with the Digital Manufacturing and Design Centre at the Singapore University of Technology and Design. Special thanks to design consultant Quek Yu Han, with the support of Chia Pei Zhi, Kenneth Tracy, and Tan Ying Yi.

The fabrication process video was filmed and edited by Kee Ya Ting.
Photographs are courtesy of Singapore Art Museum.