Panopticon:
ICU (I See You)
“new mode of obtaining mind over mind”
Graphite on paper
2019
860 x 860mm
- Jeremy Bentham, creator of Panopticon
Panopticon is a disciplinary concept brought to life in the form of a central observation tower placed within a circle of prison cells. From the tower, a guard can see every cell and inmate but the inmates can’t see into the tower. Prisoners will never know whether or not they are being watched. Such a system seems to manifest itself in the current technological era. There are eyes everywhere regardless of whether in reality or in the web. If an individual made a move that goes against the norms, their action would be made viral. Majority faced backlash and received malicious comments daily to the extent that it greatly affected their livelihood.
More on the work:
I have always been fascinated by human eyes. A popular phrase goes: it is the window to your soul; eyes do not lie.
The main intention of this work focuses on the issue of mass surveillance. Each of these eyes is a response from one responder. The question: 'May I take a picture of your eye' was asked before taking the picture of the responder. Some were sceptical when I asked that question as it is a wired question to ask out of the blue. Others responded neutrally as I know the responder well. So these changes the reaction of their eyes when their eyes were captured. Some looks everywhere but the camera, while some looked directly into the camera.
Carousel
Marker on hologram
2019
841 x 28 x 28mm
Carousel was the exploration of mark making with machines. Handheld fans were the chosen machine used in the creation. Hologram was incorporated so to imitate the sense of dizziness when viewing a fan for a long period of time. However, this sense of dizziness would translate into meditative calmness. Furthermore, to imitate the physical form, the final presentation involved a rotating device.
The work was named 'carousel' due to its similarities. Carousel turns by itself and also has vibrant lights surrounding the ride to attract people.
Death in Life:
In Life There Is Death, But In Death There Is Life
Each fingerprint is unique, it is the identity of an individual and the proof of his/ her existence of life. Personally, light and life go hand-in-hand; they are interdependence on one another. Without the existence of light, humankind will not have the ability to sustain and survive. On the underside, there is always a counterbalance. In order for light to exist, darkness has to be present; when there's a light source, a shadow follows. In life, there is always the underlying existence of death.
'In Life There is Death But in Death There is Life' is the enlargement of my own fingerprint; my being. It's surrounded with fingerprints of those whom I'm close to, those who are always there by my side, in some sense like a shadow. My being (fingerprint) is expanded which unveils the shadow that was once invisible to the eye through the use of a light source. With light, it showcases the relation of light and dark; the co-existence of life and death. Without light, there is no darkness; without life, there is no death. Thus, life can only exist with the presence of death.
Papercut and Graphite
2020
480 x 350 x 604mm
Material Meadow
Paper
2020
varied
Calmness in the Unknown showcases the interaction of light with the paper. The shadow gave the form a sense of loss, but it is that sense of loss gave birth to meditative calmness.