Phenomenology of light and rhythms of the Earth

Application summary

Zen Teh’s multi-city research (Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Berlin) through walking workshops, collection of data, and open discussions on darkness and light has been continually expanding, not just in database but also in the dimensions of the project. Zen Teh first drew on experiences from her native Singapore, a city that is getting brighter and brighter largely due to urbanisation and increased surveillance in the name of security. In Phnom Penh, she met and started working with Cambodian multimedia artist Siden Kong on data translation and visual coding, where he produced animation and video projections using the database of photos and videos collected from Zen’s workshops. In Berlin, as part of her residency exhibition “Swallowed by darkness” in Künstlerhaus Bethanien, she collaborated with Malaysian dancer-choreographer SueKi Yee who had participated in the workshop and subsequently created a performance specific to her immersive exhibition. Together, the exhibition and performance at Kunstlerhaus Bethanien displayed the synergistic potential of the different art forms and media that Zen, Siden and Sueki practise. As a trio, they are now interested in moving forward with the research, delving deeper into how they can explore the phenomenology of light and rhythms of the earth through multidisciplinary means: soundscapes, multimedia data translation, movement, and tactile forms. This provides multiple entry points into the research as well as the interpretation, creation, and presentation of the data. Through artistic means, they’re interested in opening up a space where people can take time to process and discuss their embodied perspectives on light and darkness, and how these ever co-existing elements are inextricably linked to life rhythms, memories, pollution, urban development, safety and surveillance, environmental changes, accessibility of energy, and volatile global political states.