Turbine Tropics, 2023
Black collapsible crates, two-channel video, (colour and sound), 11min
Render_TurbineTropics_01,
Render_TurbineTropics_02, 2023
Direct UV print on silver dibond, 800mm x 800mm
Frieze Seoul, Focus Asia
Seoul, South Korea
Presented by Yeo Workshop Singapore
Black collapsible crates, two-channel video, (colour and sound), 11min
Render_TurbineTropics_01,
Render_TurbineTropics_02, 2023
Direct UV print on silver dibond, 800mm x 800mm
Frieze Seoul, Focus Asia
Seoul, South Korea
Presented by Yeo Workshop Singapore
Link to Video
Turbine Tropics is the first iteration of an ongoing series exploring extractive capitalism and Southeast Asian plantation narratives. While plantation corporatism is central to the work, access to these sites remains elusive, their invisibility shielding them from scrutiny. Yet, monoculture plantations serve as a lens through which geopolitical entanglements become apparent. Integrating Homi K. Bhabha’s theory of liminality, the rubber plantation emerges as a space in flux, neither wholly natural nor artificial, but in a state of constant transformation.
Emulating the visceral act of rubber tapping, Turbine Tropics transports viewers into an otherworldly dimension that spirals infinitely. The spiral, reminiscent of the herringbone pattern of rubber tapping and the twist drill bit, signals the enduring impact of colonial extractivism and its continued presence today. It embodies the dual forces of destruction and regeneration, mirroring the relentless cycles of resource exploitation that shape local ecologies. Unlike the vortex, which violently pulls everything toward its center, the spiral allows movement both inward and outward, signifying resistance and reclamation. The work envisions alternative ecologies beyond capitalist modes of extraction, picturing how regional landscapes are continuously molded by global forces.
The installation is framed within collapsible storage crates - objects that evoke movement, transition, and liminality. Historically tied to colonial trade networks, these crates symbolize the circulation of resources, labour, and ideology. They also draw parallels between plantation extraction and contemporary data extraction, where vast networks of servers store and process digital information as though it were a physical crop. Both systems operate under a paradigm of commodification, reducing labour, land, and data into quantifiable units for harvest.
Graphic Design: Studio Darius Ou
Image Credits: Jonathan Tan
Turbine Tropics is the first iteration of an ongoing series exploring extractive capitalism and Southeast Asian plantation narratives. While plantation corporatism is central to the work, access to these sites remains elusive, their invisibility shielding them from scrutiny. Yet, monoculture plantations serve as a lens through which geopolitical entanglements become apparent. Integrating Homi K. Bhabha’s theory of liminality, the rubber plantation emerges as a space in flux, neither wholly natural nor artificial, but in a state of constant transformation.
Emulating the visceral act of rubber tapping, Turbine Tropics transports viewers into an otherworldly dimension that spirals infinitely. The spiral, reminiscent of the herringbone pattern of rubber tapping and the twist drill bit, signals the enduring impact of colonial extractivism and its continued presence today. It embodies the dual forces of destruction and regeneration, mirroring the relentless cycles of resource exploitation that shape local ecologies. Unlike the vortex, which violently pulls everything toward its center, the spiral allows movement both inward and outward, signifying resistance and reclamation. The work envisions alternative ecologies beyond capitalist modes of extraction, picturing how regional landscapes are continuously molded by global forces.
The installation is framed within collapsible storage crates - objects that evoke movement, transition, and liminality. Historically tied to colonial trade networks, these crates symbolize the circulation of resources, labour, and ideology. They also draw parallels between plantation extraction and contemporary data extraction, where vast networks of servers store and process digital information as though it were a physical crop. Both systems operate under a paradigm of commodification, reducing labour, land, and data into quantifiable units for harvest.
Graphic Design: Studio Darius Ou
Image Credits: Jonathan Tan