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 an ongoing series that examines the economical, socio-political and ecological impacts of extractive capitalism, particularly through the lens of plantation economies in Southeast Asia. It positions the rubber plantation as a liminal space, neither fully natural nor entirely artificial, but continuously reshaped through human intervention and ecological forces.
Drawing from the physical act of rubber tapping, Turbine Tropics transforms this gesture into an abstract, infinite spiral. This spiral, reminiscent of the distinct patterns left by rubber tapping and the design of industrial drill bits, symbolise the dynamics of environmental degradation and regeneration, foregrounding the profound effects of resource extraction on local ecosystems. The installation incorporates collapsible storage crates as a framing device, reinforcing themes of mobility, transition, and liminality. Historically tied to colonial trade networks, these crates facilitate a comparative analysis between traditional plantation extraction and contemporary digital data extraction practices, revealing shared mechanisms of commodification. Both processes convert complex entities - land, labour, and data - into measurable commodities, perpetuating systemic cycles of exploitation across multiple contexts.
Turbine Tropics proposes alternative ecological relationships that challenge conventional capitalist frameworks, emphasizing how regional landscapes are continuously reshaped by global economic forces.
Graphic Design: Studio Darius Ou
Image Credits: Jonathan Tan
Turbine Tropics is an ongoing series that examines the economical, socio-political and ecological impacts of extractive capitalism, particularly through the lens of plantation economies in Southeast Asia. It positions the rubber plantation as a liminal space, neither fully natural nor entirely artificial, but continuously reshaped through human intervention and ecological forces.
Drawing from the physical act of rubber tapping, Turbine Tropics transforms this gesture into an abstract, infinite spiral. This spiral, reminiscent of the distinct patterns left by rubber tapping and the design of industrial drill bits, symbolise the dynamics of environmental degradation and regeneration, foregrounding the profound effects of resource extraction on local ecosystems. The installation incorporates collapsible storage crates as a framing device, reinforcing themes of mobility, transition, and liminality. Historically tied to colonial trade networks, these crates facilitate a comparative analysis between traditional plantation extraction and contemporary digital data extraction practices, revealing shared mechanisms of commodification. Both processes convert complex entities - land, labour, and data - into measurable commodities, perpetuating systemic cycles of exploitation across multiple contexts.
Turbine Tropics proposes alternative ecological relationships that challenge conventional capitalist frameworks, emphasizing how regional landscapes are continuously reshaped by global economic forces.
Graphic Design: Studio Darius Ou
Image Credits: Jonathan Tan