Cinerama 2018

Cinerama 2018 - Pretentiously Southeast Asian

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Cinerama 2018 - A Perspective

If I had to describe the entire gallery, it would be “Pretentiously Southeast Asian”.

Yes, there are many elements of Southeast Asia such as the wonderfully calming Falim House: Observations and the abstractly simple Scanning, but most of the other exhibits felt disconnected from the tagline.

That said, I did enjoy the exhibit as a whole. It was strange and alien to someone like me, but there were some pieces that really made me feel and I really enjoyed.

At the same time, some of them felt too pretentious and abstract for me and I couldn’t appreciate them.

I’ll be listing the exhibits from my least to most favourite, from the perspective of someone who’s never been exposed to contemporary arts.

Links to the artists’ personal sites can be found by clicking the “HERE” links.

I’ll also be giving you a way to experience the exhibits without being there, right from the comfort of your own home.

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10) The Man Who – Victor Balanon

Victor’s piece was abstract and technically impressive, perhaps a bit too much so.

It was confusing and unnerving in all the wrong ways and, though I was enthralled by the stop-motion and strange directing, it made me feel uncomfortable the longer I stood there watching.

It didn’t help that the music, which was a sort of droning noise, amplified the feelings of strangeness and isolation.

You can read more about Victor HERE.

Reliving the Experience: Find some white noise and put on some headphones, then turn down the lights and look up “cubes” on Google.

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9) AK-47 vs. M16 & AK-47 vs. M16, The Film – The Propeller Group

This piece by The Propeller Group was possibly worse than The Man Who, but it was saved by how relatable and easy to understand it was compared to that abstract piece, so I rated it higher.

The first piece was a block of ballistics gel with a bullet embedded in it. The second was a film that cut together many action flicks into one.

The whole experience was dull and uninteresting. It was great to see and recognise some scenes from the film as movie I’d watched before, but those feelings were fleeting and didn’t enhance the artistic experience.

I did appreciate the cutting and combining of clips to give the film some semblance of a plot, however.

You can visit their site HERE.

Reliving the Experience: Watch an action movie.

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8) A White, White Day – Jeremy Sharma

Jeremy Sharma’s gallery has a penchant for whites and blacks and this piece is no different. It’s a grainy, pixelated and blurred version of Korban Fitnah, an old film made in Singapore that aired in 1959... Not that you’d know at first glance.

It was meant to show how our memories would degrade over time and I think it did manage to capture that sensation.

However, the exhibit itself was just a 4x3 board of screens that were mostly white with blurry grey blobs moving around.

It was painfully boring to watch and I found myself straining my eyes after a while thanks to the brightness contrasting against the dimly lit room.

You can see his aforementioned gallery HERE.

Reliving the Experience: Turn off the lights in your room and get it nice and dark, the find a Youtube video of white noise and set it to 240p.

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7) Zsa Zsa Zsu – Tromarama

This poppy and peppy exhibit was next to The Man Who and was a nice departure from the blacks and whites that filled the previous room.

Screens showing the music video in question were hooked up to headphones and placed across the walls.

Though it was pleasant enough, it didn’t feel particularly artsy to me. It was a music video and I appreciated the technical skills of stop-motion using buttons and beads, but it just felt like that: a music video.

The song was catchy, if a little generic, and the connection to their hometown was a pleasant surprise that explained the use of textiles for the video.

Their site, on the other hand, is wonderfully artsy. You can check it out HERE.

Reliving the Experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3ZW8NONmlw Here’s the video, go watch it.

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6) Maze Out – Oomleo

Oomleo’s piece is a commentary on the state of Indonesia’ job industry and is made of a sticker mural accompanied by a video and what I can only describe as loud, obnoxious chiptune.

This was displayed right outside the museum, in a glass-walled room by the road.

The mural itself was very awe-inspiring, both in its size and detail.

The music, however, ruined the experience. It was made much worse by the fact that you could hear it outside the exhibit, so you couldn’t get away from the chiptune.

If I didn’t know what was going on, I’d probably hurry past after a passing glance. Not the best first impression for a contemporary art exhibit.

You can check out Oomleo’s Instagram HERE or his personal site HERE.

Reliving the Experience: Get one of those sticker books and a bunch of stickers, then arrange you own scene while listening to a 10-hour loop of chiptune blasting from your speakers at max volume.

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5) Making Chinatown - Ming Wong

Ming Wong’s homage to the classic noir film Chinatown was the first exhibit that I somewhat truly enjoyed. It was immersive and interesting to see how he played every single important character in an artificial movie set.

However, what are the chances you’ve watched the original Chinatown, the 1974 film?

I know I haven’t, and I’m sure most of you who’re under the age of 60 haven’t either.

Thus, it was hard to connect with the movie and the emotional scenes lost their impact when you watch Ming Wong hire Ming Wong to spy on Ming Wong.

You can visit Ming Wong’s personal site HERE.

Reliving the Experience: Watch the original Chinatown and pitch-shift it down so everyone sounds like a guy.

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4) Wear You All Night – Sarah Choo Jing

From here on out, I genuinely enjoyed these experiences both as art and as something I could somewhat relate to.

The first one was Sarah’s Wear You All Night, a commentary on materialism and distance in this day and age. This piece also provided the header for the site.

From the first moment you enter, you’re gripped by the two screens and the protagonists going through their rituals, mirroring each other without knowing.

I could feel the distance and the emotions even without any dialogue.

It was genuinely unnerving but, unlike The Man Who, it was unnerving in a good way. The product placement seemed out of place, but they were part of the piece and I could feel what Sarah wanted it to make me feel.

You can learn more about Sarah’s art HERE.

Reliving the Experience: Visit a perfume store and look wistfully at the products. Atmospheric music optional, but highly recommended.

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3) A Distracted Path Towards Extinction – Korakrit Arunoandchai/Alex Gvojic

Note: The original name for the piece was “There’s a word I’m trying to remember, for a feeling I’m about to have (a distracted path towards extinction)”.

... You can see why I had to truncate it a bit.

This was a delightful acid trip of a movie. Maybe I was swayed by the comfy pillows, but the exhibit was wonderfully atmospheric and immersive. 

The movie was abstract and confusing at times but had enough narration and plot that I could at least follow it to some degree.

The exhibit’s minders were, for the first time, a bit of a nuisance.

I understood the need to protect the piece, but did you really have to tell everyone to kneel at the back wall away from the comfy pillows which were placed there so you could be more immersed in the experience?

You can visit Arunoandchai’s site HERE and Alex’s site HERE.

Reliving the Experience: Get the biggest, softest pillow you have and lay on it. Turn down the lights and watch a post-apocalyptic movie.

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2) Scanning – Amy Lee Sanford

I’m a sucker for history and this piece was delightfully tranquil. In the process of scanning and preserving letters from her mother and her biological father, she made a piece of art that really struck a chord with me.

Sitting there, even without the headphones, was comforting in a way. You got to watch the letters go by and, even though you couldn’t read them closely, you caught glimpses of the love between the two and the stories they shared.

Very pleasant and I’d love to just sit there for hours watching, but alas the museum closes in the night…

Click HERE to visit her personal site.

Reliving the experience: Find some letters or photos and start scanning them, thinking of the stories they tell.

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1) Falim House: Observations – Hayati Mokhtar

My favourite exhibit, hands down.

In the process of documenting the historical Falim House in Ipoh, Hayati Mokhtar gave us a sensory experience that was both sad and comforting.

Watching the still images suddenly come to life for a few moments with the bark of a dog or the rustle of papers was a stark reminder of how time never stops.

The piece itself gave me this warm feeling in the pit of my chest the first time I saw it. It was like watching history change before my very eyes.

If I could go back and wander around again, I’d do so in a heartbeat.

Sadly, she doesn’t have her own website. However, there’s a very good discussion about her other pieces and some other perspectives about Falim House: Observations HERE, by fellow Malaysian artist Zena Khan.

Reliving the Experience: Find some old building or unexplored area nearby and walk around it in the evening, taking in the sights and sounds.