meLayu (to wither)

*please click on image to be redirected to YouTube post.

This was an old idea that I kept in the sketchbook for ages; but when VWFA curator, Eva McGovern, invited me to be part of Tanah Ayer: Malaysian Stories from the Land, a group exhibition at Selasar Sunaryo Art Space in Bandung, I thought that it was time to finally produce this work. In the exhibition, this work was presented as 2 lightboxes and a 26" LCD monitor. The video presented in the center was an animated sequence of time-lapse shots of the withering hibiscus (or bunga raya, Malaysia's national flower); looped back and fourth, and overdubbed with breathing sound.

Unfortunately, I can't claim credit for this ingenious title, that came from Roslisham Ismail@ Ise. I couldn't think of a better title than this, so terima kasih, Ise! Other people I want to thank for helping me with the production of this work: Perez OlSkool, Nazim Esa and Sharil (Rythmatix).