Rattan Eco Sprawl: Manifesting the Forest

Zen Teh

Launching in Oct 2024
Spottiswoode Park (access path opposite Spottiswoode Residences)
Public outdoor work. Accessible at all times.

Rattan Eco Sprawl: Manifesting the Forest nestles in the lush greenery of a quiet spot in the neighbourhood. Constructed primarily from rattan, its wavy forms weave in elements from the natural world including mountains and mounds where insects dwell. Such formations have also inspired sacred monuments like the Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Live plants encroach the work’s exterior while a glimpse into the interior, with its lowered ceilings and narrowed passageways, suggests care, not just for plants and species that inhabit it, but also for the mind. Witnessed here is the same jostle between natural and manmade elements in the area: tree roots pushing their way through concrete pavements, destabilising fences and bollards, etc., as if nature is attempting to reclaim its territory. 

Rattan Eco Sprawl reflects on this entanglement of nature and urban development against the backdrop of a fast-changing Singapore landscape. It serves as a vessel for sonic encounters, embracing both manmade noise and the serenades of nature.  

Through engagements with rattan and wood artisans, an ecologist, and nonhuman residents, Rattan Eco Sprawl acknowledges the fragile, intertwined relationship that we share with nature, driving a collaborative need to bring old and new knowledges together for a sustainable future. 

About the Artist

Zen Teh is an artist and educator interested in the interdisciplinary studies of nature and human behaviour. Her art practice spans across photography, sculpture and installation art. As a research-based artist, Teh has initiated numerous collaborative projects with artists, art professionals and scientists over the years to investigate the impact of rapid urban development in Southeast Asia. Teh has exhibited in numerous group and solo exhibitions in Singapore and the region, including National Museum of Singapore, Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and ArtScience Museum, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Korea, Taiwan and Germany and invited as a guest speaker at environmental conferences such as UNESCO-UNITWIN 2021, ASEAN Powershift 2015 and Hanoi Innovation Week 2016 on Sustainability. In 2021, Teh received the Young Artist Award by The National Arts Council, Singapore’s highest accolade for artists under the age of 35. 

Education Resource

Learn more about artist Zen Teh and her latest public art commission Rattan Eco Sprawl: Manifesting the Forest with this education resource, suitable for ages 13 and up.

Explore the intersections of art and nature, and discover how understanding the concept, form, and materials of the artwork can help us reflect more deeply on our actions toward the environment.

This education resource is suitable for ages 13 and above.

 

 

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