The Rise And Fall Of 1°17′N 103°50′E, 1°5′0″S 75°55′0″W–A Circular Journey

(Singapore Biennale 2013)

When Sai was young, he often wondered what lay on the exact opposite side of the world from Singapore — what kind of life and environment existed there. That childhood curiosity became reality when, as part of a commission for the Singapore Biennale 2013, Sai travelled to South America, to Yasuni National Park in Ecuador. This location lies almost directly opposite Singapore on the equator.

In Yasuni, Sai lived in the rainforest and was hoisted up into a 50-metre-tall tree everyday, where he spent time at the treetop to film the sunrise and sunset. Meanwhile, back in Singapore, his collaborator recorded the sunrise and sunset at the same time. Together, they documented the rising and setting of the same sun from two opposing points on the globe — an artistic and poetic act of simultaneity.

This effort became The Rise and Fall of 1°17′N 103°50′E, 1°5′0″S 75°55′0″W – A Circular Journey, a two-channel video installation accompanied by a series of photographs, capturing the sunrise and sunset in both Singapore and Yasuni National Park.

Through this work, audiences are invited to experience these two locations side by side, and to reflect on their connections and contrasts. The installation reveals the distinct historical, cultural, and political forces that have shaped each place, while also drawing attention to the environmental challenges that threaten both landscapes today.

“Sai has travelled to South America — Ecuador to be exact, which is situated exactly at the opposite end of the equator from where our sunny island is. In his two-channel video installation, The Rise And Fall Of 1°17′N 103°50′E, 1°5′0″S 75°55′0″W – A Circular Journey, Sai documented the sunset and sunrise in Singapore and Yasuni National Park in Ecuador.

Audiences will get to experience images of Singapore and Yasuni National Park, heightening awareness of the shared and differing historical, cultural and political contexts that have shaped these two places, including the environmental issues that continue to challenge their survival.”

(by Mysara Bte Mohamad Aljaru, excerpt Todayonline, published October 18 2013)