Singapore

Ben Loong

Singapore

Ben Loong

3 April - 31 August 2023

Expanding his ongoing enquiry into material infrastructures, Ben Loong will spend his residency investigating the history of brick trade in Singapore and mapping out the networks underpinning the employment of this material in the local architectural landscape.

Propelled by an interest in the conceptual frictions between art and craftsmanship, artistic and industrial labour, the artist intends to develop this research into a comparative study of masonry and ceramics, two techniques that have significant affinities in terms of materials but carry different class connotations. Focusing on existing sites such as local brick factories and heritage buildings made of bricks, he will also codify the schemas of bricklaying in an attempt to delineate different morphologies of brick architecture. This research will potentially culminate in a series of material experimentations and pictorial mappings of brick trade, bringing to the forefront the overlooked history of this material in the context of Singapore.

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