In August 2024, Filipina visual artist Noelle Varela spent one month in residency at Rimbun Dahan.
About the Artist
Noelle Varela (b. 1993) is a Filipina visual artist who studied and earned her degree in Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines- Diliman. She mainly works with three-dimensional pieces and continuously constructs contemporary images using sawdust through flora and female imagery to depict female and women experiences, sensuality and societal standings.
Continuing my exploration around sawdust as textile during my residency, I delved into a more narrative imagery about finding familiarity — similar and the same, within a new environment to cope with the sense of place. There is a challenge for me to expand and allow myself to experience new places, to have myself familiarize and notice similarities between my home back in the Philippines and here in Malaysia has encouraged me to attain a sense of ease.
To establish one as ‘usual’, we ought to progressively obtain familiarity with the environment through routines, finding similarities and by building practical inhabitation around our surroundings. We tend to gravitate towards things and experiences that seem familiar to us, something we had experienced and played into beforehand to which our repetitive encounter with the unknown becomes familiar. There is a hand-in-hand relationship between our personal experiences and daily routines to the place itself. Our cognitive aligns with our intimate perception of reality — to be able to distinguish similar against ‘the same’ happenings. Activities revolving the practical use of the place and landscape afforded a sense of ease and belongingness.
For the Open Day, I will be showing a series of sawdust work and drawings in which both portray places and objects I interact with daily here in Rimbun Dahan. These images range from the path to and from my studio space and home, depictions of the daily routines I continued and imposed during my stay, familiar plants, interactions with the pets and areas in the house I inhabit with my usual doings. Places are experienced, new landscapes develop to “normal experiences” processed by the body and its senses.
From June to August 2024, Sabiq spent three months in residence at Rimbun Dahan.
About the Artist
Sabiq is a visual artist based in Bandung, Indonesia, born in Tasimalaya in 1994. His artistic practice explores the potential of sequential images across diverse mediums, including comic illustration, animation, code-generated art, and installation.
Typically, his main themes arise from the mundane, transforming everyday observations and experiences into visual narratives. His recent work focuses on the interplay between logic and aesthetics, seeking to find tension between these two seemingly disparate concepts.
At Rimbun Dahan, Sabiq tried to grow plants from the collection at Rimbun Dahan and observed them as they grew day by day. He took pictures of the plants almost every day.
During the residency, Sabiq continued his exploration of drawing with systems and nature as his main references. He sought to understand how nature grows and to imitate its processes using logical lines. He found it interesting because, while logic is often seen as stiff and rigid, nature is fluid and organic.
The main work he focused on during this residency was procedural animation. The animation had no traditional keyframes; instead, its movements were driven by instructions from a function, such as timeframe, randomness, noise, or oscillation. The values and parameters of the animation were based on the photos of the plants he took almost every day.
Malaysian filmmaker Gogularaajan Rajendran undertook a two-month residency at Rimbun Dahan from June to July 2024.
About the Artist
Gogu (Gogularaajan Rajendran) is a filmmaker based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He focuses on telling stories about Malaysian Indians, blending horror and humor through both provocative and poetic approaches. The short film “Walay Balay”, which he co-directed, premiered at the 2024 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. He received the Krishen Jit Fund for his ongoing project “Araro Ariraro”, documenting the stories of Malaysian Indian plantation workers. Gogu is also currently developing his first fiction feature film, “Kaali: Depth of Darkness”, which received the inaugural mylab FINAS Award and was featured at the 2021 Seapitch Bangkok and the 2022 Film Bazaar Co-Production Market in India.
Gogu developed his feature film project “Kaali” during a two-month residency at Rimbun Dahan. The peaceful and calm natural environment played a crucial role in helping him find the essence of the story and build its structure after conducting intensive research on how folklore, fairy tales, and myths can be translated into the medium of cinema. Below is the logline for the film, “Kaali”:
1966, a plantation bordering a lush forest in Malaysia. Kali (24) is a young wife and plantation worker of the Indian diaspora community who struggles with her mother-in-law Chellammal’s impatience to have an heir. She begins to feel accepted when she eventually gets pregnant, but a wrong decision triggers a miscarriage. Suddenly, Kali faces the wrath of Chellammal, who turns everyone against her. Left alone, Kali discovers her divine connection to the forest and uses it to take revenge.
Scenes from the Residency
Showing on Open Day, 25 August 2024
“Every day when I wake up, I open the window panels that overlook a beautiful pond filled with lotus flowers. This pond has become my best friend. I gaze into it, share my thoughts with it, and it returns some back to me. I observe it daily, noticing how it changes and connects with the people and animals around it. This is a love letter to the Rimbun Dahan lotus pond.”
Thai artist Naraphat Sakarthornsap is undertaking a one-month residency at Rimbun Dahan in August 2024.
About the Artist
Naraphat Sakarthornsap is a Bangkok-based artist whose work explores societal inequalities and gender discrimination through the medium of photography and installation. Flowers serve as central motifs in his practice, imbued with profound symbolic meaning. These floral elements function as keys to unlocking the complexities concealed within his work, often reflecting his personal and emotional depths. Naraphat’s early artistic inquiries focused on the ephemeral nature of flowers, mirroring a broader exploration of challenges imposed by the natural world. Over time, this interest evolved into a critique of societal power structures, as expressed through his floral imagery. His work invites viewers to look beyond the superficial beauty of his compositions and to contemplate the deeper messages embedded within them. In doing so, Naraphat’s work resonates with the experiences of many who grapple with societal norms and inequalities.
The complex visa application process and stringent document checks faced by many Asian citizens highlight the unequal treatment of people based on one’s country of origin as indicated on their passports. In a similar vein, the garden within Rimbun Dahan can be seen as a microcosm of a nation, where the gardener is the supreme ruler. Cultivated plants represent legal residents, coexisting with ‘outsiders’ such as grasses, weeds, and creepers whose seeds are carried by wind or animals. These uninvited plants strive to establish their presence and claim the right to exist within a space that isn’t their native habitat. Their presence creates conflicts within the garden’s ecosystem, sometimes competing for nutrients with the primary plants selected by the gardener, yet simultaneously demonstrating a desire to secure a place to survive.
The attempt to capture the individuality of these plants through black and white portraits against a white background is akin to passport photos that establish a clear identity, serving as a starting point for seeking residency. This is a way to affirm their existence and claim the right to live, even as unauthorized outsiders. However, the ultimate decision-making power rests with the gardener, leaving these plants vulnerable to expulsion or eradication. This raises questions about the circumstances of these plants’ existence as outsiders. Will they be granted the right to coexist with other living beings when all life seeks a better place to thrive?
A day of art and artists, in the 14-acre tropical greenery of Rimbun Dahan, 45 minutes from Kuala Lumpur.
On Sunday 25 August 2024, Rimbun Dahan will be open to the public, sharing new art works by our current resident artists: author Lim Wan Phing (Malaysia), filmmaker Gogularaajan Rajendran (Malaysia), visual artists Naraphat Sakarthornsap (Thailand), Sabiq Hibatulbaqi (Indonesia) and Noelle Varela (Philippines), and interdisciplinary artist Kiều-Anh Nguyễn (Viet Nam).
Free entry. Registration required for garden tour only (see below).
Schedule
9:00am-11:00am: Guided garden tour of our 14-acre native Southeast Asian arboretum and garden at Rimbun Dahan by Angela Hijjas. Meet at the front gate. Slots are limited, and registrations are required for the garden tour. Register here: https://forms.gle/C1e1d9jrzyPi57jX6
11:00am-1:30pm: Artists’ studios open to the public. Please visit and have a chat with the artist!
1:30-2:30pm: Lunch break; studios closed. You are welcome to bring your own picnic to enjoy in the garden; please take your rubbish with you.
2:30-6:00pm: Artists’ studios open to the public. Please visit and have a chat with the artist!
4-5:30pm: Sensorial Writing Workshop & Reading, by Lim Wan Phing [more info below].
Landmarks: Our front gate is opposite Warung Selera Ria and also next to the start of Lorong Belimbing. Do not enter Lorong Belimbing, please enter the front gate from the main road.
Tips for Visitors
We have parking inside the compound, along the driveway. Just drive in the front gate and park as indicated along the drive.
Bring your own mosquito repellent!
We are sorry, Rimbun Dahan is not a wheelchair accessible venue.
Wear practical shoes if you are planning to walk around the garden.
Bring an umbrella in case of rain.
No refreshments or water provided. Feel free to bring your own picnic, and enjoy it in the gardens; please clean up all your trash.
No pets, no swimming — thank you for your cooperation.
If you have any questions, please email arts@rimbundahan.org or WhatsApp Bilqis at +6017-3103769.
About the Resident Artists
Wan Phing Lim was born to Malaysian parents in 1986 in Butterworth, Penang. She lives in Penang and is the fiction editor of NutMag zine. Her first short story collection ‘Two Figures in a Car’ was published by Penguin SEA in 2021. Her second collection, ‘Adorable’ is forthcoming in 2025.
Naraphat Sakarthornsap is a Bangkok-based artist whose work explores societal inequalities and gender discrimination through the medium of photography and installation. Flowers serve as central motifs in his practice, imbued with profound symbolic meaning. These floral elements function as keys to unlocking the complexities concealed within his work, often reflecting his personal and emotional depths. Naraphat’s early artistic inquiries focused on the ephemeral nature of flowers, mirroring a broader exploration of challenges imposed by the natural world. Over time, this interest evolved into a critique of societal power structures, as expressed through his floral imagery. His work invites viewers to look beyond the superficial beauty of his compositions and to contemplate the deeper messages embedded within them. In doing so, Naraphat’s work resonates with the experiences of many who grapple with societal norms and inequalities.
Gogularaajan Rajendran is a filmmaker based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He focuses on telling stories about Malaysian Indians, blending horror and humor through both provocative and poetic approaches. The short film “Walay Balay”, which he co-directed, premiered at the 2024 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. He received the Krishen Jit Fund for his ongoing project “Araro Ariraro”, documenting the stories of Malaysian Indian plantation workers. Gogu is also currently developing his first fiction feature film, “Kaali: Depth of Darkness”, which received the inaugural mylab FINAS Award and was featured at the 2021 Seapitch Bangkok and the 2022 Film Bazaar Co-Production Market in India.
Sabiq Hibatulbaqi is a visual artist based in Bandung, Indonesia, born in Tasimalaya in 1994. His artistic practice explores the potential of sequential images across diverse mediums, including comic illustration, animation, code-generated art, and installation. Typically, his main themes arise from the mundane, transforming everyday observations and experiences into visual narratives. His recent work focuses on the interplay between logic and aesthetics, seeking to find tension between these two seemingly disparate concepts.
Noelle Varela (b. 1993) is a Filipina visual artist who studied and earned her degree in Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines- Diliman. She mainly works with three-dimensional pieces and continuously constructs contemporary images using sawdust through flora and female imagery to depict female and women experiences, sensuality and societal standings.
Kieu-Anh Nguyen (b. 1997) is an interdisciplinary artist based in Hanoi, Vietnam. She enjoys creating spaces to foster inclusive conversations around underrepresented bodies and narratives, notably about women. Her art practice has foregrounded olfaction as the core line of inquiry to explore memory tracing and care practice, as it has taken the forms of participation and soft sculpture, and often suggests travels between time, spaces, and sensory experiences. Her work has been exhibited in various spaces, including VIVA ExCon, Vietnamese Women’s Museum, Asia Art Archive and documenta fifteen.
About Rimbun Dahan
Rimbun Dahan is the home of Malaysian architect Hijjas Kasturi and his wife Angela. Set on fourteen acres outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the compound of Rimbun Dahan is a centre for developing traditional and contemporary art forms. It features buildings designed by Hijjas Kasturi, as well as two early 20th century traditional Malay houses from Perak and Penang, in an indigenous Southeast Asian garden environment which has recently been awarded arboretum status. Rimbun Dahan is private property, and is only open to the public on Open Days.
Malaysian writer Lim Wan Phing is in residence at Rimbun Dahan for 3 months from July to September 2024.
About the Author
Wan Phing Lim was born to Malaysian parents in 1986 in Butterworth, Penang. She lives in Penang and is the fiction editor of NutMag zine. Her first short story collection ‘Two Figures in a Car’ was published by Penguin SEA in 2021. Her second collection, ‘Adorable’ is forthcoming in 2025.
About the Residency
Wan Phing is working on her third short story collection. The plong trees found in Rimbun Dahan have inspired her first piece, entitled ‘Spirit of the Plong’. It has been completed, workshopped and submitted to speculative fiction magazines online. Her current work-in-progress is another short story, tentatively titled ‘Paris’, inspired by the moulded and woven sculptures created by Kristi Chen, a recent resident artist, from Canada.
4-5:30pm in the Dance Studio at Rimbun Dahan, Sunday 25 August 2024
Engage with the senses as you participate in short, guided writing exercises, inspired by the nature and architecture of Rimbun Dahan. Describe sights, sounds, smells, touch and taste using clear, vivid and imaginative prose as we find inspiration in our immediate surroundings. Wan Phing will read from her own current works created at Rimbun Dahan.
Bring your own pen, notebook, or write on your phone or tablet. Pen and paper will be provided just in case. Free entry, just show up, no need to register.
Faye Abantao, a visual artist from Bacolod, Philippines, joined us for a two-month residency at Rimbun Dahan from May to June 2024.
About the Residency
During her time with us, Faye explored various printmaking techniques and advanced her project, Withering Memories. This ongoing series, which she began in 2020, evolves into its third installation titled What Becomes of Memories if There’s No One Around to Remember Them? This collage-based, wall-bound mural talks about the ephemeral nature of memory and the existential query surrounding its legacy in the absence of witness.
A combination of various medium—photographs, tearing and the use of paper as a material—each representing a different aspect of memory. The photographs depict fleeting moments of joy and mundane routine, now suspended in time. Tearing conveys intimate thoughts and unspoken words, slowly blurring into oblivion. These layers peel off eventually, leading us to reveal different memories, the vulnerabilities and our intricacies. Paper, with its worn texture, symbolizes the decay and erosion of physical remnants over time.
It raises a question: Do memories have any meaning beyond the minds that contain them? And if a recollection is an individual’s own story or narrative, a subjective perception of reality, what becomes of it when the person who told the story is no longer there to tell it? Memory in the real sense refers to human collective memory and experiences—our histories, cultures, and societies. Without preservation and transmission these too would be lost into nothingness.
It is a challenge to consider how we choose to preserve our memories and the stories we leave behind. In an age where digital archives are vast yet volatile, the permanence of memory becomes even more uncertain. The interplay of traditional and modern underscores this tension, prompting reflections on how future generations will access and interpret the past.
About The Artist
Faye Abantao (b. 1994) is a visual artist from Bacolod City, Philippines. She captures an essence of culmination in her multifaceted art practice. She makes homogenous the panache of creative impulses such as origami, print, digital art, photography, collage and painting.
The focus of her artistry is weaving in stories from the used books and archive of photographs that she uses into the diorama presented through her work. It visually represents herself with profiles and portraits of the human condition. It imitates life through the impact of culture and experiences to individuals. Her art establishes a link between the collection and deconstruction of altered digital images that presents a realm of memory and experience. These images have been noted for their distinct aesthetics and use of monochrome, which are common threads throughout her work. Whether depicting a personal experience, a portrait, or solitude in a peculiar context, they stand apart.
Writer and editor William Tham joined us from Petaling Jaya for a two-month residency from May to June 2024.
About the Residency
William has written novels, short stories, and creative nonfiction, and is particularly drawn to topics rooted in the twentieth century. His writing project at Rimbun Dahan centres around the 1927 visit by Rabindranath Tagore to Southeast Asia, engaging with questions of translation, interpretation, and politics in a time of change. Its epistolary structure is particularly inspired by Zhang Ruihe’s short story “Driving North” (2023) in The Second Link: An Anthology of Malaysian and Singaporean Writing, which engages with similar themes.
Tagore, despite being better known for his poetry and fiction, was also a philosopher who engaged deeply with key questions of a nascent modernity. Having navigated the nineteenth to the twentieth centuries in British-ruled India, where anticolonial foment would take the form of nationalism, he deeply pondered ideas of nation and tradition, modernity and spirituality—ideas which are addressed here. William’s work approaches Tagore by interrogating the act of translation, and in the process, what also emerges is a story about the aspirations and imaginaries of Tagore’s contemporaries: the peoples of Malaya/Nanyang/Tanah Melayu and their imagined nation-to-come—as well as the unease associated with these rapid political changes.
About the Writer
William Tham is the author and editor of several books, as well as an editor-at-large for Wasafiri. His writings have appeared in PR&TA, NANG and The Best of World SF: Volume 2, among others. He also co-edited The Second Link: A Malaysia-Singapore Literary Anthology and has an interest in literary and cultural studies.
A day of art and artists, in the 14-acre tropical greenery of Rimbun Dahan, 45 minutes from Kuala Lumpur.
On Sunday 30 June 2024, Rimbun Dahan will be open to the public with a special program of events investigating fiction, documentary film and the archive, curated by current Malaysian resident writer William Tham, as well as an installation art project by resident artist Faye Abantao from the Philippines.
Free entry. Registration required for garden tour only (see below).
Schedule
9:00am-11:00am: Guided garden tour of our 14-acre native Southeast Asian arboretum and garden at Rimbun Dahan by Angela Hijjas. Meet at the front gate. Slots are limited, and registrations are required for the garden tour. Register here: https://forms.gle/C1e1d9jrzyPi57jX6
11:00am-1:30pm: Faye Abantao’s studio, with her work What Becomes of Memories if There’s No One Around to Remember Them?, will be open to the public. Please visit and have a chat with the artist!
1:30-2:30pm: Lunch break; studios closed. You are welcome to bring your own picnic to enjoy in the garden; please take your rubbish with you.
2:30-6:00pm: Faye Abantao’s studio open to the public. Please visit and have a chat with the artist!
2:30-6:00pm: Imagining historically: Conversations about fiction, film and (informal) archives, curated by William Tham — more info below.
Imagining historically: Conversations about fiction, film and (informal) archives
Why are we continuously compelled to visit and inhabit a historical time and space. What are the ways in which we do so? History plays an outsized role in how we situate ourselves today, whether in Malaysia or abroad, and our programme negotiates these questions through three media: fiction, documentary film, and the archive.
In this Open Day event on 30 June 2024, William Tham, the outgoing writer-in-residence at Rimbun Dahan, will read an excerpt of his new short story, “The Boundaries in Men’s Hearts”, which is set during the visit of Rabindranath Tagore to Southeast Asia in 1927. Rather than attempting to reproduce the past exactly as it was, his story focuses on questions of translation and interpretation through its epistolary format. He then moderates a discussion with Caleb Goh, discusses the appeal of thinking archivally – whether by reconstructing the personal libraries of readers past, drawing insights from the audial contents of gramophone records, or restoring heritage mechanical devices. Finally, he discusses the making of documentary films with Chan Seong Foong, who reflects upon her involvement in work such as Five Tigers (dir. Victor Chin and Por Heong Hong, featuring the stories of female Parti Rakyat Malaysia activists during the 1960s), as well as the ethics and process of documentary making.
Our casual programme invites you to have a conversation with us and to (re)consider what it means to think historically.To set the mood for these sessions, we will be holding this session in the Rumah Penang, a restored 1920s’ Anglo-Malay house relocated to Rimbun Dahan from George Town, Penang. You are welcome to stay for the full programme or to drop by for specific sessions, as per your preference. The full itinerary is as follows.
2.30pm: First screening of Five Tigers. The film will be played on a loop throughout the day.
3pm: Event 1 – “Book reading: The Boundaries in Men’s Hearts” by William Tham
3.30pm: Event 2 – “Thinking archivally” with Caleb Goh
4.00pm: Event 3 – “Reflections on documentary-making” with Chan Seong Foong
4.30pm: Teatime and further conversations
Some simple refreshments will be provided – participants are encouraged to bring their own bottles and containers too. Expect plenty of interactions!
Landmarks: Our front gate is opposite Warung Selera Ria and also next to the start of Lorong Belimbing. Do not enter Lorong Belimbing, please enter the front gate from the main road.
Tips for Visitors
We have parking inside the compound, along the driveway. Just drive in the front gate and park as indicated along the drive.
Bring your own mosquito repellent!
We are sorry, Rimbun Dahan is not a wheelchair accessible venue.
Wear practical shoes if you are planning to walk around the garden.
Bring an umbrella in case of rain.
No refreshments or water provided. Feel free to bring your own picnic, and enjoy it in the gardens; please clean up all your trash.
No pets, no swimming — thank you for your cooperation.
If you have any questions, please email arts@rimbundahan.org or WhatsApp Bilqis at +6017-3103769.
About the Resident Artists
Faye Abantao (b. 1994) is a visual artist from Bacolod City, Philippines. She captures an essence of culmination in her multifaceted art practice. She makes homogenous the panache of creative impulses such as origami, print, digital art, photography, collage and painting. During her two-month residnecy at Rimbun Dahan, Faye explored various printmaking techniques and advanced her project Withering Memories. This ongoing series, which she began in 2020, evolves into its third installation titled What Becomes of Memories if There’s No One Around to Remember Them? This collage-based, wall-bound mural talks about the ephemeral nature of memory and the existential query surrounding its legacy in the absence of witness.
William Tham is currently a writer-in-residence at Rimbun Dahan, the author and editor of several books, as well as an editor-at-large for Wasafiri. His writings have appeared in PR&TA, NANG and The Best of World SF: Volume 2, among others. He also co-edited The Second Link: A Malaysia-Singapore Literary Anthology and has an interest in literary and cultural studies.
About the Invited Guests
Chan Seong Foong is a cultural activist involved in social/ documentary film-making. Aside from that, her interests lie in the sociology of religion and educational development. She has worked with international agencies on youth and women’s advocacy, as well as in funding and project management. She has had many years of experience in community organising, particularly with young women workers.
Caleb Goh Hern-Ee was born and raised in Muar, Johore. He is a collector of media in all forms, especially those related to the way of life in old Malaya. His interests range from architecture, fashion history, the development of the local music industry, to the Separation of Singapore and the modern political history of Malaysia. He currently practices law in Kuala Lumpur, where he now lives.
About Rimbun Dahan
Rimbun Dahan is the home of Malaysian architect Hijjas Kasturi and his wife Angela. Set on fourteen acres outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the compound of Rimbun Dahan is a centre for developing traditional and contemporary art forms. It features buildings designed by Hijjas Kasturi, as well as two early 20th century traditional Malay houses from Perak and Penang, in an indigenous Southeast Asian garden environment which has recently been awarded arboretum status. Rimbun Dahan is private property, and is only open to the public on Open Days.
Sunday 19 May, 7:30pm The Dance Studio at Rimbun Dahan The work-in-progress performance will last about 30 minutes, followed by Q&A and discussion. Free entry, no registration required.
Présenté par Groupe A – Coopérative Culturelle [FBIG] Artistic direction : Pascal Marquilly [FBIG] Sound composition : Rodolphe Collange [FB] Video creation : Nicolas Tourte [FBIG]
Performances of wayang kulit in Kota Bharu, Kelantan Shadow puppets and discordant sounds A mythological tale and childlike smiles
A border in the far North A few soldiers and congested roads A makeshift vehicle
The moucharabiehs at Jahar Palace Set against a backdrop of lace, the play of light glides across the floor Spaces preserved from the furnace
White-hot beaches and sparkling waves Insects sizzle in the sunshine A few temples here and there, the voice of the Muezzin
All around, the forest, impenetrable and imperious A misty green mass, teeming yet fragile A few coloured sparkles
Gaping holes, exploitations Palm groves as far as the eye can see Ribbons of tar smoke
A city bristling with grey towers An amorphous underground panorama Upside down
Humid, dense air Threatening low clouds Electrically charged skies and sudden storms
In Selangor, a haven of peace A few barks and fleeting ghosts A botanical garden and facetious monkeys
The haughty words confine conversations The night defies the darkness Dark silhouettes outline the azure sky
This heat…
————
We carried out an initial creative residency in April 2023 at Rimbun Dahan. We have sketched out a mechanical shadow theatre that aims to question our representations of nature. After a month’s work, we’re adding to it with new research and trial and error. In the night, we no longer seek the light, but rather the darkness.
Puisqu’on regarde les étoiles c’est qu’elles sont à quelqu’un nécessaires…
Direction artistique : Pascal Marquilly [FBIG] Composition sonore : Rodolphe Collange [FB] Création vidéographique : Nicolas Tourte [FBIG]
————
Des représentations de Wayang Kulit à Kota Bharu, dans le Kelantan Des marionnettes d’ombres et des sonorités discordantes Un récit mythologique et des sourires enfantins
Une frontière à l’extrême Nord Quelques militaires et des routes encombrées Un véhicule de fortune
Les moucharabiehs du Jahar Palace Dans un écrin de dentelles des jeux de lumière glissent sur le plancher Des espaces préservés de la fournaise
Des plages chauffées à blanc et les vagues scintillent Des insectes grésillent sous le soleil Quelques temples ci et là, la voix du Muezzin
Tout autour la forêt, impénétrable et impérieuse Une masse verte brumeuse foisonnante pourtant fragile Quelques éclats colorés scintillent
Des trous béants, des exploitations Des palmeraies à pertes de vues Les rubans de goudrons fument
Une ville hérissé de tours grises Un panorama clandestin amorphe Sens dessus dessous
L’air humide et dense Des nuages bas menaçant Un ciel chargé électrique et des orages soudain
Dans le Selangor, un havre de paix Quelques aboiements et des fantômes fugaces Un jardin botanique et des singes facétieux
Les paroles altières confinent les conversations La nuit défie les ténèbres Des silhouettes sombres dessinent l’azur
Cette chaleur…
————
Nous avons effectué une première résidence de création en avril 2023 au centre d’art Rimbun Dahan. Nous avons esquissé un théâtre d’ombre mécanique, qui a pour ambition de questionner nos représentations de la nature. Nous augmentons celui-ci, après un mois de travail, de nos nouvelles recherches et tâtonnements. Dans la nuit, nous ne cherchons plus la lumière, mais bien à rejoindre l’obscurité.
————
All monochrome works pictured on this page: scalpel cut on 250gr Bristol paper
