Shirin Rafie and Liz Liu from Wild Dot (Singapore) undertook two months of residency at Rimbun Dahan in 2023 (in May and November) investigating the colour palette of plants and unwanted materials in the space.
About the Artists
Wild Dot is a natural art studio from Singapore started by Shirin Rafie and Liz Liu, who hold backgrounds in illustration and ecology respectively. Through their combined interests, they specialize in artmaking with found pigments and fibers abundant in the spaces they work with, and also sharing their findings through designing playful experiences for other people. Their shared intention is to observe how (art)making can be an accessible way for more people to learn about the plants growing around them, and also deconstructing the material of the everyday object, ultimately working towards reducing their own reliance on mass-commercialized making tools and materials.
Prior to Wild Dot, Shirin is a digital illustrator and designer, having worked with clients in Singapore and the U.S. on designing educational board games. Liz is a nature educator, having worked at forest schools and also in the urban farming scene. She is currently a MA Research student at NTU, looking at how traditional craft practices can inform the present.
They have received the Good Design Research grant by National Design Council Singapore for their work exploring upcycled tree pigments, and are currently working on bringing natural colours into a preschool environment with the support of the SG Eco Fund.
Website: wildd.sg
Instagram: wildd.sg
About the Residency
What are the colours and stories that lie within Rimbun Dahan, and how would a natural art studio take shape within the given environment and space? In their two-month residency, Wild Dot seek to investigate the colour palette and making possibilities of the space, following their own curiosities about the plants and the unwanted objects available, and to distill their experience into a compilation of artworks and stories.