The Vault: #3.3 Scale 1:333333.333…

The third of the series, #3.3 scale 1:333333.333… is a bold spatial installation in response to selected themes from the play Invisibility by Quah Sy Ren.

Conceived as a multi-dimensional ‘organism’, this living installation highlights the ephemeral nature of relationships and the interchangeable, interdependent forces of life that exist in this larger world. Solid and gaseous CO2 is used as a key medium to embody the transitional becoming of a state. In this exploration of an organic spatial construct, the lifespan of a solid block of CO2 evaporating into thin air to that of an average human lifespan is to the scale 1:333333.333… .

Visitors will engage and contribute – by the presence of their energies in the space – to this environment, and may find themselves creating a place to disconnect and reconnect all at once.

In this series of three installations, the focus is brought to a theatre designer’s response to text. In the absence of a prescribed directorial vision, design collective INDEX connects directly with the play, interprets its narrative and re-imagines it using their specialized language of design.

Read more about the first of this series, #3.1 In/Visibility by lighting designer Lim Woan Wen, here.
Read more about the second of this series, #3.2 For The Time Being by sound designer Darren Ng, here.

About the Playwright
“Invisibility” was written by Quah Sy Ren and was first staged (in Mandarin) by The Necessary Stage in 1996. The mandarin play was translated into English by Sim Pern Yiau.

Playwright Quah Sy Ren is an associate professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Chinese division at Nanyang Technical University. His main research interests are in Chinese Literature and the history of Singapore Theatre. Quah also sits on the board of directors for Practice Performing Arts Centre and The Finger Players. In addition to Invisibility (1996), Quah has also authored other plays as well as written and edited several books.

INDEX
INDEX is a design collective winged under The Finger Players, comprising of spatial designer Lim Wei Ling, lighting designer Lim Woan Wen and sound artist/music composer Darren Ng. Finding common grounds in quiet aesthetics and subtractive work ethos, the collective focuses on design-centric installations and performances, using space, light and sound to weave meanings and narratives. While the three designers have been working together for a substantial number of years, the collective was kick-started in May 2013 with the performance installation IN:dex, presented under The Studio’s R.A.W series at the Esplanade Theatre Studio.

As a collective that focuses on design-centric installations and performances, INDEX is primarily interested in exploring the possibilities and potential of creating narratives using the elements of space, light and sound. In their third collaboration The Vault: #3 three, the three artists seek to experiment and further expand their vocabulary through developing a series of three entirely separate showcases based on one chosen script.

The third and concluding instalment of the "The Vault: #3 three" series, "#3.3 scale 1:333 333.333..." is a spatial-design response to Quah Sy Ren's "Invisibility".