Artist Statement

"Between Two Bulbs" is a light installation presented through a short video. Set in a dark room, the installation comprises of two bulbs, each propped up on a stand to mimic the human height. Bulb A is a bulb that is made in Malaysia while Bulb B is a bulb that is made in Japan. Both bulbs are tethered to a discreet microprocessor that will be fed texts from two sources accordingly – “Tetamu Senja” a Malay puisi by A. Samad Said and “The Old Pond,” a haiku by Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō. The texts are deduced and programmed to pulse through each bulb based on the length of each word, length of each poem and the narration speed of the respective literature.

"Between Two Bulbs" is a commentary on the anthropology of machines and society’s perception of an outsider’s language and culture. Depicted using a generic household object i.e. the electrical bulb, complex computational and linguistic codes are deduced into a visual experience. The anthropology of the bulb is emphasised, placing the identity and origins of each wire, filament or chip that makes a bulb whole. The inanimate suddenly takes on life and forms relationships while leaving the viewer as an outsider, seen eaves-dropping into a deep, perplexing conversation between two bulbs.