After receiving the brochure, I went inside where there are white Daruma dolls were lined up. A long wooden table on the opposite side created the ambience of a corner of a hawker center.

“MANY ICONS, ONE SINFAPORE” is a collaboration of Ishinomaki Lab. – a DIY studio that has been working as a local place of creation in Ishinomaki since 2011 – and Supermama, a gallery shop based in Singapore.

“MANY ICONS, ONE SINGAPORE”, Supermama × Ishimaki Lab, Photo © Singapore Tourism Board

White Daruma, which depicts the Merlion, a tablecloth with printed Hawker center food and some small plates of Arita-yaki with the images of the architectures in Singapore were exhibited. This artwork was an homage to kitsch souvenirs, which is a cultural icon of Japan and Singapore. The showcase explored the common aspect in values such as hope in a city and its renewal.

Upstairs there were three domes shining in silver. I entered the space of artworks where plastic plates that were filled with various kinds of flowers inside were hung. They were two individual works created by two different artists even though they looked like a single work because of the ambiance created by the shining silver in the light and plastic.

“MINDSCAPE”, Zul Mahmod × “EACH SOUND IS A FLOWER”, Plantica, Photo © Singapore Tourism Board

“MINDSCAPE” is a sound system dome that plays the street noise of Singapore, created by sound artist Zul Mahmud. It examines the conflict between the reality of contemporary society and sound in fiction. “EACH SOUND IS A FLOWER” is an installation with plastic plates, made by floral artist PLANTICA. This work created various movements in space because it swung and turned according to the movement of people. I could experience the sound not only aurally but also visually within the space, which consisted of two artworks. In addition, the street noise in the flower installation sounded as if it was the voice of flowers. As a result, it made me think about the diversity and strangeness of the sound that surrounds us.

I kept going up the stairs and there was a room with a flood of colors of the collaborative installation “XHE”, done by Diskodanny and Miho Shimizu. This space was filled with vivid colors shaped in triangles; there are big mirrors, poles covered by mirrors and various shapes of pillows.

“XHE”, Disko Danny × Miho Shimizu, Photo © Christopher Sim

They created an illusion that made you lose sight of where you were. It was also a confortable space despite being full of colors; some people were there to chat while the others were just sitting, deep in their thoughts. During the showcase, impromptu performances were held irregularly but I missed it unfortunately.