be afraid only of standing still (variation)
       
     
2. stone text Murni sm.jpg
       
     
3. sleeve Mavis.jpg
       
     
4. roof seule Mavis.jpg
       
     
5. roof kid Mavis.jpg
       
     
6. bridge girl mid Mavis.jpg
       
     
7. high far Mavis.jpg
       
     
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9. escalator far Mavis.jpg
       
     
10. checktiles far Mavis.jpg
       
     
20. escalator people Mavis.jpg
       
     
11. stairs long Mavis.jpg
       
     
12. thatched roof 2 Mavis.jpg
       
     
13. cage3 Mavis.jpg
       
     
14. chair back Murni sm.jpg
       
     
15. bridge Mavis.jpg
       
     
16. kneel Mavis.jpg
       
     
17. upstairs Mavis.jpg
       
     
18. atrium Mavis.jpg
       
     
19. pram Mavis.jpg
       
     
21. susan esclator Mavis.jpg
       
     
22. susan2 Murni sm.jpg
       
     
23. pama Murni sm.jpg
       
     
24. bridge people Murni sm.jpg
       
     
25. sleeve pluck Murni sm.jpg
       
     
26. black stone Murni sm.jpg
       
     
27. black stone text Murni sm.jpg
       
     
28. black bench text kid Murni sm.jpg
       
     
29. text wood Mavis.jpg
       
     
30. text wet Murni sm.jpg
       
     
31. into dark Mavis.jpg
       
     
be afraid only of standing still (variation)
       
     
be afraid only of standing still (variation)

duration: 4 days, 6 hours each day
"Children's Biennale"; National Gallery Singapore; Singapore. 2017

Be Afraid Only of Standing Still (variation) is one part of a larger series exploring ideas of nomadism, movement, and travel. It places alongside each other text fragments of local schoolchildren’s stories of their ancestor migrations, and my grandmothers' dramatic escapes from communist China via cargo ship - with jewels tucked inside hair buns and sewn into the hems of their samfu.

Over a period of four days, I roamed the National Gallery adhering - using a concoction of human sweat and tears - text fragments of collective ancestor journeys onto surfaces of liminal spaces such as hallways, bridges, and corridors. As the moisture evaporated, the slips of texts fluttered off creating a new narrative of movement of their own. Visitors collected the slips as they discovered them, or rearranged them to rewrite histories and futures. Movement and instability are the crux of this ephemeral piece.

Costume by the nonpareil Annika-N.

photos by: Mavis Tan Zihua, Murni Khaliesah Binte Uda, Asghar Bin Abdullah

2. stone text Murni sm.jpg
       
     
3. sleeve Mavis.jpg
       
     
4. roof seule Mavis.jpg
       
     
5. roof kid Mavis.jpg
       
     
6. bridge girl mid Mavis.jpg
       
     
7. high far Mavis.jpg
       
     
8. bridges far Mavis.jpg
       
     
9. escalator far Mavis.jpg
       
     
10. checktiles far Mavis.jpg
       
     
20. escalator people Mavis.jpg
       
     
11. stairs long Mavis.jpg
       
     
12. thatched roof 2 Mavis.jpg
       
     
13. cage3 Mavis.jpg
       
     
14. chair back Murni sm.jpg
       
     
15. bridge Mavis.jpg
       
     
16. kneel Mavis.jpg
       
     
17. upstairs Mavis.jpg
       
     
18. atrium Mavis.jpg
       
     
19. pram Mavis.jpg
       
     
21. susan esclator Mavis.jpg
       
     
22. susan2 Murni sm.jpg
       
     
23. pama Murni sm.jpg
       
     
24. bridge people Murni sm.jpg
       
     
25. sleeve pluck Murni sm.jpg
       
     
26. black stone Murni sm.jpg
       
     
27. black stone text Murni sm.jpg
       
     
28. black bench text kid Murni sm.jpg
       
     
29. text wood Mavis.jpg
       
     
30. text wet Murni sm.jpg
       
     
31. into dark Mavis.jpg