Shelter 1.0, 2012

Public installation, black tent, ink on cotton fabric.

Shelter 1.0, a black tent, was designed to infuse the social experience in the process of production to instigate the connection and interpersonal of society. On the street, the by passers were invited to response to a prompt – “what are you protesting for?” – by crawling through the long extended entrance and write their remarks inside the tent. The entrance leads to a white enclosed interior that implies a private safe space and assures their remarks can be inscribed freely.

Installed at six public locations around Kuching area in Sarawak, the project attempts to instigate dialogues, conversations, and discussions in the public. This is a discernible recount of the democracy revolution movement in 2012, where numerous demonstrations and occupations took place from the Arab Spring to the Occupy Wall Street as well as Bersih 2.0 rally in Malaysia. The installation confronts the public and alludes to the urgency of social and political instigation of our time. It may deem as an occupation or a street survey, but moreover a situation where communal relations emerge.

Hings Lim
Sarawak, 2012

Installation views


Remarks by the participants