After being set amongst the ruins of an abandoned theme park in the past years, Jia CURATED found a home on the shores of Pengembak Beach, Bali for this year’s installment. It’s a unique location with multiple natural features like Sanur’s coastline, pine and mangrove forests, and a stream—making nature an important participant for how […]
‘More|Less’: Portraying the Hecticness of the Information Age
More|Less is artist Juileanne Ng’s new exhibit, which will be shown at Gravity Art Space till April 27. It’s her commentary on the information age, in a world where one can get facts and fiction in a snap.
Speed defines this current Information Age: not only can we transmit data almost instantaneously, but the advent of large language models like ChatGPT where one can create data almost instantaneously.
But as we wrestle with our new reality, we must also deal with its downsides. Large language models are known to give false or inaccurate information. False news now spreads faster than ever, as many people abandon the need to fact-check in favor of clicks and impressions. The hecticness has increased the inaccuracy of the information, not lessened it. It’s also given us more stress, not less, as worries about layoffs and joblessness abound in its discussion.
As society progresses forward to transferring data and news instantaneously, are we taking the time to contemplate the meaning of these advances? How are we as a society handling the way information travels in this world?
Fax Paper and Incense
Julieanne Ng’s work features fax paper burnt with incense sticks and stuck on glass displays. She utilizes the incense sticks to create circular patterns on the paper that look like to frequency waves. The fax paper burns in a variety of ways: some create blue circles around the burnt areas, others brownish or yellowish in color.
She combines bundles of burnt fax paper in different shapes and looks to create both waves and circles on the glass. The waves do evoke frequency waves from hospitals, radios, and such; but the circles in the work harkens back to the actual insides of hard disks and recorded material. It looks like coils of information, akin to the magnetic tapes in floppy disks and VHS cassettes.
An intentional byproduct of utilizing incense sticks for the look is that when hit by light, the burnt paper casts multiple shadows around itself, creating what looks like echoes of the waves of information that the paper represents.
“Burning evidently subtracts miniscule blotches from the fax sheet,” J. Jose said about her work. “In this interaction, shadows form on the wall, echoing the metaphysical. Burnt nodes shift to dazzling speckles. Their way of existing is changed simultaneously.”
Pushing Against the Immediacy
The use of incense sticks in the work was intentional for Ng. She wanted to juxtapose the “immediacy of infocracy” with the necessity of slowing down and meditating on one’s works. With the rush of content and discussion on everything happening all at once, she intends her work here to push towards the quiet.
“Today, rest is almost a subversive act to the digital chaos and society built around it,” J. Jose wrote. “And so, contemplation, pauses, and lulls preserve and nurture the nature of our being akin to the stars and heavenly bodies, reflected by mountains and whispered by rivers.”
The references of analog technology invites us to wonder about our digital realms. Like the frequency waves being only a representation of the technology itself, what does it mean to constantly be tied to a screen, seeking validation from people and things that are only a representation of the real? Are we understanding the reality of our lives through the technology we have created, instead of letting us dictate the technology we create?
More|Less arouses in us the need to step back and wonder about the technology we have today. Julieanne Ng’s work in this exhibit pushes against the rush and immediacy of our world, and invites the viewer to assess what we intend to do for it in the future.
Related reading: 4 Easy Ways To Get Rid of Paper Clutter
Just moments away from the bustling area of Bonifacio Global City is 171, a multi-level villa set on a 302-square-meter lot. M.CAL Architecture Design Studio, headed by Ar. Monique C. Albert-Lopez, built the residence as a minimalist modern sanctuary surrounded by landscaped gardens. This creative direction was drawn from the homeowners’ brief to create a […]
The World Architecture Festival (WAF) has announced its 2026 shortlist, with several Filipino practices earning recognition across a diverse range of categories. Across civic architectureArchitectureThe art and science of designing and constructing buildings, structures, and spaces that are functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing. It encompasses the planning, design, materials, and techniques used to createGo to […]
Located in Paroc, Pampanga is MQ Residence—a tropical-modern private residential home designed by Marikina-based architectureArchitectureThe art and science of designing and constructing buildings, structures, and spaces that are functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing. It encompasses the planning, design, materials, and techniques used to createGo to Architecture Glossary firm Arkisens, spearheaded by principal architect and co-founder […]
De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) will open its new campus in Aseana City, Parañaque. Occupying a 3,845-square-meter site, the new development signals a fresh chapter for the college, where architectureArchitectureThe art and science of designing and constructing buildings, structures, and spaces that are functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing. It encompasses the planning, design, […]
As one of Metro Manila’s established central business districts, Ortigas has grown into a vibrant center for business, commerce, and urban living, strategically spanning Pasig, Quezon, and Mandaluyong City. At the core of the district lies the Ortigas CBD, home to some of the country’s leading corporations and institutions. Adding a new dimension to this […]
Read the issues.
Collect the volumes.
Recommended Video
Tap to Unmute
Unmute
0:00
0:00