Singapore, 1994
https://chong-lii.info
1. Beyond A Chamber That Externalises All The Time, or Séance
2. Doctrines
My work comprises of two moving image pieces:
1. "Beyond A Chamber That Externalises All The Time, or Séance" – 25 min
Three characters grow restless in a city where the urban trappings of identity and history are idealised and left unquestioned. They converge, only to entertain the notion of self- exile. In this volatile search for another reality, a strange and otherworldly theatre of their making begins to actualise. Set in Singapore’s protective yet fragmented environment, the country’s inherent archipelagic nature speaks to the elliptical and the absurd. A vapour of anonymity and madness, once in undertow, gently resurfaces.
2. "Doctrines" – 10 min
'Doctrines' presents a sporadic urban environment where volatile organisms and sentient objects coexist. Within such an existentially charged ecosystem, these strange vessels communicate in unpredictable ways. A telephone rings, and only a whispering voice can be heard. Commodified items with mirror-like properties begin to collectively function as an interface for sentient communication. Simultaneously tormented and consoled by these entities is their owner and the film’s protagonist, a lone human body carrying a seemingly abnormal condition. This otherness, so physically manifested and chronic, is diligently hidden from the world at large. The only empathy it receives comes in the form of a spectral daemon - an Eidolon. Propelled by intimations of illness, abjection, and the apparent trappings of genre, 'Doctrines' is an anti-combustible examination of wilderness.
Created by Chong Lii & Christian Kingo. Nominated for the 'Best Original Work’ prize at the EYE Filmmuseum's "Eye on Art Research Labs", 2019
