Becoming Coconut
Becoming coconut, 2023
Coconut punctured and hollowed out by human, RaspberryPi3B+, 3.5 inch touchscreen, table, plastic straw, plastic spoon, coconut frond
Dimensions variable
In this work, a coconut sits atop a table. Within the coconut is a video of the artist consuming an identical coconut. As she sits at the table of a hawker centre with a coconut frond attached to her body, the artist brings attention to parts of the plant that are usually absent in the context of food markets.
Photo credits LASALLE College of the Arts
Breathing with Tree
Breathing with Tree, 2024
Thermoplastic aliphatic polyester
11 x 20 x 0.3 cm
A museum label sits in front of a large tree in the sculpture garden of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center. Though the material listed references only the synthetic materials used to produce the label, the title of the work brings attention to the act of breathing and the tree that quietly supports this biological process. Upon reading the label, the viewer inadvertently becomes aware that they form a part of an interconnected web that constitutes the work and the world.
Stay still
Stay still, 2023
Used coffee powder, soil, plant dust
Dimensions variable
Stay still was a text-based piece created from debris such as dust, decaying plant matter, and coffee grounds. The words “Stay still” were placed on the floor by the gallery and splayed into the space in such a way that entering became impossible unless the audience risked stepping on the work.
Photo credits LASALLE College of the Arts
Growth
Growth, 2023
Dimensions variable
UV print on acrylic sheet, sand, aggregate stone, concrete
Growth is an investigation into land use changes that come with urbanisation. The installation features photographs of Melaleuca cajuputi (gelam in Malay or samed in Thai) saplings that originate from a felled forest near the artist’s childhood home in Thailand.
While the newly cleared wetland awaited development, the saplings proliferated in the availability of sunlight – only to later be buried or cut down. Here the photographs seem to grow out of piles of construction materials—sand, concrete, and aggregate rocks. The inherent absurdity within Growth is intended to invite contemplation. Placing the images of saplings within materials that are poor grounds for nurturing life challenges viewers to question how we choose to support life on earth.
Referencing Robert Smithson's notions of site non-site, Growth directs attention beyond the gallery, emphasizing external locales undergoing transformation.
Terap on the loose
Terap on the Loose, 2024
Found terap leaves, found toy cars, glue
Dimensions variable
Fallen leaves roam the floors of the gallery in this kinetic installation, defying the expectation that dead things should be static. The leaves appear to take on lively personalities, demonstrating interests of their own as they traverse space in unpredictable patterns. As they move, they occasionally bump into each other and human visitors in the space. This work also challenges our perception of trees as stationary beings: lending the terap tree a set of wheels could suggest that trees are migratory species capable of moving and communicating across space.
Plant Consent
Plant consent, 2022
Ink on paper, asparagus fern, human, wind, video
21.0 cm ×29.7 cm; 3:34 minutes
In Plant consent, the Asparagus Fern situated at 2 River Valley Close, #18-01 and the artist enter into a relationship agreement by signing two consent forms.
Photo credits LASALLE College of the Arts
Found Library
Found Library, 2024-ongoing
Participatory project
Found Library, is a space for walking with, listening with, playing with, and imagining with more-than-human objects. Our collection is comprised of things encountered and collected by three artists (Isa Pengskul, Jerald Lim, and Zhai Qiutong) in their everyday lives. The wide range of objects on display can be loaned out so audiences can respond to and explore with the object over a period of time. Previous patrons of the library have submitted original poems, sculptures, videos, songs, in response to the collection.
Found Library was previously at @starch.sg and @islands.peninsula. We currently do not have a physical space, but are continuing to build our online archive at foundlibrary.net. We have ambitions reshape the website into an immersive and interactive experience where visitors can manipulate and play with objects to learn with things beyond mere observation.
Isa Pengskul is interested in challenging conventional modes of thinking about nature, culture, and the human/non-human dichotomy. Central to her exploration is the recognition that humans are embedded within and constantly shaped by their surroundings.
During her undergraduate years Isa studied Philosophy and Studio Art at Vassar College, NY. She completed her Master of Arts in Fine Arts at LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore. She is a recipient of the Winston Oh Award and has been nominated for the prestigious Takifuji Award. She has shown her work in the USA, Thailand, Singapore, and South Africa.