A plant is perhaps the most efficient production house that exists. Absorbing carbon dioxide from the air, and water and minerals from the ground, in the presence of sunlight, they release oxygen back to the atmosphere and produce food—glucose and starch—for us all. Without plants, there will be no life on earth. I like to be reminded of this simple truth when I see trees and plants and forests. But more and more of the natural world is taken over by us, human beings. For the oshibori, I like to honor the plants whose leaves are used to wrap food, to serve on, for steaming and grilling to add flavors. We did this before plastic became used abundantly. A plant gives us much, and we often take that for granted. My oshibori features the bamboo, coconut, banana and lotus leaf, to wrap food from the different cultures in Singapore. Have you eaten any of these foods before?
Shirley Soh
International open call artist / Singapore
My art practice began with ceramics, a very tactile, craft-based medium, but I soon found its very grounding (earth, the elements, physicality, cycles) expanded my interests into agriculture, food, the environment, and ultimately, sustainability. But looking around and outwards didn’t make sense without a concomitant looking inwards. It became difficult investigating sustainable development without thinking about the sustainable personal. My current interests hope to integrate a more holistic, interdependent relationship between the external world and the personal. Drawn to the natural world, especially trees and medicinal plants, I have been involved in repairing and recycling, working with nature’s debris through notions of cyclical renewal.
Shirley Soh
International open call artist / Singapore
My art practice began with ceramics, a very tactile, craft-based medium, but I soon found its very grounding (earth, the elements, physicality, cycles) expanded my interests into agriculture, food, the environment, and ultimately, sustainability. But looking around and outwards didn’t make sense without a concomitant looking inwards. It became difficult investigating sustainable development without thinking about the sustainable personal. My current interests hope to integrate a more holistic, interdependent relationship between the external world and the personal. Drawn to the natural world, especially trees and medicinal plants, I have been involved in repairing and recycling, working with nature’s debris through notions of cyclical renewal.
