Crater Studios

Crater Studios
NUS Museum Singapore
Residency and Solo Shows

curated by Sidd Perez

As part of a six-month artist-in-residence program at the NUS Museum in Singapore, U5 opens the CRATER STUDIOS in the prep-room of the museum. The premise is to create portraits of 17 Javanese volcanoes out of the materials gathered in the broader Future Cities Laboratory / Singapore ETH-Center research project “17 Volcanoes - Figures in the landscape of Java” on tourism and urbanization.

Each volcano portrait is presented during an opening at the Crater Studios. The concept is to translate the impressions gathered during on-site excursions to the exhibition space, including parameters as scent, color, effort to climb, volcanic activity, weather, sound, etc. This approach represents each of the 17 volcanos in an abstract reproduction using all kinds of media and methods. The portraits are realized as installations, events and performances. In addition, a Singaporean artist commissioned by U5 translates the experience of the reproduction of the volcano in the exhibition space again into a further portraiture.

Among the volcanoes portrayed are „The White Crater“ (Kawah Putih), „The Fiery One“ (Merapi), "The Drum Mountain" (Galunggung), "The God Creator" (Bromo) and "The Huffing and Puffing" (Gede). While „The White Crater“ was portrayed in an installation-based setting, „The Fiery One“ led the visitor through the museum as a reenactment of the climb from the base camp to the crater rim of the volcano.