By Stanley Lui

The Fondation d’Entreprise Hermès presents "Resolution of Reality", an art exhibition by the 28 year old Singaporean artist, Joo Choon Lin.

Located on the Third Floor of the French luxury boutique at Liat Towers, Orchard Road, the non-commercial art space is holding the series of videos and installations that explorethe opposites between nostalgia and technology.

Joo, who was trained in the United Kingdom at the Glasgow School of Art, Scotland, is known for her vastly experimental stop-motion animation as well as her drawing, sculpturing and printmaking skills. Having first made her "Come Out And Play at 8Q!" solo debut at the 8Q Singapore Art Museum in 2009 followed by "Too Big In the Tank" at the Esplanade Tunnel for Singapore Art Festival 2011, "Resolution of Reality" is her third solo showing. Planned in a way as to encourage easy movement around the gallery room, this exhibition is made up of four segments, namely "Vaporised By Sunrise", the "Multi-Tier Fall", "Resolution of Reality" and "When Surface Betrays Solidity".

In her "Vapourised by Sunrise" stop motion animation series, Joo brings back personal memories and our nostalgia for old electronic devices through her crudely sculpted and yet strangely familiar Styrofoam models that melt into an unrecognisable waste. Leaving behind but a skull, perhaps to signify the constant change of technology and the death of the user tactile experience with the new wave of touch screen enabled gadgets. If visitors are make a slight effort in exploring the surrounding, they will discover the hanging remains of the props there were used in this film.

At the center of the exhibition space, hangs the "Multi-Tier Fall", a dot matrix printer producing a cascading roll of paper. The analogue strike pin inks a long and continuous flow of water imagery and the buzzing sound from the printing adds to the digital "waterfall" effect of the art installation. The "Resolution of Reality" segment has three versions: "Life", "Death" and "Spirituality". Partly shot during her time in Glasgow, each video offers a contemplative look at life through the distortion of the mirror reflective paper. Lastly, in "When Surface Betrays Solidity", Joo explores the relation between surface and solidity by projecting a fluid image of the silk-screened wooden grain texture on a stack of wooden planks. When the projected image is distorted by the water, our perception of the plank is momentarily shifted.

Telling the story of fragility behind the life and death of technology through new and unconventional methods widely considered to be outdated, the "Resolution of Reality" exhibition on the Third floor is one that reconnects audiences with past and reflects the integral role these electronic gadgets play in our daily lives. 

The exhibition continues from the 2 November to 16 December 2012 at 541 Orchard Road, Liat Towers, Singapore.