SATANNI @SINGAPORE BIENNALE 2013

Exhibition
2013
Individuals from various creative disciplines work together, to create the Singapore Biennale 2013 collaborative project, Satanni. This particular project is the result of collaboration between Thai artists, designers and researchers, and it is a venue designed to house programmes and performances throughout the SB 2013 exhibition period.
Satanni, which means “station” in Thai, is a collaborative project seeking to present cultural activism as a critical domain of inquiry within contemporary art. Responding to the SB 2013 theme, “If the World Changed”, a central issue to the project is the reconsideration of the role and purpose of art, amidst a changing world in the 21st century where societies are still wrought with social and environmental problems. In Satanni, the projects are done by creators and innovators in Thailand whose practices attempt to respond directly to everyday social concerns.
Product designer Anon Pairot presents a selection of his designs, including Tape Collection, discarded objects and materials that have been transformed into functional furniture with tape, created through a workshop with museum volunteers. Artist Kamin Lertchaiprasert’s ongoing project “Non Being By Itself” takes the form of a collaborative workshop, exploring the notion of role models in society today, expanding upon avenues and possibilities of positive change. Addressing the pressures of fast-paced living amongst city dwellers is architect Patama Roonrakwit, whose practice in urban renewal in developing communities provide an insight into grounds-up solutions from the community. Chiangmai-based researcher Samart Suwannarat presents alternative approaches to community problems from his research on local wisdoms emerging from Southeast Asia. Presenting a vision of alternative landscapes of Singapore is Zcongklod Bangyikhan, editor-in-chief of Thai culture and lifestyle magazine a day. The founder of the popular a day Bike Festival in Thailand’s bike excursion here captures images of an off-the-beaten track Singapore, through the eyes of both Thai and Singaporean cycling enthusiasts.
At the heart of Satanni are the values of participation and process, and within the space is the documentation of the work’s development, as part of the process of creating an alternative communal space for the Singapore Biennale. Here, the potential for art to change the world is being presented through the lenses of sustainable design, research, urban planning and even leisure, and Satanni acts as a platform where these issues will be discussed over a series of workshops.