Drawing inspiration from the communities, buildings, architecture and art that once was on Armenian Street, PALIMPSEST is a poetic expression of the artists’ contemporary take into the history and evolution of the now pedestrianised street. This collaborative work by William Chan and Brandon Tay combines digital images, text and sound that celebrates the pulsating energy of Armenian Street – a site steeped in discoveries, experimentation, and discourse.

Comparing the evolution of Armenian Street to a palimpsest – a medieval wax tablet or parchment from which writing has been partially or completely erased to make space for another text, these multiple translucent screens can be seen as a series of connections, presenting the Street as a palimpsest both literally and metaphorically, inscribed with layers of meaning of “here and then” and “then and now”. Meanwhile, the deconstructed cube is a reference and critique to the “white cube” paradigm which alludes the move away from the traditional confines of the museum and art gallery spaces.

This artwork is co-presented by Singapore Art Museum and National Heritage Board as a programme of Singapore Night Festival.