video and found objects installation, Singaporean newspaper, scratch-it, house bills, pin, plastic signage, Chinese lucky cat, green apple.
STL is often seen as a means to improve one’s economic situation reflecting on the broader economic disparities in Filipino society. The metaphor of luck emphasizes the randomness in the distribution of opportunities and resources. Economic opportunities, akin to winning in a game of chance, are not evenly distributed. Instead, they may be seemingly random, creating a sense of unpredictability in the pursuit of a better economic situation.
The first and last clip portrays a power dynamic where one entity, symbolized by the dog, monopolizes resources by consuming all the food in the bowl while the cat, marginalized and weaker, struggles to access the same resources. This mirrors the prevailing socio-economic landscape where certain individuals or groups hold disproportionate access to opportunities and wealth, leaving others, akin to the marginalized cat to struggle on the periphery.
To what extent does greed, both at an individual and systemic level, contribute to economic disparities? How does the pursuit of wealth impact the distribution of resources and opportunities, creating a reliance on luck for economic advancement? How does corruption within political and economic systems impact the ability of common Filipinos to improve their economic situations? Does corruption contribute to a reliance on luck as a means of navigating a system perceived as inherently unfair?
《流動拼圖:來自菲律賓、柬埔寨的影像碎片》 Drifting Maps: Image Fragments from the Philippines and Cambodia 放映及分享 Screening and Sharing at the Louis Koo Cinema, Hongkong Arts Centre 4.1.2024