The Net: (Most Definitely Singapore River)

On the wall here hangs an installation titled The Net. And that's exactly what it looks like: a large fishing net, measuring about three and a half square metres, or 11 feet by 11 feet. The net hangs loosely from the ceiling to the floor, like the nets fishermen hang out to dry. The work's subtitle, Most Definitely Singapore River, tells you more. Tangled in the net are what might look like pieces of debris, in irregular shapes and various colours. They represent the rubbish from boats, farms, and local businesses that once filled the Singapore River. Instead of fish, the net catches the rubbish. Teo’s installation was a social critique of the river’s environmental state at the time. In the 1970s, the government undertook a clean-up of the heavily polluted river. The shapes of debris on The Net are good examples of paperdyesculp, a term Teo invented for sculpting dyed papier-mâché. Teo developed this technique in the 1970s after he abandoned oil painting. Why? Teo said it was a conscious effort to find a new medium and break away from his Western training. He innovated with paper, a material deeply rooted in Chinese tradition. Teo placed the pieces randomly on the net as if they were adrift aimlessly in water. Some are spaced apart, others overlap. Some are long and thin, others circular, and some in unnameable shapes. Some have rough surfaces, others smooth. Most pieces are in yellowish-brown shades, many others in reddish tones. Still others are in black or blue. Teo's The Net is also a playful commentary on how other artists often painted the polluted Singapore River in romantic and nostalgic scenes. His net is a tongue-in-cheek response to the overrepresented portrayal of the river in the works of prominent artists in Singapore.