I Am Not Afraid of Electronics 5

STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery

About Artwork

Playfulness conjoins with an increasing visual resuscitation for I Am Not Afraid of Electronics. What begins in all these works as an almost naïve challenge, over time develops a different character. While Zul’s playful works initially remind viewers of tic-tac-toe, over time, as we start to notice the embossed impression of electronic circuitry as if hiding from plain view and thus begs for our more precise attention, one is drawn into questions on the elusive nature of infrastructure. With this newfound perspective, the title thus takes on a more resonating meaning, that of a firm declaration against the covert systems which remain quite unknowable to us.

Also the most brilliantly-coloured out of all his STPI’s works, the bold primary colours are a mirror of the basic electronic circuitry that produces pure sinewave. This thus adds another visual layer in how we can enter the sound-focused artistic enquiry of Zul Mahmod.

Artist Profile

As one of Singapore’s leading sound-media artists, Zulkifle Mahmod’s (b.1975, Singapore) interdisciplinary and experimental approach to sound media has expanded the sensory experience of the visual arts. Formally trained in sculpture, Zul has expanded his practice to include live sound performances and sculpted sounds, which are produced by his ready-made gadget-instruments or sound sculptures. His practice investigates the aural relationship between these instruments and the architecture of space, which he terms “sound constructions’ or “sound-scapes”. Focusing on the sculptural qualities of the everyday objects that surround us, his works encourage close listening and an appreciation for the sounds of our urban environments.

Combining his long-standing interest in the aural and the resources available to him at the Creative Workshop, Zul’s body of work created at STPI explores the visualisation of sounds through prints. Working through this thread of enquiry, the artist uses basic electronic circuitry that produces pure sinewave as a starting point to capture the essence of time.

Following this trajectory, Zul examines how sounds/memories can be captured and stored, used and discarded, amplified through layering and adding textures (with some being amplified more than others), and finally, how there is the final imprint and composition in our minds. Such an exploration teases out the idea of how through the process of storing sound/memories, new narratives can be “created” via this procedure.

ZUL has exhibited across the globe. His notable initiatives include an industrial-sound inspired soundtrack in conjunction with an Antoni Tapies exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum and winning Singapore Straits Time Life! Theatre Award 2010 for Best Sound Design (RPM by Kafai/
Theatreworks).

Artist:

Zul Mahmod

Medium:

Screenprint; emboss on paper 9-part installation

Size:

32 x 32 cm each

Year:

2021