Here, There, Nowhere

For
Tang Ling Nah
In
Scope
Print Design

We were approached by Tang Ling Nah, a local artist we love (we were taught by her when we were students in LASALLE-SIA!), to help design her book, which was part of an exhibition titled You Are Not a Tourist, in August 2007.

This exhibition was a little different, as it wasn’t held in a venue like a gallery. Most of the work were sited in public spaces, like the shopping district in City Hall, Suntec and Marina area in Singapore. In a sense, the artwork was brought to the public, rather than the public being dragged to a gallery to view the work.

Ling Nah’s artwork made heavy use of her drawings; drawings she made at the various locations in the shopping district. Her book (a small, palm-sized booklet, was put at these same various locations. The curious who did pick up her book would be encouraged by her drawings and text to recreate her journey through the spaces, to walk in her shoes per se, and to take time to quietly contemplate the forgotten corners and spaces depicted within.

The layout of the book was very much led by how we wanted the viewer to follow her footsteps. Her drawings were punctuated by stray charcoal marks, the text (by film maker Willie Koh) unassuming and scattered, mere promptings rather than narration.