Constructing the 'sublime'
Atmosphere and Agency
Supervisor - Mr. Alan Tay
The project is a luxury holiday resort located on Lazarus Island, Singapore. At the crux of the thesis is the duality of hubris and insecurity which characterizes the development of the Southern Islands as well as of Singapore at large, an attitude which ultimately stems from a deep dissatisfaction with the ‘original’ nature of the islands.
The imported white sand beaches and coconut trees that dominate the landscape of Lazarus Island today represent an attempt to create an idealized version of an ‘island’ — that is, one which fits in with other ‘sublime’ beach destinations like Bali and the Maldives, and thus can contribute meaningfully to the state. In order to materialise this vision of the Southern Islands as the setting for high-end residences and a world-class resort, a whopping $180 million was pumped into land reclamation, infrastructure, and landscaping. The existing nature of the islands was thus upgraded by producing this domesticated, constructed image of nature in its place. As such, embodied in the islands is the attitude that we can build our own paradise, and that whatever we dream up can be achieved. But at same time, there are all the perceived inadequacies which both drive these ambitions as well as inhibit them. In spite of the massive investment made into preparing the islands, they have yet to make good in returns, as they were ultimately deemed to be too mediocre to ever succeed.
This thesis is a quest for the ‘sublime’ in boring little Singapore. It is presented through six episodes set in the resort, which each set out to respond to the duality of hubris and insecurity that colours the reading of the islands’ natures. These two dispositions, at once opposite and concomitant, produce the underlying tension in the project, which presents both surreal, simulated natures, and observed realities. The sublime is thus understood not only as an impressive image or moving experience, but also the absurd and irrational means of constructing it that are often taken for granted.
The first magical encounter with the island is from the ferry — back-lit by the rising sun, and shrouded in mist and fog. It’s a new face for the island, alongside the crescent-shaped lagoon with its white sand beach that has come to represent Lazarus Island. The long, heated pool that is used to generate this effect is just as natural as the beach, which was lifted from the seabed and pumped to the surface with stolen land. They are perfect complements: a little slice of land and a little slice of sea.
At the reception lobby, guests are treated to an island-style welcome. Nestled in the forested valley is this little bubble of respite from the muggy outside. Guests can sit back with an ice cold coconut as they drink in the fresh breeze, stirred by the hand-pulled fan swinging above. One need only switch off a little, sit back and relax, in order to believe that the air is coming from the faux-rusticity above, and not from the mechanical systems hidden below.
For dinner, a seafood barbecue feast has been prepared, fresh from the productive waters of Singapore. The barbecue smoke becomes a visual spectacle, filling up the cloud canopy right over diners’ heads. And right under their noses, comes tonight’s bounty — same day delivery, straight from the ports.
To end the night with a bang, guests are carted off to a special viewing point on the other side of the island. Every night, the bar is carefully calibrated to the flaring at the refineries on Pulau Bukom. As the flames light up the sky all night, the bar pivots, ever so slightly, to frame this midnight sun.
Finally, when it’s time to unwind for the night, guests can retreat to their private cabins. Situated amidst wild nature, they can truly be alone with their partners. Surrounded by lush greenery and looking out to the open sea, guests can rest assured that nobody is watching, save the creatures of the jungle, the moths, the lizards, and the sailor in that supertanker.
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