In pursue of more greenery, the Singapore state’s “City in a Garden” policy favours the ‘sanitised’ nature of parks over the wild nature. Island X - Feast portrays nuances of human intervention of nature in the water bodies of Singapore, representing a failure in the state’s attempt to keep nature’s wild side at bay. This series reveals the artificial creation of a landscape from the removal of the aquatic hydrilla plant (Hydrilla verticillata) and uncovers the ecology within. The non-native hydrilla plant is a natural water purification agent and was likely introduced into Singapore waters through the aquarium trade. The aquatic plant prospered and, subsequently, overwhelmed the habitat. As a result, reductive measures are enforced to control the overgrowth. Nature has resisted human control and reclaimed its dominance. Over the process, unexpected guests arrived. The grey herons and, especially aggressive, Javan mynahs swarmed to the ‘excavated’ hydrilla in search of an easy meal - fishes. While one organism dies (hydrilla), it sustains the others (Javan mynahs & Grey herons). An island, landscape and ecology have since emerged from the artificial removal of the hydrilla plant.

HD Video, aquarium tank with fishes, hydrilla verticillata plant & water quality monitoring system and self-programmed printer with daily data sheet of water quality.

Connecting a Rasbaerrypi to the water quality measuring device, it will be programmed to the printer automatically every day to print the water quality reading to record the gradual improvement of water quality overtime.

HD Video, aquarium tank with fishes, hydrilla verticillata plant & water quality monitoring system. Dimensions variable.