Hypermorph Garden 4.0 Virtual Tour
The extra-long interconnected paintings about the mangroves (2021/22)
Hypermorph Garden 4.0 Virtual Tour will take the audiences to overlook a massive piece of mangrove forest alongside the Merbok River and sneak into a doom tent to explore contents hidden in the mangrove. In the tent, a showcase of a series of paintings featuring flora, fauna and the historical remains at the mangrove forest in the Kedah state, Malaysia. The paintings also disclose my personal speculations about the histories and incidents embedded.
The mangrove forest has splendid salt-tolerant trees that it plays an importance role in protecting oceans and coastal areas. It provides a buffer zone to protect shorelines and improves water quality. Through Hypermorph Garden 4.0 virtual tour, I aim to initiate a public awareness about: 1) the importance of mangrove forest to serve as vital habitats for marine life and carbon sinks , 2) to put an end to mangrove deforestation, 3) mangrove forests are highly efficient at absorbing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to mitigate climate change and to control sea-level rise.
Hypermorph Garden 4.0 series has 15 pieces of mixed media paintings, which the content on each canvas is interconnected to each other, to elaborate a comprehensive scene around the mangrove forest. Each canvas is W122 x H152.5cm, the series has 15 pieces which they make the interconnected length to become 1,830cm.
Hypermorph Garden 4.0 was exhibited inside a custom-made dome tent situated at the entrance of the mangrove forest reserve at Jetty Semeling, Kedah State in Malaysia. Diameter of the dome tent was 10meters. The hemispherical space of the tent created an immersive environment with impressive peripheral vision of the series.
Check out the Virtual Tour below ~
Chapter 01
When the weather is clear, the Round-leaves Mangrove Apple trees blossom and bear fruits.
Chapter 02
The Round-leaves Mangrove Apple trees and White-flowered Holly Mangrove trees bloom at the riverside. Mantis shrimps, Asiatic Hard clams, Fan mussels, Monkey River prawns, Murex snails and Mud Creepers strand at the shoal. The birds - White-collared Kingfisher, Greater Coucal and Ashy Tailorbird hover in the sky.
Chapter 03
White-flowered Holly Mangrove trees, Small-leaves Orange Mangrove trees and Longtail Butterfly Rays live between sky and river.
Chapter 04
Small-leaves Orange Mangrove trees bloom along the river. In front of an empty gazebo, the Silver-leaf monkeys' family and a Many-lined Sun skink are resting. Golden Spotted Spinefoot and Golden Puffer fishes swim in the river.
Chapter 05
The siblings are catching fishes in the river. The dusky leaf monkeys hide in the mangrove forest.
Chapter 06
Small-leaves Orange Mangrove trees bloom. In the river, a group of Pickhandle Barracuda pass by.
Chapter 07
Small-leaves Orange Mangrove trees bloom along the river. The river is clean. Mount Jerai is green and the sky is clear.
Chapter 08
A stream flows from Mount Jerai into Merbok river. A Grey-headed fish eagle is looking for prey.
Chapter 09
The ancient iron smelting site was found. It is at the Sungai Batu Archaeological Site – the oldest civilized monument in Southeast Asia, a 4mins driving distance from Jetty Semelin.
Chapter 10
At the Sungai Batu Archaeological Site, a brick structure with possible floor features was found.
Chapter 11
The findings include remains of a ritual monument.
Chapter 12
The monumental archaeological findings are at Batu River which it connects to the Merbok River riverine network.
Chapter 13
My speculation inspired by Muller's morphs terms, 'hypermorph' means a mutation that causes an increase in normal gene function. The mangrove forest could have mutated, and it has survived on the concrete structures. Fishes, such as Longspine Tripofish, Barramunda, Tropica Sand Goby, ponyfish and a Many-lined Sun skink also survived from the mutations.
Chapter 14
Roots of the Round-leaves Mangrove Apple trees penetrated into the river bottom. A group of buccaneer anchovies, a ponyfish and a red snapper wander around the roots in the river.
Chapter 15
In this beautiful day, the Red Snappers daydream. Tiger prawns, Asiatic Hard clams, Fan mussels and Murex snails breathe on the river bottom.