Born of the Yam (2026)
BORN OF THE YAM is an expanded cinema performance presented as a techno-mythological ritual of light and sound. Performed with multiple modified 16mm projectors and DIY machinery, 16mm film loops combining hand-processed and inkjet-printed sequences weave together fragmented visions from a mythic 11th century island, isolated in time.
The images draw from an imagined mythology – recurring across the artists’ Unending Island project – centred around the birth of a demigod from a yam. A cursed birth that made the demigod the sole source of sustenance, wielding an absolute hold through the islanders’ dependency. Between elation and fear, the demigod figure is gradually manifested through visions formed from yam eco-developer and vegetal interventions, fusing with 3D-rendered virtual island-scapes.
BORN OF THE YAM evokes the performativity of ritualism and idolization, to reflect on their surfacing in our modern political landscape. The event becomes a kind of collective “bonfire” fanned by the flames of obsession and fantasy. Drawing upon our deeper primordial instincts, the live happening unpacks the process where mythic idols become a direct reflection of us and our making.
Mark Chua & Lam Li Shuen 