muf’s commission for the 2019 Singapore Biennale, Absentee Landlords, attempts to unpack the ties and tensions between ‘home’ and the housing market, asking: can you make a relationship with an absentee landlord?
The project’s starting point lies in muf’s involvement in Wood Green, a neighbourhood identified for increased housing density to meet the city’s targets for homes. In London, the provision of affordable housing is supported through the private sales of a percentage of homes. In a global market, Wood Green homes will be sold at property fairs, including those in Singapore.
A process of action research in the neighbourhood developed a brief addressing how the greater demand for open spaces could be met as the city becomes more densely developed. A series of interviews, consultation and discussions engaged with young people in exploring the public social life on the street – something which is both full of joy and highly contested. muf also worked with Studio 306, a non-profit enterprise of skilled arts and craft practitioners to produce handmade cushions, as a way of extending each brief into an opportunity to ‘make space’ for more.
Created in collaboration with Collage Arts and Objectif
Film made by Sara Graça
Video and seat with cushions made by Studio 306
Images courtesy of Singapore Art Museum
