Becoming Again – Ran Hwang

With pins, beads and buttons, Ran Hwang weaves a transient tapestry in Becoming Again. Check out the installation in this photo tour.

The Third Floor, a cozy enclave at Hermès Liat Towers, is an art space within the flagship H store at Orchard Road. Unlike similar art spaces – such as the iconic Espace Louis Vuitton at the Island Maison, Marina Bay Sands – The Third Floor… stands out as being completely missable.

Becoming Again is a standalone piece taking over the entire Third Floor. Several full-height plexiglass line the walls, with the surface embellished with what appears to be sequins.

But the sequins are actually tiny beads and paper buttons, in many colours and sizes. Each of them is individually hammered into the plexiglass, which the artist describes as “a repetitive, meditative process”.

It is amazing to see the artwork from the back – a sea of protruding nails. But alas, too dangerous to walk behind.

The settings of beads and buttons on the walls are further overlaid with a multimedia projection. The landscape constantly warps with light – a video projection that lasts a few minutes.

But the details of the landscape, playing with space and time, are fleeting. Flowers blossom and fade into clouds, where a phoenix soars.

It is a fleeting renewal, a moment that is easily missed. Just like how we tend to miss the smallest details in the hectic frenzy of everyday.

Becoming Again is on display at The Third Floor, Hermès Liat Towers, from now till 31st January 2015. The gallery is part of the store, which is open from 10:30am to 7:30pm daily. Admission is free.