Image & Sound of Fragrance (Little India, 2019)

Curated by Milenko Prvacki

Delia was intrigued and inspired to hear that many construction materials (bricks, roof tiles, and heavy ornamental objects) made their way to Singapore during the colonial period, as a trading and shipping strategy, to accompany the primarily favoured imported items- teas, spices, incenses (all of them lightweight) This contrast between the economic rationale behind transporting over the ocean tones of fired clay in exchange of subtle flavours meant to enhance people’s desire to savour fine smells and refined ‘exotic’ tastes, facilitated development of two strikingly opposed notions: the urban, solid, architectural milieu and immaterial daily pleasures.

An imaginary roof, with its tiles recollecting their journey from the land of origin to a faraway world, impregnated with smells, oils, perfumes, leaves, residuals, dust, colourful powders, covering like an embellished flying carpet dreamers’ home.