‘Intersection’ by Intersections Gallery, Singapore, is an exhibition about the encounter between poetry and visual art through the works of poet Marc Nair and visual artist Nicola Anthony. The exhibition consists of installation works, drawings by Nicola and an artist book. With ‘Intersection’, Marc and Nicola create an artistic map of London, Singapore and Yangon; while London and Singapore are Marc and Nicola’s home territories respectively, Yangon is a new space to both.

The encounter between Marc and Nicola naturally ended up in a collective project in which Nicola’s artworks not only reflect but even embed Marc’s poems. Nicola’s technique of hand burning her drawings with incense sticks subtly refers to Marc’s themes of faith and death; as with Marc’s poems addressing the passage of time and change, the dilution of watercolour ink on calligraphy paper epitomises our silent but constant transformations and the ephemeral nature of life.

By pairing neighbourhoods in their home cities, Singapore and London, in a completely strange city, Yangon, Marc and Nicola strive to express the secret links which bind any personal and national stories. Ultimately, they try to show how a universal dimension is often nested in any personal experience, beyond time and space.

Part one of this exhibition is a sculpture installation titled ‘Observatory’, which will be showcased at Singapore Contemporary Art Fair from 20 to 22 January 2017. The installation will then relocate to Intersections Gallery for part two of the exhibition.

‘Observatory’ is an immersive, interactive installation made from thousands of paper scrolls and light. ‘Observatory’ references the bird’s nest and the honeycomb structure of a beehive – a space that visitors can step inside to observe themselves and the world around them: a chamber of observation. For ‘Observatory’, Marc has written a series of short poems as part of the artwork. These are ‘windows’ into moments and lives, observed through the yearning of time and distance. Visitors are free to pick up these poetic fragments from the nest and even leave their own pieces behind.

This article was first published in Art Republik.