Membrane - A VR work by The Observatory and DuckUnit (31 Oct -16 Nov 2025)

About the Installation

Born out of the artists’ ongoing exploration into the world of caves, Membrane delves into a primordial past that intends to recreate a subterranean landscape. The installation brings together layered instrumentals, found sound, and Virtual Reality (VR) technology, inviting audiences to enter a multisensorial experience as they speculate on humankind’s enduring fascination with light, movement, and storytelling. Could ancient caves be our oldest cinemas? Membrane is an attempt to create a transformative, elemental space where the border between this world and the next might become porous.

Artists’ bios

The Observatory is a group from Singapore working predominantly with music and sound. Driven by curiosity, relentless reinvention, and critical engagement with a changing world, The Observatory’s experimental, interdisciplinary projects push the frontiers of performance, carving out transformative sonic and sensory experiences. The band’s current constellation consists of Cheryl Ong, Dharma, and Yuen Chee Wai.

About the Matters Matters exhibition

Reflecting on the Asian Film Archive’s role in the collection, preservation, and exhibition of the moving image over the past 20 years, Matter Matters approaches the archive through an archaeological lens where material remnants are gathered and cared for, offering varied interpretations of what could have been.

The exhibition runs from 31 October 2025 to 31 January 2026 at Oldham Theatre. Entry is free. More information: https://asianfilmarchive.org/event-calendar/matter-matters-sgbiennale25/

There will be a film programme in March 2026 at Oldham Theatre with Forum Lenteng, a Jakarta-based non-profit cultural collective.

Exhibiting Artists: Elsa Wong, Đạt Vũ & Trương Quế Chi, The Observatory & DuckUnit, Forum Lenteng