Garden of Light

Category: Time-based

The team behind Khalifah are Syafiq Alia’m (contemporary artist), Darween Reza (M&E engineer) and Hilman Nordin (software developer). The team has known each other since 2020 and collaborated on several projects. They aim to converge art and technology in this work by combining the different skillsets from each contributing member and create something striking and meaningful. The installation serves as a testament to both human ingenuity for productivity and insanity. Introducing Khalifah, an interactive installation that invites you to engage in the art of paper cutting. In this installation, the robotic hands symbolise the power and responsibility of the choices that we have to make every day, where most of the choices now involve technology. The main parts of the robotic arm are made from a repurposed bomb disposal robot created by a local startup company.

Darween developed the robot and led the company to pitch the idea, securing a government grant to develop the robot that was sent from one door to another. Syafiq saw the opportunity to bring the robot back to life by giving it another task - to help people attain some meaningful insights in decision-making and technology. Syafiq has transformed the original robot into an art piece - with Hilman implementing the programming that interfaces the robot and a touchscreen controller for the visitors to experience the narrative. As we move towards more technology in our daily lives, we must stop and think if implementing it is the right choice. This installation touches on planetary health themes and encourages us to be brave enough to make decisions that benefit the Earth.

Category: New Media