SINGAPORE — OH! Open House’s digital art walk, Days — and counting, returns this 19 February 2021 with the second season, The distance between us.
The distance between us continues to capture the surreal and strange times we live in through the lens of art and artists, picking up where the first season, Walls Crumble, left off. Where the first season delved into the home during the circuit breaker, The distance between us explores the ways in which we experience distance has changed. Audiences play as the Sleeping Man in a point and click adventure game set in the Sleeping Man’s bedroom, encountering seven artworks, and making choices in how they would like to explore the works.
Works featured in this season see artists working with different mediums, from a collaborative online diary by Bailey Wait, Lim Shi-An, Robert Wait and Tan Kheng Hua, an online zine by Berny Tan, a collaborative music video by Churen Li, Hell Low, Subhas Nair, Tim De Cotta and Weish, video game vlogs by Denise Yap, a mobile visual gallery by Ezzam Rahman, a lecture-performance by artist Lynn Lu, and an e-commerce site by Yen Phang.
The way in which audiences will experience The distance between us will also challenge how digital experiences are available 24/7.
The season is divided into four weekly-released episodes, with limited viewing times for each episode – available during certain times of the day, and only for one week. The viewing times are key to the experience to set the right mood, but also, to mirror certain topics explored by the artworks.
Each episode will focus on different thematic explorations of distance. Audiences can take up to two hours to fully explore each episode (more details below in the Listing Information).
“Season 2 explores ‘distance’ but not just as a pandemic measure. The commissioned artists explored it in terms of personal boundaries, relationships, and more. It was important to consider how audiences were introduced to such ideas and the artworks. We wanted to create an interactive and layered experience, more so than Season 1,” said Kirti Bhaskar Upadhaya, assistant curator of OH! Open House.
“We took inspiration from point-and-click video games like Kentucky Route Zero and Oxenfree. These games develop over time, and with every choice a player makes, opening up new stories and outcomes.”
The distance between us is released weekly starting from Friday, 19 February 2021. The first episode will launch at 6pm, Friday, 19 February 2021.
Listing Information
Title: The distance between us
Venue: www.ohopenhouse.online/daysandcounting
Time: Various timings
Duration: Up to 7 hours
Dates: 19 February 2021 – 19 March 2021
Admission: Donation-based season pass (recommended amount $15)
Ticketing: Eventbrite.sg
Description: The distance between us is the second season of OH!’s three-part digital art walk on the effects of COVID-19 on Singapore. The season investigates how we now experience ‘distance’ has changed, for example how we maintain and find new relationships in a pandemic. Seven local artists respond to the way distance manifests in our current reality. In this experience, audiences will continue to explore the story in the Sleeping Man (first shown in Season 1)’s bedroom over four episodes. Each episode will feature new objects in the Sleeping Man’s bedroom that reveal new artworks and narratives. Each episode will also be available only for a week at certain times to enhance the viewing experience.
Episode Release Schedule (all timings in SG time, GMT +8)
E1: Reality & Rest
19 February – 25 February, 6pm – 12am daily
Features works from Denise Yap and Lynn Lu
In this episode, the Sleeping Man is faced with a sobering reality. This pandemic is just one of many in human history. He escapes this reality by playing video games.
E2: Home Alone
26 February – 4 March, 12pm – 6pm daily
Features work from Ezzam Rahman
The Sleeping Man ruminates on how his home feels bigger but lonelier during such times. A text message from a friend sharing an artwork relieves some of the loneliness.
E3: Distance Kept, Distance Bridged
5 March – 11 March, 6am – 12pm daily
Featuring work from Berny Tan and a collaborative work from Churen Li, Hell Low, Subhas Nair, Tim De Cotta, and Weish
The Sleeping Man negotiates where he draws the line in such times. He stresses on keeping physical distance, but continues to reach out virtually to find love and companionship.
E4: Working Do, Making Through
12 March – 18 March, 12am – 6am daily
Featuring a collaborative work from Bailey Wait, Lim Shi-An, Robert Wait, Tan Kheng Hua and a work from Yen Phang
The Sleeping Man discovers that relationships are held together by various rituals people perform. And that maybe, that’s how he can overcome the pandemic.
