A Stitch In Time by David Medalla
19 Jan 2018 – 01 Apr 2018
National Gallery Singapore
Stitch in Time is the first in David Medalla’s series of participatory works. Since 1968, the artist has been inviting audiences around the world to collaborate in the making of the work by stitching a trace of themselves onto it. To mark its 50th anniversary, A Stitch in Time embarked on a new chapter in Singapore.
Paying homage to the Dutch artist Piet Mondrian, a trio of blue, red and yellow fabrics journeyed into Singapore’s heartlands. Over six weeks, members of the public embellished them with stories inspired by casual greetings, the wish to remember and be remembered, and the reciprocity and dual role of the spectator as maker. This collaborative piece is displayed at the Gallery’s Coleman Street Entrance.
In the Auditorium Anteroom, a rainbow of coloured threads and needles dangles over an expansive white cloth. Audiences are similarly encouraged to sew their names, poems, images, or small keepsakes representing personal memories or impulses onto the cloth.
A Stitch in Time embodies the ongoing dialogue between the artist and his participants, specific to the different places that it has travelled to. While the artistic process has been the same over the past five decades, every stitched memento is unique, creating new stories wherever the work is exhibited.
The work was inspired by Medalla’s serendipitous encounter with a handkerchief at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, many years after he had given it away to an ex-lover at Heathrow Airport in London. Like the artist, A Stich in Time has continued its adventures in love, life and art around the world, travelling to cities from London to Utrecht, Kassel, Edinburgh, Texas, Berlin, Paris, Lisbon, Tokyo, Barcelona, Johannesburg, Kiev, Sao Paolo, Venice, and Rome. It represents the beauty and spirit of chance, fluidity, spontaneity, and randomness.
About David Medalla
David Medalla (b. 1938, Philippines) is an internationally-acclaimed artist living and working in London and Berlin. His unpredictable and playful approach to art-making has made him difficult to categorise, but Medalla is increasingly recognised as a significant figure in the development of installation, kinetic and participatory art. His practice deconstructs the idea of sculpture as solid, timeless and monumental by creating objects and situations that can never be repeated and are continually changing form.
Press release courtesy: NATIONALGALLERYSG@brunswickgroup.com
Cover image credits:
David Medalla
Philippines
1968-Present
Mixed media
Adapted for National Gallery Singapore’s Light to Night Festival
National Gallery Singapore is a visual arts institution which oversees the largest public collection of modern art in Singapore and Southeast Asia. Situated in the heart of the Civic District, the Gallery is housed in two national monuments—City Hall and former Supreme Court—that have been beautifully restored and transformed into this exciting venue.
Reflecting Singapore’s unique heritage and geographical location, the Gallery features Singapore and Southeast Asian art from Singapore’s National Collection in its long-term and special exhibitions. The Gallery also works with international museums to jointly present Southeast Asian art in the global context, positioning Singapore as a regional and international hub for the visual arts.
In 2016, the Gallery won the awards for “Best Attraction Experience”, “Breakthrough Contribution to Tourism” and “Best Customer Service (Attractions)” at the prestigious Singapore Tourism Awards for its role in adding to the vibrancy of Singapore’s tourism landscape.
