Image Essay by Dawn Ng
This series is based on 31 objects that were constructed during a month in Paris, one for each day. They were made from common materials, like paper, yarn, tissue, and Parisian flea-market finds.
Artist's Statement: Pinning Down a Time and Place
A wonderful thing a day keeps the madness away
A wonderful thing a day leads the heart astray
A wonderful thing keeps the sadness at bay
A wonderful thing a day they say
One wonderful thing a day.
One wonderful thing a day.
I will create one wonderful thing each day.
I moved to Paris in 2010 to start up a creative advertising shop (Hello Sunshine) with my partner Gwen. Despite the rush and excitement of building my own thing and living in a city known as an art mecca, my first few months in Paris were teary ones.
Time was a blur to me then, and Paris, in all its postcard perfection, was a watery smear of cafes, croissants, and cabs. In actuality, I was reluctant to pack my life into boxes for the third time in ten years. I was completely lost in this new city. Lost in its swirling arrondissements. Lost in translation. Lost at work.
I began “Thirty One Kinds of Wonderful” at the beginning of July 2011, a year after my arrival in Paris. In some ways, I simply wanted to pin down time there, to capture each day like a butterfly mounted in a case.
The objects I created all have curious shapes and sizes, ranging from jewelry and clothes to furniture. Each is entirely bespoke, handcrafted, one-of-a-kind.
They are snapshots of a very specific time and place filtered through my point of view—a perspective shaped by my age, my identity as an Asian artist and a Singaporean, my inner world. Like time itself, which is nonlinear, hopping and skipping and looping back on itself, this series is about my past and present—and my future.
“Wonderful” has now become more than just that month in Paris. I put together an exhibit of all 31 objects for the Singapore Art Museum in 2012. I also produced a bookzine based on the project called Thirty One Kinds of Wonderful (Hello Sunshine Editions, 2012). The photos that appear in this image essay are from the bookzine.
Yet, “Thirty One Kinds of Wonderful” is also what I originally intended it to be. Here, I document a few days of my life in Paris circa 2011. I was young. I was foolish. I wanted to do everything. I wanted to have fun.
Art Information
- “Anger Management Plates”—Object: Set of four therapeutic plates specially hand-monogrammed for breaking to bits. Material: Vintage china plates found in the 13th arrondissement; scarred geotype lettering and ink.
- “I Give You a Forest”—Object: Handcrafted miniature forest landscape and tree nestled in a vintage medicine jar for city folk who believe the grass is greener on the side that actually has grass. Material: Plastic, felt, wire, and vintage medicine jar found in St. Ouen.
- “Summer Fireworks Head Dress”—Object: Hand-sewn headdress inspired by brilliant bursts of fireworks to freeze-frame time in full bloom. Material: Plastic, polyester, and cotton.
- “Ming”—Object: Hand-graffitied vintage Chinese vase in a fresh rainbow of color, a nostalgic kickback to all childhood coloring books ever filled in. Material: Porcelain vase found in the 13th arrondissement and paint.
- “Paris Postcards”—Object: A postmodern set of seven collages on classic Paris postcards of life in its golden ages. Material: Paper.
- “Icarus”—Object: Custom-cut, three-panel acrylic collage for little flights of fancy. Material: Acrylic, paper, ink.
- “Yes Yesterday”—Object: Ten vintage vials of handmade elixirs for eternal youth. Material: Wood, paint, and vintage medicine droppers found in the 11th arrondissement.
- “Head in the Clouds”—Object: Hand-stitched fleece cloud pillows perfect for dreaming. Material: French fleece, organic cotton, felt.
- “The Secret to Happiness”—Object: Hand-carved hardcover of Victor Hugo’s famous French novel, Les Miserables, revealing the secret. Material: Paper.
With a background in fine art and journalism, Dawn Ng has spent the past eight years across the Singapore, London, Paris, and New York advertising scenes, working on brands like Nike and Levi’s. Her time in advertising reflects the pop cultural resonance of her work and its attempt to disrupt the obvious to tell the truth.
Recently, Dawn has launched shows in many mediums—collage, photography, illustration, light and physical installations—at the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) as well as in private galleries. SAM has commissioned several projects by her. Dawn's 2010 solo exhibition, "Walter," garnered media attention for its controversial guerrilla content and form. It began as 35 installations of a huge white toy bunny in spaces around Singapore. "Walter" is now part of SAM's permanent collection.
For more information about her work, visit Dawn's website. Her bookzine Thirty One Kinds of Wonderful, which includes all 31 objects, can be purchased through the Singapore Art Museum and Books Actually (9 Yong Siak Street, Singapore) or by contacting the artist.
