The Relationshape
by Yam Chew Oh
If we are connected through eating, and
relationships have shapes, how would mine
and yours look like?
Whenever I telephone my mother from the United States, where I’m based, I begin with “Jia ba buay” (Hokkien for “Have you eaten?”), a colloquial greeting to ask if one has had their fill, synonymous with “How are you?” This expression is also used by other Singaporeans as “Saaptiya?” (Tamil), “Dah makan?” (Malay), and “Eat already?” (Singlish). In the nearly 12 years that I’ve been overseas, my family and friends never ceased to ask me what hawker food I missed. Every time I visited, we’d always catch up over drinks or meals. It seems to me that social relations in Singapore are inextricably tied to eating and the country’s ubiquitous hawker centres.
The Relationshape explores my connections with family and friends across time and space, through inviting them to co-create at Lau Pa Sat a sculpture that I started on in Baltimore, Maryland. Eighty-eight of them were mailed ahead of time handles of Singapore’s iconic da bao (takeaway) plastic bag — collected from two precious trips home during the COVID-19 pandemic — and a set of instructions.
Text on used envelopes that accompanied personal invitations to The Relationshape co-creators
Follow the co-creation from 7 - 28 January 2022 @ www.instagram.com/TheRelationshape
Work-in-Progress
Update: 17 Jan 2022
The Relationshape installed at Lau Pa Sat, Singapore. Co-creators have started to leave their marks on the work. [Photos courtesy of (L-R): Yen Phang, Oh Gao Ning, Veronyka Lau, Oh Li Li]
