Calibrate

^{Still from Calibrate (2026). Photo courtesy of Marvin Tang}

Marvin Tang

Calibrate

2026

Single-channel digital video with sound

Commissioned for INDEX Collection

Click to learn more on digital guide

 

How are our built environments and minds intertwined? Recent developments in Environmental Neuroscience demonstrate that greenery has positive effects on the mind. The Attention Restoration Theory proposes that nature could help improve focus and mental recovery, while other studies showed how 40-second views of green scenes have restorative benefits. 

In Singapore, increasing urbanity has placed us in an abrasive relationship with our remaining natural green spaces. Calibrate explores how landscapes and green views are designed with the goals of alleviating the stresses of urban living by providing mental reprieve. Unfolding in 5 segments, Peace, Colour, Depth, Patterns and Mind, the work draws loosely on the Contemplative Landscape Model used by the National Parks Board Singapore to design landscapes. Each segment spans approximately 40 seconds, gradually shifting from human vision to computational seeing.

As our relationship with nature becomes increasingly mediated by screens and digital systems, Calibrate contemplates our future with our built environment. Does nature need to have measurable utility to justify its existence, and can a simulation of nature truly suffice?

 

^{Stills from Calibrate (2026). Photos courtesy of Marvin Tang}

 

Credits

Animation Illustrator: Jin Tian
Animation Consultant: Mok Yuin Peng
Artist Assistant: Lee Yong Ler, Noah
3D Modeler, Animator, and Level Designer: Lum Yip Foong Donovan
Level Designer and 3D Post Editor: Tan Huizhong

About the artist

Marvin Tang uses images as a tool for investigation. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from NTU's School of Art, Design and Media and Masters in Photography from the University of the Arts London. His research questions the linearity of historical narratives and the concept of collective identities. He is drawn to the intersections of history and ecology, using these perspectives to explore policy making and the evolving dynamics of social structures.

More at marvintang.co

 

The INDEX Collection brings together commissioned works across moving image and media art that offer insight into contemporary artistic practice while engaging audiences through experimentation, dialogue and new perspectives.

Learn more about INDEX Collection

 

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