Heap of Books
A wooden sculpture representing the wealth of knowledge hidden within books, awaiting a knowledge-seeker's learning and discovery
Year: 2015
Material: Felled trees (Albizia Saman)
Dimensions: 97 x 45 x 63cm
Location: Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Novena Campus, Clinical Sciences Building, Level 18 Lift Lobby - Click to see on Google maps
Heap of Books represents the wealth of knowledge that is hidden between the covers and in the pages of books, awaiting a knowledge-seeker's learning and discovery.
Heap of Books is one of four sculptures created by Han Sai Por for NTU Trees: Upcycled, where woods from trees that were felled in the building of the Experimental Medicine Building in 2015 were repurposed into furniture and artwork. Han Sai Por wanted these works to highlight the meaning and philosophy behind education and learning, with colours added for a contemporary twist.
Artist: Han Sai Por
Han Sai Por is a Singaporean sculptor best known for her stone sculptures, though her choice of materials is primarily governed by the purpose for which the work is made; specifically, the choice is determined by the symbolic reason or solutions. Her body of work often brings attention to scant regarded heritage, flora and fauna, making significant comments about the changing landscape often; in relation to Singapore. Han received the Cultural Medallion in 1995.
More about Han Sai Por on Singapore Infopedia
Behind the scenes:
I had the opportunity to take a closer look at the wood of the rain trees when i was asked to create sculptures from them. These trees were from NTU's field. The wood has two different colour tones. There is a yellow outer ring and a brown inner core. As I chiselled and worked through the layers, I discovered that the outer ring is harder and stronger than the inner core. This was a discovery for me, because in other trees I had worked on, the outer ring was usually softer than the inner core. In view of the structural make-up of these rain trees,
I encountered many challenges. I have overcome these, and learned in the process of sculpting. The textures, marks, shapes and forms that I created on these sculptures are intended to represent and highlight the meaning and philosophy behind education and learning. I transformed the sculptures and gave them a contemporary twist by adding colours and other materials, an approach that is unconventional in traditional woodcarving practices.
- Han Sai Por
Extract from NTU Trees: Upcycled exhibition video
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