Fine Arts lecturer Hazel Lim was invited to collaborate with the Singapore Biennale 2013 to organise an event under its Artists-in-Schools initiative. For her project titled A Botanical and Wildlife Survey – Singapore, Hazel worked with 150 students from five secondary schools to explore how modern living has affected the habitats of local flora and fauna. With the help of National Parks Board, participating students were led on expeditions to help them gather material for their drawings of insects, wildlife and plants life in Singapore.
Said Hazel, “Through documenting the current living species that we have in our limited natural reserves and parks, this project helps us question our attitudes towards our natural habitats and wildlife, how their existence or the lack thereof speaks of the history and memory of our land, and thereby also addresses the delicate balance between the natural and the constructed landscape.” The process culminated in an exhibition at the Peranakan Museum comprising drawings on porcelain plates, journal entries, sketches and photographs and an art workshop for the public.
