Artist Statement
Driven by an entrepreneurial and effective state focused on national survival, the underground city is a feat of the technological sublime. It is organised around a master section, supported by modular super frame structures, vast inflatables, and artificial weather systems that create an optimally habitable and attractive subterranean environment. However, through the unexpected interruptions of the state’s narrative by a shadowy subversive, the project also surfaces the hidden underside of the architectural showpiece, which is invariably built on the backs of cheap foreign labour. Thus, the film is both an exploration of the principles and potential of underground dwelling as a solution for urban living, and a cautionary tale against unsustainable and exclusionary socio-political infrastructures, which ignore the human cost underpinning the making of architectural mega projects.
Artist Bio
Finbarr Fallon is a Singapore and London based multi-disciplinary designer and artist, whose work draws on his formal training in architecture. As a spatial thinker and storyteller, his works explore the evolution and transformation of the modern urban environment – creating pieces that exist in both the physical and digital worlds. Fallon’s work has been exhibited internationally in galleries and museums such as The ArtScience Museum Singapore, The National Museum of Singapore, Singapore Science Centre, and The Bargehouse London. Recent awards include the Atrium People’s Choice Award at The Blueprint Architectural Photography Awards (2019), A*STAR’s Beautiful Science first award winner (2018), and a nomination for the RIBA Silver medal (2016). Fallon graduated from The Bartlett School of Architecture with a Masters in Architecture, and currently operates his creative studio FFCO (Finbarr Fallon & Comapny) which creates end to end architectural media.