LAMENT H.E.A.T is a multimedia installation primarily composed of rubberwood and latex, which showcases the significance of rubber. Rubberwood, also known as parawood, is a type of hardwood that comes from the rubber tree or hevea brasiliensis. The pattern on the exterior of the installation imitates the markings carved onto rubber trees when they are tapped for latex with the herring-bone method. Rubber, a sought-after raw material in various industries, led to the establishment of rubber plantations across British Malaya (today, Singapore and Malaysia) as part of the British colonial regime in the 19th century.

The softness and tactility of rubber beckons viewers to enter the enclosed room in LAMENT H.E.A.T. A site for gathering and contemplation, this inner sanctuary features experimental sounds from folkloric rhythmic percussion, a projection of computer-generated imagery augmented with an oppari (lamentation) generated by artificial intelligence. An Oppari is a mourning song sung by Tamil women, who were brought to Malaya as indentured labourers from South India, to grieve and honour their dead. In LAMENT H.E.A.T, the artificial intelligence–generated oppari seeks to establish a bridge into the non-human world while honouring the indentured labourers whose oppression on rubber plantations should not be forgotten.

An ongoing research project, LAMENT H.E.A.T asks: Can memories of subjugation in Malaya’s colonial past be reconciled with through rituals of listening mediated by technology? Can contemporary art hosted within the museum become that remarkable place for reconciliation?