A Close Eyecounter
Ryf Zaini
In collaboration with Dr Sun Chen-Hsin, Dexter Tan, Ng Qi Yuan, Lee Shao Yu, and Caleb Nathaniel Karim
Supervised by Professor Hong Minghui
Fri 18 March - Sun 17 April / UTown, across from Fine Foods entrance
Opening Hours: 9am - 6pm daily
Free admission
Our eyes constantly translate degrees of light, shade, and colour, forming them into images that are consumed, filtered, and stored in our visual memory. Technology enables us to not just view our immediate surroundings, but visual content that transcends time and space.
While technology has enabled us to see more, we must not forget the scientific innovations that have allowed us to see clearly, aiding 83% of the population who live with myopia. Without the inventions that were created to mitigate our visual conditions, how will myopic individuals move through the world?
In A Close Eyecounter, artist Ryf Zaini asks us to consider how much of our lives are determined by what we see. Do we take our quality of sight for granted? What changes when our vision dims, and there is no solution for it?
A collaboration with the NUS College of Design and Engineering, this interactive installation utilises simulated LiDAR technology that analyses individuals’ eyes, providing a technological diagnosis that serves as a stark reminder of how our eyes, just like our devices, need to be taken care of – allowing us to renew our senses again.
Musings:
Eye See: Tracing the Tech by Nurul Huda Rashid
Artificial Intelligence and Egocentric Vision by Dr Tabarez A Neyazi
Ryf Zaini is a Singaporean visual artist, whose background in electronics engineering informs his work, which blends technology and traditional arts. This hybrid approach creates multi-sensorial experiences within each installation, often enabling viewers to become part of the artwork. Ryf believes that technology changes the way we perceive things, and uses technology in art to enable the evolution of art to be more accessible and understood. Ryf’s works have been showcased in local and international exhibitions, including Florence, London, and Lille.
Dr. Sun is an eye surgeon who is dual trained in engineering and medicine. He studied at Johns Hopkins University in USA and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering in 2008 and Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2009. Subsequently he obtained his medical degree from Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in 2013 and completed the NUHS Ophthalmology residency program in 2019. Currently he is an associate consultant at the department of Ophthalmology in National University Hospital and Alexandra Hospital. His clinical interest is in management of progressive myopia in children. Dr. Sun used to be an avid photographer and now vintage camera lens collector.
Dexter is a Year 4 undergraduate in NUS majoring in Electrical Engineering. Besides his interest in software development, he is also interested in the art scene in Singapore and particularly enjoy the work of Tan Swie Hian. He is also open to new and uncomfortable challenges and love connecting with people from all walks of life.
Shao Yu is a Year 3 NUS Electrical Engineering Major. He is committed to helping fight myopia, driven by its detrimental effects, and believes deeply in the cause. He is particularly interested in all forms of art as self-expression, with devote interest in the works of Hokusai; ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’, ‘The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife’ and all. Pictures are best viewed with vivid vision so that their thousand words can be heard with clarity, lets fight myopia together!
Qi Yuan is a Year 4 Undergraduate in NUS who major in Electrical Engineering. She loves to learn new things and gain new experiences. She is also interested to help others and make contribution to the society within her ability. She might be a bit of an introvert, but she enjoys making friends and would be a good listener!
Caleb is a Year 4 Undergraduate in Electrical Engineering. Besides exploring the basics of how electronics function, he is interested in exploring various ways to help educate and inform others. He hopes that arts can be a way for others to better understand how the world works.
