₺℅ Practices for Permacrisis ‰‡
for how it came to be
In November 2024, I had the opportunity to expand upon a temporal series of work as part of a digital commision by the Critical Craft Collective as part of the exhibition Palais and Pulau. As a digital commision the series of work allowed me space to explore and experiment with temporal forms, without the pressure of physical longevity of a site.
Over December, this culmilated in Practices for Permacrisis, a set of three experiments. Given the theme of Palais and Pulau as a responding prompt, I found myself looking at the home as a space for refuge. However, its increasingly becoming a space one needs to carve out/make do/hold space/be centered, within. As the pressures and anxiety of the outside seep into our private spaces, I find many around me creating their own habits/rituals/organisational system/beliefs. I see these as almost reactions, contemporary rituals for contemoporary problems.
for what is it
Practices for Permacrisis follows this by creating objects that sit between sculptures/moments/gestures/images. And attempt more to reflect an ideal of yearning/making logic in chaos/finding practices for oneself.
Neither directions, nor rules nor a guide of any sort, they explore materiality, intent and word-play as a means of making sense, fumbling and constructing a practice that tries (and maybe fails) to wade through the permacrisis.
a thing for growth
Things: Weeds plucked and rose quartz crystals.
🌱
A thing for growth steals from things that grow.
Pluck the tallest weeds. The ones that thrive
despite rain, despite heat;
unlike me.
🟢
Weave into a garland, a wreath.
A thing of growth is somehow circular,
Roundness like a cycle;
like nature, like something whole.
💗
A thing of growth could heal
Rose quartz bring healing.
Resilient, yet pink, yet sturdy.
Rocks.
🥗
A thing of growth somehow
always looks like a salad.
Healthy, seemingly.
Leafy, and somehow bowl-like.
a thing for dreams
🌑
A thing for dreams dwells in darkness -
where dreams hide; where dreams grow.
The darker the better
the sleep.
🧸
A thing for dreams
can be bumped into them.
A corner is great;
but don’t make them too sharp.
Dreams can get hurt.
💫
A thing for dreams glows,
just a little.
Like a night light,
comforting in darkness.
Things: Some form of molding material (to make a structure) and glow in the dark spray paint.
a thing for love (kinda)
Things: Marshmellows and assortment of relevant crystals.
🍭
A thing for love is sweet,
made from sweets. Marshmellows are great.
The higher the sugar content,
the better the combustion.
⛰️
A thing for love is a landscape.
Sturdy like a mountain,
a focal point in one’s life
🖤
A thing for love is bittersweet,
Burnt, but sugary;
Bitter and sweet.
🫶
A thing for love needs support.
Tiny stones as wedges,
crystals for centering
to be centered.
before;
Practices for Permacrisis came as a mini exploration within the ideas developed during my time during a residency in ARE Holland. During my residency I developed a series Till my hands went numb that looks at creating rituals of desire and yearning through installations that required frequent maintenance, likening its upkeep to the care of a body.
My tongue traces blood splatter, fluid for fluid, each drop swollen into damp chocolate. 2022. Licked M&M chocolates and pastel.
My tongue traces blood splatter, fluid for fluid, each drop swollen into damp chocolate. 2022. Licked M&M chocolates and pastel.
Every day, I feed stolen wishes with baby’s milk.
2022. Coins borrowed from a wishing well, milk and concrete.
Every day, I feed stolen wishes with baby’s milk.
2022. Coins borrowed from a wishing well, milk and concrete.
Artwork description
Practices for the Permacrisis is a series of sculptures that seek to make sense of our times. In an attempt to grapple with endless crises, the artworks take the form of ritualistic objects that follow their own sense of internal logic. Taking inspiration from fengshui, witchcraft and astrology, these pieces function as contemporary ritual objects. Centred on creating objects that coexist and dwell within the home, these oddities sit adjacent to functional objects with their use and function driven by a metaphysical belief to navigate our times.
About the artist
Daniel Chong is an artist-curator working in the expanded field of sculpture. A BA Fine Arts graduate from LASALLE College of the Arts (2019), he has exhibited widely, including solo shows like The Silence Between Echoes (2024) at RM Gallery, New Zealand, and Shifting Subtleties (2019) at 1a Space, Hong Kong.
Chong's practice explores the interplay between function and sentimentality, evoking longing and desire through subtle material interventions. His works reframe our understanding of objects, revealing their emotive connections. With a quiet yet rigorous approach, Chong reshapes materiality, inviting introspection through understated yet deeply intentional gestures.