Writer, The distance between a man’s outstretched arms defines one’s world, essay for ‘Labour and Weight’ group exhibition at Multimedia University (MMU), Cyberjaya, Malaysia

Labour and Weight: A Travelling Exhibition is a site-specific artistic collaboration between artists Lee Mok Yee, Chew Win Chen (Okui Lala), Yeo Lyle, and Cheng Gaik, along with cultural workers in Pulau Pangkor, Batu Pahat, and George Town, Malaysia. Bringing together diverse practices from visual arts, theater, and community engagement, the project fosters cross-disciplinary exchange through collective artistic exploration. Beginning in Pulau Pangkor, known for its fishery and shipbuilding traditions, it examines the materiality of traditional craftsmanship, the physical and cultural significance of labour, and the wisdom embedded in repetitive work. Through dialogue and practice, the project explores bodily memory, rituals, and ways of living, facilitating discussions on the themes of labour and weight. In 2022, Labour and Weight was exhibited at the Multimedia University (MMU) in Cyberjaya, Malaysia. Learn more about Labour and Weight on labourandweight.cargo.site.

“This project is critical for the way it questions the body's ever-changing role as a medium of labour. It also examines how this evolution transforms our sensibility towards different correlations - especially weight - over time. Time is indeed a significant aspect to the project, as it also addresses inherited know-hows as well as bodily memories.” 

– Excerpt from The distance between a man’s outstretched arms defines one’s world by Amanda Ariawan, 2023.

Read Amanda’s full essay on Issuu: issuu.com/leemokyee/docs/exhibition_brochure_issuu_version