This is Not a Screen

This is Not a Screen
National University of Singapore (Singapore)
Location: South Beach Avenue, Level B1  

Screens permeate modern existence, from small screens in pockets and medium screens on desks to large screens on walls. Each presents a curated version of the world, filtered through invisible algorithms.

This is Not a Screen examines this phenomenon using polarised screens recycled from our devices, altering light in fascinating ways. Depending on the viewing angle, no two visitors see the same image. You can create new visual perspectives by rotating the screens, which distort light to create unique perceptions of the monolith in the centre, much like how digital interfaces customise reality for their users.

This installation prompts reflection about collective experiences. When individuals receive personalised versions of information, the nature of common experience and discourse shifts. Our screens simultaneously create both a shared platform and individual realities.

Offering no easy judgement about digital life, This is Not a Screen simply makes visible the usually invisible process of filtering. It reveals how screens transform not only what we see but also how we see.

About the artist

Saw Hnin Thundray, Kaung Htet, Hnin Ei Lwin, Thinzar Hlaing and Moe Htet Nyunt Aung are a group of Master of Architecture students from the National University of Singapore.

A collective formed in 2024, they approach design as a way to question the status quo and inspire change and seek to create works that are artistically and personally transformative. Their artistic mission: to reveal what is typically unseen through design, and to challenge perceptions and prompt alternative perspectives through reflection, conversation and reinterpretation.

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