“Glazed Cases”, is a study of a botanical artefact that served as a vehicle for exploration, economic development, and mass migration across the globe in its 100 years of usage. An unassuming wooden case derived from a failed butterfly experiment, the Wardian Case would come to facilitate the movement and thievery of the plants from various regions, displacing both plant and people as a byproduct.
Within the installation, three replica cases are presented as artefacts representative of its stages of usage in history. The first, a large wooden case designed to be anchored onto the deck of ships for long voyages. The second, a collapsible case, used in explorations; where samples can be collected and shipped. And the third, a display case, described in an American magazine with the purpose of placing orchids on display in homes.
“Glazed Cases” attempts to unravel the Wardian Case’s impact on Singapore; watching the effects of this product of abnatural ecology echo through our natural history and landscape. Between the Wardian Cases on display, two videos with text adapted from writings about the cases alludes to Singapore’s complex colonial relationship with botanical gardens, plantation and labour while exploring the phenomenon of the abnatural in Singapore since the arrival of these wooden cases from across the globe.
