Fortune Shelt(ell)er (2020)

For Bangkok Art Biennale, New-Territories combine multiple aspects of disciplines regarding Bangkok as a city facing immense transformation that has impact on art, culture and ways of life. Fortune Shelt(ell)er (2020) is a multidisciplinary apparatus that reflects the precarious balance between hope and fear, truth and fake, security and paranoia. New species of growing mycelium and mushroom at Thai Anon Biotec Centre are experimented in the art space/laboratory with assistance of the robot-gardener. Installed at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, the pseudo-art lab is full of creative activities ranging from growing mycelium, data collection, gardening, performance related to the super natural and fortunetelling. New-Territories open new challenges of contents and experimentations that can be displayed in the art institution. 

Quirky and farcical, the robot transforms bacteria, pollution, dust and mushroom for consumerism during the pandemic. The mushrooms are sold at Klong Toei open market. Performance by a mumbling dancer digesting the mycelium to cure amnesia through hallucination. The fortuneteller whispering (mis)fortunes of the future offering momentary comfort as escape routes in the age of miscommunication, fake news and mega data.

Fortune Shelt(ell)er is an escapetopia where sanity and insanity co-exist together with all forms of delirium, stupor, inertia, despair and melancholia. Individuals may experience their escape routes according to their capability and willingness.