It has been a little over a year since we first launched the IPA Mentorship Program. Since then we’ve had over 50 mentees who have participated from all over the globe, including Singapore, Malaysia, India, Philippines and Russia. The Program is soon to reach another milestone. The first photobook to arise from the Program will soon be published. The Carpark by Shyue Woon is definitely one of my favourite projects from the program. Here is a glimpse of what to expect…
The Carpark, by Shue Woon.
REAR VIEW MIRROR
In the world of The Carpark, the found and the imagined is twisted into a manipulative narrative that is both sinister and yet playful. Shyue Woon, the photographer and invisible protagonist, assumes the role of an obsessive, conflicted private eye in a dark homage to crime noir and pulp fiction.
Woon’s search for answers in an implied affair and crime is conflicted by an escape from truth. His investigation reveals an obscured rear view mirror of psychology in a modern era. We live in claustrophobic cities where relationships are fragile and the lines between private and public lives are blurred by diminishing space and expanding surveillance. Some of us have taken to redefining utilitarian spaces like carparks into secret sanctuaries. And the car parked within a dark lot further shielded with thin, tinted windows is another kind of vulnerable space within a perceived private space.
I was privileged to be a witness to Woon’s investigations through the IPA Mentorship Program. A man obsessed is a man possessed, and many great photographic works have come from personal obsessions. Woon was certainly obsessed, and this is his finest work to date. His initial interest in the Carpark as a site was from his practice as an architect. This soon sucuumbed to Woon’s better curiosity and own private secrets.
Kevin WY Lee
Invisible Photographer Asia
“The IPA Mentorship I attended is a whole new way of learning. First of all, by stretching into a 3 months program, each of us was allowed time to experiment and to ‘marinate’ new ideas. Other than the monthly face-to-face group reviews, we can upload our latest developments into the “cloud” – for instant crit and peer review. Kevin, very hands-on and a brilliant teacher, always open to share his deep knowledge and observation. I have also learned a great deal from my peers who joined the program. They have become friends and critics of my work.
I attended the workshop with an open mind and it has taken my photography to the next level. Towards the end of the workshop, I felt more inspired and much more confident with my photography.” Shyue Woon, http://www.parameters.cc
The Carpark, by Shue Woon.
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