2025
Interdisciplinary installation
Three video projections with sound
Ten circle light boxes and 6 rectangle light boxes
Dimension variable
This art project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement No. 863944 THINK DEEP).
Sands Below is an ongoing project that explores the pivotal role of sand in Cambodia, uncovering its profound impact on the country’s social, economic, and ecological systems. Through in-depth research, the project presents a multimedia that investigates the delicate balance between natural resources, human activity, and the environment, with a particular focus on the intricate relationships hidden beneath the surface.
The first chapter, Sands Below, examines Boeung Tamok Lake and its transformation shaped by sand and rapid development. Through the off and on site research, the project highlights the destruction of natural resources, the displacement of communities, and the dramatic alteration of the lake’s surface landscape.
In this ongoing exhibition, Siden employs a similar artistic strategy by illuminating the space with rectangular and circular light panels, designed as windows that admit light and metaphorically allow viewers to see into the heart of the project. One segment mirrors the landscape by linking two videos to depict the “before and after” of bulldozer activity powerful machinery used in construction, farming, and land reclamation showcasing found footage of the area’s transformation. Interconnect with animation video, gradually transforming through colors, textures, forms, and shapes. Another video project onto the floor, envisions the potential future of the lake as an experimental reflection.
The installations weave fragmented imagery with actual landscapes. Using found footage and animation, the project critiques the deceptive nature of these transformations, creating a sensory dialogue between what is seen and what is imagined.
