hitch a ride or take a hike!



In movies terrible things happen to hitchhikers. And sometimes, even more terrible things happen to folks who pick them up.

The only time I attempted to hitch a ride was in the summer of 1995. Both just a few months shy from turning 21, a Malaysian friend from university and I decided to spend four weeks in Europe bumming around with a rail pass and 400 pounds, but no planned itinerary. Yes, in the tradition of the grand tour.

One evening over Czech beer in a small town, we spotted Liechtenstein on the map and joked about how it would be cool to walk from the border of Austria, right across Liechtenstein, until we got to Switzerland. We could boast that we've walked, literally, cross-country. It couldn't have been the beer because two days later, after a healthy Austrian breakfast, we set off on our walk.

I think we had imagined it would be a leisurely kind of walk surrounded by alpine forests where we may stumble upon quaint small towns. But it wasn't. There were trees alright. But it was mostly asphalt and fancy continental cars zooming by. For the first hour or so, the diverse roadkill amused us (I still have the photos as proof). Then the summer sun and our backpacks made their presence felt. At some point, we attempted to hitch a ride. Of course, that was about as naive as deciding to walk across Liechtenstein. Which Audi salon and BMW convertible would pick up two scruffy looking (and possibly illegal) Asians? Well, we did eventually get to Switzerland in the afternoon, and best of all, on our own dependable feet.

Anyway, all this is just a preamble to... the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Exhibition. Curated by mojoko (aka Steve Lawler), the show features 42 Singapore-based artists and designers who show their intergalactic visions in a series of artworks inspired by Douglas Adam's famous novel.

We couldn't refuse the invitation to participate. So we made this.




It works as a lamp. And maybe more. Switch it on and you might just get the ultimate answer to the ultimate question...



The exhibition opens on 15 April 2010 and is on until 21 April at BLOODGROUP+ space at 32 Aliwal St.

Friends, go visit! You can take a bus.

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p/s. Buses 7, 32, 51, 63, 80, 145, 175 and 197 stop at North Bridge Road. Aliwal St runs parallel to Jalan Sultan.
If you are interested in the work, we'll be there at the opening on 15 April.

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