Benjamin Sim

Class of 2017

Final Year Project(s)


The Absurd Bubble Machine at NTU ADM Portfolio

This project started from a fear that has been festering in my mind, of what will eventually be of my future, an issue that is all the more relevant with the direction the world is headed towards. To tackle this existential crisis, I decided to use a physical installation as an outlet to translate my thoughts and fears.

An installation of a simple “bubble machine” where the viewer cranks an empty frame from a container of bubble solution allowing the viewer to see one’s own reflection up close on the fluid surface. The floating bubble eventually pops and disappears, allowing the viewer to then see their reflection again- this time on the mirror facing them.

Experiencing the abrupt disappearance of the self-portrait captured in the bubble and facing one’s own mirror reflection again is a moment of painful joy. Looking at the reflection in both the fluid surface and the mirror, being aware of the absurdity that is life, one should not despair in this knowledge, but accept the transient nature of life and the freedom that it brings. In this project, what I seek is neither answers nor solutions, but to acknowledge the journey and embrace the ending that comes with it.