Tin & Herbs
Powderised Tin Oxide
Located in the former Eu Yan San shophouse, the artwork narrates the origins of the well-known Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) brand in the region. Named after the late philanthropist and businessman, Eu Tong Sen, few associate the name to tin mining which was the main source Eu built the foundation of his wealth while TCM shops were opened near mines to care for the well-being of his miners.
Chinese Yam
Dong quaiCordyceps FlowersJujube FruitDried Ginger Codonopsis Roots
The installation recount the use of herbs in TCM through the organic shapes depicting the relationship between the architecture and its history. Imprints of Ganoderma lingzhi (Lingzhi), Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Cordyceps) and Codonopsis pilosula (Dang Shen) on the ceramic pieces represent a formal footprint of herbs that was once present in the space. The underlying story of tin is then further explored in the formulation and use of different glazes on the clay pieces.
The white glaze in the work is formulated by incorporating raw tin, while the metallic glaze depicts realistic imagery of tin in its metal form. The organic forms, imprints of herbs, and allusions to tin through glazes reveal the mural's deeper history of Eu Yan San.