Culture and place are intertwined social constituents that everyone relates to differently as they may trigger senses, memories, imagination and emotions in a variety of ways. Experiences tied to culture often have profound effects on how one acquaints with a specific place as meaning is ascribed to it. Similarly, significance is also derived from a place based on what one identifies with as shaped by the individual’s cultural background. In many circumstances, the meanings behind people, culture and place are interdependent on one another, forming a symbiotic relationship.

With increasing mobility due to globalisation, people are now more likely to immerse themselves within a different culture and become more informed about the occurrences around them as they journey to diverse places, and such phenomenon can be paralleled with the idea of a hot pot – a popular household cuisine in Asia that brings people together during reunions or gatherings, during which each member is able to select their favourite ingredients to be cooked within the pot’s boiling soup base. In the process, one is able to share with the other their ingredient selection, which is up to the individual whether to accept or reject it, just like the interactivity between people of different cultures. Such engagements offer opportunities to cultivate appreciation of certain food ingredients and enriching one’s dining experience, resembling how one might accustom to a different culture or place. At the same time, the multitude of ingredients are able to mutually complement, as their richness in taste are enhanced by one another under the same broth and similarly, the broth is able to absorb the essence of these ingredients, culminating into a more luscious soup base, bringing about an excellent metaphor for the fluid process of cultural exchange.

Drawing upon the associations between people, culture and place, and relating it to the concept of a hot pot cuisine, ‘Down the Melting Pot’ will bring audiences down an intercultural journey through the perspectives of young contemporary artists, whom in particular, often welcome the possibilities of forging memories, empathy and meaning with the cultural constructs of a place as they spark the inspirations and impulses to create. With a varied selection of moving image from around the world, including experimental shorts, video art, animation and documentary, the exhibition will highlight the myriad of sensibilities, cogitation and imagination made possible with intercultural exchange between people and people, and between people and place. The diverse works will each express a unique commentary about an individual or collective issue, as inspired by the cultural experience in a specific setting, ranging from the uncertainties of languages, the freedom of the body, the spread of popular media, consumerism and technology, the contemporary impacts of colonialism, to the abstract ideas of reality, relationships and home.

In the age of perpetual cultural shifts, what are some of the issues that prevail and how are they perceived as one seeks the familiar from the outlandish, the romantic from the mundane, and the creative impulse from the hustle and bustle of everyday life? Through the artists’ unique interpretations of their personal encounters with different geographical locations, audiences are encouraged to reflect upon the peculiar symbiotic connections between people, culture and place.