Living Soil Series — A Film Double Bill: Sandcastles + Moving Earth

What do we consider as home? The constructed complex we live in? The land where we make our livelihood? The narratives of moving homes and earth, land use policy and the construction industry led by urban development will be uncovered.

Join us for a pre-show activity to pen down stories of relocation and land reclamation. Stay for a post-film panel discussion moderated by Vivian Lee, featuring producer of Sandcastles, Martin Loh, director of Moving Earth, Ian Mun, and Bing Yu from Ground-Up Initiative (GUI) — a non-profit society dedicated to fostering sustainable kampung culture through active community participation.

Sandcastles (2024) parallels two Singapores: one in Southeast Asia, and one buried on the western coast of Michigan. On top of sharing the same name, these two places also share a fraught relationship with sand.

Singapore, Michigan was a thriving lumber town in the late 19th century until erosion from mass deforestation caused the sand dunes around it to shift and swallow the town whole. Just as quickly as Singapore, Michigan disappeared under sand, its namesake in the East emerged from it through land reclamation.

The film weaves a narrative that intertwines the two Singapores to depict the temporal nature of human edifices built on and destroyed by nothing more than sand.

Director: Carin Leong

Producers: Martin Loh, James Qiu, Carin Leong, Jacob Fertig, Jaydn Ray Gosselin

Editor: Jaydn Ray Gosselin

Cinematographers: Lincoln Yeo, Luc Ung, Jacob Fertig

Sound Designers: Ernie Goh

Carin Leong is a Singaporean documentary filmmaker and multimedia journalist based in Brooklyn.

Her work explores themes of science, cultural memory, and landscapes. Her latest film, Sandcastles, supported by Field of Vision, was selected for IF/Then SEA, a joint program by the Tribeca Film Institute and IN−DOCS, and premiered at SXSW in 2024. Her earlier documentary Canciones de Memorias premiered at the Singapore International Film Festival in 2018. In 2024, she was recognised by Filmmaker Magazine as one of the 25 Faces of Independent Film.

Carin’s work has been featured by outlets including Scientific American, Hakai Magazine, and The Atlantic. She holds a master's degree in science journalism from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and is also a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

Against the backdrop of nation−building and urban development in Singapore, a touch of bittersweet nostalgia lingers in the air as the good people of Ground−Up Initiative (GUI) bid their home goodbye in preparation for the move to a new land.

What happens when we love our earth from the group up? We start by loving the soil that makes us. 2024 marks the start of GUl’s big move, a movement that brought together people from all walks of life who believed in a common vision to write a new chapter in our environmental story. To have filmed Moving Earth was a privilege to step into this journey, to peer into a whole new world of stories. To all who were involved in this heartfelt story, thank you for teaching me how to love this planet deeper through soil − the very foundation we live on.

Director: Ian Mun

Producers: Roving Studio, Rachel Cheang, Neo Xiayun

Cinematography and Edit: Ian Mun

Colorist: Aaryan Chowdhary

Featuring: Cai Bing Yu, Wu Yen Hua (Mrs Tang), Mei Chang from Ground−Up Initiative (GUI)

Ian Mun is a Singapore-based wildlife and conservation filmmaker, photographer, and storyteller whose work brings to life the complex and vital connections between humanity and nature.

His films have been selected for international festivals, including the International Ocean Film Festival and the Edinburgh Conservation Film Festival. From championing marine conservation efforts with partners such as Ocean Geographic and Mission Blue, to documenting environmental change on land, Ian’s storytelling is a call to protect the wild places we share. In 2021, Ian founded The Roving Studio where he curates stories through film, photographs, and expeditions that invites audiences to see the world not just as a collection of landscapes but as interconnected habitats where human and environmental stories converge.

Ground-Up Initiative (GUI) is a non-profit organisation in Singapore that promotes sustainable living and community spirit through immersive, nature-based programs. Established in 2008, GUI is a grassroots urban intervention in response to the social and environmental challenges brought about by rapid urbanisation and the climate crisis.

At GUI, every activity—from farming to food waste composting, glass and plastic upcycling, to nurturing local flora and fauna—is designed to involve the community directly in the process. Kampung Kampus, GUI’s flagship space, was built hand-in-hand with volunteers over many years, turning it into a living example of what’s possible when people are invited to care for the land together. This co-creation fosters deep ownership and pride. Research shows that when people are actively engaged in shaping and maintaining a space, they are far more likely to respect and protect it. The same holds true for our environment.

In a world increasingly reliant on automation and outsourced maintenance, GUI stands for the power of human engagement in place-keeping. Through simple acts like gardening, building, and upcycling—done together—long-term care and responsibility are nurtured. The most resilient and beloved cities of the future will balance smart systems with community involvement. GUI believes in this vision and has brought this approach to many grassroots spaces beyond Kampung Kampus. As we move into our next chapter, we hope to continue growing this movement—one built on care, connection, and collective action.

Vivian’s practice is rooted in soil regeneration, somatic healing, and the interconnection between nature and well-being. Alongside Living Soil Asia, she explores how our relationship with land reflects our relationship with the body—examining Singapore’s urban landscape through the lens of ecological mindfulness and sustainable practices.

Living Soil Asia, part of the Foodscape Collective ecosystem, champions a balanced ecosystem built on equity, care, and regenerative practices. Their mission is to broaden knowledge and accessibility of regenerative methods in Singapore, emphasising a community-oriented, care-based approach. They merge ancient wisdom with modern technology to regenerate soil and reconnect people with the land, advocating for soil's crucial role in climate change, food security, and sustainability discussions. This organisation stands as a beacon for environmental stewardship and community-driven sustainability, committed to nurturing each person's unique contributions to a healthier planet and fostering a culture of care and personal engagement.

About CoThink Lab

in its ethos presents thought leadership from independent Singapore artists, cultural workers, writers, curators, and scientists. This fellowship platform began in April 2021 through the format of digital keynotes by Singapore Fellows who are at the forefront of research and/or activating local communities. This has since developed into diverse formats.

As the Singapore companion to the Per°Form Open Academy, Per°Form CoThink Lab focuses on the practitioner as a thought leader engaged between multiple locals and the international, actively bridging histories, the precarious present, and world-creating. It is conceptualised and led by T:>Works Artistic Director, Dr. Ong Keng Sen.

Established in 1985, T:>Works is an independent and international arts company based in Singapore at its space, 72-13. It is currently led by Artistic Director, Dr. Ong Keng Sen.

T:>Works’ mission and vision are the pioneering of thought leadership in the arts focused on transdisciplinary, transcultural, and inclusive processes.

To this end, there is a strong educational perspective with research and discourse contextualising histories, contemporary experiences, and situated art practices of the global south.

T:>Works also serves to investigate the current urgencies of being located in Singapore, and larger Asia, through different creative expressions in the public sphere.

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