Salt in the Sea, Acid on the Land
- Garam di laut, asam di darat
In Collaboration with Louisa Mammeri
Video by Iris Sham
Pattani Biennale, Pattani, August 2026
Food Art Fair, London, September 2026
This project draws its inspiration from the Malay proverb: Garam di laut, asam di darat, bertemu dalam satu belanga — salt in the sea, acid on the land, they will meet in one pot. Unfolding across two parts for the Pattani Biennale 2026, the work is both a public procession and a living installation centred on a series of bio-powered clocks fuelled by botanical produce submerged in brines.
Laid out originally on a street food cart, the installation features three living archives of sea salts and acidic botanics from Pattani, Hong Kong, and Palestine. Each jar contains stories of resistance, folk remedy, and survival foods that communities have prepared through uncertainty and disaster since time immemorial.
Pattani: The “sweet salt” harvested from local brackish waters is experiencing a growing, tacit interest. A generation of salt farmers hopes to extend this tradition into the next decade, remaining wary of the unpredictable consequences of shifting climates and political events.
Hong Kong: Historically, local salt makers resisted successive waves of external domination by hiding near rocky edges and hidden bays. The salted lemon featured in the work is a traditional Hong Kong folk remedy for sore throats. In the wake of recent protests, it carries a profound resonance, symbolizing the deliberate healing of Hong Kong's collective voice.
Palestine: The saltiest crystals were brought in from the last Palestinian Dead Sea salt factory in Jericho, run by the Hallak family. They persevere against extreme environmental collapse (the sea is literally evaporating) and heavy political odds, including frequent harassment by nearby settlers.
The salt brines mirror the concentration of salt in the ocean or, if we dare to imagine, highly concentrated drops of human sweat and tears. Their distinct mineral compositions reflect the geological and material realities of each landscape encapsulated within the jars.
As microbes envelop the organic matter and work their way through it, they take on a life of their own, turning the brine acidic. This acid, interacting with the salt and metal electrodes, generates an electrical current. These ferments act as bio-engines powering clocks that were initially set to the local times of Pattani, Hong Kong, and Palestine at the exhibition's opening. Operating entirely beyond our control, these clocks may follow standardized time units, accelerate, slow down, or stop completely. It is an invitation to reconsider whose rhythms we follow and what agency we have to occupy time.
The project began on August 8 as an opening performance for the Biennale. The procession started at Pattani's central clock tower, where we turned the hands of our own clock backward before setting off along the Pattani River with our cart of fermenting jars.
Participants walked, tasted, and listened to audio recordings of people who work alongside the forests and seashores. Along the way, the flow of everyday life merged with the performance—children jumping into the river and a group of elderly women doing a collective workout to high-speed music. The salt bed used during the procession was later returned to the sea at Pattani Bay, while the ferments continue their journey in the installation.
This work was developed for the Pattani Biennale and presented as a performance and installation. Video documentation was later screened during the Food Art Fair in London.
With special thanks to Aleem for building the cart, as well as Thicha Plengpanich, Rattasart Phantumek, Dimas Angkling, and Kansada Loteh for documenting the performance.
