"Singapore, Michigan, was a thriving lumber town in the late 1800s, until erosion from mass deforestation caused the surrounding sand dunes to shift and swallow it whole. Yet just as quickly as the town disappeared under sand, its namesake in the East emerged from it: Around the world, Singapore is renowned for its use of land reclamation - importing sand to increase landmass and spur urban development."
"Carin Leong is a documentary filmmaker and multimedia journalist based in Brooklyn. Her work explores themes of science, cultural memory, and landscapes. Her film Sandcastles, produced by Field of Vision, premiered at SXSW in 2024 before screening at festivals such as AFI Fest, Hot Docs, and the Singapore International Film Festival, among others. Her projects have been supported by Aesthetica Short Film Festival, DOK Leipzig, and the Untitled Filmmaker Organization, where she is now a fellow."
Singapore, Michigan, was a lumber town in the late 1800s until erosion from mass deforestation caused sand dunes to shift and bury it. In contrast, the Asian Singapore has expanded through large-scale land reclamation, importing sand to increase urban landmass. Multiple perspectives — sand importers, land developers, environmental activists, climate-focused governments, and Indigenous communities of both Singapores — are used to examine how foundations made of sand can be both created and destroyed. The work highlights manmade edifices as fleeting, likening them to sandcastles: constructed as civilization's foundations yet vulnerable to wind and erosion. The short premiered at SXSW 2024 and screened at multiple international festivals.
Read at Hyperallergic
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