Ob Square is the result of the creative encounter of London based practitioners Iyvone Khoo and Miguel Guzman. Linking up their taste for lasers and sculpture, they found a common intent in 2000 whilst they were both enrolled in a Set-Model Making course at RADA, London.
Formerly employed by a laser entertainment company in Singapore, Iyvone joined forces with Miguel, who was experimenting with ultraviolet sculptures and installations at underground parties in London. This creative synergy generated a long-lasting artistic partnership aimed at developing and meliorating the possibilities of the laser medium.
Their joined efforts produced a series of laser installations for private events: thus Ob Square was born. Ob Square’s installations are an exploration into the phenomenon of light. They are luminous landscapes constructed from different materials, the 50% of which is recycled directly from post-consumer waste.
In Iyvone and Miguel’s imagination waste produced by society on a daily basis is transformed, thus empty plastic bottles provide the structure for schools of fluorescent Jellyfish.
Whilst installing visual effects for parties has always been their main preoccupation, Iyvone and Miguel also had other occasions to put their creations under public scrutiny. In 2004 they were invited to exhibit an art installation made from plastic bottles for SEMB, Singapore’s environmental agency. In the same year they had another exhibition in Singapore, consisting of laser sculptures and a live performance.
In 2008, Ob Square collaborated to a Wellcome Trust funded project, combining science and art. The installation, made with recycled materials collected by groups of students involved in the project, aimed to represent the anatomy of neuron cells afflicted by a range of pathologies, and was a successful attempt to help students engage with science in a more interactive and enjoyable way. The result of these workshops was a 45 sculptures strong installation exhibit, held at the Africa Centre in Covent Garden.
In 2009, Iyvone and Miguel decided to expand the application of their crafts to filmmaking and realised a short film, ‘The Moth Catcher’, funded by Film London. The film, nominated for the BOBs awards, was screened on a number of occasions, including the Wood Green Film Festival, the Portobello Film Festival, London Fashion Week and the Singapore Short Film Awards.
Press:
