Lim Leong Seng's concept for 'Rebuild' can be seen as one that is a product of his time in a new era when urbanisation and industrialisation were pursued for economic prosperity in a post-independence Singapore. The city-state had become a developmental one, characterised by a desire for rapid economic growth coupled with massive infrastructure building to transform Singapore into a modern metropolis. According to Lim’s recollection, these steel rebars there were often rusty if left in the open exposed to the elements had to be bent into shape by hand and not by machines back in the 1970s. He stacked them up into five levels, and secured them using metal wires, resembling a built-up tower reminiscent of soaring skyscrapers that would come to dominate the city skyline in years to come. For Lim, his use of steel rebars in their raw state in Rebuild symbolised strength and the importance of industrialisation in Singapore’s growing economy that can only be achieved with a solid foundation in good governance and policies from which to build from. After the exhibition, Lim returned Rebuild into its original function as construction materials thereby creating a cyclical approach to art making and a more sustainable one within a circular economy. Rebuild also emphasised process over the finished work that changes over time.
