Jake Michael Singer’s sky whispers

The ancient sands of Giza have long whispered stories of civilisation and eternity. Those whispers converged with contemporary art at the fourth edition of Forever Is Now which took place from October 24-November 16. The exhibition transformed the Giza plateau into an open-air museum showcasing a dozen artists including SA sculptor Jake Michael Singer, of AWC Contemporary. His contribution We Will Meet Again in the Sky was a lyrical structure of lightness, form and motion, poised to take flight at any moment. 

For Singer, the invitation to participate in this prestigious event was exhilarating. “The Pyramids are such an important edifice of how culture meets the physical world,” he said. “Architecturally and design-wise, they embody so much of what we assign as meaning in the world.”

This latest work forms part of his ever-expanding Murmurations sculpture series, a celebration of our collective humanity. Taking its name from “marmara,” a Sanskrit word used to describe the sound of wind or water, it also references the phenomenon of flying starlings that come together to create intricate patterns in the sky.

His installation draws inspiration from the Bennu, an ancient Egyptian deity associated with rebirth, and murmurations, those mesmerising movements of birds swooping and swelling together in synchrony. For Singer, this imagery becomes a metaphor for humanity itself. “I’ve always been fascinated by the collective,” he said. At the heart of his practice lies an exploration of interconnectedness, movement and collective energy. “How civilisations are built, how we move together, often in ways we don’t fully understand”.

As an African artist engaging in a global dialogue, Singer feels a deep sense of responsibility. “I think it’s important that we spread SA ideas and ingenuity around the globe,” he noted. While Egypt is firmly rooted in the African continent, the exhibition’s international platform underscores a broader interplay of cultures, identities, and narratives. Singer believes art has a responsibility to address universal truths.

Constructed from aluminium and steel, We Will Meet Again in the Sky combines modern materials with clean, contemporary lines that contrast sharply with the timeless ruggedness of the pyramids. “I’m interested in where abstraction meets the physical world,” Singer said. “There’s a strange, almost divine tension there. Humans are no less abstract than the rocks we walk on. We’re all particles of matter, passing ideas and stories to one another.” Yet it’s a fitting tribute to the idea of renewal, a journey towards hope.

The logistical challenges of working on the Giza Plateau only deepened Singer’s connection to the piece. Prefabricated in Turkey, the 5m-tall structure was shipped to Egypt in sections and carefully assembled without disturbing the ancient site. The process demanded engineering precision and artistic intuition, a balancing act that mirrors Singer’s broader practice.

Known for transforming industrial materials into ethereal forms, Singer describes We Will Meet Again in the Sky as “poetry in the physical, architecture without function or constraint.” For him, sculpting is an intuitive, iterative process grounded in deep philosophical inquiry. He finds himself grappling with failure and guiding the work towards something impactful but leaving space for others to find their own meaning.

That meaning often becomes deeply personal. The title We Will Meet Again in the Sky references a phrase shared with Singer after a period of family loss, a sentiment that carries both mourning and hope. Set against the eternal pyramids, the work invited viewers to consider what is remembered and what is reborn. “I hope people see in it whatever they need to,” Singer said. “Maybe it’s nothing at all, and that’s OK. Sometimes art is just a suggestion, a place holder for ideas.”

Yet the resonance of We Will Meet Again in the Sky feels especially poignant today, as ideas of collective identity and individual agency are being renegotiated worldwide. “We live in a world that often glorifies the individual,” Singer observes, “but it’s the collective that defines nations, it’s the story that drives people towards action.”

Looking ahead, Singer’s Murmurations series promises even bolder explorations of the collective. “I want to create bigger, wilder, crazier gestures,” he said with a grin. Yet his artistic philosophy remains steadfast: to honour craft, embrace failure, and forge connections between people, places, and moments in time.

His philosophical approach positions art as a reminder of our existence, an anchor in time and space. “Sculptures are built for people who haven’t been born yet,” Singer says. “They’re encounters waiting to happen, legacies waiting to unfold.” While it may not provide all the answers, art offers something to hold onto and pass forward. And perhaps, when we meet again in the sky, that will be enough.