The City of Willows is a playable video game installation developed by Chong Yan Chuah based on the research of scholar Simon Soon. The edition is presented as three distinct yet interconnected items: the Video Game, the Digital Print Artwork, Artwork Book.

The game The City of Willows (2025) reimagines the rituals of 19th-century Chinese secret societies (Triads) in the Malay archipelago. Players embark on a mythic journey through Southeast Asian scenes from durian stalls to Penang’s Kek Lok Si Temple, searching for the symbolic sanctuary, the “City of Willows”. A destination that functions as a post-apocalyptic haven for belonging and community.

Each edition of The City of Willows is delivered as a complete, ready-to-install artwork. The game is stored on a Kingston 64GB thumb drive with a LaCie Hard Disk backup, and is played using an 8BitDo wireless controller.

The work is designed to function as a standalone installation. It can be set up on any standard PC or exhibition system by following the included installation manual.

In addition to the digital game, each edition includes a unique framed print and artwork book- a complete documentation on the artwork and all technical, conservation and display guidelines. Allowing the work to exist both as a playable experience and as a collectible art object within private or institutional archives.

The Video Game

• Artists: Chong Yan Chuah, Simon Soon
• Title: The City of Willows
• Edition: 6 + 2 Artist Proofs
• Medium: Videogame, Engine UE5
• Dimension: 16:9, 1920x1080p
• Certificate of Authenticity: Binded with Digital Print
• Year: 2025

The Print

• Artist: Chong Yan Chuah, Simon Soon
• Title: The City of Willows
• Edition: 1/1 Unique Print
• Medium: Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta. 315 gsm
• Certificate of Authenticity: (Acting as COD for Video Game)
• Year: 2025

Hardware Contents

• Kingston 64GB Thumb Drive (Full Game Installation)
• LaCie Hard Disk 1TB (Backup Copy)
• 8BitDo Wireless Controller