Gross National Distress is a research-led inquiry initiated by 3l33 that revisits the phenomenon of spirit possessions in 1970s Singapore. The project situates these metaphysical disruptions against the aggressive economic and political backdrop of the nation’s rapid industrialisation.

The first half of this website provides the critical framework and motivations behind the research. A primary focus is the state’s promotion of “productivity consciousness”—a strategic campaign designed to internalize industrial discipline within the workforce. This historical foundation informs a series of works that both obliquely and directly reflect on the structures governing factory life.

Drawing from literary sources that challenge traditional perceptions of labour, the project also foregrounds the human element. It features oral histories and personal recollections from three individuals—Zainab Mahmood, Nadia Florman, and Azfar Sidek—whose lived experiences offer varying narratives and sentiments towards industrial history.

The second half of the site serves as a laboratory for audiovisual experimentation. Through the moving image and multidisciplinary art-making, these works translate the research into a sensory experience. These experiments are not merely supplementary; they are essential interventions designed to facilitate a more coherent, immersive vision of a workforce navigating the pressures of the "graveyard shift."