Physical Space, Emotional Space, Creative Space

What will the next 2 years bring for the arts? In the midst of all the gloom and doom, it feels like most people are waiting cautiously with bated breath, cutting down on projects, postponing what can be postponed. For myself, for TheatreWorks, for 72-13, it has been a wake-up call to return to the essential - in many ways, I do not consider the recession with regret. The world is overheated, inflated, living in a bubble of globalisation and connectivity. The arts was no different, artists were flying all over for lectures, presentations, workshops, biennales, festivals. I spent 9 months travelling last year, flying in and out of Singapore on intercontinental flights every month. I don’t think this story is so different for other Singaporean artists, only a matter of degree.

Returning to the essence means for TheatreWorks and 72-13, a return to being more sensitive to what lies around us, deepening our thoughts, reflecting on needs of the arts, artists and society. The international should not just be a badge of honour but the international for me has always been a resistance for arts and artists to continue holding onto their beliefs of how arts should be involved with growing knowledge, with process, with deepening social political cultural engagement. For it is my belief that knowledge, process, depth will not occur simply through the proliferation of festivals which encourage consumerism. the economy in Singapore can be said to have distorted the arts scene to become one where the audience believes that they should get their money's worth, where many a young artist have said that they cannot survive if they do not become commercially driven. Singapore’s art scene is about hype, glamour, brand names; completely driven by the market. This is no secret to all of us involved in the arts; the government has often emblazoned this maxim, let the market decide on what Singapore needs.

Hence, I struggle to return to thinking about society rather than about audiences. I would like to return to a sustainable investment in artists who are working deeply in the pursuit of their practice and through that practice, dialogue with communities. What is dialogue? Is it simply about post show discussions? How do we interpret artists-elders in Asian societies who have refused to discuss their work but who are beacons of inspirations for their societies? What is sustainable today for the future - 50 years away from our lives? Perhaps it is about sharing an attitude towards the arts, towards the individual in a society. How can we incubate a society of conscience, respect without succumbing towards the success formula of the market?

In this respect, I am very happy to welcome our present batch of 72-13 Creatives-in-Residence (CIR), Jonathan Seow of Woods & Woods, Charles Lim and Ng Yi-Sheng. Yi-Sheng has worked quietly on the sidelines, interviewing many of the international and local artists who have passed through 72-13. Charles' compelling proposal of the squash court presented a little challenge: how to devote funds meant for 72-13 into 'something' off-site. Finally after 3 years of developing the Singapore Creative Arts Nucleus (SCAN), we have arrived at some culmination of the original objectives. Jonathan approaches 72-13 as an incubator and a platform for nurturing creativity and trans-disciplinary processes. In particular, he makes good the promise that SCAN can be an organic interface between the arts and the creative industries, generating ideas, creative strategies as well as providing the necessary stimuli.

Hope to see you around 72-13 in March.

Take care,

Ong Keng Sen
Artistic Director