Come Together and Experience Public Art Trust's Five New Commissions from Jurong to Punggol
12 May 2022
Bring out your inner child with the simple joy of a seesaw, share your secrets through a larger-than-life paper cup, or marvel at a giant version of a Marie biscuit. From now till 30 October, the public can engage with five public art installations located across three park spaces in Singapore – Bishan-AMK Park, Jurong Lake Gardens, and Punggol Waterway Park.
Commissioned by the Public Art Trust (PAT) under the National Arts Council (NAC), As You Were is a public art showcase featuring seven artists stepping into nature to create interactive visual artworks that portray their imaginations of an endemic world. These works were developed based on the multitude of changes experienced in our daily lives since the onset of COVID-19. As You Were offers the public an opportunity to reconnect with nature as well as one another through fun and meaningful artworks that encourage a sense of play. It is also a reflection of the nation opening up, and the artworks serve as a timely reminder for the public to connect, communicate and play as we step out of the pandemic. Tay Tong, Director of Sector Development (Visual Arts), NAC, said, “As our public spaces come to life again, the dawning of a new, endemic world is a huge step forward for our arts community, and for all Singaporeans. Our artists sought to contemplate and facilitate society’s reconnection to nature and community, and this showcase has provided an opportunity for them to push their creative boundaries to create works that inspire joy and reflection in the daily lives of our Singapore public.”
Encouraging play by evoking nostalgia
Nostalgia was a primary source of inspiration for the works – with Small Moments by Chong Zhi Wei Daniel; n o o n (at play) by visual artist Hazel Lim and installation artist Adeline Kueh; and Can You Hear Me? by Quek Jia Qi and Aaron Lim drawing on familiar objects that gesture towards the bygone days.
The artists enlarged objects representative of one’s childhood, which serve as encouragement and reminders for the public to heal and play together after a challenging two years. Members of the public are invited to unleash their inner child as they find amusement at a giant Marie biscuit looming over visitors in Small Moments, or rest from the demands of the day with the set of seesaws in n o o n (at play).
Beyond evoking a sense of camaraderie, the works aim to create a deeper connection with our natural environment. Echoing a much-used phrase in the age of Zoom calls, Can You Hear Me? invites all to cultivate the art of active listening by taking solace in the sounds of nature through a paper cup telephone. By carving spaces for intimate interaction, the public is invited to contemplate and renegotiate ideas of togetherness today.
Taking the idea of contemplation into the wider community, artists such as Teo Huey Ling and Ang Song Nian produced works that encourage the public to press on collectively - be it through the whimsical and playful shapes that resemble daydreams in Our Dreams Must Continue or Ang Song Nian’s nod to the iconic face mask in Afloat, an object that has come to represent an act of solidarity of those around the world in fighting the pandemic.
As You Were represents the resilience of the arts community during the COVID-19 pandemic, where artists are going beyond their usual practice to exercise their creative imagination, and make art that is widely visible and accessible to all. This showcase sees the majority of the artists experimenting in public art for the first time, and the result is an innovative effort to create meaningful art that inspires and resonates with a wider audience. This also reiterates NAC’s commitment to make art accessible to the public in everyday spaces, adding vibrancy to the visual arts landscape.
In line with this new series of commissions, NAC will launch a Public Art Guidebook to equip commissioners and artists with the best practices to develop public art for Singapore. This echoes NAC’s commitment to work in tandem with the arts community and foster partnerships among Government agencies, strengthening our art ecosystem for a vibrant arts scene. This guidebook will be available on NAC’s website.
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ANNEX A: AS YOU WERE EVENT LISTING
ANNEX B: ARTWORK AND ARTIST DESCRIPTIONS FOR AS YOU WERE
For media queries, please contact:
Details
Yeo Zhi Yi Senior Associate Tate Anzur 96418 8147 | Faith Leong Manager, Communications & Marketing National Arts Council 6346 9648 / 9173 0246 |
About Public Art Trust
The Public Art Trust (PAT) is an initiative by the National Arts Council established since 2014. Its mission is to make art a part of our urban spaces, and to bring art closer to Singaporeans. The PAT aims to achieve this by commissioning new public art in spaces where we live, work and play; bringing art closer to the community through impactful programming and outreach; as well as to promote visual literacy and best practices in public art.
About National Arts Council
The National Arts Council champions the arts in Singapore. By nurturing creative excellence and supporting broad audience engagement, our diverse and distinctive arts inspire our people, connect communities and profile Singapore internationally. We preserve our rich, cultural traditions as we cultivate accomplished artists and vibrant companies for the future. Our support for the arts is comprehensive – from grants and partnerships to industry facilitation and arts housing. The Council welcomes greater private and corporate giving to and through the arts so that together we can make the arts an integral part of everyone’s lives. For more information on the Council’s mission and plans, please visit NAC Website.
ANNEX A: AS YOU WERE EVENT LISTING
As You Were
Date: 12 May to 30 October 2022
Venue: Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Jurong Lake Gardens, and Punggol Waterway Park
A brand new commission by the Public Art Trust under the National Arts Council (NAC), As You Were presents a series of five public art installations by seven homegrown artists, located across three of Singapore’s nature parks. This showcase reflects artists’ imaginations of an endemic world as they step out of their studios and into nature.
From whispering secrets through a larger-than-life paper cup telephone to reliving one’s childhood memories at a seesaw-inspired work, these works encourage a sense of play with all who encounter it. Step out and explore these works for yourself today!
For more information, please visit the PAT website.
ANNEX B: ARTWORK AND ARTIST DESCRIPTIONS FOR AS YOU WERE
Details
No. | Image / Artwork details | Artist bio |
BISHAN-ANG MO KIO PARK | ||
1 | Small Moments Year: 2022 Concept:
| About Daniel Chong Daniel Chong is an artist that works with everyday objects. Working between the quiet slippages of function and sentimentality, Chong subtlety exposes the emotive qualities attached to these objects. From strength to grief and recently, intimacy, Chong engages with materialism as a means to unearth our emotional connections through objects. His practice is often characterised with the ability to softly nudge perceptions through minute interventions. His recent exhibitions include a solo presentation ‘Shifting Subtilties’ (2019) at 1a space in Hong Kong and participation in the OSTRALE Biennale O21 in Dresden, Germany. Chong has also curated a number of projects such as co-curating ‘Bad Imitation’ (2022) at Tanjong Pagar Distripark as part of Singapore Art Week and ‘Stranger(‘s) Touch’ (2022) a project that explores touch through the guise of a beauty store |
2 | Can You Hear Me? Year: 2022 Concept:
| About Quek Jia Qi and Aaron Lim Quek Jia Qi is an interdisciplinary artist and educator. She works collaboratively to explore how modes of exchange intersecting art and pedagogy can facilitate spaces for transformation and bring individuals and communities together for civic engagement. She has led participatory workshops, site-specific installations, public programmes, and performances across the US, UK, Europe, and Asia. Aaron Lim is an artist and architectural designer interested in cross-disciplinary practices that involve collaborative modes of making and community engagement where spatial agency is shared. His works have been presented at the Singapore Heritage Festival, London Festival of Architecture, Urban Redevelopment Authority, Noise Singapore, and Singapore Coffee Festival. |
JURONG LAKE GARDENS | ||
3 | Our Dreams Must Continue Year: 2021 Concept:
| About Teo Huey Ling |
PUNGGOL WATERWAY PARK | ||
4 | Afloat Year: 2022 Concept:
| About Ang Song Nian Working extensively with photography and installation, Ang Song Nian is intrigued by human interventions on landscapes, and the traces of human existence and consciousness brought to light by natural phenomenon. He currently lectures at The School of Art, Design and Media at the Nanyang Technology University. |
5 | n o o n (at play) Year: 2022 Concept:
| About Hazel Lim (Right) and Adeline Kueh (Left)
|