Home/ House

Living without water nor electricity is almost unheard of in Singapore. Convenience in a modern home is taken for granted. For the first-timer house buyer, one would expect to see new furnishings, home appliances, sound system or a well-equipped kitchen. The proud owners often took to social media to broadcast the development of their new nest (making sure that the brand of the new purchase is not cropped out in the photo). The living condition here in today's standards would perhaps give the impression that one is living in poverty. But is the "modern home" a luxury? The prevalence of purchasing commodities with interest-free instalment plans spur us to consume more than necessary, working harder and longer hours than ever to maintain our lifestyles.

The curse of narcissism meant that we look more outwardly than ever. To be judged as a fully-functioning member of the society, besides adhering to social norms , our identity depends much on the things we have, the people we know, our attire, the function we attend etc.

Soon, this will be my temporary home, friends are likely to take a keen interest for the sight of kampong house are long forgotten and more prominent in images. We have forgotten how to live simply, instead it has become a chore or a burden to fuss over obtaining basic needs.

Going nuts

 Messing around with avocado seeds.

 

Photo taken in August 2014. 1-month wait before seeing the split on the pit! 

Photo taken in December 2014. It's not going to produce fruits but it's still fun to watch it grow. 

 

Trying my hands at carving the avocado seed.

Celebrating Thinking

As a student, I detest nothing more than memorization. I wish learning could be effortless and enjoyable. But that doesn't mean I see learning as a chore but if I can choose, I want my learning to be authentic, relevant and fun. It will be an effective way to learn if knowledge acquisition is not bound by time. The faster you pick up a skill/ knowledge, the better you are, in terms of efficiency, may no longer be valid in the future. When everyone else maintain the same speed of learning, then the only way of 'improvement' is to further the production time. Then again, we are not machines.

We are constantly learning from the environment and never one thing at a time. Depending on context, we utilize all of our sense to learn. Getting in touch with reality requires qualities: "of sights, smells, images, tales and moods" (Eisner, 1988, p. 21).

In the environment, no single subject is deemed as more important than the other. We learn in context, whatever are relevant. Our senses heightened. We think on our feet/ toes. The 'any questions?' question is not met with silence because sometimes, you don't even know the answers to the never-ending questions.


Eisner, E. (1988). The celebration of thinking. Center for educational research at Stanford (CERAS). CA: Stanford.

Pulau Ubin Space

Although my stay will start between September and December 2015, I've decided to start my research with prints first. Like many concerned citizens, people are anticipating that housing needs could one day be brought over to Ubin. By then, our children's children could no longer experience the charms of kampong life bequeathed with wildlife. The act of developing and upgrading could also mean permanent loss. 

Coming here, I will be able to learn to feel comfortable in an uncomfortable place, live a resident (for 4 months) and not as a visitor. May my work allow me to think with my hands and do some workout at the same time. 

To enlist the help of other expertise is crucial to my work. We can complement each other's strengths and do something greater than ourselves.




Chua, E. K. (2000). Pulau Ubin: Ours to treasure. Singapore: Tien Wah Press Pte Ltd.

Mcturk, C. (2013). Parting Glances: Singapore's evolving spaces. China: ORO Editions.

Greetings from Singapore!

Hi everyone!

The 'Resident-in-Artist' project has finally found a new location to be replicated. Back home in Singapore, this project will continue in Pulau Ubin - an island less densely populated.

If you are new to this blog, you may want to read the parent blog here. 

The space is courtesy of The Artists Village.