THE PROPAGANDA A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF
Nº.4 / JANUARY – MARCH 2015
INSIGHT
DISSA TISFAC TION
EMAN CIPA TION
A conversation with Loo Zihan By Chelsea Chua
Whether through his staging of Josef Ng’s Brother Cane in Cane 1, or his exhibition Education and Emancipation 2, artist Loo Zihan continually seeks to question the status quo through his work. In September 2014, Zihan and I attended a conference, which required us to imagine the future of Singapore. The conference became an entry way to starting a conversation about his artistic practice. Chelsea (C): A lot of your work tackles the kind of issues that came up for us during the conference with regards to information policing and censorship. Why that sort of preoccupation? Zihan (Z): I think it’s impossible to escape the fact that the arts is policed and monitored in Singapore. You cannot possibly make work here independently. My work has constantly been about negotiation and trying to expose certain structures of control whether implicit or explicit, and censorship is one of the most visible ones. But it’s not the only one; there are also funding structures, institutional restrictions. In Archiving Cane 3 for instance, I chose to make crowdfunding for the exhibition part of the work, because funding was rejected by a national board. C: And to expand on that point, one of the more interesting moments of the conference was when we started to discuss the ratings decision for Tan Pin Pin’s To Singapore With Love 4… Z: It’s really interesting in that one of the conference’s
speakers, who has seen the film, who is an influential player in government, actually said that it was dangerous exactly because it was a work of art and it was done too well! That it was too persuasive, too emotional, too good as a work of art that it challenges certain perceptions, and therefore had to be disapproved for all ratings. So just to recap, there were two speakers, one of whom was a minister, who was asked by a member of the audience why To Singapore With Love was given “not approved for all ratings”. And her response in a nutshell was, “it’s not banned. We are not trying to control your thinking. You can watch it if you want to.” But the fact is, the moment a film is given “not approved for all ratings”, nobody can touch it. The government can go on saying that it’s not banned, but in actual fact, it’s basically what happened with performance art after the Josef Ng incident in 1993. 5 Their stand was always that performance art was
1 Cane, performed during the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2012 at The Substation Theatre, 19 February 2012. 2 Names, Texts & Trouble: Education & Emancipation, Joint exhibition, part of the Associate Artist Research Programme at The Substation, The Substation Gallery, 7 to 16 March 2014. 3 Archiving Cane, exhibition at The Substation Gallery, November 2012. In its lead up, Zihan started a crowdfunding campaign to fund the cost of the exhibition. The campaign failed to meet its target, and Zihan sent out a public note notifying all its supporters: “There are too many cases out there where people just put in their own money to create the illusion of success, and that was the thing that I resisted. If it’s a failure then you should state very explicitly that it is a failure instead of trying to hide it.”
4
To Singapore With Love, Dir. Tan Pin Pin, Singapore (2014)
5 On 31 December 1993, performance artist Josef Ng performed Brother Cane at the 5th Passage Gallery. The performance stirred up so much controversey that the Singapore Government enforced a 10-year restriction on the licensing and funding of performance art.
If you don’t have that desire for freedom then you will never be emancipated. not banned; it’s just that the licensing and the funding of it was restricted for ten years. But what do all these words mean anyway? When you remove the licensing and the funding, how is a person supposed to continue that kind of practice? Similarly, by rating a film “not approved for all ratings”, you can try to get your hands on the film, but there are no means. But she also pointed out something that was quite self-reflective. She said that our censorship system was inadequate, and that if they gave it any other rating, they would have approved or validated it. C: I think that a lot of people were frustrated with the response that they were getting. Z: Yes, when one of the speakers did a casual poll, asking how many of us thought that it should be allowed to be screened, almost the entire room raised their hands. C: So it begs the question: Whom is that rating for? Z: Or how does that rating perform? C: Does your practice have an influence on your role as an educator? Z: I’m leaving the School of the Arts (SOTA) at the end of 2014. One of the reasons is that it’s very difficult for all practitioners to negotiate both their art practice and teaching. When I did Education and Emancipation you can see that the two have already intertwined. With that exhibition I was really asking how can I teach and what sort of information am I transmitting? I also brought some SOTA students to the exhibition and was very transparent about what I’m grappling with. As a part of the exhibition, I also brought some SOTA students to the exhibition and was very transparent about what I’m grappling with. C: What was their response? Z: They never really thought that their teacher would doubt the information that they are providing for them. It was hard to open up that conversation. The more productive conversations happened with National Institute of Education students who were about to graduate. They were obviously quite disgruntled; they had a lot of opinions about how information and art should be taught, and they wanted a platform where they could be heard, but they didn’t have one at school. C: Do you feel like Singapore’s education system is geared towards producing a certain sort of person? Z: I won’t answer that directly, but I will answer it by referencing the format of the conference. I think it was clear that the conference organisers didn’t want to prescribe their version of Singaporeís future on the
participants. They wanted the participants to generate our own vision. The conference was very structured, which to an extent already limits creativity and criticality, but the intent was sincere. However, I think the greatest let down is on the part of the participants. We were unable to elevate the conversation beyond the usual predicted visions for the future that we have been fed. It echoes what I was doing in Education and Emancipation. I based it on Ranciere’s The Ignorant Schoolmaster, and his basic thesis was; when you strip away everything, a teacher cannot teach you how to be free, because freedom is something that cannot be taught. Freedom has to be fought for, freedom has to be wrestled. It’s ugly, it’s not going to be pleasant, but you have to fight for it. And if you don’t have that desire for freedom then you will never be emancipated. C: What do you think stimulates that desire? Z: Hunger. Hunger for knowledge. Hunger for independence. Hunger for autonomy. And what stimulates that hunger? (pauses, thinking) Dissatisfaction. No, that’s exactly it: dissatisfaction. Almost everyone at the conference was very satisfied with the status quo. The people who were most dissatisfied there were from the arts community. And their dissatisfaction, I think, generated the most interesting comments. For example, it was the arts community that raised the topic of Pin Pin’s film being banned. I was at “Living with Myths” just a week before. One of the speakers referenced a book about the Boxer Rebellion and he talked about the three keys of history. History as event, which is the factual material that can be collected. History as experienced past, which is personalised perspective. And history as myth, which is popular imagining shaped by previous ideology or prevailing ideology, but unaware of its fiction. A film like To Singapore With Love will be history as experienced past merged with history as myth. But when you recognise that, history can also be productive, because it’s a reflection of our present. How we mythologise history, how history is told, is telling of who is in power. And that is the aspect of history that we need to critically evaluate. That’s where I think the arts comes in, because we can constantly push history, we can constantly push the envelope of what is considered reality, with our fiction.
6 “Living with Myths: Beginnings”, a forum presented at Theatreworks 72-13 on 21 September 2014, with speakers Huang Jianli, Seng Guo-Quan, Lee Kah-Wee. This was the third in a series of forums which aims to unpack the myths of Singapore history. The series is organised by Loh Kah Seng, Thum Pintjin, Jack Chia, and Tan Dan Feng.
COMICS
TOP 5 LIST
Top 5 Campaign Mascots Teamy the Bee Ah, soo insidious this bee. Does it encourage us to be all drone like? Is it telling us to make money for honey or honey for the money? And does the produ ctivity bee moonlight for HPB as a fertilit y idol or does he bat on the same team as Pinkie the Pee, sorry, Pink Dot masco t? Alas, we will never know, since Teamy retire d/ retren ched/becam e Bum-my the Bee sometime circa. 1999. Because as we know, Singa porea ns are now all industrious worke rs (snigg er).
Singa the Courtesy Lion Since 1982, Singa’s open arms and nuclear orange smile has graced buses, posters, and all manner of stationery foisted on hapless primary school children, entreating Singaporeans to remember say ‘thank you’, give up their seats on the bus, hold the door for the next person, and generally not behave like Neanderthals. Unfortunately 30 years of campaigning were for naught: Singa threw his paws up in frustration and resigned from his role as Kindness mascot in 2013. Proving that 1. Singaporeans are stubborn and surly 2. Animals really have no business teaching people about core values.
Pinkie the Pink Dot Mascot Unles s you have been living under a rock (or in Loron g Kamp ong Buangkok), you shoul d know what this Bandung blot stands for – lazy desig n work (a circle, a face, stick figure hands and ity legs? K1 art). Oh, and also love, equal and all things My Little Pony-ish. This tail-le ss tadpo le is an affirm ation that Singa porea ns really know how to comp lain, we mean, camp aign, for their cause s.
LTA commuter mascots These tarted up humpt y dumpties with their sickeningly allitera tive names are now a commo n sight to any regular user of public transp ort. Brande d as the “Thoug htful Family ’, Move-in Martin, Hush-hush Hanna h, and their assorte d
counte rparts are here to make your commute a more pleasa nt one. We’d like to introdu ce a few more into the family: Wear-deodo rant Wendy, Don’t-f lickyour-h air Denise, Poles-are-not-forleanin g-on Paul, and Get-yo ur-pap erout-of-my-fac e Glen.
Book worm M ove asid e, Ro ald Da hl an d Enid Bly ton; any se lf-re sp ec tin g ne rd grow ing up in the 80s an d 90s in Sin ga po re wo uld ha ve be en a prou d me mb er of the Bo ok wo rm Club, which prod uc ed a se rie s of bo oks ab out the ad ve nture s of Sm ar tie, Mimi, Sa m Se ng, an the re st of the d Bo ok wo rm ga ng . Th e only pe rk being a Bo ok wo of rm Club me mb er was a flimsy card tha t ga ve yo u brag gin g rig hts over yo oth er ne rd y fri ur en ds, but those he ar t-war ming sto rie s se t in the fa milial surro un ds of the HD B he ar tla nds we re prob ab ly ou r first fo ra y int loc al lite ra ture. o
PERSPECTIVES
An Unlikely Tool by Loh Pei Ying Yet, there was a time where stamps were highly important. The postage stamp first made its appearance in Singapore in 1854, when it was issued by the East India Company and subsequently by the Straits Settlement government from 1867 to 1942. 1 The British clearly understood the importance of post and mail as evidenced by their construction of the grand and opulent General Post Office Building (also known as the Fullerton Building), an attempt to showcase the Empire’s modernity and ability to communicate with the world. The Japanese too, understood the iconic symbolism of stamps. During the Occupation in Singapore, they overprinted and redistributed colonial stamps in Japanese, attempting to deface the British monarchy and sovereignty. 2 The interest in studying Singapore’s stamps came to me when I was looking to write my Honours thesis on Socialist Realism in postindependence Singapore. After searching for several months, I finally found evidence 1
In the study of print media and propaganda, stamps have often been overlooked. Undoubtedly, this has been exacerbated by the advent of technology, where e-mails and social media dominate forms of communication. Even to many historians, stamps are often dismissed as mere ephemera collected by antiquarians.
2
of Socialist Realism as an artistic style in first stamp of the Republic of Singapore issued in 1966. It was extremely thought provoking to find traces of Socialist Realism, out of all places, in stamps. Not just any stamp – but the first stamp of independent Singapore. Stamps have been cited to be examples of what renowned academic, Michael Billig, terms as “banal nationalism”. According to him, national identity is forged through complex beliefs and practices where the nation is ‘flagged’ in the daily lives’ of citizens. 3 Their “mundane omnipresence” allows them access to intimate spaces in our homes and offices. 4 Hence, it is the nature of stamps that lends it to be an understated yet powerful propaganda tool. As stamps can only be issued by the state, they become an obvious expression of
Images: 1. National Day First Day Cover from 1962 celebrating ‘Industrialisation and the Work Force’ 2. 1st Anniversary of Independence First Day Cover from 1966, celebrating ‘Survival in a Challenging Future’ 3. National Day First Day Cover celebrating ’25 Years of Nation Building’
1 William G Wells, “The Development of the Post Office in Singapore Between 1867 & 1907,” in Stamp Exhibition ’77 (Singapore: Singapore Stamp Club, 1977), pp. 14–19. 2 Association of Singapore Philatelists, The Collector’s Guide to Singapore Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery, 1st ed. (Singapore: Spectrum Press Pte Ltd, 1992), pp. 10-17. 3
Michael Billig, Banal Nationalism, (London: SAGE Publications, 2001), pp. 4-6.
Pauliina Raento and Stanley D Brunn, “Visualizing Finland: Postage Stamps as Political Messengers,” Geografiska Annaler. Series B. Human Geography 87, no. 2 (2005), p. 145. 4
3
state constructed national identity. They communicate, celebrate and commemorate state desired culture, practices, ideas, and agendas. Unsurprisingly, the power of stamps as a nation-building instrument was not lost on the Singapore government. Upon attaining self-governance in 1959, the People’s Action Party (PAP) government quickly created the Stamp Design Committee (SDC), and subsequently, the Stamp Advisory Committee (SAC) in 1968 to oversee the design and production of stamps, especially those marking important national and international occasions. 5 The stamp creation process was stringent and precise. Each design had to be seen and approved by a minister before it can be circulated. At the height of its popularity, stamps in Singapore enjoyed incredibly wide circulation. From the 1960s to 1980s, the number of postal articles delivered from Singapore increased from around 50 million to up to 370 million. 6 In 1982, the sale of Singapore postage stamps locally and abroad totalled close to 29 million Singapore Dollars. 7 Philately was also a widely enjoyed hobby with the creation of several philatelic societies, such as the Singapore Stamp Club, the Singapore Philatelic Society, and the Kreta Ayer Stamp Society. Citizens also often wrote to the newspapers discussing the nationalistic values and accessibility of these fairly expensive stamps. Perhaps the stamps that had the most impact on nation-building initiatives were the commemorative issues. Commemorative stamps are significantly different from their definitive counterparts, as they are issued less frequently, making them rare collectibles. More importantly, they explicitly seek to remember events and institutions, attempting to manipulate and shape history and collective memories. It was this unique memorial and propagandist quality of stamps that piqued my interest in studying them from 1960s to 1980s when they were most popular. In Singapore, commemorative stamps are commonly issued with First Day Covers (FDCs) and were highly popular. In the 1960s-80s, people often queued outside the Post Office from the early morning just to get their hands on a newly issued FDC – a piece of history that allows them to be part of Singapore’s national celebrations and national identity. As argued by Laurence Leong, the nation becomes “a commodity to be consumed” as citizens express their identification and patriotism to Singapore with their enthusiasm for such materials. 8 The first few commemorative stamps issued by the young autonomous nation marked the beginnings of the ‘struggling nation’ narrative that is echoed till today. After Singapore gained full internal self-governance in 1959, the PAP pushed for a four-
year plan to industrialise Singapore in order to solve the island’s burgeoning economic problems. Naturally, it became a recurring theme in several National Day commemorative stamps in the 1960s. However, weaved into these pictorials of industrialisation were larger historical and political ambitions. Many of these stamps were socialist realist in design – a style of realistic art made popular by the Soviet Union in the 1930s. As the PAP was losing political ground with the leftists during this time, it is possible that the party employed the visual language of socialists to attract their support. More importantly, this propagandist style allowed the party to portray the ‘spirit’ of Singapore, tying national survival with economic progress. Throughout the years, many of these commemorative stamps have attempted to narrate Singapore’s history. The story is one that has been deeply ingrained into our collective memories such that every Singaporean subconsciously echoes it today. It is a story of ‘rags to riches’, of a nation that survived despite perilous circumstances. It is also unsurprising that many of these sub-narratives have been politically driven. By emphasising Singapore’s success against the backdrop of its treacherous past, the party secures their power through a display of their functional legitimacy. They are portrayed to be the benefactors of Singapore’s economic wealth and the custodians of our political stability. Propaganda is commonly known to us to involve pomp and parade or large spectacles. When we think of propaganda today, we are reminded of mass communications in the form of printed posters, television, newspapers and so on. Yet propaganda is also seen in the small, mundane objects of our daily lives. It is this banality that makes stamps a surprisingly, and frighteningly dangerous propaganda tool as they unnoticeably shape our opinions. Though they play a less prominent role in our world today, they still carry certain propagandist agendas of the government. Although small and indistinct in disposition, stamps are anything but ephemeral.
5 AR23, 767 629/59, Stamp Design Committee, March 10, 1960, NAS.; AR47, MC 68/62, Issue of Commemorative Postage Stamps, January 8, 1962, NAS.; Yong Nyuk Lin, Speech of Mr. Yong Nyuk Lin, Minister For Communications, at the inaugural meeting of The Stamp Advisory Committee. (Published by the National Archives of Singapore (NAS) for Ministry of Culture (MOC)), August 27, 1968. 6 Postal Services Department Annual Report 1982 (Singapore: Pholoplates Private Limited, 1983), p. 19. 7 State of Singapore, Annual Report of the Postal Services Department for the Year 1960 (Singapore: Government Printing Office, 1961), p. 8. 8 Laurence Wai-Teng Leong, “Consuming the Nation: National Day Parades in Singapore,” New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies 3, no. 2 (December 2001), pp. 5-6.
AUNT AGGIE
ASK
Q: Dear Aunt Aggie, I am a creative, creative. I earn my keep by having a deadening day job where I write ear-rotting jingles for fast food ads, but my true artistic aspiration is to remake local marketing and publicity campaigns for a civil society! I feel that all of them lack colour, edge and surprise! Imagine putting pictures of diarrhoea on chocolate milk packets for clean toilets campaigns! Imagine promoting courtesy campaigns by using rude language ie. “Get the frock out of the cheap seat you cheaper Chainah prostitute and go back to your country lah! Because my preggers Vietnakness mail-order wife needs to sit down you know!” Do you know of anyone who will buy my ideas?
Q: Dear Aunt Aggie, I would love, love, love to create propaganda for the Government! I am super-patriotic (like Captain America, Captain Britain, and Captain Crunch) and I believe in fully supporting our governmental bodies and champion the good work that they have been doing. I have tried looking up gummytree zingapore and jobsless.sg for careers in propaganda but I have yet to see any openings. Are you able to help me in my search for relevant work experience?
Kraykray “creative creative” Verbosity Tan Tok Kok
Belial Chan Mary Chan
Dear lackey,
Dear Tok Kok, Your ideas are truly mind blowing, because only people whose brains are well and truly splattered will understand the well of dank and murk that you draw your irksome ideas from. Let me give you the lowdown: campaigns that shock are passe. What the Men in non-offensive pastels want now are pretentious illustrations and fonts that signify nothing to no one except hipsters, cute characters promoting socially acceptable conduct (a time honoured practice since Singa came into his perma-perm & jaundiced form) or simple, formal text rendered in bold and block form, in 4 languages and accompanied by the finest $$$ fine sign. Which is what you might get for sedition for the last idea you suggested. Reserve your shock tactic ideas for terrorist organisations and the toilet bowl (please flush after).
I am sad to say that the job market for propagandists now is, sadly, facing a glut of cheap opportunists, I mean, opportunities. We have outsourced all such menial tasks of spin-doctoring to call centres in the upazilas of Bangladesh, the 7 000+ islands of the Filipino archipelago, and Mars. There are reasons for these recent developments. Firstly, money grubbing telcos (duh). Secondly, native Singaporeans can no longer read or write properly since literature is now bunk. Thirdly, our low birth rate means there are less suckers born every minute. Finally, because no one understands or believes the guys on the other line anyway. Sigh, the golden days of deception, inveiglement and obfuscation are really behind us. Try PR agencies, like Oz & Mephisto (Oz & M), and Hilly and Knoll-ton, if you would still like to persevere in doing the devil’s good work.
Aunt Aggie
Aunt Aggie
Q: Dear Aunt Aggie, I think that local artists need more attention from the public, so I would like to start a campaign that encourages the public to love artists! We would have standees of Cultural Medallion winners, Free Hugs for Artists Day, stuffed toys of our famous artists, etc! What do you think? Arthur Lee Enthu Sia Stick
Dear Arthur Lee, As with any groundbreaking idea, the key is to go big or go home. Why stop at stuffed toys? Why not create a theme park, where everyone can share in the creativity, love, and joy of our beloved arts personalities? Recreate a scene from your favourite local play! Make a cameo in a well-loved local film! Get a starter kit to make your own sound art sculpture! Not to mention bubble headed mascots for all our most well-regarded, accoladeladen artists! Just look at how Disney has made talking mice and ducks into international cultural references. I suggest you work on a proposal to submit to the Zingapore Tourist Board, Gentosa Resorts Wild, or Manila Bay Sans immediately. Aunt Aggie
EVENTS
PRESENTED BY THE SUBSTATION READING CENTHINI: SULUK TAMBANGRARAS (PATH OF THE BOAT OF SOUL) BY AGNES CHRISTINA Serat Centhini is a ancient Javanese text that features two main characters: Amongraga and Cebolang. These two main characters run away from home for different reasons, but undergo the same journey to finally go back home. Part of The Substation’s Directors’ Lab Thursday 8 to Saturday 10 January 2015, 8pm The Substation Theatre Admission: $20 / $15 (concession). Tickets available from The Substation Box Office SINGAPOREAN EXPERIMENTAL ARTISTS AT THE UNIFIEDFIELD AIR PROGRAMME BY THE UNIFIEDFIELD The Unifiedfield is proud to present the outcome of the projects produced by the experimental Singaporean artists who participated since 2012 at The Unifiedfield´s Artist-in-Residence (AIR) Programme in Granada, Spain. A showcase with live performances, experimental music, screenings, artist talks and workshops. Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 January 2015, various times The Substation Gallery Admission: Free, donations are welcome WORKMANSHIP OF CERTAINTY AND CHANCE BY MICHELLE LIM Ceramics artist Michelle Lim will be examining the material, symbolic and relational aspects of clay and ceramics. Her explorations will involve a study of craftsmanship and observations about how these crafted vessels can affect the ”performative” act of communing and consumption. Part of The Substation’s Associate Artist Research Programme. Thursday 5 to Sunday 8 March 2015, 12pm – 9pm The Substation Gallery Admission: Free THE RIGHT WAY TO DRAW BY INSTRUCTOR: TANIA DE ROZARIO This workshop will introduce participants to the basic skills required to create convincing representational drawings. At the end of the course, participants will acquire a familiarity and confidence with materials such as charcoal and drawing pencils. Every Saturday starting 10 January 2015 (5 sessions), 1pm – 3pm The Substation Classroom 2 Course Fee: $155.50 + $75 material fee per participant For more information about this course, contact Jay 6337 7800 / jay@substation.org FASHION ILLUSTRATION WORKSHOP 101 INSTRUCTOR: JASLINE ANG Bring out the designer in you by with this introductory drawing course that will teach you earn the basics of fashion illustration. Participants will be taught the basics of figure drawing and learn how to represent different cuts, drapes and silhouettes simply and effectively. Every Saturday starting 10 January 2015 (4 sessions), 1pm – 3pm The Substation Classroom 1 Course Fee: $133.20 (Excluding material fee) For more information, contact Jay 6337 7800 / jay@substation.org
WAR PAINT BY PAT TOH This play is about fighting. Does the hero fight so that tender hands seek out his or her inflicted wounds? Tears come after blood and sweat. And perhaps they can only ever come after blood and sweat. Part of The Substation’s Directors’ Lab Friday 20 March 2015, 8pm Saturday 21 March 2015, 3pm and 8pm The Substation Theatre Admission: $20 / $15 (concession). Tickets available from The Substation Box Office MAKING TROUBLE BY TANIA DE ROZARIO As part of her documentation on activism in the arts, Tania will be presenting transcripts of her interviews with artists, administrators and other individuals over the past year, furthering uncovering the history, roles, opinions and feelings of those who have been involved with activism in the arts. Part of The Substation’s Associate Artist Research Programme. Friday 20 to Sunday 29 March 2015, 12pm – 9pm The Substation Gallery Admission: Free FIRST TAKE First Take is a monthly screening of new local short films, followed by a QnA with the filmmakers. It’s a platform for filmmakers and anyone interested in filmmaking to meet and share their work. For more information, email vincent@substation.org or call 6337 7535. Monday 2 February 2015, 8pm Monday 2 March 2015, 8pm LASALLE College of the Arts Admission: Free, donations are welcome SINGAPORE SHORT FILM AWARDS 2015 The Singapore Short Film Awards is back! A chance to catch the films that have moved you, made you laugh and struck a chord with you over the past year! The best of Singapore shorts will be recognised in categories such as Best Director, Best Fiction Film, and Best Documentary. By The Substation Moving Images Monday 2 to Saturday 8 March 2015, timing TBC LASALLE College of the Arts Admission: Entry by donation SILKSCREEN PRINTING WORKSHOP BY MONSTER GALLERY This workshop will introduce participants to learn how to design, create and print their own tote bags using direct blockout method of silkscreen printing. All materials are provided and participants will take home their own printed totes! Saturday 10 January 2015, 1pm – 3pm Saturday 24 January 2015, 1pm – 3pm The Substation Random Room Admission: $83.35 (inclusive of material fee) For more information about this course, contact Jay 6337 7800 / jay@substation.org
About the Contributors Loh Peiying, Writer Peiying is a fresh graduate from the Department of History at the National University of Singapore. Her interest areas are in politics, Singapore’s heritage and art history. In her free time, she loves to read books, bake, cook, café hop and cuddle with her two fat cats.
A chat with illustrator Jenny Zhang about the centrefold illustration, The Sleepless Mind.
Ng Xiao Yan, Illustrator Xiao Yan graduated from the School of Art, Design and Media in Nanyang Technological University. She enjoys drawing and painting absurdist misadventures, some of which can be found at thirdtentacle.net. She is currently co-working on a selfinitiated comic series. Jenny Zhang, Illustrator Jenny Zhang QiaoPo is currently pursuing a Philosophy degree at National University of Singapore (NUS). She has a deep interest in art, illustration, photography, and philosophy. Her artworks reflect her inner emotional state, and a fascination with lines, forms and light. In her free time, she produces illustrations for The Substation, when she is not struggling with philosophy, reading, or drinking to Radiohead. Portfolio: http:// www.jennyzhangqiaopo.portfoliobox.me. Lim Morrison, Writer Lim Morrison used to write for Big O. He still dreams of the lizard king.
Q: What do you think of propaganda? I think that it is a powerful clouding of perceptions in manipulation of the mind, to achieve an often unjustified purpose. It has to be an imperceptible process, as any propaganda will lose its effect once it is recognised as one by the receiving end. Propaganda is, in this sense, similar to meddling with brains (I am definitely being a physicalist over here, for taking a brain state to be identical to a mental state), and whoever has his mind warped has no awareness of it. Q: What is your inspiration for the illustration? The main inspiration comes from the idea of interfering with the mind. I decided to express the idea literally, illustrating scientists experimenting with brains. I have to admit that the illustration also draws reference to The Matrix, an all-time favourite of mine. Who knows, we might very well be brains in vats, or a result of scientific experiments.
ISSUE is a publication by The Substation that features a different theme every quarter. If you like what you see, and would like to contribute as a writer, illustrator or help distribute ISSUE, please get in touch with Chelsea at chelsea@ substation.org.
Would you like to contribute to ISSUE?
About The Substation The Substation was founded in 1990, and is Singapore’s first independent contemporary arts centre. We promote research, experimentation, and innovation in the arts, and have worked with some of Singapore’s finest artists, writers, and intellectuals. The Substation is a non-profit organisation. It is 100% reliant on financial and in-kind support from the general public, commercial organisations, and foundations. The Substation is a registered charity, and as such, donors receive a 250% tax exemption on any amount donated.
Contact Us 45 Armenian Street, Singapore 179936 www.substation.org The Substation Gallery Open daily, 12pm – 9pm, closed on public holidays
For courses, ticket sales, and enquires about our events, please contact The Substation Box Office
For all other enquires, including those pertaining to venue rental, please contact The Substation Office
Open Monday to Friday 12pm – 2pm / 5pm – 8pm
Open Monday to Friday, 9am – 6pm, closed on public holidays
One hour before start of show on weekends
T: 6337 7535 E: admin@substation.org
T: 6337 7800 E: boxoffice@substation.org
Layout by Qu’est-ce Que C’est Design - quest-ce.com