Hey look! A mega (literally) sweet palace!
If you don’t recognize this, it’s actually an exhibition part of the Singapore Biennale ’08 which is on from now till the 16th of November. I read an article about a week ago that briefly mentioned how this pretty awesome structure was being invaded by army of ants, swarms of bees and what not. I really wanted to go take a look, but then I changed my mind because I was just too darn lazy. It got me thinking though, “how many people actually feel the same way I do about such artsy stuff?”
I did go for the 2006 one, went to explore around a bit, but I didn’t come away from it with a WOW feeling. It wasn’t that I didn’t admire the creativity and diligence of the artists, but it was more of an inability to fully appreciate their artwork.
Is it merely in our culture to ignore such events and their meaning? Of course I’m generalizing here, but how many people know that the Biennale is going on now? And out of that number, how many are actually intending on attending one or more exhibitions?
I was never brought for such things when I was younger, probably because Singapore then didn’t have as many such shows as they do now. Or perhaps, thinking of spending money on a show or exhibition was just too much.
How much can we blame our culture for our ignorance of such events?
In school, emphasis is placed on good grades for academic subjects, and art just isn’t one of them. I remember in Sec one, art and literature weren’t examinable subjects! I wasn’t horrified then because that means 2 less subjects to study, but now… WHOA, art is I suppose… understandable. But literature?
But on the bright side, we’re evolving! Schools are beginning to include more art programmes, art classes, teachers that actually specialize in art… lit is made compulsory for a lot of secondary schools etc etc.
Maybe the future generation will have more genuine interest in art events.
The idea of being hard working and career driven has been passed down the generations. Maybe it’s time to add so much more to our lives! (I’m not saying everyone is ignorant and fixated on their future wealth, but I’m GERNERALIZING. Meaning, there’s a lot of people out there who think in such a way that I would like to presume sim ub students don’t :D )
So, grab your little siblings or cousins or nieces, or nephews or just go kidnap some kids from kindergarten and let them experience the wonders of the world of art.
Let them grow into people who can be curious and who can question, and who can look at anything strange and foreign and just marvel at their beauty and realize how important such things are in our world.
6 comments:
art has never been appreciated in the materialistic society which we live in. as you have noticed, non-art subjects like mathematics and science have been highly favoured as it allowed testers to give one of 2 answers: right or wrong. how do you do the same with art?
with that said, it is a fact the children are getting more intelligent now-a-days. therefore, educators need a little something extra to discern one 'A' student from the other, and that, i think, is where art subjects come in to play.
with the increasing IQ over time, i won't be suprised if one day subjects like home economics become a highly tested!
Biennale! I think I heard of the word somewhere.. =P What does it mean anyway??
Hmm personally i've not really gone for many arts festivals.. is this an arts festival? Well I do enjoy the occasional visit with friends to museums (including the SAM) in recent years.. somehow when being immersed (i almost used the word culture here) in an environment of... art(?) i tend to feel.. i dunno.. feel like there're are things to think about, things i otherwise may not have thought about. But that's just me. I can't really explain it.
I'm glad you brought up the culture of meritocracy that pervades our country. While such a policy has managed to churn out capable leaders and kept our nation globally (so far it has been more about economics than anything else) competitive over the years gone by, and probably will continue to do so, an over-emphasis on academic grades may also lead to a skewing of talents, interests, and passions.
Fortunately, the gah-men is shrew enough to notice global trends, or see the need to try and keep on par with other "global cities" that have cultivated their arts and music scenes. Hence the desire to promote this relatively new culture over here in our young country. Actually, i realise I may have come across as portraying our own administrators in an unfavorable light. Maybe they're are doing a pretty decent job, after all. It's all about learning, anyway.
I can't believe Literature wasn't examinable! I had to take it in lower sec, and boy am i glad i did. Otherwise, i would probably would not have known about Julius Caesar, or read Animal Farm! The latter is such a great book.. really enjoyed reading it. I still remember that quote about how "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others."
How can i forget that? (= The whole "and they looked at the pigs, and looked at the men, and were no longer able to tell the difference" (paraphrasing here) just gave me the goosebumps lah.
Alas, this emphasis on academics would not be dwindling anytime soon. At least not noticeably in the next 5-10 years. It will take major events, of the global scale, to shake up people (from everywhere) about the long-held beliefs that grades maketh a person. Maybe the climate crisis ain't such a bad thing, it forces people everywhere to focus on real issues like survival and preservation, about working together, and when our very existence can no longer be taken granted for, it can force us to re-evaluate the things we hold dear.
You know what? Maybe the seeking of excellence is not such a bad thing after all. Perhaps it's the blind pursuit of power, money, and other associated vices that is what is wrong (I probably shouldn't judge) sometimes. If kids want to study hard because they are genuinely interested in the career paths they aspire to, to ultimately find their calling and lead meaningful lives, I will encourage them to do their best. It is the intent, that is probably what that differentiates us all.
Yesh, kids should be allowed their room to wander about the wonders of life, and not be forced to grow up too quickly by forcing them onto the paper-chase trail the moment they learn to walk.
(= So have you gone for the Biennale yet?
Hi! I have always heard of Biennale, but for some reason, I had never attended it even once! I also enjoy going for art and photography exhibitions like those they have in libraries from time to time. There was one at Bishan Library recently. Well when such events take place near my house, I usually go check them out.
Yes I do agree with your point that little credit is given to students who take arts subjects. You can also see this from the Junior College point system where the cutoffs for arts subjects are generally higher in number which might also infer that arts subjects are 'less important' or 'easier' to study.
However, I believe that being a balanced person (as far as education is concerned) and being educated about arts and culture is essential in the world we live in today! We live in a global village, where we come into contact with people of various backgrounds, cultures, norms etc. Thus I feel that learning about cultures is crucial to better understand the people around us and to learn to be more open-minded about issues revolving around various cultural groups.
From Wikipedia....
Biennale is Italian for "every other year" and can be used to describe any event that happens every 2 years.
It is commonly used within the art world to describe an international manifestation of contemporary art (for example, the "Biennale de Paris" which was created in 1959 by André Malraux. The word is spelled identically ('biennale') in French. English speakers sometimes use the equivalent English word, biennial (for example, the "Venice Biennial") in speaking or writing of such events.
The term is most commonly used in the context of major repeating art exhibitions
as my psychology lecturer told us this morning, singapore's education system in particular emphasize a little too much on practical intelligence and does not help children to develop in all other areas. i remember music and art and even physical education being totally redundant 'subjects' and i'm sure we were conditioned to feel that way because teachers could take time from any one of these periods to teach other 'more important' subjects like math or probably science. she also said the american system is far better in this area and attempts to develop the child in multiple areas. but then again practicality comes in... and singapore is a realistic and pragmatic country. a degree holds precedence over everything else and even then, an ARTS degree would most probably lead students to only a teaching career.
to sum up my rambling, in this profit making society money/survival is everything, therefore money-making subjects are more likely to be emphasized by schools, society, government and family. :D don't think we have a chance even in the arts sector.
pearleen.
Hah! I actually attended the last Singapore Biennale with my friends. It was actually pretty interesting.
Like you said, our culture is evolving in such a way that arts, music and even sports are becoming more acceptable. Look at the amount of bands coming down, the amount of art programmes being held, and the fact that we now have sport schools for our atheletes! Hmmm. Even though most of their time is still spent studying...
I'll be sure to kidnap some kids for some art appreciation, sure. :)
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