It's Summer time! Let's bring out your inner childget out and explore under the sun at the As You Were is a public art showcase. From now till 30 October, 5 public art installations will be spanned across 3 park spaces in Singapore (Bishan-AMK Park, Jurong Lake Gardens, Punggol Waterway Park) for your 'playtime'.
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.Encouraging play by evoking nostalgia
Small Moments by Chong Zhi Wei Daniel Location: Bishan-AMK Park, Field nearer to Dog Run Area (Google Maps Link)
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 draws on familiar objects that gesture towards the bygone days.
n o o n (at play) by Hazel Lim and Adeline Kueh Location: Punggol Waterway Park, Open Area behind Punggol Waterway Point (Google Maps Link)
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)
Can You Hear Me? by Quek Jia Qi and Aaron Lim Location: Bishan-AMK Park, Lotus Pond (Google Maps Link)
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.Natural landscape transformed by creative imagination
Our Dreams Must Continue by Teo Huey Ling
Location: Jurong Lake Gardens, Forest Ramble (Google Maps Link)
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.
Afloat by Ang Song Nian Location: Punggol Waterway Park, Sand Play Area (Google Maps Link)
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.
For more information on the participating artists and their artworks, head on over to NAC'swebsite or follow the latest updates at NAC onFacebook andInstagram.
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