Bringing Life to Communities Through the Arts

The arts awaken the colour and human emotions in our everyday lives and community spaces, says Kenneth Kwok, the assistant chief executive of National Arts Council (NAC). In an interview with CLC Researcher Lee Li Fang, Kwok convinces us that one need not be an expert to engage with the arts and there is a myriad of ways to enjoy it.

LF:

From the large-scale Singapore Night Festival to Drama Box’s staged plays within neighbourhood town centres, the arts are effective programming for public spaces. What do you see as the greatest value to using arts to programme public spaces?

KK:

I think what is great about bringing the arts into public spaces is that sense of something extraordinary happening in an ordinary space. You are used to seeing a place one way - and then suddenly a dance performance or an artwork makes that space come alive, and transforms it in ways you had not imagined. I love that element of surprise, of the unexpected, that encourages us to see the world around us through new lenses. I think we forget sometimes how much colour and human emotion exists in our everyday lives, and we just need to be awoken to it.

The other great thing about the arts is that the arts are multi-dimensional. You can just sit back and enjoy a musical performance, or you can get up and dance along with the beat. You can talk about a stunning piece of artwork with family, with friends, or you can admire it alone. I’ve seen senior citizens enjoying and participating in arts activities, families and small children too, even pre-walking babies! You can have meaningful experiences with the arts at whatever level you want to.

The arts also create opportunities to bring communities together. I love seeing groups of people coming together to create artworks, especially when what is created is then displayed or presented in a common space. Last year, the NAC worked with artists Jalyn Han and Joseph Nair to organise a Pop-up Noise event where young artists created art pieces and performances inspired by conversations with Chinatown residents. These works were then exhibited and presented at Kreta Ayer Square for the residents to interact with and enjoy. The project helped to foster a sense of community as well as ownership of the space by the people living there.

LF:

Artworks can be found all around us, e.g., in residential estates and office buildings, and it is easy to turn a blind eye to what is commonplace. Some, like the dragon playground, the colourful shops along Haji Lane or the statues along the Singapore River, become entrenched in people’s collective memory to form a sense of place and even a sense of identity. When and how does an artwork achieve that effect?

KK:

Naturally, time plays a part — if a structure or artwork has been around for any years, it eventually becomes a part of our collective consciousness and memory. Beyond that, I think the artworks that endure in the public’s imagination are those that activate emotions beyond nostalgia. One of Singapore’s most beloved public artworks is Chong Fah Cheong’s bronze sculpture, “First Generation”, which depicts five young boys leaping or falling into the Singapore River. There is a carefree playfulness in the piece that many of us can respond to.

LF:

Participatory arts, such as decorating one’s playground, is one way to reach out to more difficult age groups like children and seniors to engender a sense of place. Many artists are also interested in getting the “man on the street” involved in arts like performances and wall murals. What do you think are the challenges in this endeavour, and what are some solutions that have worked for Singapore or elsewhere around the world?

KK:

Sadly, many people still think that you need to be “good” at making art to enjoy it. The wonderful thing about the arts is that you can access the arts, and engage with the arts at any level of ability or interest. The arts, by their very nature, are meant to be open, inviting, and exploratory, especially community arts. I wish more Singaporeans would not feel shy about participating in the arts, or think it is only for a specific type of person. At outdoor community arts events like those organised by Drama Box, for example, I’ve seen members of the public spontaneously get up on stage, and be part of forum theatre performances. If you feel inspired, just go for it. No one is going to laugh at you — if anything, they wish they had your courage! You can interact with the arts in so many meaningful ways beyond being a professional artist: you can be a hobbyist, a casual participant, a dedicated student, an audience member, a volunteer, a donor.

What is important is how the process is facilitated. I am heartened to see more and more of our Singapore artists not only interested to engage with communities through the arts, but also take this work seriously enough to go for training so that they are best able to engage diverse participants, including those with little or no previous arts experience. The community arts activities they design don’t just rely on templates, but really encourage creative expression.

I also think it is important to simply have more platforms for Singaporeans to be exposed to the arts, whether in formal or informal settings. That’s why the NAC works closely with arts and cultural institutions like the Esplanade, the National Gallery and the Arts House Limited, to programme many free or low-cost accessible arts programmes for the public. We also work with non-arts public agencies like the URA, HDB, NLB and NParks as well as corporate entities such as shopping centres to unlock and activate more public spaces for the arts. Another important aspect of our work is to partner schools, healthcare institutions, and social service organisations to extend the benefits of the arts to as many people as we can, including the very young. Through this, we hope that more people will appreciate the value of the arts as an integral part of all our lives.

LF:

Could you share some examples of the role of public art has played in Singapore’s urban regeneration?

KK:

When we think about public art, we often think in terms of physical transformation. We talk about the life, the colours, that an artwork can inject into a space. However, I believe that the greatest power of public art is the way it transforms how you see your own life, and that of the people around you. The most powerful artworks tell a story, the story of who we are as individuals, a community or a nation. Public art — whether the sculptures of Cultural Medallion recipient Han Sai Por or the graffiti work of Zul Othman from street art collective, RSCLS — is as much about the heart and mind, as it is about what you can see with your eyes.

LF:

You mentioned that the arts are increasingly being used to teach Mathematics and Science in school communities. Can you elaborate how and the advantages of it?

KK:

The idea of integrating the arts into the teaching and learning of other subjects such as Mathematics and Science is grounded in pedagogical concepts such as Making Thinking Visible and Learning by Doing. Visual art and drama activities, for example, can be used to create opportunities for students to express abstract concepts in physical form, either through artefacts or with their own bodies. Students can also learn experientially through the arts which greatly benefits children who learn best when moving around or when they can actually see knowledge being applied.

NAC runs a Teaching Through the Arts Programme that helps to match teaching artists with schools interested to pursue this initiative. Lots of great ideas have been generated by the artists and teachers involved: dance has been used to illustrate inertia and friction, for example, while the understanding of mathematical formulas and concepts (e.g. circumference and area of a circle) has been deepened through art activities that require students to engage in design and construction.

Best of all, the children say that learning has become more fun in the classroom as teachers explore these new approaches to teaching — and that’s very important too in terms of engagement and motivation. It’s also means students and teachers get to enjoy and experience the arts in new ways.