The barren postings of late are largely due to the imminent Singapore Biennale. I moved to Singapore on July 23, and stay through to the opening of the exhibition on September 1. Although things are still relatively calm at the moment, the momentum is slowly increasing. The first artist I am working with, Takafumi Hara from Japan, arrives tommorrow. Imran Qureshi from Pakistan has been here for nearly one week working on site at the Sultan Mosque. As with these things, it is once artists and assistants start arriving that one begins to enter a swirling zone of seemingly perpetual questions. Works and projects which engage sites and communities invariably start installing early, and these artists will stay in apartments for nearly one month. The big wave then starts arriving from around August 17 onwards, with the final 'assault' arriving August 27 or so. These kinds of exhibitions are truly amazing feats of logistics and micro tactics - and the installation period seems at times like a test of endurance. One thing I learnt from my first experience working on large scale exhibitions (Yokohama Triennale 2001) was to rapidly develop a sense of knowing what to choose to do at any moment. I remember trying to answer every request from artists during the first days of installation, frantically scribbling each question onto a small notepad. Clearly, after a few hours this approach became ridiculous, as each new entry was superceded by another, faster than I could answer them. So, physically unable to proceed, I was forced to learn to 'let go'. What I know is that artists will find ways to realise what they need, even in the most extreme situations. Now, several years on and about to go through a similar 'trauma', I hope that I am a little more prepared - things to remember: never raise one's voice, listen carefully at all times, greet people, eat and drink, remember that it's finally only an art exhibition and generate love.
Brilliant! Well said Roger! :) The arts is indeed a fascinating environment, isn't it? It's pretty much the same in performing arts. Believe me the performing artistes are no different from the visual artists.
I recall my diploma and degree days as an arts management student - rehearsals prior to bump-in as well as technical rehearsals are always major chaos. From cue calls to prop positions to costumes quick change, everyhting keeps changing in the blink of an eye - gosh.
Nevertheless, the experience at the end is beyond what many can even envisage. Arts can do that to you - be it performing or visual. For instance, working as an ESO at City Hall for SB2006 for only 3 days, I have already shared an affinity with artworks Tommy Angel and Time Notes as well as the artists who conjure them. Cheers!
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Ps: Hope you enjoyed your stay in Singapore. Looking forward to seeing you and the rest of the curatorial team soon for Singapore's next Biennale.
Posted by: Siti Aisha Mostafa | September 04, 2006 at 05:14 PM