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The Future of Imagination 3 FOI3: ideology:irony:imagination by Lee Wen Contents FOI3: ideology:irony:imagination by Lee Wen 4 Forum Synopsis 63 “Re-imagining the man in the street” – Lee Wen 7 Interview - Tang Da Wu 12 Forum in English: Interview - Ray Langenbach 20 “Is Performance Art today in a state of ‘menopause’?” Interview - Ho Tzu Nyen 30 Forum in Mandarin “Performance Art in China and Hong Kong, radical practice or hype?” Artists’ Biographies 41 Forum Speakers 64 • Arahmaiani (Indonesia) 42 • Arai Shinichi (Japan) 43 • Chumpon Apisuk (Thailand) 44 • Paul Coulliard (Canada) 45 • Mideo M Cruz (The Phillippines) 46 • Nezaket Ekici (Turkey/Germany) 47 Work title: “Untitled” • Pascal Grau (Switzerland) 48 Venue: Sculpture Square, 8th - 12th Dec 2004. Photo credits: Gilles Massot and Casandra Schultz. • Katak Kudung (Singapore) 49 • Essi Kausalainen (Finland) 50 • kAI Lam (Singapore) 51 • Khairuddin Hori (Singapore) 52 • Ray Langenbach (Malaysia) 53 • Lee Wen (Singapore) 54 • Jason Lim (Singapore) 55 • Jamie McMurry (US) 56 • Helge Meyer (Germany) 57 • Boris Nieslony (Germany) 58 • Rizman Putra (Singapore) 59 • Shu Yang (China) 60 • Tang Da Wu (Singapore) 61 • Tran Luong (Vietnam) 62 Future of Imagination 3 3 2 Future of Imagination 3 The presentations and interactions by and with performances, allowing social encounters, Future of various artists from differing backgrounds and which are notwithstanding open and free. different working processes. We do not wish to remain contained within Imagination 3 the prescribed “future” of the state nor the Ours is a call to uphold the role and TV commercials and a capitalist, consumerist ideology:irony:imagination by Lee Wen possibilities of “imagination” which is the society. We need the live manifestation, subject here, and not merely advocate a network and interaction of artists in presenting We are pleased to be able to make approval, funding and support of the state for developmentalist approach to the “future”. a diversity of performances in order for this festival a third time. In addition to a similar an international performance art festival to be “The future of imagination” is a proposition discourse and dialogue to be created, albeit program from the last one of presenting held here. One stands guilty of submitting to to create a vehicle to take us beyond the there should be negative responses in order performances by various international artists the state apparatus and in danger of becoming turbulent past that put us in the present crisis for the thread of dialectical discussions with Singapore artists, we are also coordinating mindlessly (perhaps even consciously yet of contemporary culture into the inconclusive to continue. But without an international with Malaysian artists. Kuala Lumpur based inescapably) coerced into conforming to future with artistic imagination presented meeting of live performance artists and their artists, Liew Kung Yu and Ray Langenbach the ideological state apparatus as theorized through live performance art. presentations we would be poorly absorbed will be hosting “Satu Kali”, before our event by Louis Althusser. It would be difficult to in theoretical conjectures by and based on so that artists invited to Singapore can also comment on irony when one is caught in the The role of the imagination is not answerable the “usual suspects” of the status quo. perform in Kuala Lumpur.1 midst of it, however it is based on a real desire by the artist alone but also the spectator and to make a platform, which allows openness their responses. Each human being is uniquely “Almost untitled: end of the world stories” We also continue to try to address various for critical artistic responses. We have to be situated and embodied in time and space. We photo: Sandra Johnston discrepancies in the Singapore scene such aware that artists often have to work within have unique responsibilities stemming from Blurrrr 5 biennial of performance art, Tel Aviv, Israel as the lack of critical writing and dialogue the limitations of the social realm we find this unique position. This is not an excuse by hosting a forum and inviting writers to ourselves in, at the same time we must not or explanation to justify our position but to give a critical response or review. In addition forget to push for changes. Funding support offer the varied possibilities and comparison to the forum this year we will also have one is only one to begin with. of unique perspectives available in the world. conducted in Chinese language. According In order to reach a relationship, reciprocity to the statistics half the literate population in We recognize there remain various problems and reconciliation between the individual Singapore actually uses Chinese as their first with a festival format. Artists for example and the “other” perspectives, based on our language. If cultural discourse is not including are limited to present a short 30 minutes individual self who sees things that the “other” the Chinese language then it only has the performance. Even if some artists propose cannot see. chance to reach half the population. 2 to make durational, longer performances or site-specific works in public places, they We brave to find out if this is still within In last year’s forum, Ray Langenbach would have to work within the framework the reach of a world in speedy transition, observed that our press release used the word given by the organizers based on the local caught in a matrix of virtual reality and “positive” more than 7 times. Langenbach conditions. In Singapore, another obstacle the ubiquitous market that threatens to talks about how this corresponds to an is the bureaucratic licensing process, which destroy other more humanistic approaches. alignment of the notion of the developmental check flexibility, spontaneity and risk-taking, Through a questioning and discovery via live ethos of art that mirrors the government’s which are crucial ingredients for performance own “developmentalist” notion of the state. art. However one must look at the festival as 1 “Satu Kali” organized by Ray Langenbach and Liew Kung Yu will be held in As artists cum organizers we must admit to a constructive channel while working under Kuala Lumpur, 6 to 9 April 2006 the irony of working within the bureaucratic the local social conditions to enable the 2 Singapore Department of Statistics (2001), Literacy and Language (Dec 2000) process and structure in order to secure the Singapore: Government Printer. Future of Imagination 3 5 4 Future of Imagination 3 Re-Imagining the Man in the Street by Lee Wen I’m in a double decker bus in these days is when the air-conditioning is mild Singapore. The mobile T.V. is blasting at me and suitable and the program on the mobile with too cold an air-conditioner vent over my T.V. is not blasting loudly at me with such head. I ignore watching the T.V. but now and senseless entertainment or is out of order. then glance at it as the sound is too loud and the air-conditioner is too cold and the This torturous experience is tolerable because boobs and bobs are too much revealing on it is usually less than an hour’s ride at the most that dreaded screen. It shows a program of an hour and half between the furthest reaches a beauty contest for America’s most sexy. I of our little country in Singapore. However if can’t believe what I am watching. How can one were to consider the working man, riding this be? We are disallowing nudity in public this bus after waking up early everyday to performances. The public performances I go to work and then tired out after a long am more concerned about being censured day’s work to return home again in this bus are usually done not without sensitive or having a job that requires commuting on consideration for art, culture and poetry and a bus several times a day. One can imagine for a willing, limited and thinking, discerning the stupor one has to evolve into in order to audience. Yet, here on a public bus we are either resist this aggravation or submit to this forced to watch a most vulgar exposition shenanigan of progress and technology. of human expression. The judges openly discussed the rationale of their decisions in I am sure the people responsible for installing the contest for a prize in money for the sexiest the mobile TVs and air-conditioning on men and women. Mostly in superficial terms the public buses in Singapore have the of blue eyes, sharp noses, clearly defined commuters’ welfare in mind. After all we are chins and exotic, eroticized perceptions of the valued commuting workers and we need racial differences. With bulging biceps and to be informed, educated and entertained deep cleavages of bust lines and all the other while we ride in the comfort of air-conditioning physical bodily attributes. Where judgment in our humid, tropical climate. But this costs of beauty and praise for the human being money. So it has to be profit making. We get are reduced to a kind the most reckless and cheap programs, repeat them endlessly and the most shallow, without regard for any we get them sponsored by advertisers and discussion for character, personality and moral perhaps may even bring in the income to help ethical values. I am tortured by this experience lower the price of bus rides for commuters. All several times a day, as I have not the privilege these decisions were probably made with the Work title: “Untitled Collaboration” with Lee Wen. of affording private transportation. The very “man in the street” in mind. Venue: Sculpture Square, 8th - 12th Dec 2004.
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