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BOXES beyond borders

Category: Singapore

Floating in My Void

I look at the space around and expand to the infinite
All my senses curve in delight as I grow in the vacuum of non-event
Non-happening, non-existence.
I occupy the blue vastness of my dreams and become
Fatherless, motherless, a virtual Non-Being.
A hole in the lining of man’s memory.
A mere flight of particles liberated from density.
A definite escape.
And in the pulsating silence, I finally lift Isis’ veil…

The Story of Late Chen Yuen Mei (Ma Che)

The work focuses on the life story of late Chen, a ma che or domestic servant, who came to Singapore from China in the early twentieth century. Despite having a hard life, she persevered for a brighter future. With her meager earnings, she supported her entire family in China, and contributed towards the purchase of 51 Neil Road. The premises housed the former Yuek Ann Tang which was a temple as well as an association that served as a refuge for ma ches; these women like Chen, were alone and poor. In her old age, Chen suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. Chen gains my utmost respect, not only for her contributions to the association, but also for her outstanding character. She demonstrated strength and perseverance throughout her life. The work aims to develop an invisible space beyond the box, and includes a web site that walks one through the places where she lived. To fulfill Chen’s dream of a grand funeral and send-off on her last journey, the box serves as her coffin.

 

Seeing

Seeing is believing.  While communicating with community, the residue I experience?  It is the vital input that I am going to develop mutuality with my community at all times. And, the control interaction with relationship.  The mental collection of past and present is an endless experience. To contain the invisible content of the input and output of the experiences I encounter. Therefore, the reflection and exposure is to show the multiple irreversibility of the community through mental forms.

 

Dice of Life

Dice of Life represents the various facets of life and the decisions people have to make in life. The wire mesh box represents institutions in which we are governed by: society, family, government. The dice represents the different phases in life and the kinds of decision we have to make. We make decisions every day and for each decision, the outcome is unpredictable. Like throwing the dice, we do not know what the answer may be. Every decision is very crucial and often there is no turning back. But once decided, this decision will be carried out, maybe for the rest of our lives, or maybe part of our lives. Whether the outcome is good or bad, it is up to us to make something out of it. This work is personal for me as I was once a single working lady and had to make a sacrifice in order to have a family.

Indulgence

This project is based primarily on my interaction with family members – my mother and sisters. I have chosen to engage in this community and my interaction with them started more than twenty years ago. All of them now are working females, already spending half their lives working, financing their flats, maintaining households, and taking care of children and husbands. Growing up in such an environment has prompted me to have many thoughts. As an artist and having the privilege to express, I included this engagement in my artwork to reflect and to question the roles of women in our modern society today.

Abject Expressionism

The workings of a patriarchal symbolic system have long associated culture and mind with the masculine (esteemed), and nature and body with the feminine (constantly devalued).  This work attempts to reevaluate that which is defined as inferior by deliberately using a body part that refused to fit into any particular definition. Hair– a symbol of sexual prowess (or lack of for the Western nudes)– also acts as a “momento mori”, marking lack. It is a significant abject material, highlighting the slippage between opposites, the living and the dead, the sensual and the repulsive. Because it stands at the borderline separating the inside and the outside of the body, it holds simultaneous powers of fascination and horror. The weaving and braiding of hair in this work act as a metaphor for the bonding and networking amongst women.

 

Project Recipe Box

This is a collaborative effort by mail/email, having started in December 2000 and will conclude December 2002. It asks participants to contribute a recipe from their mothers. The word recipe is open to interpretations: memories/ remedies/ conversations that occur in the kitchen/ contents of a pre-packed lunch/ etc. This is a simple project, based on a chain of words – women/ mothers/ cooking/ kitchen – used within a simplistic context of a stereotype, there are many distinct and different identities. In a kitchen, each woman develops multiple and complex ways to deal with the role of mother cooking. This role (one associated with sugar-coated sentiments) is also the same role that allows a woman (who may have been defaulted into the kitchen) some measures of control over her family. The kitchen can be a very powerful or oppressive place depending on the woman occupying it. I would like to think that every mother occupied it differently. I hope that this project (a small and incomplete record of their many facets) may serve as a humble but deserving tribute to all our mothers. And if it fails to do that, it is at least, a collection of recipes to some very delicious and precious dishes.

The Women's Voices: Ye Shu Fang from WOMEN BEYOND BORDERS on Vimeo.

The Vessel of Light

The vessel of Light is a woman laid bare,
she is a city on a hill and a lamp on a stand
See her light from within and praise her creator.

The vessel of Light is a soul pure and true,
Her charm is not fleeting and her beauty never fades
For they come from the fear of the Lord.

The vessel of Light is scorned by the world,
For her beauty is not outward and she does not seduce
And the darkness on earth cannot understand the light.

The vessel of Light is set apart in the world,
In the darkness of the night, she shines like the sun
For she lives not for pleasures of man.

The vessel of Light will live on forever,
With others much like her too,
The song she sings to the world from the Lord
Is as much as for her as for you.

Her light never fades, and her joyous song never dies
For what is physical will pass away,
But what comes from within, shines eternally
From her Salvation, she’ll never stray.

If you see her Light, please don’t turn away
The glory is not hers she says,
It comes from her salvation in The Light of the world,
And it could be yours too today.

 

Women's Voices: Faye Shen, Singapore from WOMEN BEYOND BORDERS on Vimeo.

Bacalah!

The contemporary Malay woman has been able to breakthrough poverty and tradition, from being illiterate to literate. Through the education system, the contemporary Malay woman has contributed to the community through her professional practice/skill. By using a box as a boundary confined to a space, I have inverted the box and carved into it ‘half ‘ patterns to imply the act of being out of the boundary. Entitled Bacalah! which means read, the journal resting on the box represents the spread of knowledge to the masses through a learning process. The inversion of the box with the journal alludes to the breakthrough that the contemporary Malay woman has made and that she is no longer being confined. As learning should start at a tender age where ‘the children of today shape the community of tomorrow’, an image of a child appears on the open page of the journal. The documentation for this project reflected in the journal was carried out in the form of a survey among Malays and non-Malays on their perceptions of the contemporary Malay woman.

 

96 and 4 Extra

The negative space inside the box is able to contain 96 cubic centimeters of particles. If more particles are added, the pressure inside the box will increase. When the box is opened, the pressure will push the extra particles out. A similar reaction will happen to a human being who experiences physical and mental pressures. When the society, culture and family exert pressure on a woman, she faces physical and mental exhaustion, thus making her unhappy. But if she is able to release the stress, the force can be transformed into useful energy–just like the box, she can live a colorful and creative life.

Singapore Sling

My box sculpture represents my past and my hopes and dreams for the future.  Now I am caught in the middle as I work in Singapore as a domestic help.

It is the thought of my children back home in the Philippines (that’s why their picture is here) and my dream of having my own restaurant in Manila that keeps me going.

I-Eye

I/Eye is one destination of a journey, the result of dialogues with a group of close friends and family. It is a fluid look-see at the emotional, intellectual and artistic issues of life; equally, a way of looking at my art and myself. I saw the box as very personal, as the baggage or the tools, both good and bad, given to me, with which to live this life. I have set this box within a fence that is open and yet enclosed, transparent, yet opaque. It marks personal boundaries. On this fence are the eyes of friends and family sketched as we talked. Their presence is about seeing eye-to-eye, or not, having them to look out for me, helping me to look at myself with creative eyes. The box was always meant to be the most transmutable part of my project, it did change, move and let itself be affected by this interactive process. Its final form, then, is one that signifies growth – a sort of literal ‘breaking out of the box’ to explore one’s potential, whatever that may be, wherever that may lead.

 

Worship

I see the work as a process linked to the practices of a community. The reflection of self and interaction with community run parallel to the notion of time and rituals. The work explores the idea of a mystical journey of life and hope. Imbued with energy, the yellow box is evolved around acts of cleansing, purifying and healing. The choice of materials used in this work reflects this concept.

Make Up

The title, Make Up, is chosen as it refers not only to the cosmetics we women apply on our faces, but also to other connotations–to fabricate, to supplement, to collect, to put together, to parcel, to put into shape, and to arrange–all of which formed part of the process in its making. Make Up looks at the notion of wholeness with reference to the obsession in women to be or to be seen as psychologically and physically sufficient. The mirror on the top of the box reflects the viewer’s face, thus engaging/making him/her as a subject. Hence, the artwork questions a woman’s need and her behavior in wanting to “fit in” through the act of supplementing her appearance with cosmetics. Is the woman’s quest to Make Up her complete self destined to fail?

 

Life Beyond the Box

A heart that is closed within myself…
Fostered by the many changes of my life
What is Life Beyond the Box?
Nothing but a complicated colorful world.

The wooden box has been left to its original color to represent the simple me. The colorful nylon lines are communication lines between my community and me. The intensity of the lines on each side of the box symbolizes the importance of the communication level. Phrases have been inscribed onto the acrylic panels to reflect the views of Life.

The Ideal Women

The work challenges the notion of an ideal woman and our perception of a perfect appearance. The Ideal Woman exists today in various forms.  The construction of the ideal woman is constantly propagated by the media, mass culture and social standards.  Reconstruction with corrective surgery, Cyber-heroines modeled in the realm of virtual reality, Plastic dolls with envious 38″-18″-34″ dimensions are but just a few examples of what influences our conscious psyche.

The box presents a metal pedestal upon which women fixate the psychological image of an ideal woman.  The proliferation of body types littering the box illustrates the quest to attain the ideal image through various stages of her life.  The doll parodies a woman’s fixation with her own body and her quest to find the perfect body.  Swathed in slim-wrap, draped with a tape measure, the woman is never satisfied and the craving for the image of the ideal woman never stops.

So, pause!  What / who / where is the Ideal Woman?  A fiction of our imagination, mostly.

Parcel

My artistic endeavors dwell on questioning the ideal body portrayed by popular culture, by way of designing and making prosthetic garments that allow small people to be what they are not; awkwardly tall, beer-gutted, seat-spillers and generally voluminous. The combination of humor, formal relationships and social commentary are also mixed in most of my site-specific installations.

Today Women

Women in today’s world have various facets, she is expected to fulfill multiple roles and there exist many issues which demands her time and energy.  The 4 sides of the box depict today women various circles of concern;

Family- She has to fulfill the role of good daughter to her parents, a loving wife to her husband and of course, a caring mother to her children.  She doesn’t only need to spend quality time with each but is also expected to keep in touch with their worlds, traditions and trends. Hence, observation of traditional customs such as Chinese New Year, celebrating Valentine’s day, knowing the difference between Ash, Pikachu and Teletubbies…the list goes on.

Career- She is naturally the co-bread winner, especially in Singapore’s society. In a knowledge based economy she has to fulfill the expectations and obligations of a model employee. She is expected to be efficient, innovative, receptive to the ever changing corporate identity (mergers and acquisitions making it more exciting), requirements and culture.

Social- In between all the juggling, she keeps herself updated of the news, happenings, fashion, trends, movies, television programs (even if she has no time for them–at least she must know what’s showing!) And definitely, squeeze in time for friends, neighbors, and maybe even some charitable work.

Self-Intellectual/Spiritual/Physical- In an increasingly borderless world, life long learning is becoming the norm–continuous education, for the diploma holders–the dream is to obtain a degree.  For the degree holders, the aim is to complete an MBA, for the MBA and MSC holders–a Ph.D.? Today, women must keep in touch with the internet world–or else she would be lost in the sea of information.

Health is important too–so time is needed for exercise.  Of course, not to forget spiritual needs as well.

Reflection- Today women, to perform her roles well–is that a challenge or an expectation?  In today society, there is no other alternative, so today women must make best of whatever resource she has, develop her skills, increase her knowledge and extend her circle of influence–with the sole objective of playing her roles well.

 

Tran-Sisters

This is a continuation of my Hole Project which started, and the beginning presented, in 1999. The holes drilled on the foundation parts of the box represents the idea that life is full of little openings.  The transistors (primary device for amplifying electronic signals) represents the idea of enhancing the message of openings we find in life. The interconnection of the 3 (number 3 is one of the lucky numbers for me) parts of the box represents interconnections that we beings can engage in among ourselves, to promote the attitude that there is hope because we find openings.

Family Bed

I’m three years old. I made a five-decker bed because I want my family to be together. My papa works in Jakarta four days a week and I miss him. I also love double-decker beds but papa said it is too dangerous for children my age. A five-decker bed will be nice–everybody can sleep together and Babybathtub (my doll) can have her own bed. I wanted to have a five-decker bed and mama helped me saw the box. Papa is very old, his bed has many beads–my hands get tired and Nadene che che helped me with the sticking. My bed has three beads because I am three years old and Babybathtub is only two.

Pat Chen, Regina Law’s mother

Restoration

In Christian vocabulary, the term restoration means bringing oneself back to God who created the earth; saved from darkness; beings in the light; and bringing blessing to this world. This work, by a small community is an offering to the Almighty Highest in the first year of the twenty-first Century. Participants of this community came together to pray for needs that they observed from the mass media. This community and the artist share one faith and believe in the same God. The Box thus represents their prayers which are burdened with the sorrows of history and which brings hope to the future. It is likened to a funeral of sacred history and a birthday party of the new history makers.

 

A Chinese Bridal Chest

In ancient China the mother of the bride had to give her daughter two chests of clothes on her wedding day to accompany the bride when she went to the bride-groom’s home.  The two words ‘Double Happiness’ had to be pasted on the two chests.  These beautiful decorated rectangular chests would be carried manually behind the bridal sedan chair followed by a group of musicians.  These chests would be supported by long poles placed on the shoulders of the two male carriers.  On arrival at the bride-groom’s home the mother-in-law and other relatives would inspect the contents of the two chests.  Then the bride’s family background would be assessed or usually criticized because of the poor quality of the clothes in the chests.  How the mother-in-law would treat her daughter in future would depend to a great extent on so called ‘dowry’ of the bride.

Beginnings

…woman’s sexuality, as spectator, must undergo a constant process of transformation. She must take, as if she were a man, the phallic power of the gaze, at a woman who would attract that gaze, in order to be that woman…

An attempt at examining issues pertaining to female sexuality, sensuality, cultural attitudes and ideas are my main concerns, which include the engagement and celebration of the body.

…a journey, which is both a conscious and subconscious process, through my body prints and food spices installations. These are born out of trans-cultural experiences and transcend apparent boundaries such as the celebrations of the human form and sexuality and sensuality. Whether or not femininity results in an unconscious symbolism, I choose to work with components of a visual vocabulary to achieve works in personal content that can be read by a larger audience.

I still have to question every assumption, every reaction I have, as a result of being culturally conditioned. The expression of my sensibilities and concerns is not a politicized feminism but more of a psychic bonding to my femaleness, Amen.

Endless Beauty

My work deals with the femininity of a woman, as she struggles not only to be part of society’s work force, but also to maintain her appearance as changes are brought about through aging.  Instead of the small wooden box, I have cast a larger box from wax, not only to enhance its appearance but also to give that sense of being alive.  The box itself is wrapped up with skin and it is this same skin that are stacked inside the box in repetitive folds.  The wrapped box together with the folded repetitive skin represents the struggles of a modern woman in the community, to which she has, to balance between society and the family, and yet maintain her >endless beauty for society.

Tight Fit

This piece of work explores the notion of restriction and objectification by juxtaposing an old-time practice of foot binding with fashionable high heeled shoes.  Pain, in both historical and contemporary context, is symbolized by the shrouded shoe.  Times may have changed, but certain perceptions of women remain deeply entrenched.  In the past, women were obliged to have their feet bound in order to be considered beautiful and desirable by men.  Having small feet was a symbol of stature and gentility.  Hence, women’s feet were forcibly bound to fit into dainty, three-inch long shoes.  Today, women subject themselves to the pain and discomfort of three-inch (or more!) high shoes to enhance their feminine appeal.  Yet, hidden behind the glossy look is this sense of inadequacy and the desire to be looked at.  Are we now considered willing participants of a game of restrictive beauty, to the point of disregarding the possible hazards by wearing heels?

Women’s Unlimited Potential

This little box reminds me of a woman in the olden day, which a woman can only do things within this little space. What is a woman identity today?  Woman is no more constrained within this space. Woman is full of wisdom and Unlimited Potential.

She can transform herself in various forms.

She can express herself just like the color in the palette.
She can express her creativity just like a tree…so full of energy.
She can transcend all her cells to enliven this society.

I’m that Woman with Unlimited Potential!

Emerging Woman

don’t judge me on how I look
don’t assess my usefulness with inverse proportionality to the size of my waist
you will not measure my true worth in inches
don’t use my breasts to see a product that has no connections to my body
if my thighs are large
it’s because I use them to support myself
if my stomach is rounded
it’s because it is full and fertile
my face–my eyes, my smile are not important
I am a woman and therefore beautiful.

 

Tentacles

Different lengths of ultra thin fishing wires with little wax-ends springing out from a pot of wax and resin, invite views to touch, shift, bend, change direction or distort. This work exemplifies the notion of interference, and seeks to actively engage the viewers to participate with the artwork to draw their own unique experiences from it. This activity will allow the development of patterns of collective creativity that does not merely privilege any one person’s experience.

Close to the Edge

This collaborative project focuses on the network of relationships which support the mother as she experiences changes in Self identity within the frame of Motherhood. The changing perceptions of Self, whilst universal in Motherhood, differs significantly from person to person. This project involves each member of my personal support group of expatriate mothers in Singapore, expressing their experiences of motherhood in a “foreign” environment. Through the box, I sought to express my personal experience on a theoretical basis, placed in the context of my support network. Thereby the work seeks to reveal the differing experiences and changes in the perception of self, as well as the importance of a transient support network.

Island of Many Pleasures

Welcome to Singapore, truly inspiring city where East meets West.  A Country with a unique array of rich ethnic cultures.  A vibrant city with many exotic, exciting and extraordinary attractions for visitors. Visitors should be able to feel the spirit of harmonious Singaporean living together as ONE UNITED PEOPLE REGARDLESS OF RACE, LANGUAGE OR RELIGION. Let the World be UNITED like Singapore and there shall be PEACE & HARMONY.

Personal Affairs

The little book attached, describes the origin of the fabric (where it was woven and printed), its purpose (as far as it could be tracked down) and most important the donor. The donors are all women who I have got to know in Singapore (except my mother who has visited me in Singapore for 4 months). The box might be seen as synonym for the female body (or at least part of it), all those pieces of different fabric stand for the colorful, multi-layered women personalities.  The chain at which the little book is attached has a meaning too: It stands for all women who have not freed themselves from a world which is still very much male-dominated.

The Poppy Field

My nickname is “Poppy”. I go to school at Tanglin. I was born in Singapore.  My friends come from different places.  I have two brothers but no sisters. I go to England every summer holiday. Whenever I go to England to see my Granny and Opa, I see poppy fields. I love them and so I decided to make a sculpture of a poppy field. It reminds me of my holidays. I put airplane wings on my sculpture because we fly to England to see the poppies. I love living in Singapore but I miss seeing the poppy fields. Every year they sell fake poppies at Tanglin.  It is on the day the great war finished.  Opa was born when the war finished.

Pearls of Hope

Let’s hope

There will be no more wars and differences among countries… and instead, peace…

The world will be free of the evils of human nature–greed, fame and vanity…

The word cancer will be erased from our world with advancement in medicine…

The pearls of hope will illuminate our world, and help us realize our dreams…

I Would Still Like to Have…er…Chewing Gum

The ban of chewing gum a decade ago has caused quite a stir not only in Singapore but internationally too.  Although it may seem to be a trivial act or even unimportant matters in a political dimension, it has nonetheless created some public awareness of how far an average citizen can tolerate this form of authoritarian regime.

 

As a law-abiding citizen of Singapore, I have no choice but to give up one of my favorite habits and life’s little luxury during my younger days.  Nowadays, we can still spot someone chewing gum discreetly in public especially on board of public transport.  It’s not a big crime or anything like that as long as it is disposed properly into the bins.  Although the government has shown a good degree of tolerance, it is still against the law to sell or import chewing gum.

 

I still chew gums that I brought back from overseas and enjoy blowing big bubbles like I used to so; what’s a little law-breaking gonna do to me?

 

Untitled

You may read and see,

But you can’t touch her.

You may look and sympathize,

But you can’t feel her pain.

You may think the wound is healed,

But you don’t know it stays forever.

She trusts to be loved and guarded,

And in return she got that.

She isolates herself from you

As her world is dark and lonely.

She is suffering behind that smile,

You don’t even realize it.

She is unable to accept the truth,

As it hurts to talk about it.

Listen now… “Why me!

I trusted him and this is the time when he RAPED me”

Constraints Faced by Contemporary Women

This work seeks to explore and express the constraints faced by contemporary women who live in public housing apartments–also known as Housing Development Board (HDB) flats–in Singapore. About 86% of Singaporeans are housed in these HDB flats. Like the vast majority, I too live in a HDB flat and one of the personal constraints that I face is the lack of physical space. This inspires me to conceptualize the given wooden box as a block of HDB flats with many dwellers within. Each of the niches in the box represents a female dweller. The different constraints faced, ranging from physical, emotional, mental, and social to religious realms, are reflected in the interior decoration of the units and the contents of the ampoules. Women from different phases in life–teenagers, singles, married with and without children, and retirees–are invited to participate in a survey, and their views are expressed collaboratively in this box.

Journey of Love

Journey of Love is about the relationship between my mother and me. It explores the all-consuming physical and psychoanalytical paradoxes seen in this relationship between mother and daughter, and the problem-solving exercises that may inform one’s point of view about relationships, change, and seeing oneself among others. This exploration leads to the use of the needle and thread, and the act of weaving which symbolizes the journey in mending of a relationship. My mother is my best friend and she is loving, intelligent, patient and reasonable. To weave is to tighten the ties between us. Each act of weaving symbolizes my efforts to mend my relationship with my mother. The use of gold thread constantly reminds me of my mother’s skin because she seems to glow with such warmth and health. The needle attached in-between the weaves with some of the thread wrapped around it symbolizes the act of weaving or repairing which does not end but continues on a more emotional level. The experience in working on the box was illuminating and therapeutic, offering me not only an opportunity to reflect on my life, but also it gave me the strength to be closer to my mother.

From a Picture Frame On My Mantelpiece

As a 32-year old female Indian Diasporic artist, my preoccupations are complex. Feelings of confidence and vulnerability exist at the same time. My formal research, for the longest time, has been a documentation of my interactions with people and experiences by using photography. These photographs form part of a tale. The front, from top to bottom, depicts a meandering path of images of women, starting from infancy to old age. The back of the frame shows my life, whilst growing up in a politically charged environment, that all pervasive racism between the whites and the blacks and the Indians, and my moving to England at the age of fourteen, conflicting lifestyles, hidden desires, and a magnetic pull towards my (so-called?) homeland, India. Almost all my work reflects my relationship with India. In that murky sea of conflicting humanity, a different code is at work; therefore I am not in control, and have much to learn, and to re-learn. This preoccupation is less a romance, and more a sort of obsessive compulsion.

Time Capsule

The objective of the project is to approach women of all ages, from all walks of life and of different nationalities, to express their views about what it means to be a woman in this age and time.

They were asked to express their concerns, worries, happiness or grouses, et cetera; basically, any subject that touches their lives and how their lives are affected as a result.

These expressions are kept in the Wbb box which is the Time Capsule.

It will be sealed for now, and it carries an instruction for the curator of Wbb permanent collection to open it fifty years later on 8 January 2051.

I.T. Image Trap

I.T. Image Trap is derived from visual images of women. Women tend to be regarded more as ‘ornaments’ than the opposite gender and this resulted in a human condition where attention is focused on physical attributes than on what lies beneath. I.T. Image Trap has an ornamental quality and it possesses as the ability to deter from being simply regarded as ‘surface beauty’ which could be replaced or be out of fashion. It aspires to be considered as a work with endless possibilities, meanings and pleasant surprises. Just like any sensible woman who wants to be looked upon, I.T. Image Trap teases one to unmask the trapped image within.

Untitled

I find this concept very challenging although of course initially, I found the concept of Women Beyond Borders and the form (BOX) contradictory, as boxes inherently are about discreet entities/objects with their own definite boundaries, surfaces and edges etc. And these boundaries are walls in themselves, not just an imaginary line or flat paths on the soil dividing countries nor printed lines on the map. In other words, the whole notion of borders and liberating women from it contradicts the very form of the box given to every participant that say so disturbingly otherwise. My intention for the approach to producing a work for this project is to deal with this collision of concept and form. I have gathered a few women and men from the community I am with, to witness a cremation of this box, after which the ashes would be placed in a custom made replica of the box but it will be in cut glass. Death to borders–of course the glass box and its glass walls is practically a vitrine – to enshrine the diminishing of all borders that divide us.