Could we ever know each other in the slightest without the arts?
Gabrielle Roy (1909-1983)
Singapore
This question appears on Canada’s 20$ bill in tiny little mice type, and I love that it is printed on our money. I thought of Roy’s question after my first trip to Singapore last August, because prior to the trip whenever I mentioned I was going to Singapore, I was told the same thing by everyone: It?s very clean and very strict. The repetition got boring and I thought to myself, how terrible for a country to be reduced to an adjective, but then I suppose we do that all the time. In my travels, whenever I say I?m from Canada, people always tell me how beautiful Canada is and we Canadians like to joke about how ?nice? we are.
I like to know about the culture of the countries I travel to, but don?t have much time when I?m busy preparing for the business aspect of the trip and I admit I rely on the hotel concierge or my network, without having done much homework.
The CIA has a world fact book which can be useful but it lacks nuance.
And there are all those travel blogs, but how reliable are they?
Luckily my newsletter subscribers helped me out and I?d like to thank Steven Wu for making it possible for me to present my workshops in Singapore, and for being a wonderful host, showing me the sites, especially the museums and acquainting me with some of the history and culture of the city. Two other subscribers came to my workshops, and we had a lively mix of participants from the worlds of business and government.
MIT Club
One of the highlights of my trip was speaking at the MIT club (yes THE M.I.T.), about using art as a competitive advantage in business, beyond the traditional roles of patronage and entertainment. The audience was so enthusiastic they barraged me with questions as soon as I was introduced, and before I even had a chance to open my mouth. A lively discussion ensued. The audience, all graduates of MIT or Wharton, or both, are scary smart and I was impressed with their ability to quickly synthesize new concepts (in art) and apply them to their own disciplines such as economics.
This interaction made me wonder, are organizations who hire young smart talent
really making the most of their brain power?
Interlogue: Volume 6 – Haresh Sharma;
The Cultural Politics of Playwriting in Contemporary Singapore
by David Birch
Back to the arts, and my opening question ? I had the good fortune of being introduced to Kirpal Singh, a noted author, critic and creativity guru in Singapore, who invited me to the launch of a book he had edited: ?Interlogue: Volume 6 – Haresh Sharma; The Cultural Politics of Playwriting in Contemporary Singapore? by David Birch
Haresh Sharma has been writing plays for The Necessary Stage since 1987, and tackles issues of social tensions in a multi-cultural society, such as mixed-race love stories, the politics of language, and the clash of values between generations.
David Birch describes the larger political, economic and cultural landscape of Sharma?s plays against the backdrop of societal change in Singapore. He also examines Sharma?s development as a writer, his collaborative creative process and the risks he takes in developing a play.
Birch explores in detail questions about ?negotiating meanings in the tension between established and alternative visions of Singapore; private versus public cultures, social theatre; empowering the imagination; engaging with the marginalized; opening up new creative, social and cultural spaces; interactive and cross-cultural/theatre, social capital and civil society; embracing difference and diversity, and most particularly in his searching for new Singaporean voices.?
Whew! All this could be daunting to read, but Birch presents his thesis in an engaging, easy to read style. He provides many examples of dialogue from Sharma?s plays, and I could appreciate Sharma?s works without having seen his plays. Sharma?s characters are not always polite or careful with each other. They are often politically incorrect, subversive and dare to discuss the un-discussable.
The effect is sometimes, funny, sometimes poignant, and Birch lovingly unfolds seemingly bland exchanges between characters into many layers of symbolic meaning. Ambiguity is part of the beauty and power of art. It invites multiple interpretations and debate on the part of the audience.
These dialogues caused me to reflect on the kinds of conversations we have with people from other cultures. If we are too polite and careful with each other, are really connecting, or are we reinforcing a wall of separation?
Sharma?s plays don?t preach. His dialogue is often funny, and the stories are designed to entertain as well as provoke the audience. Sharma wants the audience to question the assumptions of the status quo and think for themselves. How often are we asked to think for ourselves when we see a Hollywood movie?
As a Canadian I can relate to the Singapore reflected in Sharma?s work, and I realize we have a lot in common. We are both former colonies, we are both multi-cultural, and we both live in a society where language is highly politicised. At the book launch, Sharma made a comment about Singapore suffering from insecurity as a result of being a colony, and in some ways Canada suffers from this too, as do other former colonies.
While Sharma?s themes are local, they are also universal. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about Singaporean society and culture, and to anyone interested in multi-cultural/cross-cultural issues, social change, or in claiming creative expression in a politicised environment. Sharma?s plays and Birches commentary will give you far more insight than any travel blog or government report.
Interlogue: Volume 6 is available for purchase here
Thank you for reading Creativity at Work. You feedback is always welcome and I appreciate your blog posts, even if I?ve been negligent about replying. (I?m still getting the hang of this blog thing.)
Happy creating,
Linda Naiman
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