Salty Purple Thread

nel&nana

2005-09-04T03:14:00.000-07:00

nel&nana
Originally uploaded by purpldaze.

So glad theres Holis !

2005-06-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

Moving towards the middle of the holis, dammmz...isn it fast ! Well it is better than nothing at all.. I was readin some mails, as usual deleting the dumb chained mails, and came across an interesting caption.

"Self acceptance is hard for many of us. There is a
voice inside that is constantly judging, first
ourselves and then others. That voice enjoys the
indulgence of an endless negative critique. Because we
have learned to believe negativity is more realistic,
it appears more real than any positive voice. Once we
begin to replace negative thinking with positive
thinking, it becomes utterly clear that, far from
being realistic, negative thinking is absolutely
disenabling. When we are positive we not only accept
and affirm ourselves, we are able to affirm and accept
others.

The more we accept ourselves, the better prepared we
are to take responsibility in all areas of our
lives...
Taking responsibility does not mean that we deny the
reality of institutionalised prejudice. For example,
racism, sexism and homophobia all create barriers and
concrete incidents of discrimination. Simply taking
responsibility does not mean that we can prevent
discriminatory acts from happening. But we can choose
how we respond to acts of injustice. Taking
responsibility means that in the face of barriers we
still have the capacity to invent our lives, to shape
our destinies in ways that maximise our well-being.
Every day we practice this shape shifting to cope with
realities we cannot easily change."

- bell hooks, "all about love"

I thought this was really great. meaningful. Something that i would print and paste on my desk. Thanks Hui Yee for sharing your holiday reading. It came upon me, why are we so judgemental? prejudice? discriminate? bias? do stuffs at other peoples expense?
This holiday gave me a good time reflecting on myself, family, surrounding, colleagues and of course, my new workplace. I admit, I felt so mentally drained. exhausted when i sat and think. I thought i was upset, guess that is not the exact word I am looking for. There are certain unpleasant factors about a person that makes up the person. I am not pointing at anybody but doing it to myself. I guess, as human being, the ability to accept differences is good enough for a start. I resisted many things back then. Perhaps due to culture and background. But friends are the visual holes that I looked into and through. Being in NIE, has make me a successful Observer. I learnt more about the wonders of people and myself. I gained pals whom I treasured. As tiring as it could be, thinking of the above mentioned has satisfied me. I feel when I start to think critically, i dont get too upset.. Maybe because i am not on my emotional side anymore. Along the way, I am glad i bumped into those "unique" people, who never fail to make me smile when i do my daily reflection:) Now, i no longer upset myself and ask," Why are they like that?"
One thing for sure, "OBLIVION PRESERVES SANITY"- quotes Zu :)

a representation

2005-05-30T07:34:00.000-07:00

"U can control me"

2005-05-22T23:22:00.000-07:00

Draw draw doodle doodle!

2005-05-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

pals unravelling .....

2005-05-19T09:56:00.000-07:00

Post-12May

2005-05-13T08:01:00.000-07:00

The opening of the exhibition is finally over. Many things ran in unexpectedly. People i expected to turn up, ended up in absence. The ones i thought would not be able to make it, actually appear to support... My 1st guest Dee, my HOD. And followed by some others.

My performance was unexpected. The best part of the performance was i managed to get the minister to join me in my performance and the worst- my dear guest, Naz didn get to watch the show because i asked her to check out the music for me. I am so sorry(feeling very very guilty), i know u came to watch it. Will make it up to U! *promise*

The performance was made possible with the wonderful help of Zu-Raihan, Sarah, Siti, Julie, Alvin(for announcing) and of course, Naz(still feeling guilty). Thank you guys. I am really grateful and touched by the help, right from the beginning to the end where i had to clean the salt off the ground. I owe all one:)

Acknowledgements

2005-05-09T07:54:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to the beautiful people who has contributed in my research and the upcoming performance @NIE Art Gallery. Tang Da Wu, who has been responsible in my baby steps in performance art. Juliana Yasin, for being very supportive of my works and thoughts. The lecturers in NIE- Colin Reaney, Hasan, John Matthews, Paul Lincoln, Juneo Lee:) and of course Cecily Cheo. The support given was tremendously wonderful and Cecily- you are the best!!

And to my friends, Norsarah, Siti Annazia, Zurainah and bf(Raihan), Joyce Teh- for believing in me. Not forgetting the backbone of my research, Eileena Lee and Charm for providing information on homosexuals and homophobias.

The video work could not have done without the kind support(sponsor) from Nelly De Picardie. The true blue gay women who has bring lots of "life" in my work and research!

Artist Statement

2005-05-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

Spat, bringing out clot in my heart.
Discriminatory forming into words
Encircle spits
Absorb, process
I turned, reverse the circle,
Step, words are erased
No salty words are seen again
just traces of old salt as momento
-acceptance and tolerance
Together, we washed our feet in clear, clean water

29 : 05

2005-04-21T19:23:00.001-07:00

"Salty Purple Thread" is a further development from the previous performance,
"Tribute to Fanny, Brandon, Kia."

I felt a great sense of urgency to address the issue of discriminating, ridiculing another being who is different. I am not trying to 'solve' anything here but just to express how i felt. As discrimination is a general term, i decided to narrow down to a behaviour that criticize and ridicule homosexuals.

Here, i would like to state my point that I am representing the minority who is accepting towards gay people. I am accepting and respecting homosexuals as a person who exist in society.

I am against homophobia because i feel that makes one subconsciously be arrogant and superior of themselves. My works will be based on facts from the society in and out of Singapore. Survey forms of the degree of one's tolerance will be distributed by me. News from other countries attention to my subject will be included to support my statement.

Thus, for a brief outline of my work for the exhibition.. Apart from the dolls and video installation that i collaborated with Siti Annazia, i decided to do a short performance which last for 10 minutes or less. It will be an interactive show.
My salt installation still remains as I felt that the salt carries a strong meaning.
About 5 audiences, depending on the size of the installation, will be invited to interact. They will hold salt water in their mouth. And togethr Spit it on the salt... (to be continued)

Other than the live performance, Siti and I are coming up with installation piece which represents our thoughts. The installation is made up of dolls and salt which leads audience to a video installation..

Idea development

2005-04-21T19:23:00.000-07:00

Salt acts as a symbol of everyday. Most of us consume salt with or without realizing. I used salt to symbolise the ever- presence discriminatory towards differences.

Led by Da Wu, audience interacting with the salt installation of the act of accepting sexual preferences

This work was done due to the deaths of innocent lives. The feminists, an ordinary gay woman and a growing up teenage girl who prefers girls.

Resources

2005-04-21T19:22:00.001-07:00

I have always been fascinated with the the portrayal of thoughts through the movement of body and facial expressions. Recalling back on my experiences in school, I think i am fortunate to be introduced to a kind of stage art that has helped me to develop my interest. I joined the Fine Arts and majored in western painting, and continued playing and exploring with brushes and paints. Somehow, i realise something about me that enjoys opposing and the act of repel yet blending. I remembered achieving it in my mixed media painting class where the exploration of "funny medias" were tried and tested. Within that process, i saw myself moving subconsciously etc etc.. I love textures. Working as a freelance face and body painter, gave me a wider opportunity to to be more experimental with the beautiful curves and movement of human bodies.
In year 2 in NIE, i met one of the most wonderful man- Tang Da Wu. He was composed and of course, experienced. He seemed more like a Kung Fu master, rather than an artist. In brief, i get to know Da Wu and that was when i learnt lots of interesting thing from him. He showed me another perspective of art, not only in performance but also visual arts. Through him, i kicked off my first performance at Nanyang Playhouse.

Other than Da Wu, there is Juliana Yasin. The performance artist whom our dear lecturer, Juneo ever mentioned about during lecture and the very same person who is in this Muslim/ Malay artist group as me, her bubbly nature and her being very vocal has pushed me to get to know her better. I had a good impression of her due to words around about her works. It came to my attention that why must art be about typical beauty and passive. I decided to give Julie a call and was glad we(me&Sarah) were invited over to her studio @Perumal Rd. Well actually, we met at Kranji Memorial and she seemed very welcoming and supportive towards my interest in performing.

Da Wu initiated me to attend a talk by Iwan Wijono at NIE. I was impressed by the guts that this Indonesian artist possessed. I love The Body For Rent ..

I have collected several performances by 2 performance artists who has inspired me a lot. Tang Da Wu and Juliana Yasin.

Below are my resources that i have collected personally from them.

Juliana Yasin and other performance artists

Performance by Tang Da Wu

"LOVE" was my first attempt in performance. I had a model to be my living canvas and used my experience in body painting to create a bruised heart. Model is painted in pretty pink and silver, to give a happy, yet plastic front. This work was meant to describe how well human beings could conceal unhappiness and disappointment with smiles.

Materials

2005-04-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

Salt
Water
Basin of water
Audiences to interact

References

2005-04-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

I would say the person who has motivated me in my art practice is Louise Farnay. Working with her was a total new experience. She shared with me the beauty of body art in such a positive way. Right from the start till now, Louise has always believed in me. hee.... thanks for the pics Lou! Another website that you may want to check out the works that i have follow up with her- http://www.louiseleftsideart.com/

And of course, the following websites..

http://www.asiasociety.org/Arts/AsianAmericanBios.html

http://www.dyketv.org/roadtrip/

http://www.aare.edu.au/02pap/har02616.htm

http://www.nutscape.com/fluxus/homepage/fpw_indx.html

http://www.glbtq.com/arts/riggs_m.html

http://www.glbtq.com/glossary.php?word=homophobia&part=

http://www.headlightjournal.com/art-reviews/mariko-mori/synthetic-dreams.html

http://www.out.ca/en_pink_body.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance

http://www.devilbunny.org/social_justice.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance_art

http://www.sniggle.net/perfart.php

http://www.popmatters.com/columns/sassen/030820.shtml

http://www.petertatchell.net/outrage/protestasperformance.htm

http://www.mindstation.com/culture.html

Dialogues

2005-02-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

Brandon
To my girfriend, I was the perfect girlfriend. To my killers, I was a gender bending freak. To the law i got what i deserved. Ultimately, I am a tragedy.

Sakia
What’s your issue?
My issue is- I never liked dudes.

FannyAnn
I broke the silence for us all. i brought the struggle for freedom and dignity in my own country to the world stage. Now, I’m silenced forever. As I worked late in my office in Freetown, several men broke in, raped and brutally murdered me. To all who knew me and shared the great privilege of my wit, sense of the absurd, steely determination, intelligence, and unwillingness to let bureaucracy and lies stand in the way of justice, my loss is incomprehensibly great.

statement

2005-02-17T08:16:00.000-08:00

I am neither a pro nor anti gay relationships. This performance preparation builds up from my own experience living in a homophobic circle. In a way, the phobia had naturally formed within me without me realizing it. It faded and disappears when I took the trouble to open my eyes, mind and heart to move a step closer to the community, that I had been despising. They are normal people, just like myself. They are no lower or lesser than anybody.
The comfort and warmth I receive from my gay friends was shaken on the day I watched a movie that was based on a true story of a gay woman who was raped and killed. I was emotionally affected. Seeing the rest of the audience laughing and mocking at the victim in the movie, makes me even more badly affected.

In here, I would like to portray the unexplainable motives of cruel acts by senseless people who are bias, sexist, homophobia, you name it.. Performance will be zoomed in to my reflections and hope to provoke the thoughts of viewers about true stories of innocent gay women who are brutally killed because of their sexual orientation. Fannyann Eddy, a lesbian activist, Sakia Gunn, an ordinary American youth and Teena Brandon, an insignificant masculine woman. These are women who led their lives just like any of us.

On general, society looks upon homosexuals as “strange”. And some felt gay people suffer from mental/ emotional/ sexual disorder, bad childhood, traumatic relationship experiences with the opposite sex and the worst- a Disease! From my viewpoint, those could be the contributing factors, but of course there are also those who are born with such sentiments.

“A unique preference that is beyond explanation. It is as simple as- It’s either you are or you are not. And it is definitely not a form of disease or mental disorder, because if it is, then all gay people will be unemployed. Simply calls up and say,” I’m still queer, not reporting to work today.”

Personally I look upon a same-sex relationship similar to a straight relationship. The only difference is the gender preference. At the end of the day, it is still about loving another human being.

CV

2005-02-17T08:06:00.000-08:00

Artist Curriculum Vitae

Name: [ Nana ]
Phone: 90060204
Email: pinkmelt@hotmail.com

Education:
1987 - 1994 Singapore
Primary Education Certificate, PSLE.

1995 – 1998 Singapore
‘O’ level certificate

1999 – 2002 Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Singapore
Diploma in Fine Arts, Mixed Media Major

2003-2005 National Institute of Education Singapore
Diploma in Art Education

Experience:
2001 Assistant Teacher for Art and Craft, Speech and drama.
Julia Gabriel Learning Centre. Forum

2002 - 2003 Assistant Art Teacher. APAD. TAPAC.

2002 - 2003 Contract Teaching
Woodlands Secondary School (WSS) Singapore

2005 Art teacher for Junior Art. Woodlands RC Blk 852
2005-present Art teacher. Woodgrove Secondary School.
Duties include:

- Teaching Secondary One, Two and Three
: Creative & Visual Arts

2000- present Assistant Face and Body Painting with Louise Farnay
Projects:

2000 Art facilitator in ART SINGAPORE FAIR.
2001 Student Leader for NAFA Orientation.
2001 Face painting for charity event, Ngee Ann City
2002 Face painting for HDB Family Day, Zoo
2002 Face painting for Children’s Day, Sam’s Childcare Centre
2002 Face painting for Spiderman event, Forum
2002 Ostrich Egg Painting Workshop Assistant.
Sculpture Square
2002 Face painting for merge of Starhub and Cable Vision. Sentosa
2002 Demonstration of Mixed Media . NAFA Open House.
NAFA.
2002 Assistant Mural Relief Co-ordinator.
Nanyang Junior College
2003 Co-ordinator wall Graffiti. Woodlands Secondary School
2005 Face painting for SMRT staff. Sentosa
2005 Body painting. The Oriental Fan Award. The Oriental.

Clubs and Societies:
1998 Chairman of the Malay mime theatre.
MacPherson Secondary School
2003- present Member of APAD
(Association for Artists of Various Resources)

Exhibitions and Performances:

2001 Face and body painting. Cirque De Soleil.
World Tour.
2001 NAFA Open House. NAFA.Singapore
2001 Face and body painting. Planet Fitness. Suntec City.
2002 Graduation Show. NAFA.Singapore Expo.
2002 FORTY. APAD.MITA.Singapore.
2003 CINTA. Performance Art. APAD.MITA.Singapore
2004 Tribute to Fannyann Eddy. Performance Art.
Nanyang Playhouse. NIE.
2005 SALTYPURPLETHREAD.Performance art.
NIE Gallery
2005 Body painting. The Oriental Fan Award. The Oriental.

Awards

2002 Consolation prize, Woodlands Secondary School.
Arts City Treasure Hunt Competition.
2000 Consolation Prize, Fantasia 2000, Nippon Paint-A-Thon Competition

Publication:
2002 NAFA newsletter
2003 Berita Harian on CINTA.

:) :)

2005-02-07T06:59:00.000-08:00

strawberry shortcake
Originally uploaded by purpldaze.

A hello for a start:) With a sweet glimpse of strawberry shortcake..