Contrasts

As far as anti-climaxes go, today was a pretty big one. But more on that later.

One good thing that happened was finally going to visit the Biennale. Tanglin Camp won't ever be the most accessible location (I heard this ulu place was where soldiers used to go for physiotherapy; perhaps the long walk in and out was a covert form of treatment), but I must admit I was impressed by the exhibits. It's hard to name favourites, but Brian Gothong Tan comes close. His We Live in a Dangerous World crams a multitude of socio-political statements into a small room, so that it seems at once stimulating and suffocating. The local context makes it easier to relate to his work, which adds greatly to the appeal.

Among other installations that caught my attention were two that invited interactivity. Unfortunately, I forgot their names, so I'll just call them the Switch Room and the Wish Hut. The former is full of wall switches that activate all sorts of devices, including illumination; I'm not sure what it's meant to say, but it's a whole lot of fun. The latter is simply a hut full of forms, labelled 'Wanted' or 'Offered', and pins with which to affix them (to the walls, ceiling, wherever). By the time I was there the walls were already packed, and enterprising souls had claimed portions of ceiling. Most were wishes, for mundane things like PSLE scores and boy/girlfriends. However, the sheer variety of responses tacked onto the available surfaces made me feel like I was examining a mosaic of the human consciousness, evoking the attendant emotions.

There are too many works that merit mention, so all I can do is strongly urge you to visit. It's definitely worth the time and effort (but please save yourself some energy, and take some form of transport in).

With that, comes the end of the good bit. Now we come to the disappointment. Was really looking forward to Frank Gehry's talk (he's here primarily to present some designs for Kerzner's Sentosa casino bid). Unfortunately, it was much less informative than I expected. I'd hoped that he would focus on a few recent projects and provide insights on his conceptualization and design processes. Instead, it became a virtual slideshow of his works, often with no more than a couple of (admittedly witty) sentences as commentary. It felt very much like someone rumnaging through his vacation pictures, reminiscing as he goes along. The Q&A was more lively, but honestly, I really expected better.

If there's a moral to the whole story, it's that life seldom goes as expected. It's not new, to be sure, but it's still true. I would do well to temper my expectations with today's lesson.