[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/what-does-the-substations-closure-mean-for-artists\/#NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/what-does-the-substations-closure-mean-for-artists\/","headline":"What Does The Substation\u2019s Closure Mean For Artists?","name":"What Does The Substation\u2019s Closure Mean For Artists?","description":"TheHomeGround Asia spoke to members of the local arts community to hear their views about Singapore\u2019s first independent arts centre\u2019s impending closure, and to share their memories of the space. The Substation (Source: The Substation) Artists across Singapore questioned, mourned and lamented the Substation\u2019s \u201cdifficult decision\u201d to close permanently. This followed news that it would […]","datePublished":"2021-03-05","dateModified":"2022-04-15","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/Maisie%20Leong\/#Person","name":"Maisie Leong","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/Maisie%20Leong\/","identifier":227,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f5c852853ba8ed19bedc5417be7db8166064cfcb8857f5ec40bb516fab94b2d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f5c852853ba8ed19bedc5417be7db8166064cfcb8857f5ec40bb516fab94b2d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TheHomeGround Asia","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","width":640,"height":640}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1614942412642_The_Substation_1280_x_626.png","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1614942412642_The_Substation_1280_x_626.png","height":626,"width":1280},"url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/what-does-the-substations-closure-mean-for-artists\/","about":["Community","Local","Singapore"],"wordCount":1476,"articleBody":"TheHomeGround Asia spoke to members of the local arts community to hear their views about Singapore\u2019s first independent arts centre\u2019s impending closure, and to share their memories of the space.The Substation (Source: The Substation)Artists across Singapore questioned, mourned and lamented the Substation\u2019s \u201cdifficult decision\u201d to close permanently. This followed news that it would no longer be able to occupy the entire building at 45 Armenian Street, but only have the option to return as a co-tenant after renovations are complete.The announcement has left Singapore\u2019s arts community reeling, as they prepare to bid farewell to a central part of Singapore\u2019s arts scene.The Substation\u2019s decision to close was attributed to key factors, such as the National Arts Council\u2019s (NAC) decision to convert 45 Armenian Street into a centre for various arts groups, the Substation\u2019s financial circumstances, and the loss of revenue from venue hire.\u00a0\u00a0A statement released today (5 March) in response to NAC\u2019s 2 March media statement aims to clarify some of the agency\u2019s claims. For instance, one of these states that the Substation sought autonomy over the whole centre at Armenian Street so that it could \u201cgenerate income from venue hire\u201d, which the Board says is \u201cincomplete\u201d. Drawing a comparison between the Substation and Esplanade, the board emphasised that the Substation\u2019s physical spaces are dedicated \u201cprimarily to arts usage\u201d, and that the autonomy over these spaces enable them to have greater freedom over selecting artists who wish to use the space, which results in a \u201ccommunity effect\u201d that is \u201cover and beyond their revenue contribution\u201d. They added that these spaces were leased out for commercial users and arts groups at \u201cnon-commercial, highly subsidised\u201d rates.\u00a0\u00a0(Source: The Substation\/Facebook)A rich historyThe Substation is Singapore\u2019s first independent contemporary arts centre, and was founded by the late playwright, director and arts powerhouse Kuo Pao Kun, who was also deeply involved in arts activism. Its premises was a former disused power station, and has been home to The Substation since 1990, where it has become renowned as an experimental arts space, incubating some 98 Associate Artists or Artists-in-Residence.Over the course of its 30 years at Armenian Street, it has also helped to develop 10 President\u2019s Young Talents Award winners and 20 Young Artist Award recipients, and is associated with 13 Cultural Medallion winners.READ: Farewell, The Substation: Chicken Soup for The Fringe SoulAn essential space for artistsThe Substation has helped to kickstart the careers of many prominent figures in the community and has been a key space in experimental art; the announcement of its impending closure thus came as a shock to some.Michelle J.N. Lim, artist and editor of Plural Art Mag, recalls her first time exhibiting at the Substation in 2014 as part of Minimart 5.0, a group exhibition initiated by artists Vincent Chow and Kelvin Atmadibrata. This involved an open call to artists to convert a 1m x 1m x 3m space into a piece of contemporary art. As a fresh graduate, her application to exhibit a participatory art piece was accepted without the need for an extensive proposal, and she remembers being struck by the unconventionality of the project, and the variety of approaches artists brought to the open call.The Substation was also a central part of her arts experience, as she gained friends from the show who remain some of the artists she respects deeply.Those Who Can’t, Teach (1990) (Source: The Necessary Stage Archives)For Alvin Tan, founder of local theatre company The Necessary Stage (TNS), the Substation was home to countless performances over the years \u2013 and became a space that grew with his company. He says that the Substation was a much-needed arts hub accepting \u201cworks that took risks from both emerging artists and veterans pushing the envelope where concepts were concerned. Interdisciplinary and intercultural works were all housed comfortably at the Substation.\u201dTNS opened at the Substation with the play Those Who Can\u2019t, Teach, and was a seminal in redefining conventional ways of staging a play. Another noteworthy play was Still Building, which eventually had 19 runs at the Substation.\u201cIt was ground-breaking to have such a long run and to be able to create work that was personal, social, national and international\/universal, staged in such an intimate space that encouraged theatrical experimentation,\u201d Alvin shares.For others, the Substation will be remembered for its people.\u00a0Guo Feng, Artistic Director of Sigma Dance, looks back on his time with the Substation fondly: \u201cI will definitely miss the building, with its structural charms and most of all, Mdm Chua, the caretaker, who has become a friend over the years.\u201d The Substation was home to Sigma Dance over five to six years, as their rehearsals and contemporary dance classes were held in the dance studio.Theo Chen, nights ago when I felt blue (Source: Andre Rodrigues)Artist and performer Theo Chen remembers the Substation as a space that showcases \u201cart which is on the margins\u201d. His recent performance, a one-on-one show titled nights ago when I felt blue, was held there.Citing the arts centre as the only one in Singapore that gave him the \u201cspace, time, and support to present\u201d his own art, he shares,\u00a0 \u201c[It has] nurtured me as an emerging artist, giving me the confidence to continue developing my work sensitively and with detail.\u201dHe attributes his growth as an artist and a person to the Substation, adding that it was essential in inspiring him and showing him that \u201cthere is space in Singaporean civil society for dreams to become reality.\u201dREAD: Hopes and Dreams of Artists: The Establishment of Singapore’s First Arts UniversityWhat\u2019s in the future?Artistic Co-director Woon Tien Wei expresses concerns over the decreasing number of independent arts spaces, citing the closure as a signal of the \u201cshrinking of self-organising spaces within our arts ecosystem.\u201dTheo shares similar sentiments on the impact of the Substation\u2019s closure on new artists.\u201cWho will accommodate me and the other artists I know who rely on independent and autonomous spaces like the Substation to help them when they are just starting out?,\u201d he asks.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s worrying to me what kind of pathways are being set up and cemented by its closure and the slow erosion of independent and autonomous arts spaces in Singapore. What ways of practicing as an artist are supported and what ways are not?\u201dAlvin still holds hope for the Substation \u2013 that the community will galvanise to speak up in response to the closure.\u201cPerhaps it is time for something new to emerge from this crisis. A time to reflect on what\u2019s gone wrong, how to keep the integrity of its vision and then like the phoenix rising from the ashes, we have to rise stronger,\u201d he says. \u201cWith our collective imaginative effort and faith, I am sure we will be able to make something good out of its closure.\u201dHe adds that funding a space like the Substation is \u201can investment in the artist\u201d, one that is essential to innovation, which \u201crequires freedom and involves waste\u201d.\u201cThe arts community must now be the third actor to appear in the scene to break the impasse between the Substation and the NAC, as its closure means that we have failed to appreciate the need to invest in nurturing innovation.\u201dSimilarly, Guo Feng believes that Singapore needs a \u201cblend of community-funded and state-funded arts spaces for all types of art to have a voice.\u201dBut it is \u201cpity\u201d that Michelle feels about the Substation\u2019s impending closure \u2013 that a place of such significance to the art community is \u201cclosing without a fight.\u201dShe questions the role of the arts community in influencing the fate of the Substation.\u201cIn the past few days I’ve seen so many touching eulogies. In a different reality, might these people have issued calls to action to save the Substation instead?\u201d she questions.\u00a0\u201cOr maybe, the very fact that there are no such calls to action shows that there is a lack of community will to keep the Substation alive.\u201dTheo also believes in the importance of engaging the arts community: \u201cI know this moment is a time for the arts community to engage in deep dialogue with stakeholders to voice our concerns, preserve what we feel is important, and pivot or reimagine if necessary.\u00a0\u201cI have tremendous faith and hope that I ought not to despair. The Substation\u2019s existence and history has, after all, taught me to hope for better, and work hard to get there,\u201d he says.A townhall will be held on 6 March for those who wish to share their views, or who have questions for the board. The Substation\u2019s last event, SeptFest 2021, will run till 28 March.Join the conversations on THG’s\u00a0Facebook\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram, and get the latest updates via\u00a0Telegram."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Destinations","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Singapore","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/\/singapore\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"What Does The Substation\u2019s Closure Mean For Artists?","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/what-does-the-substations-closure-mean-for-artists\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]