Following the successful launch of its first Arts Night Crawl last month, brand new arts center and residency Aliwal Arts Center is set to hold Lit Up 2013, which will further showcase its diverse tenant mix. Part of the National Arts Council (NAC)’s Framework For Art Spaces, that also launched Goodman Arts Centre in the east, some of its most noted residents include street artist SKLO and her collective Rscls, filmmakers Ho Tzu Nyen and Anthony Chen , multi-media artist Brian Gothong Tan and dance group Re-Dance Theatre, among more than 50 other arts groups and artists. We find out more from both NAC’s Deputy CEO Yvonne Tham and the artists themselves on what makes the arts center tick.

What makes the arts center such an exciting project?
Being within Kampong Glam opens up many creative possibilities for collaborations with its neighbors, which include the Malay Heritage Centre, Sultan Arts Village and Objectifs Centre for Photography and Filmmaking. Some of the tenants have mentioned that they have started conversations with the authorities and surrounding businesses/organizations to explore possible festivals in the district and other joint projects.  But it is also the heritage of this area, as well as the small cafes and fashion and creative businesses nearby, that I think provides an inspiring environment for the artists to be working in.

Why is providing spaces like this so important to the NAC?
Aliwal Arts Centre is the second development under NAC’s Framework For Art Spaces. It was important that the properties developed under this framework included a wide range of art spaces, from dedicated workspaces, to shared facilities such as multi-purpose halls and dance/music studios for short-term rental, and even F&B outlets. This is because the needs of our arts community are varied.  For example, having a dedicated workspace is important in helping some young artists and arts groups start up and gain a firmer footing, and hopefully, take off. For some companies that are more established, the dedicated workspace provides a level of stability for them to focus on strengthening their artistic work, and provides them a base to reach out to their audiences.

Will there be more spaces under the Framework program?
We are currently continuing to review the other properties under the old Arts Housing Scheme, and to see how else we can improve on existing facilities and possibly (re)develop some of the properties to better support an increasingly diverse arts sector. The Framework also talks about facilitating co-locations of artists and arts groups in community and even commercial spaces.  One such recent example is the co-location of the Singapore Dance Theatre within Bugis+ Mall, under the Community / Sports Facilities Scheme (CFS) that Urban Redevelopment Authority manages. We are looking to explore more of such arrangements, so as to open more options for our arts practitioners.

What would you say are the biggest challenges the NAC faces in carrying out its mandate?
I think one of the biggest challenges the arts “ecology” constantly faces is that of sustainability. We constantly seek to find the most effective ways to support our artists and arts groups in their development, through our grants and various other schemes. At the same time, a thriving arts scene will also need private and corporate patrons, ticket-buying audiences, and a wide range of arts professionals working in education, marketing, social organisations, and arts venues.

I’ve never spent more than six months in a year in Singapore since 1997. There may be lots of opportunities here but in many ways, it can be deeply conservative. I find that frustrating and depressing.

The fun culture dissipates after a year or two. Expats living here may find that very convenient, however. It takes 20 minutes to the airport compared to the two hours in other countries.

The cage that Singaporeans live in is so minimalized today. When I was growing up, I had to fight much harder to move the border. Today, everyone is simply living within a 100 square meter radius.

The desire to go abroad is much less intense now. We have so much going on here; that’s why we no longer have that desire to do something or go anywhere else. I’d like Singapore to be a desire machine again.

We certainly fight less compared to say, the Mainland Chinese. They consistently fight and struggle to better their lives. Singaporeans are not very good when they’re traumatized. They need changes that are definite and gradual.

I had a midlife crisis when I was 29. I went to New York to do my Masters.  And in 2010, I felt like I had hit my retirement crisis, which is why I went back to do my PhD.

New York is my mecca. I like to get lost in all that anonymity.

The arts are part of every New Yorkers’ daily life. It’s like doing laundry to them.  

That said, I didn’t have lots of time to catch many performances over the last few years because I was caught up reading books for school. We had to finish at least one book per day.

When I’m overseas, I plug myself into different communities, be it working with younger, hungrier artists or simply living at the edge of societies where a lot of people cannot afford a lot of things.

I also go to Italy once a year to experience the life of an ordinary person; just watching people planting vegetables or go to the local bread shops. There’s so much more land and nature and you still see lots of old monuments as well as local heritage.

When I was offered the role to take on the Arts Festival here, I felt like I was being dragged back home. But I would regret it if I didn’t take it on.

In making art, you must not know how certain things will turn out. There are things that are unknowing. Even from rehearsals sometimes you’re not quite sure of what you want and in that sense, the inability to know is quite frightening for a country like Singapore. Which also explains why programming for the arts here has always been so bureaucratic and predictable.

I do not believe that an arts festival can be everything for everybody.

Singapore can never become a festival city because we are not small enough like say, Edinburgh. We are a huge country despite being a small island. It feels like we’re on expressways all the time travelling on intercity highways.

It’s important not to be sucked into power structures, be it for money, leadership or popularity. By being a little distant and by switching communities all the time when I travel, I tend to be a little distant from the desires of each community. And that keeps me a little sane.

I’m the type of person who tries to see the silver lining in everything. Even if it’s not there, you still have to see it.