“Raised”– A Mini Art Carnival at Little India

Raised Project Working Committee

Raising a platform is a symbolic act of elevating the status of the foreign workers and acknowledging the significant contributions to the development of the country. The initial idea was to erect a raised platform at selected section of busy streets where regular congregation of guest workers takes place. The strategic placement of the platform would encourage and allow anyone who happens to be in that vicinity to participate and interact with the work, without even necessarily aware of it in the first place. These people are both ‘ready-made audience’ and participants!

‘Raised’ has since been developed into a lively discussion group seeking to create a common platform for different voices to be heard, and differing ideas to be shared and debated on equal ground. “Raised” can also be read as in raising questions about our assumptions on our memories, history and heritage; raising questions on our understanding about the difference in culture and values. And now, “Raised” is about to also take the form of a mini carnival where celebrations of the uplifting spirit of imagination, kindness, hope and graciousness take place from the ground.

As an experimental, innovative and high-risk project that situates art in everyday spaces, the participants, formed as a working group without the clear distinction of artists or curators, are interested in the idea of re-defining the “audience” or “viewers”. We intend to shift the focus away from the usual public art audience, e.g. the tourists and the shoppers. The works proposed are primarily located in Little India (except one piece of work which is erected near the white Raffles statue on the Singapore River site). The aim is to engage foreign workers as a targeted, but not exclusive, audience. Activities include performance, interviews, cooking-stations and video clips screening on specially designed wearable T-shirts.

“Raised” is a collective effort of eight participating art practitioners, namely, Amanda Heng, Shenu Hamidun, Siti Salihah bte Mohd Omar, Sriridya Nair, Nurul Huda Farid, Joshua Yang, Justin Loke and Cheo Chai-Hiang. They work together in the project as a group. Though ideas manifested differently, there is a common concern amongst all participants. Their thoughts are reflected in their individual work and collaborative pieces.