Thank you for your interest.I will warn you right now that what follows is illogical and full of various sorts of mistakes. There is no structure. Cut and paste meets free association meets documentation:his is not a board meeting.I am presenting this mess to you in the spirit of the 2011 Singapore Biennale, the theme of which is Open House. A word that appears frquently throughout the materials provided by the Biennale is "process." With these two concepts in mind, I am sharing my artistic process, at the same time trying to be open to criticism, open-minded and somewhat open-ended.In a couple of months, a structured distillation of the following will appear in Singapore Architect.

Watch your head.!

GMANews.TV: Liberation in the land of no gum chewing http://bit.ly/hnHdXx #pinoy #ofw #balita

The Esplanade opened a day or two before I moved to Singapore. I remember colleagues showing me their Espalande photos and I vaguely remember newspaper photos-I think there were fireworks... I recall this as I walk down a staircase towards the party for the Merlion Hotel and the opening of the third Singapore Biennale. Used to pass by here on the way to work and several times I have photographed this scne from the bus. In one of the images I have, the Merlion stares across the river at a field littered with cranes. A bumboat is on the river.Now, however, the river is seperated from the sea; it is a reservoir slowly becoming desalinated. The buildings surrounding the gambling resort across the reservoir are tall and brightly lit. The Merlion is in a hotel room now. For the next 38 days he will stare at Raffles-themed wallpaper. At night guests will sleep in the double bed below his mouth.People will dream beneath the teeth of the Merlion

The old Kallang Airport is hot. I don't mind it, but I do understand how a population weaned on air-conditioners would find this uncomfortable. Because of the heat, John Low was rarely in the very pleasant studio he created for his "I've been skying" piece. The long room had two desks, plus two chairs. A refrigerator and some food and this would have been art paradise. The place was filed with photos, drawings newspaper clippings- all related to the Singapore River. For anyone interested in Singapore, this would have been a rare opportunity. As it was, however, this felt more like looking at a deserted studio. An interesting experience and a solid artwork. But I feel it fell far short of its potential.It would have been nice to sit with the eartist and talk. The two chairs and two desks were probably unused throughout the Biennale.Koh xxxxx however, was present at his installation. My only disappointment here was that there was no way of recording the artists interaction with the visitors.This was a case where surveillance cameras could have been used in a helpful manner. For example, when I mentioned that I was writing something for Singapore Architect, Koh immediately stood up and walked me over to show me a plaque from the office of xxxxx, who was teh origianl architect of Haw par Villa. When I asked about the most valuable newspaper clipping in his collection, he walked to the other side of the long room and showed me a story aboout Tang Du, a sn article about his Earhworks piece. He explains how

OMG BFFLOLnext to zero interest in the National Museum

Enjoyed it thoroughly at home on youtube

The government builds a huge National Museum. Which is very different than a museum about the natio n.The government tells an artist with an invaluable personal collection of newspaper clippings about Singaporean artists that it will fund teh digitization of his collection, a collection which spans decades.Three months after saying they will fund the digitization of thisnational Museum 6:15 to close at 7indian audio poor subtitled

what is an artist/ why are we in a museum? Why are we looking at these objects anyway?Skype interview?"What can art give people in their lives?"i listen to this question as I stand in an empty room, looking out throug the glass door at teh church across the street.The service is over and the parking lot is full of people talking and walking together.

A woman who is aBuddhist and Sikheveryone would gather Pakistani no racissm no discriminationchuckling respect and loyalty to the country to the religion and to the kingnationalism to be a destructive force and it damages humans Kaekeveryone would gather Pakistani no racissm no discriminationchuckling respect and loyalty to the country to the religion and to the kingnationalism to be a destructive force and it damages humans Kaek

when a breakfast tray is brought into the Merlion Hotel, does it magivcally becoem art?Koh at the museum everydayNational gallery in December said they would supportdigitizing his project, 3 months late they said no... offered him a part time jobKoh was going to give them fifty articles per week.Tang Du Wu's Earthworks pieceThe Director of the National museum closed its At Gallery after 3 daysThe curator came to the showThe director was dead (I have his obituary)I mention that I am writing for Singapore Architect and he directs me to a plaque that was on teh office of xxxxx, who designed Haw par Villa.Koh did large scale installation

ZK is like the merlion Hotel

The eye candy of Phil Collins. The substance of a fashion commercial. No real story. Butterflies and buddhas and watching movies or looking at movies touching each other to look nice or taking off jackets to fight.card games annd magazine not rebels, without a cause

Searching for beauty 9 entries, only of which is relevant to levant to the 2011 BiennaleMatt Mullican has used hypnosis in his work since the late 1970s. It is a process that both informs and elucidates his practice, which moves fluidly across many different media including installation, drawing and performance. For many years, Mullican’s trance persona That Peron has made drawings and collages that for SB2011 are installed on bedsheets, forming maze-like corridors that surround you with his iconic and archetypal world. While his drawings often expound on the minutiae of daily life, That Person is very

much concerned with the big picture of truth, beauty, and love. Mullican is also presenting a group of his bulletin boards accumulations of drawings and images that he has been producing over the last three decades.

The second Singapore Biennale, held over 8 weeks in 2008, was again helmed by Fumio Nanjo, this time working with the curatorial team of Joselina Cruz and Matthew Ngui. 

Under the theme of 'Wonder', the Biennale invited people to be 'surprised and tantalised' by contemporary art. Foregrounding beauty and aesthetic experience, the exhibition also used the other meaning of the title to encourage questioning and debate. 

Kid's art: it's a cheap shot. Kids will beat contemporary art 99% of the time. What more proof do you need to see the failure of modern art/ Picasso was once ridiculed as being something any five year old could do. Forget the fact Picasso took that as a compliment(""It took me years to paint like Raphael but it has taken me my whole life to learn to draw like a child." ). Forget the fact that if given the budget and the praise of critics that the resultant works would be perceived as equal to most of those on display in the Biennale.A drawing with just the words "wallet" and "my room."A collage with the words "mouthwatering! Come and try!" surrounded by cutout images of Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pepsi and Bandito Pocket meals.These are self-portraits.So were the images of Iron Man, dragons, The World Cup and Glee.

"I love to save the earth. "I love video games."

The paths made of old circular stones bordered by grass and dead leaves and untrimmed bushes. Walking on a path like this just after the heat of the day is gone and the cool of twilight is staarting to settle.

Zai KuningIt was not the confessional aspect of the recording. The sound of Zai's voice is rhythmic and sombre. It is filled with the quiet atmosphere that exists after a life-threatening storm or natural disaster.The disasters that Zai speaks of, however, are man-made.open househome criticism censorshipboth hate and love the paint pieceI know what is missingOrang laut leaving islands brother killed a man in a coffee shopcompletely world altogetherislaanders from sentosa pasir pajongBugis Pao Kun theatre 001 knowledge not avaiable in the librarynational history a a great blessing, great burden to tell

The 3rd Singapore Biennale (extracts from 50-1)Navin Rawanchaikul Kad Luang market , or in the cas eof two different female visitors that came in while I was watching the film, the teddy bear doll which was placed on teh table.

PopulistFirst Biennale walking through a largely empty field as a thrash ban chased away teh few people who'd gathered. Perhaps some of those people had seen teh bus advertisements and decided to experience contemporary art.

The white tent was of course crowded. I have made my way to the National Museum.I sit in the grand, air-conditioned space and look through the Short Guide. "Selamat Datang. Huan Ying. Vanakkam.Welcome." I guessthat these opening words by Jane Ittogi, the chair of the Singapore Art Museum."Make yourself at home," the text continues,"take the time to enjoy the art and be intrigued by what it says about our changing times."

Ms. Hittogi goes on to mention that the Singapore Biennale 2011 was led by Mathew Ngui, the Biennale's first Singaporean artistic director. The welcome also states that there are 63 artists and artists collectives from 30 countries and 150 artworks.

Money no Enough Want to connect emotionally open house of Parliamnet

The visitor will percieve the buildingas the artworks and cultural signifiers that they are.. He will find SAM to be air-conditioned, conveniently located and a way of experiencing Singapore's colonial past. She will find the 8Q site to be on the pleasant side of edgy. It will find the Kallang Airport to be an experience; something to talk about.nearly every tourist would be impressed by th elocation of the Merlion Hotel and most tourists would find the experience of being in a room with the head of the Merlion to be interesting.They would all find teh National Museum to be a grand space.What would our spiritual visitor learn about Singapore. Assuming that he/she/it transported his/her/its spiritual being here tpo experience the uniquely Singaporewan culture, itis not unreasonable to think that Singaporean artists could be a point of attraction. Who would these local artists be and what would they show?

In 1940, th etelevision set becomes widely accepted as a household item in America.In 1969. the U S Moon program ends the deacde-long space race with Russia as it puts Apollo 11 onto the moon.This event was widely televisd and, soon after, major controversy begins to surface, questioning whether te entire event was a media hoax by the United States government.

WORDS ON WALLRADIO SIGNALS

The initial impression of identicalitysubtle and significant differences woman's blouse

FASHION

Open Notes/ Writing on Glass

WORDS ON WALLRADIO SIGNALS

The initial impression of identicalitysubtle and significant differences woman's blouse

FASHION

Open Notes/ Writing on Glass

I am open

Open being the spirit of the Biennale, I am presenting you with text that was written with a spirit of openness, open being the theme of the 3rd Singapore Biennale. Open House.I will treat my digital files as a physical space.

My doorwayThe doorway to this laptop is anonymous; this is just a laptop. The doorways to the Biennale, however are dramatic and historic. The modern cosmopitan skyline of Singapore is the doorway to the Merlion Hotel, a For the duration of the Singapore Biennale 2011, The Merlion, Singapore’s national icon, will no longer tower overhead. For 32 days, members of the public will only be able to view this 8.6 metre-high mythical creature

within the four walls of a temporary hotel.

The Biennale is nearly perfectly orgnized. The website is easy to use and the maps are clear and accurate. The section of the Biennale on dispaly at the National Museum is pleasant; air-conditioned darkness decorated with eye candy. The bench in front of thelarge screen dispalying Superflex's drowning McDonal's was a standard not reached elsewhere; Ming Wong's filmic presentation in Kallang was shown in partially darkened very warm white rooms with no benches. An intimate video piece byShooshie Sulaiman was poorly displayed in a hallway at 8Q, making it a challenge to see. The darkness accentuated the poor resolution of some images in the video work of Gigi Scaria and isolated the spiral staircase with its steps of cute housing units. The seriousness of the text seemed to be written aboutanother picewithits reference to enormous growth in India’s cities, with its rapid urban development, has had a seismic impact on individuals. However, I must confess that teh word"explores" is one of my least favorite words. It is used too often by lazy parrots in an attempt to both add intellectual weight and to produce clarity from muddy "thinking", lazy parrots use the word explore.  Xxxxxxx project which explores the torrid mix of consumer desire and social anxiety embodied in the world of Californian teenage girls.  explores these effects and conditions through finely wrought sculptures, paintings, photographs and video works, teasing out the relationship between modern progress and the human psyche.  explores the operations of privilege and power; a world divided between those with access and those denied. Ringholt explores the power of small gestures to make significant shifts in meaning. 

s. Her installations and video works explore experiences of cultural displacement and economic nomadism, as well as the clichés and kitsch of Orientalist stereotypes, which persist in many ways today.

The Artistic Director of SB2011, Matthew Ngui, explains this particular artwork as being all about ‘disjuncture’, and that ‘the idea is that the juxtaposition of two things that are very 1Displaced: To be moved or shifted from the usual place or position (Free Dictionary)2Juxtaposed: To be placed side by side, especially for comparison or contrast (Free Dictionary)SB2011 Education Kit © Singapore Art Museum. All rights reserved. No part of this worksheet may be reproduced without prior permission from the Singapore Art Museum 9different causes slippage, and within that slippage is meaning.’ What meaning have you derived from this slippage, if any? A statement, floating.

Secondary School Worksheet

4© Singapore Art Museum. All rights reserved. No part of this worksheet may be reproduced without prior permission from the Singapore Art MuseumLet’s explore the artworks!We don't look at or observe or study we explore!

Gigi Scaria is an artist whose work is influenced by the city he lives and works in, New Delhi, and is especially interested in the phenomenon and effects of rural-urban migration to the city. 10. Look very carefully at the installation sculpture by this artist. What has the artist wanted the installation to resemble? This installation is of… Secondary School Worksheet

Based on the conceptual framework provided by the title ‘Open House’, the Curatorial Team – led by Artistic Director Matthew Ngui, working with curators Russell Storer and Trevor Smith – have invited this dynamic selection of artists to explore the sites and culture of Singapore

1a : to investigate, study, or analyze : look into <explore the relationship between social

class and learning ability> —sometimes used with indirect questions <to explore where

ethical issues arise — R. T. Blackburn>b : to become familiar with by testing or

experimenting<explore new cuisines>

2

: to travel over (new territory) for adventure or discovery

: to examine especially for diagnostic purposes <explore the wound>

Lisi Raskin creates stage-like installations that are low tech and DIY. Her playful yet haunting environments are created from common or discarded building materials. Her highly intuitive process channels deep cultural anxieties, initially creating spaces that parodied control rooms and secret military installations but gradually, her work has grown more ambient and abstract. The visitor is immersed in painterly, large-scale assemblages of colour and material – some torn and repurposed from existing walls – opening up new vantage points and creating new ways to move through the spaces. A hint of violence implied beneath brightly coloured surfaces. (Short guide text)

smooth organization, with artworks clearly labeled and cogently installed

Why is this show a biennale, as opposed to a very large group show or a "blockbuster' art event? Look up definition of biennale? DO I write about the individual pieces? The layout of teh shows? The choice of venues a/venues as cultural signifiers? Is there a common thread running throughout all of the pieces?

Open hearted

Slug TowersBau, Kuching, Sarawak, East Malaysia1954/Unbuilt1:1000

Nature waved two shells together:A shelter of arcs on a mirror of sand.

Yet this fragile palace endures strong weather.Two years ago I touched your hand.

—from a letter by Wong to Aida Muzaffar, May 7, 1954

All but one of the 46 notebooks in The KS Wong Depository feature architecture or nature-themed sketches and notes. Slug Towers is the only structure in a notebook full of nude figure sketches and erotically charged drawings.

exchanges between artists and their “host” environment.

Upstairs, Danh Vo’s cardboard stack seems innocuous enough, but after learning that the gold-leaf letters adorning it correspond to military time zone abbreviations—details about Singapore’s coded past silently converge with endlessly shifting vectors of space and time

I cannot go on record with autobiographical details. I salute those in power who have cleverly synchronized te Open House with the General Elections. The full effect of teh internet resulted in an "open house" of debate and information-sharing which was impossible in previous elections.

He very excited blogger;

Finally…the Old Kallang Airport. Touted as one of Singapore's oldest airport, this Kallang Airport is one of the central venue for the Biennale. Without the Biennale, this place would be completely forgotten, I think. There is no aviation museum there, neither is there any famous food inside this old dame. Just hope the fate of this grand old dame will change after this biennale. Perhaps an aviation museum. It would be quite nice to see the old planes, like those of the then Singapore-Malayan Air planes on display there. And old boarding passes. Mock-up interior of an aircraft cabins. Think of the revenue it would have generated, with sponsors from Singapore Air to maybe Qantas, this would be one place to showcase the history of Singapore's aviation history, from RSAF era to Singapore Air being the first to fly the A380s. Perhaps one section could be use for one of the long forgotten important piece of aviation history in Singapore, Singapore Airlines flight 117. It certainly is not taught in Singapore History textbook. We learnt about the Racial Riots (the need for Racial Harmony), Bus riots (Hock Lee?), SARS/Bird flu (in the 70s or 60s, there is some hype on Bird Flu in Singapore), rise of tuberculosis in the 60s, 70s and much more. But SQ 117??? I bet no one knew of this if you ask any secondary school students. But SQ006? They all knew it. The Silk-air crash? Yes. 

Continuing…on this Biennale, before I came out with the funny ideas for this aviation museum. There are shuttle bus operating. So, if you think getting from SAM to Kallang Airport is a chore, then, they have this shuttle bus.

Continuing…on this Biennale, before I came out with the funny ideas for this aviation museum. There are shuttle bus operating. So, if you think getting from SAM to Kallang Airport is a chore, then, they have this shuttle bus.

So, day 1 I could have something like SAM and 8QSAM, then head to Merlion Hotel. Thereafter, I make my way home. Second day would be NMS then Kallang Airport. Take the shuttle bus back to finish the "bits and pieces" which you left out. Or head to Kallang Airport first, then to National Museum of Singapore. 

I shall be going soon…perhaps tomorrow :D

http://livewithouth20.blogspot.com/2011_03_01_archive.html

Internet opennessWith itsWith its head of a lion and body of a fish, the imaginary Merlion statue has been an icon of Singapore since 1972 and, having been relocated to the current Merlion Park that fronts Marina Bay in 2002, the iconic figure is now ready to take centre stage in what has to be one of the most sensational hotel rooms of all time. Open for just 32 nights from 4th April, the one-room Merlion hotel is the work of Berlin-based Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi and is the star attraction of this year’s Singapore Biennale – albeit that all rooms sold out within an hour of general release. For everyone else intrigued by this utterly unique proposition, the doors are open – free of charge – during the day to witness, first-hand, this truly remarkable work… during the day to witness, first-hand, this truly remarkable work… http://www.weheart.co.uk/2011/03/17/the-merlion-hotel-tatzu-nishi/ rema

Food Wild cinnamon of Martha Rosler's garden pieceMichale Lee's Butter BuildingMing Wong's dinner sceneToastbox laksaSimon Fujiwara CafeKraft Cheese sandwiches advertising campaignrefrigerator piecekid's drawingthe vibrant magenta popsicle briefly scene in Phil Collins the meaning of style, angelic pleasant restless but calm

Besides a bustling harbor and a deserved reputation as the major trading center beetween Asia and Europe Sleepy fishing village Kallang Airport was Singapore’s first civil airport, opening in 1937. Built on reclaimed swampland along the Kallang River, it also included an anchorage for seaplanes, and was described at the time as the finest airport in the British Empire.  Thrity years before it became a nation, the major commercial and cultural center of Singapore bosted many modernities including Kallang Airport

An open window is nothingTheory of clouds-John Low's piece

WelcomeShould I parallel this text with a exhibition at teh Biennale? In other words, can this text be considwered an artwork?There are words on display in te Biennale. The piece by Charles Sanderson strips words of meaning ; using them as data

Viepoint, Glass craftsman

Windows\The narrow stairs of the old airport were a delight. Stalked by keiningham and transmogrification,

I looked at the drawings of Charles LaBelle; I lloked at his work and looked out the window. Illoked at his work and then looked out teh window. A drawing called The Ghost of a Rainbow. The love hotels of Geylang, their neon lights off. The divinity of laughter. Old Airport Road in teh distance, the SIT era building in which Ilived. The point of ectsacy the name of another drawing. Another windo and a mosque is visible.His piece is called Publicc Intimacy

public intimacy

The Japanese influence.Japanese translator and a group walk through

Writing with Glass

Koh, John MichaelMingSingaporean vs, SingaporeanKallang station a workers party flag reminding me of japan...the contrast of teh river, the green lawn the blue sky even the c

Riding on the bus towards Kallang station, I saw a red flag flying brightly against a green field, the grey concrete of teh MRT track and teh greenish brown river. This struck me as real art; communication;much more than a new German barn in an old airport.

Imagine if this artwork was displayed in a museum in Europe.

John's piece had black and white photosdoor spoiled next toa pice of something shelf-like in a plastic bag, labelled LACKtwo desks and two chairs map of Singapore river,scene of river drawingI have been skyinglaying out his research materialsfeng shui

big heads of Chingay or National Day in the storage shedstanding to watch Ming Wong's movies..cheap wigs dramatci words liek I must go tomorrow.

The twins video I like.I like that tthere are storage sheds in teh distance. I see big heads and colorful shapes. Why isn't thatopen to teh public? Global warming. It means the days are hotter than before. Is it so outrageous to start shifting the visitation times of public vents so that people can actually enjoy the cool of the twilight and the evening? The experiences at teh Old Kallang Airport would have been much different.

Goto DesignAs I walk down to the Merlion Hotel, I think of teh changes that I've seen in this area. I arrived a day or two after teh Espalnde opened. At that time teh Merlion stared out across a flowing river to see an empty field.

Saying good things as a result I will not mention the structure on the other side of the water. I am aware of teh changes that have occurred. Bus Stopping field Durina feels nostalgic. Tree guy with people in the audience.Open House Party Open hOuse surgery

Tan Pin Pin Moving House

Refrigerator Liked teh idea but Ac omplete cold chain

This style of presentation was important in 1973.It's 2011 use 3D graphics, mindmaps Text of thouights about a can of paint, tacked to a wall, does not get my neurons firing.It does make me wonder why I am standing in an abandoned airport reading a statement about something so obvious.I do not like text on walls.

Bees kept me away from the Biennale for awhile.

BUILDING ON KAWAHARA

Bees were in the East b;lock

A reasonable man

SB no emtions sense of wonder by emotional life sense of joy;excitement questioningThey onlytake off what they are wearing to fight

Phil Collinsconsumer society

I am no longer fond of conceptual text on the walls of galleries or museums. There was a time when this approach to art was dynamic in a way that was often both dynamic and meditative. Now this approach frustrates me. Conceptual art was/is about ideas-thinking. Thoughts should be as new as clouds.This piece yungah Ham’s embroideries are designed by the artist in Seoul and commissioned from North Korean factories through various intermediaries. The commissioned images usually contain knowledge that is subject to censorship in North Korea and is an attempt to communicate across a closed border. The plaintive emotional language of ‘I’m Hurt’ and ‘I’m Sorry’ is a plaintive act of solidarity with the workers while capitalist images and contemporary social subjects – such as mentioning the slang term ‘Bang-Ga Bang-GaThey onlytake off what they are wearing to fight’, used by young South Koreans in internet communication – attempt a kind of information transfer. The process can be arduous and complicated; sometimes the work is not produced, or in other cases, designs are cut up and distributed behind the scenes to different workers and later reassembled. Martin Creed Don't Worry

The visitor walked into the gallery to find empty white walls hacked and broken. Piles of plaster, paint and shredded wood were scattered across the floor. At the end of the exhibition the artist removed the wounded wooden panels from the walls and recycled them into plinths of varying volumes and sizes. Whatever forms they may have supported have disappeared. They have been shattered by a history we can only guess at and bear

witness to the presence of a malign intelligence or a nameless anger. In short: I can see this at a roadside. Unless one lives in an ivory tower, “nameless anger” and “malign intelligence” are everywhere, from vandalized HDB mailboxes to Fukushima to housing compounds in Iraq. I go to museums and galleries to try to escape these realities. To some, “the field of ruined and scarred plinths in La Cannibale (Parody Consumption and Institutional Critique) (2008) , which was created created from walls that Nelson destroyed at the Hayward Gallery, London, for his installation To the Memory of HP Lovecraft. It is not surprising to see that this sort of navel-gazing is popular amongst certain people in the art world. It relates to the idea of Open House exactly how?This is an emperor's new clothe sort of piece.IT IS 2011. We need art to inspire us, to give us reasons to live. Works like this serve only to rxit as conversation pieces and/or the basis for critics and collectors to play their smoke and mirror games.Heave forbid that there were paintings on display in this well lit beautiful space. What a treat it would have been to see oil pigments lit by sunlight instead of these monuments to navelgazing which are bettered by the refuse at any construction site.

In the end, we all decided to permanently close the work as we were not able to agree on a solution that will work for all.  The complexities and integrity of the work would be lost if any part were altered.  And given the attention generated from media reports, we all felt that the public will no longer view the work for its original intention but for different reasons. This is part of the process of negotiation and discussion that occurs in the presentation of contemporary art, and it required time.  The museum appreciates and is heartened by both Simon and the curators’ willingness to work with us to resolve this in the best possible way.”

Right. So anyway, back to the question: why only now?

By the way, you can stop holding your breath. That was it.

http://blogs.todayonline.com/forartssake/2011/05/13/spore-biennale-2011-an-update/

For Martin Creed, anything has the potential to be made into art. How original! How open!

Working to overturn traditional hierarchies of medium, scale, and rarity, Creed uses simple ordering structures to make equivalent variations of specific but very ordinary materials.

Onward, comrade! Let us overturn those traditional hierarchies of medium, scale and rarity!

A neon sign read ‘Don’t Worry’, which of course triggers anxieties that are as unique as individuals in a crowd. But, of course!

Nedko Solakov’s fear of flying is the impetus for his work installed at Old Kallang Airport. 

Lisi Raskin creates stage-like installations that play on fears and anxieties engendered by the threat of war. Low-tech and DIY, her playful yet haunting environments are created from common or discarded building materials. Her highly intuitive process channels deep

cultural anxieties, initially creating spaces that parodied control rooms and secret military installations but her work has gradually grown more ambient and abstract. The visitor is immersed in painterly large-scale assemblages of color and material – some torn and repurposed from existing walls – opening up new vantage points and creating new ways to move through the spaces. A hint of violence is implied beneath brightly colored surfaces.

Objects come and go; they pass between hands, are bought and sold, collected or lost. Sometimes they end up in the work of Danh Vo, and become points in his personal constellations, which are informed by elements of his family history, chance encounters and friendships, geopolitical narratives and bureaucratic structures. The things Vo selects and arranges are like artefacts, traces of bigger stories, energies by the relationships he creates between them. Vo has described art as “about creating values” – his work for SB2011 involves covering cardboard panels in gold leaf, literally using a Midas touch.

Magid wrote legal requests for security camera footage of her movements as if they were letters to a lover, ultimately leading to a video in which we watch her moving carefully through the city, eyes closed, led by the voice of a policemen transmitting to her earpiece. A Reasonable Man in a Box (2010) finds her in dialogue with a different kind of institutional structure: a document reviewing controversial methods of interrogating alleged Al Qaeda operatives.

Born close to and living near the sea, Charles Lim has a particular interest in water. He paddles and swims, and sailed for Singapore in the 1996 Olympic Games. Water is a constantly changing and moving form lacking a fixed, spatial integrity. Lim’s fascination with water has seeped into his interest in the relationship between physical and virtual systems, where physical manifestations in the open water. 

the most revolutionary image of 2011 The lion's teeth are a playgroundPoliticalmsystem is openingParliament= house

Who do I want to spend time with?

The truth is I have no expectations. The artists are all unknown to me and this is the curators first time to curate. The theme is bland. Despite all of this , I am optimistic.painting of course seems to be out of fashion. Who do I want to inspire me, to give me hope that will make me think we are not all in the hands of government people and business people that create Fukushimas.

The elegance of the National Museumdark spotlights the flooding of the McDonalds The movie about the Indians in Chian Mai personal universal historical

Context-why the graffiti had to be from a man who was not here. TV tie in. teaching to be creative.Venues themselves Matt Mulican man who iis not there That other person.Radiowaves piece Marc Salvatus wrappedJill Magid biggest disappointment followed by Navinactuallythis is about the curator ruangrupa singapura fictionRafael Lozano-Hemmer radio signalRobert MacPherson Austrailian paintingswords on walls

The exhibition title, Open House, is conceived not as a theme, but as an invitation. It examines the fiercely guarded boundaries between public and private and the manner in which differences may be bridged through interaction and exchange. PLEASE EXPLAIN WHY THIS TOPIC IS IMPORTANT TO

ADDRESS? WHY MUST SO MUCH TIME AND MONEY BE DEVOTED TO THIS TOPIC? ARE THESE DIFFERENCES VITAL STEPS TOWARDS AN IMPROVEMNET OF TE HUMAN CONDITION? WIL ANALYSIS OF THIS TOPIC LEAD TO ENLIGHTENMENT? WILL IT RESULT IN LOWER TAXES AND HIGHERWAGES? WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT AND WHAT DO YOU INTEND TO DO WITH THE EXPERINCES HOU HAVE GATHERED A S ARESULT OF THIS “EXAMINATION?”

9 of 63 artists are from Singapore

Julian Gothes sculptures are restless and have attitude. It is hard to tell if they belong in an art gallery or in a science lab. Their sleek lines and shiny surfaces would suit a fashionable apartment,but their pointy edges and machine-like components suggest they are products of experimental engineering. The video only made me long for Escher and Druher. I was expecting it to sell me shoes.His artistic process often begins with drawing in a sub-conscious state, combining minimalist angular forms with images that eventually evolve into sculpture, wall pieces and installations.CNN WEBSITE

In a nutshell...there are some very nice pieces on display. There is very little serious curation...a lot of pretty words, but nothing daring. Imagine the German barn floating in Clarke Quay or on the lawn of Parliament. Imagine a web-only extension of the Biennale that uses nothing but open source? Imagine opening hours that reflected the fact that people cannot go to a museum before 7PM (not to mention the benefits of the the cooler temperatures of nighttime). Imagine a more open policy towards Singaporean artists-were the works of certain Singaporean artists truly reflective of the theme? Or were they just edged in and justified with the usual flowery language?

Focusing on the process of making art rather than defining its final destruction, SB 2011 looks at these artistic journeys in relation to the ordinary transactions and encounters we participate in every day.

Contemporary art pieces do not just require the audience’s sense of sight to look at the artwork – sometimes, other senses such as the sense of smell and hearing are also required to respond to an artwork.

Koh's wall: Art Censorship: when will it end? JanFeb march 2oo1

I mention Singapore Architect and he immediately points to part of the installation where there is a plaque from the office ofarchitect Ho Kwong Yew, who designed the original Haw Par Villa

Open minded

window into process

Koh alternative history..what is said vss, what is printed.Curator as a meta artist

The Merlion Hotel had to undergo maintenance because a guest had used too many electrical appliance at teh same time, including a hair dryer.merlion maintenance overheated because hairdryer etc.Singapore as related to other parts of teh region

why is this Biennale different from others/rebranding communismtwins onlinePlato

Gigi steps of predicaments

I have shared opened myself and my writing process.

 have choosen to do a cookie overlooking a bed of chocolate chips as I feel that a cookie represents what I am trying to be in life -- an individual over others. A cookie as elements of chocolate chips, but has a little extra of other things which makes it special.

The brain carpet is alive.Matt Mulac

I A ball is placed on top of a cone. The table supporting the cone is struck and the ball rolls down one side of the cone. Although the path of the ball was unplanned and crafted by chance, it is studied as a model. Theories develop as to why the ball travelled the way it did. Theories become schools;the schools result in teachers and students.The school interacts with other social instittions, including governments. Each school is influenced by the power and material wealth it does or does not have.In this analogy, the path of the ball is meant to represent the creative process, from idea to physical placement in a gallery or musem. There is no consistent logic in the commercialized art world. In sports, experience with a ball will result in a recognizwd form of success. Law, engineering, the ciences; in all these areas the acquisition of knowledge is an asset.In art, however, luck and geography often seem to be more important than technical skills.Fortunate intersections with trends and tastemakers are the usual trademarks of a successful artists career.In this Biennale, for example, painters seems to be out of favor. Photography is present, barely and usually in the service of a conceptual idea. The only music present is secondary to moving images or, in the case of Be True to Your School, by Song-Ming Ang, music is performed as an example of a shared conceptual idea in which high brow and lowbrow meet.IT is nice that Abba is celebrated.

This section of the essay will not focus on the art world as a whole, but will instead use the Singapore Biennale as an example of the environment which is rich with both well-guided and well-nurtured paths as well as halls of mirrors and mazesSo, perhaps you diagree that a ball rolling down a cone is not a good analogy to describe the path that puts certain objects into galleries and museums. Then, how do we describe the process of art and art production?

o it it with the world of art. That is to say this: contemporary art is largely a soulless. meaningless cloud filled sad wonderland and wasteland in which curators and gallerists struggle to create meaning amidst the gilded texts of hype and ivory tower speak.

trance free associatewith the psyche of someone i didn't know

So this thing called art is a leaf in the cloud of unknowing which floats in the courtroom of society. The spirit of creative expression and teh production of ideas. It aint easy.

Beat Struli photos are installation

Twins/triplets great editing the art of editing....pauses at times as though we are looking at two bodies, at times one body doubled Asian twins backgrounds Jesus illuminated

Architecture fans would likely organize their visits around Michael Lee's installatio featuring buildings by the fictional architect KS Wong, as well want to see theBuildings Entered project by Charles LaBelle.Koh did large scale installation

ZK is like teh merlion Hotel

The eye candy of Phil Collins. The substance of a fashion commercial. No real story. Butterflies and buddhas and watching movies or looking at movies touching each other to look nice or taking off jackest to fight.card games annd magazine not rebels, without a cause

Kids artGlee World Cupbrown background; yellow words: wallet my roommouthwaterin! Come and try KFC images and Pespi and Bandito Pocket Mealmonsters dragons video dispaly great paintings black and white pencil drawingsIron man wii animeI love to save teh earth. I love video games.

The paths made of old circular stones bordered by grass and dead leaves and untrimmed bushes. Walking on a path like this just after teh heat of teh day is gone an the cool of twilight is staarting to settle.

Twenty turns of th e moon wild cinnamon

Collaborative artChinese moneyThai furnitureradiowavesMerlionMatt Mulican (w hypnotist)Propellor GroupZai Kuning

The 3rd Singapore Biennale (extracts from 50-1)

I am a newlywed from Germany. I am a retiree from New Zealand, here with my husband. I am on a tour package with one day left before I return to Shanghai. I am a businessman from Chicago with a free afternoon. I see a bus advertising the 3rd Singapore Biennale as well as the banners on the street. I know nothing about Singapore .I have made my way to the National Museum.I sit in the grand, air-conditioned space and look through the Short Guide. "Selamat Datang. Huan Ying. Vanakkam.Welcome." I guessthat these opening words by Jane Ittogi, the chair of the Singapore Art Museum."Make yourself at home," the text continues,"take the time to enjoy the art and be intrigued by what it says about our changing times."

Tan Boon Hui's words are next: "The Singapore Biennale has the highest proportion of commissioned works to date, and is therefore a wonderful opportunity to see new work from leading contemporary artists from Southeast Asia, Asia and around the world. Mr. Tan goes on to describe the Bienale's yearlong outreach effort that has "engaged more than 3,000 students from from over 40 primary and secondary schools in Singapore in a large-scale artwork and animation project, 'Self-Portrait, Our landscape'(SPOL).Merlion, a symbol of Singapore created by the Singapore Tourist BoardThe Garden a symbol of the alternative Singapore.

The star of the Singapore Biennale was undoubtedly the Merlion Hotel, the truly remarkable work by Tatzu Nishi, the Berlin-based Japanese artist. Within an hour after they were offered, reservations for the 32 nights were filled.During the day, before guests checked in, lines of tourists formed to see the inside of the space.Ms. Hittogi goes on to mention that the Singapore Biennale 2011 was led by Mathew Ngui, the Biennale's first Singaporean artistic director. The welcome also states that there are 63 artists and artists collectives from 30 countries and 150 artworks.A site specific installation makes use of the unique characteristics of that particular space to

respond to, or even challenge the original use or purpose of that space. process

John Zorn OPEN MINDEDThe next page of the Singapore Biennale is another welcome, this one written by Tan Boon Hui, the Director of the Singapore Art Museum."The Biennale is the largest contemporary art exhibition to be held in our city, and is building a reputation for its innovative use of urban spaces and its prominent representation of Singaporean and Asian creative talent.Finally, with a warm welcome and an explanation of the Open House concept, the Artistic Director of the Singapore Biennale, Mathew Ngui,extends to the vistor two invitations: an open house to the contemporary artists's process, where you will discover the work of 63 international artists and collaborations, and an open house to explore our venues, where old buildings and new spaces reflect an everchanging Singapore.Mr. Ngui also thanks Trevor Smith and Russell Storer, the curators, as well as Michelle Tan and her Biennale team.

Money no Enough Want to connect emotionally open house of Parliamnet

The visitor will percieve the buildingas the artworks and cultural signifiers that they are.. He will find SAM to be air-conditioned, conveniently located and a way of experiencing Singapore's colonial past. She will find the 8Q site to be on the pleasant side of edgy. It will find the Kallang Airport to be an experience; something to talk about.nearly every tourist would be impressed by th elocation of the Merlion Hotel and most tourists would find the experience of being in a room with the head of the Merlion to be interesting.They would all find teh National Museum to be a grand space.What would our spiritual visitor learn about Singapore. Assuming that he/she/it transported his/her/its spiritual being here tpo experience the uniquely Singaporewan culture, itis not unreasonable to think that Singaporean artists could be a point of attraction. Who would these local artists be and what would they show?

In 1940, the television set becomes widely accepted as a household item in America.In 1969. the U S Moon program ends the deacde-long space race with Russia as it puts Apollo 11 onto the moon.This event was widely televisd and, soon after, major controversy begins to surface, questioning whether te entire event was a media hoax by the United States government.

The product or thinking a series of thoughts is beautiful to me, whether the thoughts and resulatant images are visually appealing or not.

My doorwayThe doorway to this laptop is anonymous; this is just a laptop. The doorways to the Biennale, however are dramatic and historic. The modern cosmopitan skyline of Singapore is the doorway to the Merlion Hotel, a

Graphic designer: Michael Lee's distinctive signage and timeline, the catalogue, the fonts used in the movies and the

One comes to appreciate such details more and more, especially given that over the years the word “biennial” has grown synonymous for slapdash installations, bombastic curatorial frameworks, poor organization, and unintelligible or nonexistent verbiage. Indeed these concerns point to a common conundrum within so-called biennial studies: that is, it may be easy to point to a multitude of opinions, but a set of common criteria has yet to be established to properly evaluate this genre of events*.  Instead, it opted for an overly benevolent rubric of “Open House,” blandly described in the curatorial statement as “not only a gesture of hospitality and good will but also an opportunity to reflect, negotiate, and exchange.”

Such an open invitation (one cannot properly call it a theme) amicably weaves across multiple regions and topical concerns, adroitly skirting substantial articulation. Regrettably, it stops short of declaring any position, however predictable that might be.

Where the “Open House” rubric does succeed is in providing a backdrop for artistic encounters that are fair-minded if a bit safe, encouraging exchanges between artists and their “host” environment. If there is one constant to the biennial equation, it is the insistence upon “local specificity,” epitomized, for example, in Thai artist

Site-specific commissions such as these have a tendency to be hit or miss, and yet we are trained to welcome them, even when they verge upon hackneyed and superficial methodologies.

The Painted Word from bauhas to My House

Biennales viewpoints for our times? Time cpasule of what socirtyy is thinking?Open House so dull as to be a nontheme. Why not just be bold and have a Biennale with no theme? OR a Biennale with atheme/label that is decided after the Biennale has eneded?

but by virtue of its vagueness makes almost every project feel tangentially related to it.

Yinong and Muchen’s glimmering embroideries of defunct currency notes and Tiffany Chung’s immaculate architecture models—works which are the result of outsourced labor—appear simply a means to an end, hardly representative of the Biennials stated mandate to pay close attention to artists and their processes of making. The Propeller Group’s TVC Communism (2011) is a rare provocative work that involves enlisting big name advertising companies to create a television ad to sell the idea of communism to an unsuspecting public—yet ultimately the gesture suffers not only from technical difficulties, but from being trapped in an overly sedate set of circumstances. This is not to say that the artists or their works are necessarily at fault. Under the right conditions, the framework of an exhibition can help amplify meaning, and a biennial based upon being open and inviting might not be enough to edge the works into territories of real significance. In this case, discarding the usual biennial communiqués centering on global unrest and social or political urgency has the benefit of eliminating the need for each work to outdo the next, but if there is no urgency to the questions posed, responses may go unheard.

Biennales may remain imperfect places in which to look for answers to the world’s problems or to expect to solve the riddle of art’s capacity to effect change—but surely they can still act as sites in which certain questions can be posed

by PAULINE J. YAO

March 18, 2011

The myth of the outsider

Goto Design why not a Singaporean designer. Why not a Burmese shop did everything. With the money saved there could have been audio guides that were worth listening to. The audio guides were dry readings that sound like they were being read out of a catalogue, followed by interviews with artists that were often awkward.These guides were teh voice of teh Biennale itself and felt lifeless and compulsory. Though they were about art, they were artlessMass media bus TV magazines newspapersblogs Facebook the toothless garage sale that was the post LKY showplays it both waysvoice is personal and universalmerlion maintenance overheated because hairdryer etc

opening skylineSaying good things as a result I will not mention the structure on the other side of the water. I am aware of teh changes that have occurred. Bus Stopping field Durina feels nostalgic. Tree guy with people in the audience.Open House Party Open hOuse surgery

Beat Struli photos are installation

This style of presentation was important in 1973.It's 2011 use 3D graphics, mindmaps Text of thouights about a can of paint, tacked to a wall, does not get my neurons firing.It does make me wonder why I am standing in an abandoned airport reading a statement about something so obvious.I do not like text on walls.

BUILDING ON KAWAHARA

the most revolutionary image of 2011 The lion's teeth are a playgroundPoliticalmsystem is openingParliament= house

white shack studioMount Tskuba songA reasonable man

Big Tube pieces defined the space look good photographed too conceptual in realityFrom the Media Release:The exhibition title, Open House, is conceived not as a theme, but as an invitation. It examines the firecely guarded boundaries between public and private and the manner in which differences may be bridged through interaction and exchange.Focusing on the process of maaking art rather than defining its final destruction, SB 2011 looks at these artistic journeys in relation to the ordinary transactions and encounters we participate in every day.

Notes from a cinema buffThe editing and music of Tracey Moffat's piece are vanilla. Cutting on the beat and using classic vectorial tension as well as a seductive selection of camera angles, this piece is vanilla-but a gourmet vanilla more sinful than the sweetest chocolate. Snippets of Mel Gibson, Brando and men with swords and body parts and touches volcanoes.Tan Pin Pin's Moving Houses-an appropriate choice.

Obviously Ming Won's film is the defining piece of the 3rd Singapore Biennale. “You've simply destroyed the image I have of myself” Relates to not just Wong's work, but the Biennale itself. And in fact could be said to be an oblique reference to the 2011 General Election , especially Aljunied,the district in which the Old Kallang Airport is located.white wallsdark spotlights the flooding of the McDonalds The movie about the Indians in Chian Mai personal universal historicalTwins/triplets great editing the art of editing....pauses at times as though we are looking at two bodies, at times one body doubled Asian twins backgrounds Jesus illuminated

Asian installation-perentage of artists9 of 63 artists are from Singapore

Bats at the construction site

Julian Gothes sculptures are restless and have attitude.It is hard to tell if they belong in an art gallery or in a science lab. Their sleek lines and shiny surfaces would suit a fashionable apartment,but their pointy edges and machine-like components suggest they are products of experimental engineering. The video only made me long for Escher and Fruher. I was expecting it to sell me shoes.His artistic process often begins with drawing in a sub-conscious state, combining minimalist angular forms with images that eventually evolve into sculpture, wall pieces and installations.

The Singapore Biennale 2011: Turning Singapore into a Cultural CapitalTokyo-just get off the trainKyoto or TokyoHKTaiwan Have notbeen there but friends from around the world speak favorable of itand I dream of

Barn like a UFOmaybe you are lucky to have the farm boys hanging around inside

8 clocks in the Thai piece

Old Kallang Airport – Opened in 1937 as Singapore's first civilian airport and operated until 1955, it was later converted to

become the early headquarters of the People's Association headquarters.

Architecture fans ML, MICHAEL BEUTLER Born 1976, Oldenburg, Germany, lives and works in Berlin Double Up teh barn, teh airport and the other venues

Technology

This artwork by Charles Sandison is an example of a digital video installation, where he has used a computer programme to create moving words that interact with people when they come into the room, as well as with the objects that are already in the room

Textures I will write about the Biennale using textures as a theme.The implied texture of teh Scorpion piecethe neutrality of Michael Lee's cardboard modelsthe grass the sky of Mrtha Rosler's park piecethe broken wooden oxesTowering yet fragile, wire tubes wrapped with a paper sheathThe neon of Don't Worry Human hair and car bumpers

The artist is trying to use something that is digital and manufactured, like the pixelated words you see here, to mimic the movements of something organic and natural, like the movements of flowers and grass swaying, or the way a river flowA site specific installation makes use of the unique characteristics of that particular space to respond to, or even challenge the original use or purpose of that space.

Now that you’ve learned what a site-specific installation is, can you find any other sitespecific installations around the Old Kallang Airport? See if you can identify at least 5 of them and write down how these artworks respond to Old Kallang Airport’s history and original purpose here in the space below

By using wooden metronomes in this artwork, the artist Martin Creed has created a soundtrack (recorded sound accompaniment to a film) for the terminal building of the Old Kallang Airport.

Koh's wall: Art Censorship: when will it end? JanFeb march 2oo1If one does nothave anopen mind,one usuallyperceives things fro a fixed point of reference.All is weighed against a collection of data associated with a certain theme.For example, a movie lover might schedule their time at teh Biennale so as to give priority to Ming Wong's homage to Passolini, a film called . Our film buff would also likely want to see Phil Collins work, tracy Moffat's The other as well as

Perhaps the ball and come anolgyis unacceptable. Let us say that the opposite of an open mind is to perceive a situation from a fixed reference point. For example, the following list of pieces would likely appear on the "score card" of a nutritionist visiting the Biennale

1. Breakfast served at Merlion Hotel- calorie count and what nationality?2. The TVC Communism by the Propellor Group- mentioned that there was a "communist

banquet" in Paris(1840) as well as the In 1940, the oldest and largest advertising company in America, J. Walter Thompson, invented teh grilled cheese sandwich while creating an advertising campaign for Kraft.Pity the many monitors only showed a boring meeting where only water was served.

3. German Barn- that was a mountain goat, not a dairy goat! This is misleading4. Biennale Buns-OPen House Bun A novel combination of tuna, onion and Szechuan vegetables; each

with its unique flavour that meld together into a scrumptious snack. Created by BreadTalk to celebrate the

Singapore Biennale 2011. 5. Laksant pairs the well-loved French croissant with a local favourite, laksa; a coconut milk-based curry dish

accented with laksa leaves6. Robert MacPherson's painting of "Sunday Roast", white childlike letters on a black background.Or his painting

of a knife, a palte and a fork.7. On the floor, an organized collection of bottled water, framed with string.;The piece, by Dane Mitchell, seemed

to be about the spiritual powers of water. 8. Matt Mullican coffeeWe discover an obsessive love of freshly ground hot coffee, for example, and passion for love songs

and fast food, as the transcribed menus reveal 9. Navin Rawanchakul's movie interviewed many nice people but did not even once show Kad Luang, the

legendary food market. FAIL!.10. Singapura Fiction by ruangrupa. This was so close to perfect it hurt! Tiger beer bottles on one of the tables were

not enough. This installation was like sitting with old friends and sharing stories while enjoying a nice meal. There was no food however. Music would have been nice as well.

11. Taryn Simons Conficated Goods. I would have appreciated this piece more if more conficated food werw shown.This was a missed opportunity to show how globalisma nd politics affect us on a personal level.

12. Superflex Flooded McDonald’s (2008) Undoubtedly the most important piece in the Biennale. Beauty,

destruction, food and unspoken political commentary. Pity the other pieces in the show could achieve this level of brilliance.

13. Compund by Sopheap Pich. Fantastic. The use of modified woven traditional food and agricultural containers to create a beautiful yet imposing cityscape is a work of genius.

14. Simon Fujiwara's Welcome to the Hotel

15. I was told that hams and eggs featured prominaently in Welcome to the Hotel Munber by Simon Fujiwara I can express my anger and great disappointment that this piece was closed and

no explanation was given. Why did the Biennale put this on the menu if it could not serve it?

refrigerator a book like a manual dry audio recordings16. fridge is teh most secret thing to open someone's frig is a taboo..a frig is a microworld17. Martha Rosler's Garden Wild Cinnamon18. The magenta popsicle in Phil Collin's piece summarize teh piece itself. Cool and

flamboyant, phallic. An indulgence of pleasure rather than a nutitious meal.SecondaryInstead of drawing on canvas or paper, artist Gosia Wlodarczak draws on glass so that visitors cansee her drawings on both sides of the panel, whichever side you are standing at. The artist thinks that it is very important to remember everything that happens in our lives, so she has drawn down everything she had seen and experienced while she was at the Old Kallang versus If one does nothave anopen mind,one usuallyperceives things fro a fixed point of reference.All is weighed against a collection of data associated with a certain theme.For example, a movie lover might schedule their time at teh Biennale so as to give priority to Ming Wong's homage to Passolini, a film called . Our film buff would also likely want to see Phil Collins work, tracy Moffat's The other as well as

1840 Thefirst "communist banquet" was held in Paris as the words 'communism' and "communist" began to enter common speech.

Germn Barn would seen as an example of architecture related to the production of food and thus its positioning close to the Toast Box is logical and curatorial.Our food centric art lover would consider the breakfast served at the Merlion Hotel to be the star of teh show, The Singaapore River is a reading center for sspices and foodstuffs.Robert MacPhersson's simple black and white painting of the words,"Sunday Roast." or even just the painting of a aknife, a plate and a fork all white and childlike against a black background.The bottles of water in Dane Mitchells piece about fung sgui and astrology are nothing morethan water bottles.

Matt Mullican coffee Sopheap Pich woven containers used for fruts vegetables and livestockPropellor Group Communism Vietnam Kraft grilled cheese sandwich

lesson in how to be human.what it means to be human. Bali Bugis/Indonesiaworkers thre away paart of the piece