Substation’s first show under new director inspired by Cross Island Line issues

The Substation is finally presenting its first show under its new leadership, and it was inspired by the issues surrounding the Cross Island MRT Line (CRL) and MacRitchie Reservoir.

Opening on Thursday, the multi-disciplinary group show Each Blade Of Grass Each Shrub Each Tree will see performances and a forum in addition to an exhibition. The line-up comprises visual and performance artists, academics and environmental advocates. While most of the artworks are not directly connected to the CRL debate, the show as a whole will be tackling questions about nature, the environment and the idea of Singapore as a Garden City, said artistic director Alan Oei. “It’s about different ways of engaging with this notion of nature. For instance, it has been said that we should save MacRitchie Reservoir, but we’ve found out that most of it is not even primary forest but secondary forest — so, what does that mean? When you come to the show, we hope to give you a little bit more, not just an informational experience but an aesthetic one, too.”

One of the participating artists, Geraldine Kang, will be presenting the latest version of her series on construction fences titled By Unit Of Measurement, which will take the form of a “fence” of photographs inside The Substation Gallery. While the work isn’t a direct response to the construction of the CRL or how it will affect MacRitchie Reservoir, she said, “it does allude quite strongly to broader issues that the CRL and most construction activities bring up. One, or several large construction fences, for starters, will be assembled; lush natural greenery will make way for infrastructure; men, machines and corporations will work; it seems the island will never stop building”.

While the exhibition will be open to the public, the performances and forum, which will be held on Saturday, will be by invitation only. One of the forum speakers is Nature Society (Singapore)’s (NSS) Tony O’Dempsey, who has worked on various conservation projects for the past two decades. He had also written the NSS’ position paper on the CRL and will be talking about that at the forum. “We need to take every opportunity to inform the public about conservation concerns for the CRL,” he said, adding that taking part in an “art show” is a way of bringing their message out to a different crowd.

“It’s a good way to reach out to audiences that we may not be in touch with through normal nature conservation channels and networks,” he said.

Will Each Blade Of Grass Each Shrub Each Tree offer a glimpse into The Substation’s new direction?

Said Oei: “We do want to take on these sorts of questions (that the show brings up) but it won’t necessarily always be an exhibition-cum-forum. It may be a play, an immersive theatre piece or just an exhibition.”

While the exhibition doesn’t fall under the big theme The Substation had set for itself this year — which was changed from “nostalgia” to the role of the centre in society — it was “topical and timely”. “It wasn’t part of our theme, but I felt that if The Substation wants to say it’s going to be an independent voice that talks about larger cultural issues in Singapore, it’s important to have something more topical. There will be times when we do programmes that are researched over a year or two, and times when the moment is right and you do things immediately,” he said.

When asked whether he was anxious about how the show will be received, especially coming after last month’s heated townhall where he had backtracked on a few plans after some criticism, he said: “I think artists who are not supportive will be critical. I also think there are academics and artists who are excited. It’s for us to stay on this bigger dream that The Substation can be an independent voice in the public sphere.”

Each Blade Of Grass Each Shrub Each Tree runs from Thursday to May 15 at The Substation Gallery. The exhibition will be closed for a private performance and forum on Saturday from 1pm to 4pm.