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Art exhibition aims to spur reflection on death

SINGAPORE — A small booth sits beside the entrance of a busy hospital. Here, visitors are asked to take a moment to reflect about living and dying, after which they draft a will and place it where others can read it or bring it home to share with their families.

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SINGAPORE — A small booth sits beside the entrance of a busy hospital. Here, visitors are asked to take a moment to reflect about living and dying, after which they draft a will and place it where others can read it or bring it home to share with their families.

The exercise, which may sound macabre to some, is part of the first immersive art exhibition that invites visitors to explore and reflect on the end-of-life experience.

Commissioned by the Lien Foundation and ACM Foundation, the exhibition, titled Both Sides, Now, will be held over three weeks at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH). It features installations, short and animated films, as well as activities like outdoor theatre and public dialogue put together by various art groups, such as ArtsWok and Drama Box, in collaboration with Alexandra Health.

Speaking at its official opening at KTPH yesterday, Lien Foundation Chief Executive Lee Poh Wah said: “Our society needs to have an open discussion on death-related topics. We want to spur people to re-examine and, hopefully, redefine their lives before death. I see art as being able to provide subtle languages for us to dialogue (about) these challenging topics ... often difficult to put into everyday speech.”

The exhibition was held at KTPH as the organisers felt the location fit their purpose of reaching out to the community on end-of-life issues.

Many who were passing through the hospital have stopped to experience parts of the exhibition.

A 65-year-old retiree who was jogging through the hospital yesterday became intrigued by an art installation of yellow spinning pinwheels with hopeful messages written on them and stopped for a look. He soon found himself seated at a booth, drafting up a will of his own.

Ms Han Xue Mei, an artist and volunteer at the exhibition, helped him write down his wishes. “He couldn’t see very well … I asked him questions like what he would want his family to do when he passes away ... We spent about 10 to 15 minutes talking,” she said.

Other highlights at the exhibition include a short film on how children find ways to cope with the loss of someone dear and a documentary that follows up on award-winning homegrown director Anthony Chen’s movie Ah Ma. In Ah Ma Revisited, the cast of the movie share their thoughts on death.

Both Sides, Now will be held until Dec 8 at the KTPH foyer and is open to the public. Visitors can also enjoy theatre performances and songs about loss and hope on Friday and Saturday evenings at the hospital’s boardwalk.

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