The multidisciplinary production is the first in a series of works directed by Tan for arts company T:>Works’ new artistic atelier to be presented over the next four years.
Artists are often asked about their dream projects and collaborations. For Brian Gothong Tan, this “dream” takes a literal meaning: “I get a lot of inspiration from my dreams, and I also like to daydream.”
The multimedia artist, whose works explore the intersection between theatre, film and installation art, shares that “a lot of my works are a bit surreal because they are derived from the subconscious. Our subconscious absorbs information that we don’t even notice, and plays it like a cinema in our sleep, or in our mind”. Tan explored this link between dreaming and filmmaking, in a parallel narrative to the history of Singapore cinema, in one of his latest works, Lost Cinema 20/20.
“I think it’s about being aware of what’s going on in your head and sometimes writing it down or drawing it out in your sketchbook. Sometimes I don’t understand what it is, but I feel strongly about it, so I’ll put it down first. I have this treasure trove of material waiting to be exploited in one way or another,” he expounds.
So when Ong Keng Sen, the artistic director of arts company T:>Works, approached him to direct a series of works for an artistic atelier at its space at 72-13 Mohamed Sultan Road, Tan tapped into this repository of ideas and came up with seven projects, which were later whittled down to four based on considerations such as timeline and resources, to be presented over the next four years.
Don't miss: “If We Don’t Fight To Do Art In A Different Way, We Will Be Left Behind,” says Ong Keng Sen
The series kicks off this month with The Swimming Pool Library, a multidisciplinary production exploring the idea of masculinity. “Masculinity has a negative connotation. We associate it with toxic masculinity, like the Proud Boys and Donald Trump—that’s the climate we are in. But masculinity, to me, is not just about being a man, there’s tenderness, kindness and softness. I wanted to explore the various shades of what it means to be a man, or a boy, in Singapore,” Tan explains.
While the title is borrowed from the 1988 dark erotic novel of the same name by Alan Hollinghurst, it also refers to how the swimming pool remains in Tan’s memories; it was a space which made him conscious of his maturing body.
Divided into various chapters, the hybrid production takes audiences on a less-conventional coming of age journey involving an exhibition of paper sketches, 3D printed sculptures, 3D film photography and DIY books. This will be complemented by a live performance featuring texts by theatre veteran Kaylene Tan, as well as poetry from Exhale, the recently published anthology of written works by local queer voices specially choreographed for the camera and performed in-situ at 72-13, from October 28 to 30, while simultaneously live-cast digitally. The full exhibition will be held from January 6 to 23, 2022, as part of the Singapore Art Week.
Read more: Singapore Theatre Directors Discuss the Changing Face of Live Productions
