re·claim (verb): to claim the return or restoration of, as a right, possession.

Roadsworth is a street artist in Montreal who has really integrated his art with the streets and they are really very thought-provoking. Check him out here! I want to get hold of the video about him man, watch the trailer at the same site where he discusses his rational, legal issues and whether he sold out…

At a corner of the renovated Amoy Street food centre, a Taoist altar provides vendors and public devotees a convenient outlet to offer their respects.

We visited our favourite barber again.

Source: The New Paper, 25 November 2008

Erica Lai’s works are shown in an exhibition as part of an advertising campaign by The Economist which started last month. It is now on at Raffles Place. The question posed to the artists was: “What’s your opinion of the world today?”

Another artist, named Lim Shengen, took pictures of himself sleeping in public spaces (including on a pedestrian crossing at Orchard Road) to highlight the issue of homelessness.

What is the most obvious gripe? Too much of the same colour scheme – GREEN! 

Case in point:

I was trying to think of the possible reasons for such an occurrence, but couldn’t gather my thoughts well. There must be very real and valid reasons, possibly ranging from nature of stories, laziness of photographer, close-mindedness of photographer, uncreativity (sic) of photographer (you see where this is going), and etc. Let me just take a break, like what Justin said, and come back with a fresher eye and more open mind.

In a strange way, this period before the examinations has opened up that opportunity for me to get back in the project again. After weeks of neglect due to deadlines, it seems the only obstacle to get the ball rolling again is the examinations and that ends in about two weeks.

From experience, it’s probably good that we had this lull period, so that we could get over our self-hype, put it aside for a while and now return with a pair of fresh eyes. One thing that has stuck in my head a lot is the idea of showing what is not there.

1. On first look, the people we have talked to are doing very ordinary things — common sights that we pass by every day.
2. The first crack in this boring picture is when we ask why there? Then we realise that these people exist in illegal/unplanned — reclaimed — spaces.
3. When we ask how do they do it, we start seeing how ingenious and simple the actions really are.
4. We then take it further and ask why not there? This for me is the so what element and helps to unmask the ideology of planned spaces here that these people are resisting. By seeing what is not there, we see a more robust picture and set these people in a greater context than what we started out with.

In a moment of geekiness, might I exclaim that this is just like the Gestalt principle, where the whole is greater than the sum!