{"id":2959,"date":"2021-12-29T14:51:16","date_gmt":"2021-12-29T06:51:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brack.sg\/?p=2959"},"modified":"2022-02-23T17:01:59","modified_gmt":"2022-02-23T09:01:59","slug":"changing-the-real-from-in-between","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brack.sg\/index.php\/2021\/12\/29\/changing-the-real-from-in-between\/","title":{"rendered":"Changing the \u201creal\u201d from \u201cin-between\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A conversation with Singapore International Foundation Arts for Good Fellow Muhammad Muazzam <\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

By Michelle Liew<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n

The Arts for Good Fellowship (A4G)<\/a><\/strong>, organised by the Singapore International Foundation<\/a><\/strong>, is an annual programme dedicated to growing the Arts for Good ecosystem by fostering a community of practice that harnesses the power of arts and culture to create positive social change. The A4G Fellowship brings together artists, arts administrators, creatives, and programmers from the social sector from around the world to take part in an exchange of ideas and best practices across a five month period.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2021 edition of the Fellowship was offered digitally, with 32 Fellows from 12 countries joining the SIF team and speakers from Singapore in late September. They spent one week learning together, sharing their skills and experiences through a series of virtual presentations, workshops, panel discussions and working groups. Since then, Fellows reconnect through monthly webinars to build their capacity in arts innovation, such as in cultural mapping and creative facilitation models. In February 2022, the Fellows will reconvene for the second phase of the Fellowship, this time hosted by SIF\u2019s partners in India. The India Programme will also see the implementation of four digital community projects that the Fellows have collaborated on over the past months for vulnerable children in various Indian cities. This fourth iteration of the Fellowship focused on the theme of Arts and Well-being for Children and Youth in a Digital Future, exploring the intersections between the arts and technology in enhancing access and achieving social impact, and how the arts contribute to the mental, social and emotional wellness of young people in a digital age. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Introducing Zam<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I had met Zam on occasions prior to\nthis interview, but this was the first time I had the opportunity to really\nspeak with him about his practice. In keeping with the prevailing climate of\nthe pandemic, we had arranged for conversation to take place over Zoom. Zam carried\na striking air of candidness that penetrated through even the virtual space,\nmaking our physical distance feel marginal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Muhammad Muazzam, better known as Zam, is an applied theatre practitioner who is now a youth work manager and community artist at 3Pumpkins \u2014 a community arts and cultural development agency. 3Pumpkins operates Tak Takut Kids Club (TTKC), a community organisation funded by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the Ministry of Social and Family Development. TTKC runs a community space for children in Boon Lay, especially intended for those staying in public rental flats. Every day at TTKC is jam-packed with activities: from communal cooking to weekly Getai performances[1]<\/a> put on by children in the community, Town Hall meetings and excursions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Zam hosting a community drawing event \u2018I Draw You, You Draw Me\u201d under the auspices of  mini International Community Arts Festival (ICAF) 2021. The local community at TTKC were active participants, and connected with the international communities through this hybrid event.  More information here.<\/a> <\/em>
(Photo by 3Pumpkins)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Zam shared about the genesis of his journey as an artist and the path that brought him to where he is today. What started out as a penchant for theatre\u00a011 years ago, developed into a strong desire to tap into the power of the arts to engage, educate, and empower the vulnerable, voiceless, and forgotten. He traced the start of everything to his secondary school years when he first dabbled in theatre. Concurrently, he was studying Design & Technology and developed an interest in designing products for the elderly. After secondary school, he went on to pursue a Diploma in Applied Drama and Psychology (DADP) at Singapore Polytechnic. He first encountered Forum Theatre through working with The Fingers Players and The Glowers Drama Group, and since then has worked on numerous projects on a freelance basis, including Last Dance <\/em>(2018).\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unpacking socially-engaged art:\nOperating within the liminal<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Socially-engaged art as a field is\nnebulous. I asked Zam about his thoughts on terms like \u2018community arts\u2019 and \u2018socially-engaged\nart\u2019 \u2014 whether people using one versus the other made a difference for him. His\nimmediate reply was that this is an ever-evolving field that is difficult to\ndefine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When he was studying DADP, Zam recalls\nthat this type of art felt relatively new in Singapore. Over the years, the\nform has taken shape more fully. Even so, within the field lies an infinite\nspectrum of practices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zam cited various examples, such as a performance about marginalised communities, which might employ highly participatory research processes, but where the eventual work \u2014 a theatre performance \u2014 could take on a relatively conventional form. On the other hand, the participatory approaches of Drama Box\u2019s work, for example, take on a different form. Despite being situated in a sometimes-fictional world, audience members are invited to act and respond as themselves within a safe space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c3Pumpkin\u2019s practice is neither of those,\u201d said Zam. On the surface, it might not look like socially-engaged art, nor will there be opportunities to talk about social issues at every turn. The work is perhaps more akin to placemaking work. There are \u201creal people, real issues and real-life consequences. It\u2019s no longer situated in a fictional world.\u201d He explained that within the more conventional theatre space, the actors form a \u2018safety net\u2019 of sorts \u2014 they devise the works based on research conducted with community groups. In the case of 3Pumpkins, there is no buffer created by watching actors perform stories. Social issues are not spoken about all the time \u2014 rather, they are lived. While Zam is more used to being in a fictional world of theatre, he now finds himself on the set of reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zam pointed out that there are merits to the different forms of socially-engaged art practices, whether it is a more conventional theatre performance, a highly participatory work, or a placemaking work.  While the creative \u2018product\u2019 might be more or less conventional, the work itself creates a \u2018space of disturbance\u2019 because it \u2018asks more questions than it answers\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Zam having conversations with the youth while peeling chickpeas in TTKC community kitchen<\/em>.
(Photo by 3Pumpkins)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The work that Zam does with 3Pumpkins creates an imaginative space \u2014 children cooking in a communal kitchen is as real as it is imaginary. Real, because food is prepared, made and consumed. Yet imaginary, because it is a space to experiment with ways of being, with alternate realities. In the same way, the Wednesday Getai performances invite children to rehearse and put up performances on their own.  Within those modalities of imagination, the new creations advance something real within the realm of lived reality \u2014 a new discovery of one\u2019s capability and interests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A spontaneous drawing activity at the playground outside TTKC.<\/em>
(Photo by 3Pumpkins)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

3Pumpkin\u2019s practice also comprises a\nrange of modalities that occupy liminal space. Some activities are clearly\narts-based, while others are not. Zam explained that they have group work\nsessions where they identify issues and work with specific groups to address\nconcerns. The approach may not always result in creating an \u2018artistic product\u2019\nper se, but it is always grounded in the process of creating safe spaces that\n\u201censure that the reality can exist for exploring.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout this process, Zam said, \u201cartists need to be smart and sharp enough to identify the issues that are emerging.\u201d This requires an ability to perceive the possible connections between a child\u2019s actions or behaviour and other aspects of the child\u2019s environment, in order to situate individual issues within broader systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initiating change through the invisible\n\u201cin-between\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There is an electrifying dynamism about\n3Pumpkin\u2019s community-led practice. Yet much of the real work is invisible and\nintangible. In community-led practice, actions taken by community members are\nnever simply actions in and of themselves \u2014 every act is situated within\nnetworks of relations and is informed by one\u2019s social capital. I imagine it as\na whole nervous system with living pulses enabling a certain moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being a socially-engaged artist requires astuteness, sensitivity and perception towards people, places and sentiments. Zam shared that the practice requires observation skills that inform the artist on what areas to shift or change. The cue comes from community members. In this type of collaboration, the artist is constantly perceiving and operating invisibly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n