This morning I received an email invitation and would like to share with those who visit my blog:
Invitation to Hungry Ghosts
by David Barratt
Meet the Artist at the Opening Reception
Wednesday August 9, 2006 6pm-9pm
This exhibition is open to the public from Aug 9-23 2006
Tuesday-Saturday 12-7pm or any time by appointment
What an artist way to remember 2006 National Day Holiday!
About the Artist (Extracted from the invitation newsletter):
David Barratt, leading DJ and music composer from NY know about town in some of the city’s hottest nightclubs, as well as, in Hollywood has captured the Hungry Ghosts of Singapore with his camera.
Although David Barratt failed to comment about whether he used his music to lure these allusive creatures from their architectural hiding places, it is clear that his artistic beats played a role in his accomplishment.
In the Buddhist tradition, Hungry Ghosts are the spirits of greedy humans, who in the afterlife are forced to walk the earth with tiny mouths and huge empty stomachs – forever unable to satisfy their desires.
Barratt saw the flowering of a thousand skyscrapers across Asian city skylines as the new Hungry Ghosts, manufacturing endless desire which can never be fulfilled. He explores this modern manifestation of the ancient tradition in his series of digitally remixed photographs of the Singapore skyline.
The works, rich in color and grand in scale, capture Singapore striding into the 21st Century, whilst remaining deeply connected to its ancient folklore. The dance between the present and the ancient shows the familiar landscape of the city in a new light.
Barratt has also composed a series of musical works, exploring the thematic of the Hungry Ghost myth, as part of the gallery installation. The work takes traditional Malay, Chinese, Thai and Indian melodies, and combines them with powerful modern rhythms.
During the Hungry Ghost Festival Aug 9-23, 2006 David’s Ghosts will be on display at Blue 2 Green Gallery, 33 Everton Road in an exhibition open to the public from 12-7pm Tuesday- Saturday.
According to Christopher Palm, Managing Director of Blue 2 Green Gallery, the exhibition is a visual / audio celebration of the Hungry Ghost Festival and offers all an opportunity to appreciate these usually benevolent creatures and offer alms to ease their suffering in this world.
HUNGRY GHOST SERIES
(What David Barratt said in his own web page http://www.davidbarratt.com):
When I moved to Bangkok in late 2005 I was struck by dance between old and new ways. I was especially intrigued by the old folk tales of "Hungry Ghosts"; spirits who in their human lives were greedy, forced to walk the earth in their afterlife with tiny mouths and huge empty stomachs, never satisfying their desires.
Consumerism, growing at an astounding rate throughout Asia, may well be the central belief system at this time, pushing more ancient spiritual concerns to one side. The most obvious symbol of this is the flowering of a thousand skyscrapers across city skylines. These are the new "Hungry Ghosts" manufacturing endless desire which can never be fulfilled. The dance between the present and the ancient is the subject of the Hungry Ghost series.
David Barratt
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Email me your comments, if any to:
dexterine@yahoo.com
Thanks and Have an Artistic National Day Celebration!
Dexterine
Monday, July 31, 2006
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Monday, July 17, 2006
Memories at Old Ford Factory
The LAS group who visited Memories at Old Ford Factory on 4 Jul 06
Second from the left: Dexterine Ho Soo Miang
Third from the right: Mr Pitt Kuan Wah , Director of National Archives of Singapore
The group from LAS was so honoured to be greeted and guided by Mr Pitt Kuan Wah, Director of National Archives of Singapore personally.
Mr Pitt shared with us the inside story of restoring the Old Factory, and his personal experience in perserving and presenting the old artifacts for this site. We benefited from his rich knowledge, valuable insight and in-depth sharing on the process of re-creating something from the past for the future generation.
For those who miss this tour, the following sites are good make-ups:
National Archives of Singapore - Memories at Old Ford Factory (MOFF) Website
http://www.s1942.org.sg/s1942/moff/
"Old Ford Motor Factory" from Wikepedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Ford_Motor_Factory
Here is some info I extracted from the Wikepedia:
"The factory is the site of the historic surrender of the British to the Japanese on 15 February 1942, at the end of the Battle of Singapore in World War II. It was here that the meeting between Lieutenant-General Arthur Ernest Percival and General Tomoyuki Yamashita was held and the surrender document signed. Then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill referred to that event as the "worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history"; it was also widely seen as a turning point for anti-colonialism in Southeast Asia."
...
"Behind the museum are tall condominium buildings and a transmission tower. The front of the museum features a Chinese calligraphy sculpture (和平 or Peace), storyboards that recounts the battles fought during the Malayan Campaign and history of Bukit Timah as well as a granite rock carved with a statement from a decree by Tang Taizong, urging visitors to 'Take History As A Lesson'."
"Memories at Old Ford Factory was officially opened by Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean on 16 February 2006. The museum had free admission during its first year of opening."
For more details, read the full text: "Old Ford Motor Factory" from Wikepedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Ford_Motor_Factory
Dexterine Ho
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