So last week, I sat down at one of my favourite old coffeeshops drinking kopi and eating fishball noodles with Jerome and my sister to chat about the upcoming exhibition that he has put together with his team. “Did you know this kopi uncle still does his take away kopi in a tin?” says Jerome.
For some reason, it makes me really happy to hear that. I’m not against modernization but much of the old Singapore is slowly fading away and the old generation find themselves bowing out in grace to commercial buildings. It’s not the actual old stuff that I hold dear to, but what it represents…a lifetime commitment of doing something so simple but doing it well and taking pride in something that you worked hard for and not just doing something because the boss asks you to.
To me, this is my cultural heritage. This is my good memory of Singapore, and if the physical coffeeshops fadeaway, i want to remember and pass down the tradition of doing things with commitment and pride even in the simplest and humblest of tasks. That is cultural heritage to me, this is the character of singaporeans and i never want to loose that.
The ROOTS exhibition will be held at the OLD SCHOOL (one of the last few times to check it out before it becomes state-abandoned-land) and many artists both from Singapore and in Asia will be show casing their own interpretation of the relevance of cultural heritage in developing their rootedness to their homeland through various forms of art. So do come on down ;)
Admission is free!
General Information Venue:
The Gallery, Old School @ Mount Sophia, 11B Mount Sophia | Exhibition runs through 3 - 8 March 2012
