UOB Painting of the Year - Established Category Silver Award
Crossing Bridges; Ink and acrylic on paper; 180 x 118 cm
|
It was in December 2014 when Mr Bhampu, a fellow traveller in Vang Vieng, Laos, revealed this timber bridge to me. He used it to cross over from the hubbub of the town centre to a scenic, serene nature trail which led to the mountains. The villagers used it, vice versa, to make a living amidst the hustle and bustle. I liked this bridge the very moment I saw it. What more when I walked it! What an adventure! It creaked beneath each one of my steps as if threatening to collapse. That made the experience even more exhilarating and memorable. In this artwork, I invite the viewer to share that experience. Also, I wish to convey the rustic charm of this bridge which filled me with awe for something that would otherwise be overlooked as nothing more than utilitarian. I made a small sketch of it, promising to create a bigger version when I got home. I returned to a Singapore all geared up for SG50 in January 2015. Documentaries of bygone days on television helped me realise how much Singapore in the 50's and 60's resembled present day sleepy backwater towns like Vang Vieng. "We've come a very long way," I thought. I even caught glimpses of bridges such as this in the black and white television footage of kampung life in old Singapore. "We've crossed many bridges, literally and metaphorically," I reflected. |
Then on the 23rd of March, Mr Lee Kuan Yew passed away. The numerous tributes to him made me weep along with the rest of the country- something I never imagined I would do. After all, had I not considered him an austere autocrat? But when faced with his mortality and immense contributions to Singapore, my heart relented. He had helped to transform Singapore in a mere 50 years from mudflat to metropolis - amazing! How had he done it? He dared to cross numerous bridges: survived the Japanese occupation, negotiated independence from the British, fought the communists, managed merger with and separation from Malaya, united a multiracial people in a climate of racial tension, spearheaded the greening of Singapore when environmentalism was unheard of...countless bridges - bridge after bridge. He enticed, persuaded and often forced us to cross those bridges with him. Mostly, he just led by example, daring us to do likewise.
Suddenly, I understood why I had been so fascinated by this bridge and why I had to draw it. It was my way of showing gratitude to all the 'bridge crossers' - those who had come before me and those who surround me, constantly reminding me of the importance of crossing bridges. And so, I do, to be a little farther tomorrow than where I am today. As a Singaporean, but also as a human being, it is in my DNA to cross bridges. I must. Thank you Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Thank you Mr Bhampu.
Suddenly, I understood why I had been so fascinated by this bridge and why I had to draw it. It was my way of showing gratitude to all the 'bridge crossers' - those who had come before me and those who surround me, constantly reminding me of the importance of crossing bridges. And so, I do, to be a little farther tomorrow than where I am today. As a Singaporean, but also as a human being, it is in my DNA to cross bridges. I must. Thank you Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Thank you Mr Bhampu.
Copyright 2016 Geraldine Schubert