Foreign Elements: Supremely Hazy Talks
A shout-out to International Migrants Day (Dec 18). Made during a period of thick haze caused by environmental pollution.
It is painted over newspaper - Banglar Kanthar, Singapore's only Bengali newspaper, affixed over canvas. Its editor Mr AKM Mohsin started the newspaper as part of his dedication to, and work and support for low-wage Bangladeshi workers, his countrymen.
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| Foreign Elements: Supremely Hazy Talks. Oil on newspaper-covered linen. 18 x 24 in |
The title refers to the pollutants from agricultural fires in Indonesia attributed to illegal slash-and-burn vegetation-clearing practices by farmers.
It also alludes to the then uncertainties of high-level Indonesia-Singapore haze talks.
And, oh it's a nod, too, to the former Singapore Supreme Court Building (now National Gallery) that just happens to be in the background :) The green-topped gallery sits across St. Andrew's Road from the Padang , its lower structure blocked by Singapore Recreation Club.
I've come by this way hundreds of times on weekends to have coffee at nearby cafes. This scene was easy to capture accurately - only a few reference photos were needed for this work - the traffic was light that Sunday afternoon. This was quite the perfect capture for me: roadworks with safety-vested workers, traffic cones and lego bricks-like safety barriers, sand piles and the ubiquitous yellow cat crane that are sights that never fail to quicken my pulse; and that make me, a Singaporean, feel my homeland is a perpetual work-in-progress - which in many senses it is of course.
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International Migrants Day is observed in many countries. The day was appointed by the UN General Assembly in December 2000 to acknowledge the large and increasing number of migrants in the world. A decade earlier the GA had adopted the international convention on the protection of the rights of migrant workers and their families.
Recognition of migrant workers' plight has led to dissemination of information on human rights and fundamental political freedoms of migrants, and the sharing of experiences and practices to ensure the protection of these vulnerable workers. All are steps forward.
Meanwhile their journey continues....
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Beyond the picture:
To the right along Beach Road is grand dame Raffles Hotel, on the left is another heritage structure, the Non-Commissioned Officers' (NCO) Club. It was among the cluster of pre-war buildings, four of which have been gazetted by the Urban Redevelopment Authority for conservation.
The site was under a $3.5 billion redevelopment as part of South Beach, a mixed-use property that includes residences, offices, F&B outlets, and a 654-room hotel designed by Philippe Starck.
Beach Road used to run along the coast and was among the first roads to be developed in land reclamation in the mid 19th century. So the expanse of ground from South Beach to where Gardens by the Bay, the Singapore Flyer, Marina Bay Sands and other iconic landmarks stand had been open sea.
