Karen Koh offers an intimate look at what being an artist-facilitator entails, shaped by her work with seniors in "Piece of Mine". Her insights span holding space in community settings to embedding reflective practice for long-term sustainability. All of this culminates in a moving, poetic reflection drawn from her experience.
Be inspired by the stories of self-discovery, courage, and connection from the senior collaborators of Both Sides, Now at Yishun. Collated by Lead Artist Salty Xi Jie Ng, their experiences of viewing life with new lenses exemplify the transformative power of the arts.
Recalling how she fostered meaningful relationships with the members of the Wellness Kampung, Assistant Artist Stacy Huang unveils the challenges of blending into the community. In navigating this transient sense of belonging, she embraced the boundary-crossing role — finding new ways to engage and communicate with various project stakeholders.
Through encountering many small yet profound interactions during the "tides" community exhibition, Salty reveals the essence of a community development project. Likening it to a thriving ecosystem, supportive networks fostered the successful culmination of the year-long project. Still, Salty wonders if the project ever really ends, given these ongoing relationships.
As the community exhibition "tides" draws closer, Salty reflects on the inspiration and processes behind each artwork — reminiscing on their collective journey towards living well, and leaving well. In realising the senior collaborators’ unique perspectives and passion for end-of-life matters, this project journal post reveals the year-long journey of excavating the taboos of death through meaningful conversations.
In her second Project Journal post, Salty touches on the realities of working on a project that takes a community development approach. As Salty leads the seniors on their individual projects, she shares how she grapples with the challenge of having a myriad of expectations from different stakeholders and the race against time.
