mapper of families

i've decided to embark on a project to document and archive the people, memories and moments of both sides of my family. mom's and dad's. figured i do it now, since i have the means - camera, scanner, research tools - to do so. will start with my dad's side of the family because there was recently a wedding- my cousin's. zakaria.

nenek's house

will be adding more as time/space allows.

i decided to call it nenek's (granny) house as that's where we usually go to. the headquarters.

documentary. i will be scanning old photos and will perhaps be interviewing my granny, aunts, & uncles about their memories and knowledge/perceptions of the family history. i was also told by my other uncle (mom's brother) that there is possibly an old film reel of my great grandmother when she was young. what an awesome source of family history. will be looking into that as well.

mapping family genealogies. a fun, yet time consuming project.

Site, Situation, Spectator opening

i meant to write something about this a while back, but procrastination always wins me over. it went well. the audience were intrigued by the exhibits and for a student project, it was well executed and presented. for me, however, the experience and thrill was derived more through the conceptual and curatorial process of it all, as it's something that i'm interested in. i'm never good with openings but i think i managed it well. was asked to give an impromptu closing mini-speech, and as usual, i spoke too fast, as i always do when i know what i'm talking about. taking pauses to breathe seems unnecessary during these moments. nonetheless, it went well. am happy about it, and am looking forward to creating and curating my own projects soon. 

first up, The Classroom. 

The Ambiguous ‘Alternative’: a Method to Narrative Others

i am one of the curators for this exhibition. opening 15 may 09 @ the NUS Museum, Singapore. below is an excerpt of my curatorial. 

Conventionally, our idea of the ‘alternative’ is one that is thought of as held in juxtaposition to an ‘other’, as a subversion, or as a dichotomy to the official, the formal, the State-owned. This is however, no longer a viable approach, as narratives do not exist as a duality. It is no longer one or the other, but one or the many others. Experiences of a singular event, entity, or moment in history can be multiplied manifold, sparking the existence of a multifarious range of stories, narratives. Water, for example, is no longer seen as merely an essential for living (drinking, agriculture), or as nature (in relation to man), but it was also once thought of as symbolic of conquest, discovery and freedom (travel, Colonization), and in more contemporary times, disaster and death (tsunami). To merely engage in the process of subverting ‘official’ narratives would deem the content produced inadequate in representing the diverse narratives that exist. Instead, we are forced to engage in a more nuanced approach to the ‘alternative’.