You Want Creativity? I'll Show You Creativity

That MDA "rap" that I mentioned in my previous post - at first I just felt that it was an embarrassing, campy attempt at connecting with young Singaporeans.

Then I thought about it more and became rather annoyed.

What do a bunch of highly-paid senior managers know about Art?

I'll tell you what Art is NOT.

Art is NOT what you plan in a board meeting, in between a power lunch and a round of golf.

Art is NOT corporate-friendly namby-pamby political correctness.

Art is NOT pastel-coloured inoffensive mass-appeal happily-ever-after.

Art is the expression of a tortured soul crushed by a repressive environment.

The last blood-curdling scream of the fucking nobody who has nowhere to hide and no more energy left to run.

Now I'm supposed to be a scientist - don't make me come down from my ivory tower and teach you what Art is...












It is a product of despair.












The hate-child of angst.












The last teardrop of anguish.













The unnoticed cry of the desperate - silently and efficiently crushed between the well-oiled gears of bureaucracy.












A gasp of sheer terror - someone is always watching, waiting.

You want creativity? You can't handle creativity!

[/End rant]


*Update (24 Nov 2007):

An interesting letter in the Straits Times forum today, relevant to this topic...

Get S'pore creative? Action speaks louder than words

I REFER to the article, 'Clever video or bad rap?' (ST, Nov 22), which discussed a four-minute video depicting the Media Development Authority (MDA)'s head honchos rapping in an effort 'to get Singapore creative and connected'.

I applaud the MDA for reaching out. However, action speaks louder than words. Thanks to it, Singapore is now known as the only country that banned the video game Mass Effect. Yes, it repaired Singapore's reputation somewhat by retreating swiftly and applying an age rating - but the message is the same.

Singapore has to decide whether it wishes to join the 21st century, or whether it wishes to cling to 'traditional values'.

Creativity promotes economic development, but it also offends. So long as MDA does not accept that fostering creativity can succeed only when it does not reach for its censorship scissors the moment it sees anything remotely offensive to the sexual mores of the supposedly conservative Singaporean society, all its efforts will remain less than successful.

John Rachmat

The only creativity that they want is the soft, sanitized, meaningless and soulless kind. Creativity that can be strictly contained and tightly controlled.

Which when you think about it, is a type of creativity that won't impress the world.