The Substation

What happens when sound and literature intersect in a beloved bookstore? The Substation, in collaboration with independent publisher fivefingermountain and Singapore's iconic Basheer Graphic Books, presents a thought-provoking site-specific project exploring this very question. This unique intervention is part of Sub+ Incubator Collabs, featuring sound artist Lynette Quek as the incubating artist.

At the heart of this exploration, Lynette poses another intriguing query: How might we perceive a familiar space differently through the lens of sound? Her intervention begins with an improvised performance alongside the experimental keyboard duo, b-l duo. Together, they'll investigate the acoustic possibilities of the bookstore environment, where books serve as scores, paper acts as instruments, and the cashier countertop becomes a platform for an acoustic expression of the space.

This performance sets the stage for a month-long artistic inquiry, promising to challenge our expectations and shift our perception of a space we thought we knew. We invite you to join us for this unique event, where the boundaries between literature and sound blur, offering new perspectives on a cherished literary haven.

GATHERING GROUND | Opening Event

LOOK..
LISTEN..
ALL OF THE ABOVE
Sub+ Performance Showcase feat Lynette Quek
with b-l duo

3 Oct, Thu, 7.30pm (60min) | Basheer Graphic Books, 231 Bain St, # 04-19 Bras Basah Complex | $15

🔗 Get your tickets at https://subplus-looklistenallabove.peatix.com/

This edition of Sub+ Incubator Collabs is made possible by the National Arts Council Capability Development Grant and the collaborative support of Basheer.

Gathering Ground - Opening Event | Sub+ Incubator Performance Showcase: LOOK.. LISTEN.. ALL OF THE ABOVE A performance showcase by audiovisual artist Lynette Quek with experimental keyboardists b... powered by Peatix : More than a ticket.

GATHERING GROUND | Multidisciplinary Activations: Be sure to visit these site-specific activations and interventions as they transform familiar spaces into sites of creative exploration—one at a cozy city bookshop, the other in a quiet gallery library.

Sub+ Art Activation:
LOOK.. LISTEN.. ALL OF THE ABOVE
📍 Basheer Graphic Books, Bras Basah Complex
📚 Activation: 3 - 31 Oct | 10am - 8pm | Free admission
📚 Performance: 3 Oct, Thu, 7.30pm | $15
🔗 https://subplus-looklistenallabove.peatix.com/

Site-specific audiovisual activations of a beloved bookstore through subtle yet thoughtful installations by artist Lynette Quek, as part of Sub+ Incubator Collabs in partnership with independent project and community builder, fivefingermountain. Marked by an immersive live performance on opening night, Lynette continues her Sub+ Incubator exploration with a month-long artistic activation within this well-loved space for design books and magazines on the visual arts.
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Co-Presentation | OPEN END: Resonate, Re-Read and Re-Trace The Substation Archive
📍 National Gallery Singapore | Supreme Court Wing, Level 3, UOB Southeast Asia Gallery, Rotunda Library & Archive
📑 Exhibition: 4 Oct - 4 Dec, Mon - Fri, 10am - 12.30pm & 2pm - 5pm (closed on pub hol) | Free
📑 Curator’s Talk: 4 Oct & 1 Nov, Fri, 5pm | Free by registration
📑 Live Performance "Sounds from/in the Archive" & Artist Panel with Curator: 16 Nov, Sat, 2.00pm | Free by registration
🔗 https://www.substation.org/openend2024

Featuring the works of sound artist Chong Li-Chuan, visual artist Urich Lau, and curator Dr Adrian Tan, this site-specific programme draws from The Substation Archive with text-based compositions, video installations and soundscapes that critically explore the power dynamics and narratives embedded in the archive’s materials, including a one-of-its-kind improvisational performance. Developed by Dr Tan and co-presented in conjunction with The Sub's Gathering Ground 2024, this exhibition is presented by National Gallery Singapore and supported by the Platform Projects Curatorial Award overseen by NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore.

Join us for in-person Sub 45 Workshops in Singapore and choose from a weekend selection of creating with The Substation community of artists and creatives that are celebrated for their work!

GATHERING GROUND | Arts Experiences
Sub 45 Workshops (in-person)

Doodle Mash-Up: Cartoon Illustration with Colin Goh
5 Oct, Sat, 9.30am (45min) | Blind Boars | $15

Murmuration in Motion: Somatic Movement with Vincent Yong
5 Oct, Sat, 5pm (45min) | Chowk Productions | $15

Gathering Thoughts: Urban Filmmaking with Yee Chang Kang
6 Oct, Sun, 9:30am (180min), Blind Boars | $20

Unlock Your Creative Voice: Expressive Drawing with Rizibë
6 Oct, Sun, 2pm (45min) | Blind Boars | $15

Physical Storytelling: Platform Theatre with Eugene Chow
6 Oct, Sun, 3.30pm (45min) | Chowk Productions | $15

Flow State: Tai Chi Relaxation for Creativity and Calm
with Tania Sng
6 Oct, Sun, 5.30pm (45min) | Chowk Productions | $15

Venue Partners
◽Blind Boars, 195 Pearl’s Hill Terrace #03-27
◽Chowk Productions, 28 Aliwal Street #03-08 Aliwal Arts Centre

Whether you're already a fan of their work, a general arts enthusiast, a curious first-timer, or somewhere in between, these workshops cater to a wide range of interests and skill levels. From visual arts to performance and movement practices, each Sub 45 experience promises to infuse creative energy and new perspectives into your weekend.

🔗 Workshop details & registration at https://thesubstation.peatix.com/

Sub 45 is The Substation's regular series of workshops designed to immerse you in the arts under the guidance of our guest instructors. Online workshops with regional and international instructors coming soon in November.

Gathering Communities for Inspiration is a crowdfunding campaign to re-create The Substation’s murals online, in collaboration with The Sub mural artists, and raise a total of $30,000 for our continuing mission to spotlight and support independent practitioners at every stage of their creative practice.

First up is a virtual mural-building activity with artist Almost Asthma and her classic mural along the alley of our old site. Donations of $100 and up will unlock 35 animals from her mural design, so that each can be added to a 'wall' on our website—piece by piece, one animal at a time! Donors will also receive a digital blindbox of the unlocked animal, personalised with your chosen name as a digital souvenir to keep and share as your spirit animal. Starting pledges of $50 will receive Almost Asthma's digital souvenir of the Giraffe with her autograph. The virtual wall will be updated every fortnight on our website.

With the redevelopment of 45 Armenian, our physical murals will soon disappear. This campaign allows us to reimagine The Sub's memorable facades while continuing our mission beyond physical walls. Stay tuned for more ways to recreate other beloved murals from our history!

🦩 Donate now via the link in bio or go to https://www.giving.sg/donate/campaign/gathering-communities-for-inspiration-x-almost-asthma.

Recognise the mural? It's been four years since it came up for 2020, and the Art sure needs a little "comforting' itself.

So, we got in touch with the artist , who has since evolved her work in illustration and tattoo art, and together we'll be lowkey re-creating the artwork digitally in a fun project to preserve one (or more!) of our memorable facades, while raising funds for The Sub to continue its mission beyond physical walls.

Check back with us for the crowdfunding deets! 🦒

Public mural by Toh Bee Suan
Art Should Comfort the Disturbed x Disturb the Comforted
Alley along 45 Armenian Street, Singapore
Commissioned by The Substation, 2020

Sub+ fivefingermountain Incubator Collabs with audiovisual artist Lynette Quek and mentor Pok Yue Weng in Singapore: "Curating spaces for art while not being intrusive and respecting the space as it is." Lynette's work-in-progress ideas may be experienced in interactive installations at Basheer Graphic Books—coming to you in Oct 2024, thanks to our favourite iconic bookstore!

It's been a hot minute! Collaborations in Singapore and Malaysia have been underway since April, and we're thrilled to announce the lineup of Singapore practitioners who will be mentored by our local and regional partners in this fully-remote creative incubation programme across countries and timezones. These four editions of Sub+ Incubator Collabs are made possible by the National Arts Council's Capability Development Grant.

APR - JUN 2024
(with a work-in-progress performance in OCT 2024)
Sub+ fivefingermountain, Singapore - featuring audiovisual artist, Lynette Quek, with Sub+ mentor, Pok Yue Weng, publisher & community builder; and support from Mr Abdul Nasser, Basheer Graphic Books

JUL - AUG 2024
Sub+ Ghost Grrrl Pictures, Malaysia - featuring artist & choreographer, jee chan, with Sub+ mentors, Amanda Nell Eu, filmmaker; Foo Fei Ling, independent producer; and guest mentor Zarina Muhammad, artist, educator & researcher

NOV - DEC 2024
Sub+ Prism Pictures, Japan - featuring filmmaker & programmer, Natalie Khoo, with Sub+ mentor, Jiekai Liao, filmmaker & educator

FEB - MAR 2025
Sub+ Wormhole, Singapore - featuring interdisciplinary artist, Lee Wei Lieh (Very Small Exhibition) , with Sub+ mentors & pop-up collaborators Seet Siew Ling, freelance copywriter; and Charmaine He, project manager

Details to continue in our Posts and Stories, plus look out for Sub+ work-in-process updates and presentations for insights into the artist incubation journey.

Creating funny characters by mixing things that don't usually go together: Pokémon + Ice Cream. Toaster + Shoes. Among Us + Dinosaur. Just some of the fun ideas our young participants came up with at last Saturday's online workshop with Colin Goh!

Bring the kids (or your inner kid!) for the second session of CRAZY COMBO CARTOONS with Uncle Colin! this Sat 22 Jun, 11am SGT, and keep them drawing and giggling for 45 minutes—online on Zoom. Register here: https://sub45-cartoonswithunclecolin-2.peatix.com/

About our Sub 45 online workshop instructors this Jun 2024! Register now for their upcoming workshops at https://thesubstation.peatix.com/

Tania Sng [SG] & Jill Peñaloza [USA]
Art Therapy & Tai Chi Relaxation for Families - 23 Jun, 10.00am SGT (90min)

Tania teaches the practice of relaxing and opening the heart and body to achieve balance, wholeness and harmony. Her work focuses on Chinese Internal Martial Arts and Meditation practices as foundational to holistic wellness, helping children and adults to release stress and shine to their potential. She has studied directly under esteemed martial arts masters. Tania's current portfolio includes teaching at O'Joy Senior Care Centre, providing group and individual training workshops, and hosting a weekly Sheng Zhen Moving Meditation training featuring one of her masters, Master Li Junfeng. Prior to holistic wellness, Tania was a Singapore film industry veteran known for producing and directing feature length and short films.

Jill is a board-licensed clinical art therapist in Annapolis, Maryland, with over 30 years as an individual and group therapist and is a co-founder of 2XL Concepts, an advisory firm that trains CEOs and their teams in the art of heart-based leadership to create healthier, happier, and more sustainable work environments. Jill is a certified Sheng Zhen Meditation teacher and faculty member at The Ferentz Institute in Baltimore, where she trains mental health professionals in trauma-sensitive embodiment practices. She holds an MFA and MA Education degrees from Colorado State University and an MS Education and Certification in Art Therapy from Nazareth College of Rochester, New York.

Gimbey dela Cruz [PH]
Embracing Your Voice with Teacher Gimbey
29 Jun, 5.30pm SGT (45min) - Kids (age 7 - 12)
30 Jun, 5.30pm SGT (45min) - Teens Masterclass(age 13 - 18)

Gimbey is a seasoned professional in music, theater, and education. Her recent accomplishments include working with Barefoot Theatre Collaborative for the sold-out original Bar Boys the Musical in Manila, Philippines, and a remarkable performance at COP28 Climate Summit in Dubai with Theatre of Others. Gimbey’s global reach is further exemplified by her voice workshops for Sight Lines Entertainment in Singapore and for Candon City in Ilocos, Philippines, solidifying her reputation as both performer and mentor. As the founder of the ProD'G Collective and a respected member of the Philippines’ Theater Artists Guild and the National Association for Teachers of Singing, Gimbey's influence and dedication to her craft are deeply ingrained in the industry.

Colin Goh [SG]
Crazy Combo Cartoons with Uncle Colin! - 22 Jun, 11.00am SGT (45min)

Colin is an award-winning filmmaker, illustrator, writer, and multimedia producer. He is the writer and illustrator behind Dim Sum Warriors, a Mandarin/English bilingual iPad app and graphic novel series about kung fu-fighting dumplings, named one of the Top 10 Coolest Original Digital Comics (Fast Company) and which won an Honorable Mention in the Critics' Poll of Best Graphic Novels 2012 (Publishers Weekly). In 2017, he adapted Dim Sum Warriors into a stage musical that played to full houses in Shanghai's prestigious Theatre Above. Colin is also a screenwriter and movie director of the multiple award-winning feature film, Singapore Dreaming. He is perhaps best known for founding the satirical website TalkingCock .com and authoring the bestselling Coxford Singlish Dictionary. He is also an attorney with qualifications in New York, England and Singapore.

Register now for their upcoming workshops at https://thesubstation.peatix.com/

Next up for Sub 45 online is a creative expression workshop using art and gentle movement to release into joy and recover your ease! Suitable for families, partners and friends*, strengthen the loving connection with yourself and each other in this 90-min session engaging body-and-heart through artmaking and tai chi relaxation.

Creating art provides a safe, non-judgemental space to experience ourselves and others in new ways; moving our bodies brings balance, harmony and a shared state of flow. Introducing licensed art therapist Jill Peñaloza [USA] and our returning Sub 45 instructor, certified meditation & tai chi teacher Tania Sng [Singapore], this session merges art and movement to tune into our feelings and open our hearts.

This workshop is an opportunity to nurture yourself, your family and friends while you relax, connect, and enjoy the uplifting benefits of artmaking and relaxation revolution in movement.

Art Therapy & Tai Chi Relaxation for Families | Sun, 23 Jun | 10.00am SGT/GMT+8 (90min) | SGD 15 📍Live on Zoom

*Suitable for families and groups of at least two or more participants; children with adult accompaniment. No prior experience required to attend.

Register now at https://sub45-arttherapyxtaichi.peatix.com/

Sub 45 is The Substation's online series of arts experiences in brief durations of 45 to 90 minutes, suitable for arts enthusiasts, first-timers, and non-arts practitioners. Conducted live by established instructors, Sub 45 is an invitation to submerge in the arts from the comfort of your home in Singapore or elsewhere, and infuse creative energy into daily life! Check out our June holiday series for kids and teens.

Sub 45 | Art Therapy & Tai Chi Relaxation for Families (90min special) Instructors: Jill Peñaloza [USA] & Tania Sng [Singapore]Release into joy a... powered by Peatix : More than a ticket.

What a treat it was to have Colin Goh read from his Dim Sum Warriors graphic novels and doodle to the imaginations of our young participants (while onboard the Millennium Falcon) at yesterday's Sub 45 online workshop! From their favourite characters and food to animals, household objects and musical instruments, the children (and children at heart!) brought creativity, enthusiasm, and a wonderful dose of silliness to the session, drawing cartoons of things that don't normally go together. *Scroll to the end for our very own cartoon portrait of The Substation by 'Uncle Colin'!

Aspiring creatives can join us for another round of this delightful workshop for all ages next Saturday!

CRAZY COMBO CARTOONS with Uncle Colin! | Sat 22 Jun, 11.00am SGT (45min) | SGD 12 (one pax), SGD 20 (two pax - e.g. parent with child, two friends or siblings, etc) 📍Live on Zoom.

Register now at https://sub45-cartoonswithunclecolin-2.peatix.com/.

Sub 45 online workshops— for kids and families this June! Get creative and silly with Singapore cartoonist and filmmaker, Colin Goh, in CRAZY COMBO CARTOONS with Uncle Colin!

Sat 15 June, 11.00am: https://sub45-cartoonswithunclecolin-1.peatix.com/
Sat 22 June, 11.00am: https://sub45-cartoonswithunclecolin-2.peatix.com/

Register now and stay tuned as we rollout more workshops in the coming weeks.

Sub 45 | CRAZY COMBO CARTOONS with Uncle Colin! (session 2) Guest Instructor: Colin Goh [Singapore]In this online doodling workshop, draw along with a... powered by Peatix : More than a ticket.

Sub 45 online workshops for youths and the young at heart — every weekend in June! In this online doodling workshop, draw along with award-winning filmmaker and New York Times bestselling cartoonist Colin Goh as he takes your suggestions to create cartoon mashups of things that do NOT usually go together. This giggle-filled workshop will tap into both your creativity and ability to be REALLY SILLY!

Suitable for all ages! Bring your siblings, parents, and family friends to enjoy some crazy cartoon combinations with Uncle Colin.

CRAZY COMBO CARTOONS with Uncle Colin! | Sat, 15 & 22 Jun | 11.00am SGT, 45min | SGD 12 (one pax), SGD 20 (two pax - e.g. parent with child, two friends or siblings, etc) 📍 Live on Zoom

🔗 Register now at https://thesubstation.peatix.com/events

Sub 45 is The Substation's online series of arts experiences in 45 minutes, suitable for arts enthusiasts, first-timers, and non-arts practitioners. Conducted live by established instructors, Sub 45 is an invitation to submerge in the arts from the comfort of your home in Singapore or elsewhere, and infuse creative energy into daily life – a real-time virtual workshop in just under one hour!

The Substation | Singapore The Substation nurtures independent creative practitioners in collaborative community thro... powered by Peatix : More than a ticket.

Sub+ fivefingermountain Incubator Collabs

Pok Yue Weng is a self-publisher and community builder in Singapore. His independent project, fivefingermountain, has published short stories and travel books including a cafe series in Tokyo, Kyoto and Bangkok; and organised community workshops on experiencing coffee, caring for plants, and global hiking adventures—all in the spirit of dreams, chance, and discovery.

Pok’s mentorship sparks the imagination as the multidisciplinary possibilities of journeying through the familiar space of Basheer Graphic Books unfolds with our participating artist Lynette Quek’s sound activations and curated experiences inspired by music, sound art, text-based scores, and other site-specific references.

“Basheer’s shop space has always left an impression on me,” says Pok of the family-run art & design bookshop. “The black and white floor tiles, the wooden shelves… It was an important part of my school days and—even today—it still is, providing much needed inspiration.”

On Lynette, whom Pok worked with on fivefingermountain's Kampungmakers zines: “She’s such an inspiring artist to work with and learn from, always full of ideas and experimenting with nifty little gadgets and tech toys which ‘wows’ me."

By day, Pok is a veteran cinematographer, producer and co-founder of the production house, The Creative Room, with numerous film and TV work in Singapore and Hong Kong.

Lynette’s work-in-progress activations at Basheer are coming up in the month of June.

For more info on fivefingermountain, visit https://www.fivefingermountain.net/.

This edition of Sub+ Incubator Collabs is made possible by the National Arts Council's Capability Development Grant.

Sub+ fivefingermountain Incubator Collabs

Next up on the second edition of The Substation’s new incubator programme, in partnership with publisher, fivefingermountain (https://www.fivefingermountain.net/), is Singaporean audiovisual maker, Lynette Quek, who experiments and creates works that engage different activations and methods of performance and presentation.

Incarnations of Lynette’s work include audiovisual installations, composition through sound manipulation, as well as cross-disciplinary performance with technology and objects. Her work is project- and site-specific, engaging the audience as activators while varying across the medium of video, performance, sculpture, electronics, and expanding.

Hot off the heels of her sound work for Wild Rice’s theatre production of 'The Death of Singapore Theatre as Scripted By the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore', we’re excited to reveal Lynette’s experimentation with sound and space curation in a well-loved iconic bookstore in the heart of Singapore city, Basheer Graphic Books.

Stay tuned for ways to engage and experience Lynette’s unique work-in-progress onsite—coming soon in the month of June!

This edition of Sub+ Incubator Collabs is made possible by the National Arts Council Capability Development Grant.

The second edition of Sub+ Incubator Collabs has been brewing steadily for the past month with a small independent publisher in Singapore called fivefingermountain.

Dedicated to getting lost and finding oneself, fivefingermountain began with publishing quality and travel books; and evolved to offer a city coffee series for readers to experience a city through the humble bean, and an illustrated writing series for wondering far and close. In 2019, fivefingermountain embarked on a community zine, Kampung Jurong (Kampungmakers), with Bold at Work and a National Youth Council Young Changemakers grant. The project paired young aspiring writers with senior citizens in the Jurong area to find their own stories, resulting in four successful issues with themes on ageing, lost & found, and food & places; each launched with events and workshops for community residents and interest groups.

Follow our collab as we serve a new way of finding oneself through art, books, sound, and the city. Sub+ fivefingermountain Incubator Collabs runs until 30 Jun 2024, with guidance from Pok Yue Weng—a Singapore-based filmmaker by day and, by night, owner of fivefingermountain. For more info on the publisher, visit https://www.fivefingermountain.net/.

Established in 1990, The Substation is one of Singapore’s pioneering independent arts organisations, with a vision to build our local and regional communities through art-making and dialogue.

The Singapore editions of Sub+ Incubator Collabs are made possible with support from the National Arts Council Capability Development Grant.

Sub+ Á Space Incubator Collabs

'a note of clay | Artist Talk' last 4 May 2024 was the work-in-progress sharing of our participating ceramic artist Linh San, following a two-month incubation programme with The Substation, in partnership with Hanoi-based experimental art space, Á Space. Over 40 artists, curators, arts managers, writers and students from Southeast Asia including Singapore, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, and other parts of the world joined us online for the culmination of The Sub's first regional incubator collaboration.

Has it been two months already? Last weekend, our participating artist Linh San held an Open Studio of her work-in-progress for Sub+ Á Space Incubator Collabs. Next weekend, to conclude her incubation, Linh San will share her process and past experiments in an ONLINE Artist Talk for both our communities.

A Hanoi-based visual artist in ceramics, film, and poetry, Linh San is the first participant in The Substation’s remote incubator programme, with this inaugural edition in partnership with Á Space.

Saturday, 4 May 2024
10am - 11.30am SGT / 9am - 10.30am ICT
Zoom link provided upon registration
Language: English

Limited to the first 20 registrants. Register by 1 May 2024 by DM here or email to [email protected] with your name, email, and organisation to receive the Zoom link.

Prior to Sub+ Incubator Collabs, Linh San was Á's participant for 2022, a 3-month residency for local artists paired with a local curator to realise a project. Her resulting exhibition, 'no longer holding a cloud', presented ceramic works that reflect a need for telling her story and an inquiry into the possibilities of replicating or demonstrating the material qualities of paper or fabric through porcelain clay.

Linh San's commitment to materiality continues in Sub+ Incubator Collabs, this time unearthing the characteristics of clay in its raw form as she looks into the “bone" of a shape before its firing stage to become ceramic. This line of thought derives from a traditional Vietnamese saying that ceramicists have lived by for generations: “Nhất xương, nhì da, thứ ba dạc lò” (“Bone first, skin second, third kiln built”)—referring to “bone" as the quality of clay and its shaping method, “skin" as the colour of glaze and decorative elements, and “kiln built" as firing techniques.

Titled 'a note of clay', Linh San’s project experiment extends beyond materiality to how such material can form a dialogue with the artist's studio within an unfinished house in the suburbs. On the floor, filaments of clay, neatly placed next/onto each other—a result of time-honoured, careful repetition—reveal a pure white colour after drying up. As they dry, these filaments cling to the floor, part wobbly, part stable, alluding to gravity and texture in relation with time and space.

The Sub and Á look forward to welcoming our communities to the Artist Talk.

A brief visit with our partners, Á Space, an experimental arts space and community in Long Biên, Hanoi, that supports and develops the artistic practises of young and emerging artists in Vietnam.

FEATURED ESSAY | Art & Market [Singapore]

"In the many years invested in the development of our local artists, I found that it was important to build a bridge to the community." ~ A reflective essay by Yuni Hadi on the necessity of connecting artists with their audiences in her arts management journey, which includes an early stint at The Substation as editor of our bi-monthly newsletter, 'Substance', in 1999.

Yuni is currently Chairperson of The Substation, one of her many hats in championing independent creative practices in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

Link to the full essay in the comments below.

Re-post from A&M: Photo of 'Substance' newsletters from Yuni's old collection. The archive is with the National Library Board, Singapore.

Snapshots from our studio visit with participating artist, Linh San, and curator, Linh Le, on Tue, 26 Mar, exactly a month into the incubator programme with Á Space.