TP002 Written Report Draft 1

Dont Leave Youth Behind

2012 Project Task 1: Wastage of Youth Artistic Talent

Table of Contents
I.
Introduction
a. Project Overview b. Project Objectives c. Significance of the problem & Value of the project

II.

In-depth Analysis of the problem a. Needs analysis of the Target Group b. Root Cause(s) of the problem

III.

Proposed Ideas

a. Idea 1 i. Overview of Idea 1 ii. Impacts (Short term & Long term) b. Idea 2 i. Overview of Idea 2 ii. Impacts (Short term & Long term)

Introduction

a. Project Overview

Singapore is one of the highly developed countries in the world (UNDP, 2011).

b. Project Objectives
Our project aims to further coerce the Singaporean government and Non-Government Organisations into developing the local arts sector, as we believe that it is critically underdeveloped and inadequate, as indicated in our survey results. Our project aims to fulfil the following criteria: I. II. III. Refinement of opportunities available to Youth in the local arts industry Enhancing limited public awareness of the local arts industry Promoting the importance and further development of the local arts industry

c. Significance of the problem & Value of the project

Our objectives are justified by several conclusions: While youth in Singapore generally are divided on the issue of Singaporean youth being offered sufficient opportunities to excel in arts, the consensus of the public was that the local arts industry is not a suitable career option for youth. Statistics also show that generally, youth perceive the pool of local artists as limited and this is most unfortunate as well. Arts is an integral part of society

d. Choice of Target Group and Rationale

The target group for this project is locals who are already involved in the arts industry, mostly youth and those who are fairly competent in art. These people tend to be neglected even though their artistic talents may be above average. They are able to provide others with deeper insight into the various forms of contemporary art practices and some of them specialise in one form of art, e.g. filmmaking, painting. By focusing on locals involved in the arts industry, we would be able to improve the ways and methods in which they would be able to refine their talents and reduce Singapores reliance on foreign artists by being largely dependent on our own local artists

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In-depth Analysis of the wastage

a. Needs Analysis of the Target Group and Stakeholders

They want to be recognised by the public for their unique talent. Talented artists may not be accorded opportunities to showcase their talents due to the unavailability of a platform or genre, i.e. artistic talents that are not widely recognized yet. Furthermore, these artists suffer a loss in confidence as they do not receive the proper support and motivation from the public and the government (Straits Times, 2012). Various artists have also stressed the need for more support from the public, based on an interview (Su-An Ng & Louisa Cheong, 2010). Low salary is also a concern among artists who have to earn a living in Singapore as well. Currently the average salary of artists is around $2,500, a figure which does not attract potential talents to join the arts sector, instead opting to work in more prospective industries.

b. Analysis of Currently Implemented Solutions

The Singapore Arts Festival The Singapore arts festival is an event conducted to showcase and celebrate the local arts of our diverse communities. While it provides an avenue for local artists to showcase their work, it is held only once a year for 16 days, thus their various artworks are only showcased once a year and as such, the talented youth have a limited window of opportunity. A more permanent solution could be implemented, allowing local artists and talents to showcase their artworks to the public indefinitely. Most of the current events pertaining to arts and music in Singapore are government-run, mostly with an international focus. There are very limited opportunities for local talented individuals to organize such events and a large proportion of the participation opportunities are accorded to foreign talents. Limited physical space in Singapore forces government to develop and focus on other important areas, such as residential and military land usage, resulting in less space used for various arts groups to further develop and showcase their talents.

c. Root Cause(s) of the wastage I. Technological development

The improvement in technology over the years has led to widespread adoption of digital art which is more efficient and effective as compared to hand-drawn art. Digital art is defines as art created with the assistance of digital tools such as the tablet computer, the Wacom tablet and editing tools such as Photoshop to create art. This form of art is easier to produce and store, as well as faster. Moreover, mistakes made by artists could be corrected without significant damage to the art piece, unlike traditional artworks. Digital art provides artists with greater flexibility and creativity that is limited while working with traditional art. This new technology is developing rapidly and is reinforced by exponential improvements in digital image mastering and storage capabilities. A prominent example is the creation of animated movies that would be near impossible without digital tools. Up, Kung Fu Panda and Toy Story are some of the many animated classics that have entertained millions over the years, and the general public still view them as masterfully crafted works of art.
However, traditional art is better in some aspects than digital art. Traditional art pieces hold a special sentimental value that cannot be reproduced by digital art works. For example, an ornate statue or exquisite painting can be appreciated in-depth while digitally rendered artworks impart little or no such feelings.

II.

Education system in Singapore

The education system in Singapore focuses mainly on rote learning, the content is systematically drilled into minds of students from primary school onwards until University.(Wikipedia,2012 and Ministry of education(MOE) website. For our project, our clear definitions of artistic talent is the ability of being creative and create things in a much more creative way. Therefore rote learning and having artistic talent are mutually exclusive as both of them cannot exist at the same time.

Furthermore, as stated on Ministry of Education (MOE) website: Singaporean students aim high and they achieve very good results. This is recognized around the world. Do results only matter? What about other areas of development for a student, i.e. arts? Nevertheless, more courses are opened up to science students instead of the art student. In the universities in Singapore, science students can choose both science and arts course. However, the arts
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students can only choose the arts course offered by the respective universities. With such a wide range of choices to choose from, students will most likely take up subjects like Physic, Chemistry as these subjects are needed to enter a science course in the university of Singapore whereas subjects like literature, Geography, history and many more are not a pre-requisite subject for most art course in the respective universities.

III Proposed Ideas

1. To create a centralized area where local talents can display their artworks
The aim of this idea is to create a centralized area for youths with artistic talents to showcase their talents via their artwork. Admission will be free so that the public will visit and have a look at the art pieces created by local artists. Furthermore, a feedback system will be implemented in which visitons would be able to give their valued feedback on any art piece, and its creator would use the given feedback to further refine his artistic talents. This idea was adapted from the Heyri Art Village in South Korea, where creative artists convene to maximize creative interests of the community (CNNGO, 2010). The preferred location for setting up this village would be at Sentosa, Singapore. The rationale behind it is that, as a tourist attraction, there would be a larger audience to view and appreciate the artworks showcased at the village. The construction of such a village would provide an outlet for youth to showcase their multitude of talents, be it in music, writing, filmmaking or any other of the creative arts. Moreover, they will gain greater recognition from the Singaporean public and government, and in turn, more youths will want to join the local arts scene. This will also encourage them to work harder and further develop their talent and passion for art and at the same time, potential young talents may consider the arts industry as a viable career option.

Short term impacts

The establishment of an art village would serve to gain reputation from all over the world as a viable arts hub and once this is established, more people, especially local potential youths will want to enter the arts industry, due to increased industry size and greater recognition of the industry in the short-run. Through interaction with the artwork and the public, this village could potentially become an interactive hub where local artists could potentially interact with other up-and-coming artists from all over the world, thus it can be a good chance for the local talented youths improve their skills by attending master classes, talks and many more.
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Long term impacts

This idea, despite its high cost of construction and decoration, is also a form of long-term investment in the arts industry. In the long run, and with support from the government and various Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), this art village could become an interactive hub for art lovers, local and foreign talented artists, and be renowned throughout the world. It could potentially be used to generate income for the country and artists who participate in this venture as well. Moreover, to further the development of the local arts scene, this village could be used to host creative arts-oriented competitions to attract the attention of local and international artists. To attract participants for these competitions, valuable and meaningful prizes like cash cheques and internship programmes with veteran artists, for example Ai Weiwei, David A. Leffel, Damien Hirst and many more from around the world. This gives our local artists an opportunity to further develop their talents and learn from the best in the worldwide arts scene

Feasibility of Idea
This idea may take some time to solicit positive changes in the local arts industry. As it required construction a commune space for artists, extensive land planning has to be carried out by the government and relevant authorities in order for it to be realized. After being built, programmes have to be conducted to promote the usage of the arts centre and its utilisation by both local and foreign creative artists.

2. Decorate the public transport in Singapore

Our second proposed idea is to collaborate with local public transport organizations, mainly Singapore Bus Service, SMRT Corporation, and ComfortDelGro Corporation, to provide our local artists with another way to showcase their talents. A new scheme will be introduced in which corporations looking advertising on public transport would be able to enlist the services of local artists to design creative ads for them. Not only will the artists be able to procure income for their work, but their art work will also be displayed on public transport vehicles for all of the public to see. This idea was inspired by the art village from the first idea, with the objective of raising local awareness of the art scene and the capabilities of our local artists. As we want to create art awareness among Singaporeans and by decorating public transport, it can bring benefits to two groups of people, which is the transport organization and local artist.
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Short term Impacts

For the transport organization, they will benefit in terms of profit. By hiring local artists to create and design advertisements to be displayed on public transports, their works of art will be viewed by millions of Singaporeans daily. Instead of mainstream advertisements that mainly serve to promote goods and services, these new advertisements will be more oriented towards works of art and as such, the public will be able to appreciate them more deeply, rather than be brainwashed by them.

Long term Impacts

The artists will be able to secure an income and continue to pursue their interests in creative arts. If the response is generally positive, their work will be recognized by other corporations as well, and this idea could be extended to other companies as well. These advertisements can be included in the artists portfolio and they could find more work in other areas as well. Furthermore, the quality of advertising is dramatically improved as these new advertisements no longer have to focus on the promotion of goods and services but can impart morals and values into its viewers as well. As they are created by local artists who are well aware of the current cultures and issues, these advertisements will be relevant to the local community. As such, this idea will help to solve the problem of artists not being able to sustain themselves in the industry (The Canvas & Trase One, 2011)

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