If you’re a member of Generation Y in Singapore, chances are you’ve been caught up in a social media movement to save – or at least remember – a place slated for redevelopment. From historic sites like the Green Corridor and Bukit Brown to sentimental landmarks like the McDonald’s outlet at East Coast Park, our appreciation for our heritage has never been stronger. But what is the cost of holding on to the past? Do we need to learn how to let go?
Take Off Productions’ Mosaic explores the clash of progress and nostalgia against the backdrop of a campaign to stop the demolition of an old playground, projecting the conflict onto the trials and tribulations that twentysomethings face. We asked stars Julie Wee and Erwin Shah Ismail about their thoughts on the subject.
Do you identify with a particular place in Singapore that has been lost to development?
Julie: I live near Bidadari, which is now being boarded up to begin the construction of a new housing estate. I guess the place has always been a green area, even when it was a cemetery, and I will miss the open green stretch along Upper Serangoon Road. Greenery is very important to me living in a busy city, so I am glad that they are planning to include a park and a lake in the design of the new estate, but I will miss the untouched stretch of open land, which is quite a rare sight in Singapore.
Erwin: It would be Taman Serasi Hawker Centre at Cluny Road. My mouth is salivating as I type this. I think it was demolished in 2000. My family and I used to visit the food haven regularly on weekend mornings. It was known for its chicken rice, mee rebus, teh tarik and most importantly, roti john. I grew up and still live next to Holland Village, so Taman Serasi was so convenient and had a beautiful location next to the Botanic Gardens. Apparently there’s a Taman Serasi Food Garden across the street but it is nothing like the good ol’ Taman Serasi and none of the old tenants are there.
Does Mosaic draw attention to the loss of Singapore’s history and heritage or is it something more critical of the desire to cling to the past?
Julie: I think it’s both. It gets us to examine what we have lost, or are in the process of losing. Why do we care more about certain things and less about others? It also touches on what it is that replaces the past. What does it really mean to us to lose these things? How much does it matter?
Erwin: I feel that Mosaic shares a bit of everything. This play has made me recall places I grew up around as well as those I visited regularly. Some are still there, some are not and some have been given a facelift. I enjoy memories very much but the desire to cling to the past becomes less strong when a lot of times we want to move forward or move on to new things. So the idea of “new” clearly makes the “old” disappear, and most times, they are gone way too quickly.
Where should we draw the line between nostalgia and pragmatism?
Julie: I think it would be a tragedy if beautiful old buildings like City Hall, the Raffles Hotel or The Fullerton Hotel were to be torn down for the development of newer, taller and more lucrative buildings. There is something to be said for having something tangible like a building as a conduit to remember and share our history and our past for ourselves, our children and visitors to Singapore. I think these things help us to understand our social history better. However, pragmatism has played a big part in our history too, in how we have become the nation we are today. So where do we draw the line? I don’t know. It brings me back to the question: Why do some things mean more to us than others? Why do we believe some things are worth saving and not others? Is it beauty, detail, how old it is, the number of people who came into contact with it or its political importance?
On a separate note, I do think that the idea of nostalgia has become a bit warped or modified recently. Let’s look at the nostalgia-themed interior design trend for example. Nostalgia has become a fashion statement rather than an actual connection or thought process. True nostalgia would be to search for antiques or objects that were really used “back then” and display them in your house or café because the object has history, but now, it is modern replicas that are displayed to represent these old time objects.
Erwin: I struggle to answer this question truthfully. My question now is how old is old before new should come in? The iconic Toa Payoh dragon playground seems to be a good example of balance, in my opinion. Recent news has it that the four old HDB blocks surrounding it will be demolished. The playground is still accessible today despite demolition works in progress.
How does Generation Y’s social media activism reflect on the generation as a whole?
Julie: I think it shows that we have opinions and beliefs that we want to share and changes we want to affect. We generally find that the most effective way to do it is via social media. It seems to be much more effective and easier to get your thoughts out to the public via social media and Internet avenues, and these avenues have the capacity to gain more traction and responses than conventional feedback channels. And there’s no need for other infrastructure. It’s easy. You don’t need to go to an organisation, because once you put your opinions out there – if they are interesting enough – interested people come to you. So it reflects how the generation knows how to work the system to its best advantage.
It also does reflect, however, our comfort with being behind a screen, with many people putting their personas but not themselves on the line. People still have to be careful about what they say, but until a certain point, you don’t have to risk yourself, or even leave your home.
Erwin: I believe Generation Y’s social media activism has tailored itself to the way of living today. Everyone walks with the Internet, if not, most locations in developed countries have Internet accessible via WiFi. Social media has practically taken over the human condition and human interaction. It has become the way forward. People get inspired, educated and entertained regularly through social media. Having said that, I believe more and more people are reading fewer newspapers, watching less television and interacting less with the people around them because of it. And that sometimes includes myself.
Mosaic takes place from Jan. 22 to 24 at the Gallery Theatre, National Museum of Singapore. Tickets are available at $22 from Sistic. For more information, visit the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2015 website.
