Substation Residency: Welcome Pat Toh!

Our artist-in-residence from 27 March - 26 May 2017: Pat Toh!

Our artist-in-residence from 27 March - 26 May 2017: Pat Toh!

We're happy to have begun our third cycle of residencies, this time with Pat Toh!

Pat is no stranger to The Substation, having worked on many projects here, the most recent being Directors' Lab, where she carried out 18 months of research, culminating in the work, Warpaint

Pat is also a regular visitor to The Substation, taking Capoeira lessons at the Dance Studio during the weekends. 

Pat is interested in the lived experience of the body and walking as a mean to explore relationships between body-mind-time-space. In this residency, she will investigate the walking culture in Singapore and experiment with walking tasks that seek to encourage a more tactile engagement with the city. Pat will conduct her study though the reading of critical texts, interviews with a range of experts from foot reflexologist to urban planner and walking as field study. Text, images and ideas during this period will contribute to the development of a project on the poetics and politics of walking in Singapore.

During her residency, Pat will be holding a slow-walk event on 15 April, Saturday. This slow-walk seeks to investigate the politics of walking as a group. Where do we go, how do we negotiate in silence?  What happens to their sense of mind, body and experience of space? More details of the walk will be released closer to the date.

Wanderlust by Rebecca Solnit has been a formative text for Pat, sparking off her interest in walking.

Wanderlust by Rebecca Solnit has been a formative text for Pat, sparking off her interest in walking.

Saga seeds that Pat associates with this area.

Saga seeds that Pat associates with this area.

Pat also has poignant memories associated with the Fort Canning area. Her mother used to work at Daimaru, and would bring Pat to eat Japanese food there. Pat has many childhood memories of walking with her mother around Fort Canning park, looking at the cannons, picking up saga seeds, as well as swimming at the River Valley swimming pool. Her family, at one point, owned a shophouse in the area as well. 

We'll be posting some more features on Pat in the days to come, so stay tuned!