The Making Of An Institution]]> Knowledge Production]]> Cultural Production]]> Institutional Critique]]> Artistic Research]]> The Making of an Institution captures different moments in the development of the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore (NTU CCA Singapore) connecting artistic projects, discursive manifestations, and the institutional apparatus in a seamless display. It looks back into its young past in order to shape its future. Challenging the format of an exhibition, The Making of an Institution creates a communal space where projects and research explorations by the Centre’s Artists-, Curators-in- Residence, and Research Fellows coexist with ongoing series of talks, screenings, performances, and workshops. The project engages the Centre’s main pillars–Exhibitions, Residencies, Research and Academic Education – bringing to a close the overarching curatorial narrative Place.Labour.Capital. that served as a framework for its activities since 2013.

Established in 2013, the Centre embodies the complexity of a contemporary art institution in times of knowledge economy and global art. The role of a contemporary art institution should not be limited to the presentation of art. It feeds off and nurtures the cultural ecosystem it belongs to through a complex series of actions that often reside in the realm of the immaterial. The Centre’s inaugural programme Free Jazz addressed the foundational question “What can this institution be?” highlighting the skill of improvisation and free play. Three years later, different questions are to be raised: What could the role of the NTU CCA Singapore be for the years to come within a fast changing local, regional, and global cultural landscape? What are the criteria to evaluate its achievements and impact?

In revisiting its own process of institutional building, NTU CCA Singapore appropriates the format and language of a “public report”. While a public report is conventionally employed to deliver an official written narrative, the Centre’s report unfolds in the exhibition space through the languages of the performative, the discursive, and the archival.

“It’s amazing how far we were able to come in just three years,” said Ute Meta Bauer, Founding Director, NTU CCA Singapore. “The Making of an Institution is a celebration of the international community we have built, including scholars, artists, and the public. Now it is time for us to reflect and analyse our achievements before the exciting next steps ahead.”

The Making of an Institution is divided into four sections borrowed from the structure of a public report: Reason to Exist: The Director’s Review; Ownership, Development, and Aspirations; Artistic Research; and Communication and Mediation. The first section, Reason to Exist: The Director’s Review maps out a network of institutions, like NTU CCA Singapore, that place research at the core of their identity. Each guest director will closely examine the vision, mission, and operative model of her respective organisation in a series of talks aimed at deepening our understanding of the changing role of contemporary cultural institutions. Ownership, Development, and Aspirations is a public panel with several members of the NTU CCA Singapore’s International Advisory Board and its stakeholders representatives that stresses the importance of feedback and exchange among peers especially in the development phase of an institution. The section dedicated to Artistic Research frames the material and immaterial aspects that constitute contemporary art practices. It takes over the Centre’s physical Spaces of the Curatorial—The Exhibition Hall, The Single Screen, The Lab, and The Vitrine—juxtaposing artworks and research projects by NTU CCA Singapore’s Artists-, Curators-in- Residence, and Research Fellows alongside various formats of public programming. Finally, Communication and Mediation explores the production of an institution’s identity through visual communication and spatial practices. Through workshops and presentations, artists, architects, and designers will discuss how they create diverse visual and spatial identities for art institutions.

The public report will culminate into a book planned for publication in mid-2017, gathering the voices of all the artists, curators, researchers, and academics who have contributed to this first phase of the Centre. The Making of an Institution is curated by Ute Meta Bauer, Founding Director, Anna Lovecchio, Curator, Residencies, and Anca Rujoiu, Manager, Publications.]]>
åbäke]]> Hamra Abbas]]> Rodolfo Andaur]]> Diana Campbell Betancourt]]> Dinu Bodiciu]]> Kray Chen]]> Chris Chong Chan Fui]]> Heman Chong]]> Renée Staal]]> Weixin Chong]]> Choy Ka Fai]]> Ann Demeester]]> Rosemary Forde]]> Marc Glöde]]> Yuko Hasegawa]]> Bani Haykal]]> Bahbak Hashemi-Nezhad]]> Maria Hlavajova]]> Ho Rui An]]> James Jack]]> siren eun young jung]]> Christoph Knoth]]> Koh Nguang How]]> Wilfried Kuehn]]> Bastian von Lehsten]]> Li Ran]]> Loo Zihan]]> Zulkifle Mahmod]]> Ato Malinda]]> Alice Miceli]]> Laura Miotto]]> Regina Möller]]> Arjuna Neuman]]> UuDam Tran Nguyen]]> Nikos Papastergiadis]]> Jegan Vincent de Paul]]> Emily Pethick]]> Thao-Nguyen Phan]]> Souliya Phoumivong]]> Ana Prvački]]> Arin Rungjang]]> anGie seah]]> Jeremy Sharma]]> SHIMURAbros]]> Alec Steadman]]> Sanne Oorthuizen]]> Anocha Suwichakornpong]]> Erika Tan]]> Guo-Liang Tan]]> Tan Pin Pin]]> Philip Tinari]]> John Tirman]]> Mona Vătămanu]]> Florin Tudor]]> Bo Wang]]> Farah Wardani]]> Tamara Weber]]> Jason Wee]]> Otty Widasari]]> abake]]> Reee Staal]]> Marc Glode]]> Regina Moller]]> Ana Prvacki]]> Installation]]> Film]]> Print]]> Video]]> Southeast Asia]]>
Nature]]> Geopolitics]]> Coexistence]]> James Jack]]> Southeast Asia]]> Oceania]]> History]]> Stories of Khayalan Island (2013- ) which commenced with rumours of an island that disappeared near Singapore. While in residence, he will search for evidence of Khayalan Island amidst the paradoxes of the rapidly changing harbour. Historical maps will be redrawn based on collective imaginations of space and sea vessels will be rebuilt to visit contingent islands at risk of vanishing. A search for this imaginary island in the social and ecological realities of today provides the basis for a book of stories as well as newly created artworks.]]> James Jack]]> Writing/Text]]> Southeast Asia]]> The Making Of An Institution Exhibition Guide]]> The Making Of An Institution Exhibition Guide]]> åbäke]]> Hamra Abbas]]> Rodolfo Andaur]]> Diana Campbell Betancourt]]> Dinu Bodiciu]]> Kray Chen]]> Chris Chong Chan Fui]]> Heman Chong]]> Renée Staal]]> Weixin Chong]]> Choy Ka Fai]]> Ann Demeester]]> Rosemary Forde]]> Marc Glöde]]> Yuko Hasegawa]]> Bani Haykal]]> Bahbak Hashemi-Nezhad]]> Maria Hlavajova]]> Ho Rui An]]> James Jack]]> siren eun young jung]]> Christoph Knoth]]> Koh Nguang How]]> Wilfried Kuehn]]> Bastien von Lehsten]]> Li Ran]]> Loo Zihan]]> Zulkifle Mahmod]]> Ato Malinda]]> Alice Miceli]]> Laura Miotto]]> Regina Möller]]> Arjuna Neuman]]> UuDam Tran Nguyen]]> Nikos Papastergiadis]]> Jegan Vincent de Paul]]> Emily Pethick]]> Thao-Nguyen Phan]]> Souliya Phoumivong]]> Ana Prvački]]> Arin Rungjang]]> anGie seah]]> Jeremy Sharma]]> SHIMURAbros]]> Alec Steadman]]> Sanne Oorthuizen]]> Anocha Suwichakornpong]]> Erika Tan]]> Guo-Liang Tan]]> Tan Pin Pin]]> Philip Tinari]]> John Tirman]]> Mona Vătămanu]]> Florin Tudor]]> Bo Wang]]> Farah Wardani]]> Tamara Weber]]> Jason Wee]]> Otty Widasari]]> abake]]> Marc Glode]]> Renee Staal]]> Ana Prvacki]]> Regina Moller]]> Mona Vatamanu]]> Guide]]> Southeast Asia]]> The Making Of An Institution A Public Report]]> Artistic Research]]> Curatorial Practice]]> Institutional Critique]]> Knowledge Production]]> The Making Of An Institution Programme Guide]]> åbäke]]> Hamra Abbas]]> Rodolfo Andaur]]> Diana Campbell Betancourt]]> Dinu Bodiciu]]> Kray Chen]]> Chris Chong Chan Fui]]> Heman Chong]]> Renée Staal]]> Weixin Chong]]> Choy Ka Fai]]> Ann Demeester]]> Rosemary Forde]]> Marc Glöde]]> Yuko Hasegawa]]> Bani Haykal]]> Bahbak Hashemi-Nezhad]]> Maria Hlavajova]]> Ho Rui An]]> James Jack]]> siren eun young jung]]> Christoph Knoth]]> Koh Nguang How]]> Wilfried Kuehn]]> Bastien von Lehsten]]> Li Ran]]> Loo Zihan]]> Zulkifle Mahmod]]> Ato Malinda]]> Alice Miceli]]> Laura Miotto]]> Regina Möller]]> Arjuna Neuman]]> UuDam Tran Nguyen]]> Nikos Papastergiadis]]> Jegan Vincent de Paul]]> Emily Pethick]]> Thao-Nguyen Phan]]> Souliya Phoumivong]]> Ana Prvački]]> Arin Rungjang]]> anGie seah]]> Jeremy Sharma]]> SHIMURAbros]]> Alec Steadman]]> Sanne Oorthuizen]]> Anocha Suwichakornpong]]> Erika Tan]]> Guo-Liang Tan]]> Tan Pin Pin]]> Philip Tinari]]> John Tirman]]> Mona Vătămanu]]> Florin Tudor]]> Bo Wang]]> Farah Wardani]]> Tamara Weber]]> Jason Wee]]> Otty Widasari]]> abake]]> Marc Glode]]> Regina Moller]]> Mona Vatamanu]]> Ana Prvacki]]> Guide]]> Southeast Asia]]> Institutional Critique]]> Geopolitics]]> Urbanism]]>
The title of the book refers to the framework employed at NTU CCA Singapore in its first cycle of activities, from 2013 to March 2017, which took Singapore, the world’s second-largest trading port and the economic epicentre of Southeast Asia, as a point of departure to investigate the notion of place, the intersection between locality and the global, labour, and flows of capital.

Unfolding across four broad sections of “The Making of an Institution,” “The Geopolitical and the Biophysical,” “Incidental Scripts,” and “Incomplete Urbanism,” this publication reads as an exhibition. Drawing connections across disciplines and merging theory with practice, Place.Labour.Capital. weaves together a constellation of different bodies of materials from essays, poetry, and fiction to artworks and documentation of the Centre’s past exhibitions.

Richly illustrated, the publication brings together the voices of more than 80 contributors, from former Research Fellows such as Tony Godfrey (Philippines), Regina (Maria) Möller (Germany), T. K. Sabapathy (Singapore), Yvonne Spielmann (Germany), to former Artists-in-Residence including Tiffany Chung (Vietnam/United States), Amanda Heng (Singapore), Shooshie Sulaiman (Malaysia), Lee Wen (Singapore), and Yee I-Lann (Malaysia). Other contributions include those from the Centre’s exhibitions and public programmes such as artists, academics, and curators including Amar Kanwar (India), Lee Weng Choy (Malaysia), David Teh (Australia/Singapore), and June Yap (Singapore).

This extensive publication “reminds us that institution building remains enormously significant as a means of opening up new spaces, claims, communities, dialogues, publics, and trajectories for critical artistic practice.” (Felicity D. Scott, Associate Professor Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Columbia University, New York)

“Drawing together stories, voices, and thinking by leading artists and academics, Place.Labour.Capital. traces the invention of a remarkable model of an institution. The publication is an inspiration and a valuable tool to anyone trying to find ways of building releveant arts institutions for the future.” (Sally Tallant, Director, Liverpool Biennial)

Place.Labour.Capital. takes a reflective look the art institution, and serves as a means to review the parameters of its own position in the present globalised art world and knowledge-production economies.

The visual concept of the book was conceived by renowned Singapore design firm H55.]]>
Mousse Publishing]]> H55]]> Koh Nguang How]]> Paul Tan]]> Eugene Tan]]> T. K. Sabapathy]]> Khim Ong]]> Fareed Armaly]]> Jesko Fezer]]> Julian "Togar" Abraham]]> Post-Museum]]> Kray Chen]]> Vera Mey]]> Amanda Heng]]> Yan Jun]]> Lee Wen]]> Marc Glöde]]> Jeremy Sharma]]> Heman Chong]]> Shooshie Sulaiman]]> Mona Vătămanu]]> Florin Tudor]]> Hilde Van Gelder]]> UuDam Tran Nguyen]]> James Jack]]> Jegan Vincent de Paul]]> Dennis Tan]]> Erika Tan]]> Regina (Maria) Möller]]> Hamra Abbas]]> Mercedes Vicente]]> Bo Wang]]> Ho Rui An]]> Stefano Harney]]> Arjuna Neuman]]> Bani Haykal]]> Tiffany Chung]]> Amar Kanwar]]> Helena Varkkey]]> Nikos Papastergiadis]]> Saleh Husein]]> Sam Durant]]> June Yap]]> Roslisham "Ise" Ismail]]> Shubigi Rao]]> Guo-Liang Tan]]> Tamara Weber]]> Loo Zihan]]> Zac Langdon-Pole]]> Trinh T. Minh-ha]]> Jompet Kuswidananto]]> Otty Widasari]]> Yvonne Spielmann]]> Mark Nash]]> Arin Rungjang]]> Filipa Ramos]]> Yason Banal]]> Kenneth Dean]]> Yee I-Lann]]> Alex Mawimbi]]> anGie seah]]> Alexandra Murray-Leslie]]> Andrew Johnston]]> Zulkifle Mahmod]]> Newell Harry]]> Jason Wee]]> Anocha Suwichakornpong]]> Shirley Surya]]> Sissel Tolaas]]> Tan Pin Pin]]> SHIMURAbros]]> Etienne Turpin]]> Li Ran]]> Gary-Ross Pastrana]]> Yvonne P. Doderer]]> Matthew Mazzotta]]> Art Labor]]> Xu Tan]]> Weixin Chong]]> Pratchaya Phinthong]]> Marc Glode]]> Mona Vatamanu]]> Regina Moller]]> Publication]]> Asia]]>
History]]> Coexistence]]> 18 Mar 2015, Wed 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Studios, Block 38 Malan Road #01-05
This event is part of a voyage to Khayalan Island, an island that is rumored to have disappeared from the Singapore Harbour in the early 19th century. Alongside images and objects from the search for the island, diverse voices presenting oral histories and fictional narratives will be heard. Stories of Khayalan Island is a research project of NTU CCA Singapore Artist-in-Residence, James Jack which looks at shifting definitions of place.

This event will consist of voices from Khayalan Island based on the search in progress. The evening will be moderated by Seng Yu Jin (Senior Curator, National Gallery Singapore) and readers will include Steve Dixon (President, LASALLE College of the Arts), Chand Chandramohan (Artist-in-Residence, The Artists Village, Pulau Ubin) and artist James Jack.]]>
James Jack]]> Seng Yu Jin]]> Steve Dixon]]> Chand Chandramohan]]> Southeast Asia]]>
Oceans & Seas]]> 20 Mar 2015, Fri 7:00pm - 11:00pm
Block 38 Malan Road, Studio #01-05

The artist invites participants to trace the outline of an island in their imagination. By drawing the borders of each coastline in time, islands that are at risk of being lost are reclaimed through imagination. This event will consist of voices from Khayalan Island based on the search in progress. The evening will be moderated by Seng Yu Jin (Senior Curator, National Gallery Singapore) and readers will include Steve Dixon (President, LASALLE College of the Arts), Chand Chandramohan (Artist-in-Residence, The Artists Village, Pulau Ubin) and artist James Jack.]]>
Seng Yu Jin]]> Steve Dixon]]> Chand Chandramohan]]> James Jack]]> Southeast Asia]]>
Nature]]> 7 Feb 2018, Wed 07:30 PM - 09:00 PM

Exploring the ways in which artistic practices reflect on social and ecological phenomena, James Jack will reference one of his curatorial projects, Play with Nature, Played by Nature (2013), an exhibition and series of conversations that looked at creative practices as a way to reinvigorate our consciousness of cycles occurring in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, Japan. Jack will also share his artistic research process for Sea Birth (2017), which takes as its starting point the spirits in the sea off the Okinawa coast for a re-imagination of the links between fragments from a turbulent past. In addition, having been a guest for Convening #3—a collaboration between NTU CCA Singapore and TBA21–Academy The Current held in January 2018—Jack will pursue, in an open dialogue format, questions regarding ancient knowledge and alternative imaginaries found in the Pacific that arose during this gathering.

A public programme of The Oceanic.]]>
James Jack]]> Asia]]> Oceania]]>
Oceans & Seas]]> Environmental Crisis]]> Sustainability]]>
25 Jan 2018, Thu Talanoa Session #4: The Oceans as Commons]]>
Ute Meta Bauer]]> Roko Josefa Cinavilkeba]]> Paul Feigelfeld]]> Jakob Fenger]]> Andrew Foran]]> James Jack]]> Taholo Kami]]> Kristy H.A. Kang]]> Hervé Raimana Lallemant-Moe]]> Maureen Penjueli]]> Valérie Portefaix]]> Filipa Ramos]]> Markus Reymann]]> Matthew Schneider-Mayerson]]> Jennifer Teo]]> Jegan Vincent de Paul]]> Video]]> Southeast Asia]]> Oceania]]>