Afterimage; Open Call

*

Afterimage; Open Call *

Exhibition Overview

Afterimage @ Golden Mile Tower is an upcoming collaboration between The Projector and Poster Room, organized and curated by Yu Ke Dong, Stephanie Jaina Chia, Tammie Lim, Randall Go, and Nigel Goh. The exhibition will be held at The Projector’s cinema spaces at the Golden Mile Tower in November. The exhibition will also be accompanied by relevant programming organized in conjunction with The Projector.

Curatorial Statement

During the past ten years of operations, The Projector at Golden Mile Tower has become a crucial gathering place for the island’s cinephiles, serving as a community-building space where film and culture can be freely celebrated. Beyond its primary function as a cinema, however, GMT has dedicated itself to becoming a progressive, independent cultural space, serving as a home for queer folk, activists, and members of various subcultures seeking refuge in an increasingly surveilled city. 

As The Projector transitions from a public community space to a private events space, this exhibition sets out to examine the legacy of independent arts and cultural spaces in urban Singapore. The trajectories of independent art enclaves such as the 5th Passage, the Substation, and Pearl’s Hill Terrace demonstrate a longstanding tension between the impetus for creative freedom and the unceasing demand for economic pragmatism in Singapore’s urban development. Though these spaces have since evolved, their legacies continue to exist in the projects undertaken by archivists, historians, and artists. More importantly, they live on in the memories of people who have visited them, people who continue to be influenced by these memories in their day-to-day lives. 

This complex interplay between modernity and memory is also interwoven into the cinema’s location. Once the crown jewel of the nation’s urban development during the 1970s, the Golden Mile district has since drawn criticism for being old, out-of-date, a “vertical slum” and an “eyesore”. Yet, the communities that have set root in both the Golden Mile Tower and Golden Mile Complex continue to exist unapologetically even after having both official and public criticism levelled at them. It certainly feels as though any urban space that isn’t shiny, clean, and homogeneously ultra-contemporary, will inevitably be discarded. Yet, the Projector – with its eclectic, retro-style decor and appreciation for independent films – is a celebration of all that is nostalgic and sentimental. 

As GMT gradually begins to slow down daily screenings in late May, the proposed exhibition seeks to examine the notion of “Afterimage” – those indelible impressions that burn into the mind’s eye long after the moment itself. The exhibition will activate the transitioning space by connecting the diverse practices of young contemporary artists from the region. As GMT evolves, the exhibition seeks to examine the process by which such cultural spaces morph into memory. 

The Open Call

Afterimage; Open Call is an initiative inviting interdisciplinary artists or collectives from the community to pitch ideas for proposed works, with an emphasis on installation, video/sound works, mixed media, and/or participative/performance pieces that are preferably site-specific.  Works will be chosen based on their relevance to the exhibition’s central theme of “Afterimage”, and can respond either specifically to the storied legacy of the Golden Mile landscape, or addresses broader themes of transient urban spaces and nostalgic memory. Works will also be selected based on their compatibility with other works in the exhibition, as well as how well they can be integrated into the existing space at GMT. 

The Open Call invites proposals from artists between 21st April and 31st May. During this time, works will be selected on a rolling basis, and a member of the curatorial team will contact selected artists within two weeks of the submission.

If production costs are incurred, they will be borne by the exhibition team. However, artists' fees unfortunately cannot be guaranteed at this point in time. Creatives from all backgrounds, disciplines and ages are welcome to submit! We are extremely excited to receive your ideas. 🙂

Application Format

Artist Details

  1. Name 

  2. Contact details (phone number, email or Telegram handle)

  3. Short bio (approx 50 words)

Proposed Work

  1. Brief write-up describing the proposed work*

  2. Short paragraph on the work’s connections to the theme of “Afterimage” 

  3. List of materials required 

  4. Rough production budget

  5. Proposed installation space at Golden Mile (consult photographs of the space here)

*Please include supporting sketches, images, and other visual aids where relevant, if possible

Submit a PDF document with the abovementioned format via email to submit@posterroomcollective.com or via Telegram @yukedong with the header ‘Afterimage Exhibition Proposal’ between 21st April and 31st May. If there are any questions, please send them there as well!