It is difficult to fathom the importance of the arts when there are many more pressing and immediate concerns to face. But at the same time, should we only concern ourselves with survival and attending to our basic needs, then we are no better off than the poorest of poor countries despite our economic achievements to date.
Life is meant to be lived after all, not just survived. As actor Peter Sellars of Pink Panther fame put it, “Survival？ Well it may be necessary, but it's not very damned interesting.”
Whether in music or literature, painting or architecture, art is what gives soul to our otherwise routine existence. Our neglect of the arts would almost certainly ensure that the world's best and brightest, as well as our own most successful, will seek life elsewhere if all Singapore has to offer is adequate and comfortable survival.
Life should be varied and interesting, unexpected and changing. Having said this, Singapore of course has more to offer than just convenient living space. The National Arts Council has done an extraordinary job in promoting our local artists. The building of the Esplanade shows the government's commitment to Singapore's arts and cultures scene. The question however is,“is this enough？”
In fact, art should be around us, not in museums. It should be reflected in our landscape and our buildings. Paintings and sculptures on the street, in schools and by the bus stops, make a far bigger difference than pouring money into a museum whose doors shut and close based on the artificial restrictions of time called a clock.
Artists should also be part of our society and not ostracised from it. As Singaporeans who have been trained to be efficient and results oriented, we have unfortunately come to shun not only the arts but the artists themselves.
We are a highly-educated, highly-literate nation that loses its interest in literature the minute we leave school. Worse, we think those who pursue art and have no condo to show for it are squandering their lives. So funding local artists and building a structure to house art is simply not enough.
It is far more important for us to let our kids, our future, know that art is neither frivolous nor superfluous. We need to show them that art is more than pleasant pictures or soothing music.
Art is innovation at its most basic level. Art is conception and inspiration. Most importantly, art is about discovery, not mistakes. In a world where we concentrate on what is right and wrong, what is correct and incorrect, the world of art is a place where judgment is suspended and great discoveries are made because of it.
Art makes it possible to grasp the impossible, for lack of language, lack of knowledge or lack of technology.
Consider further that art connects us to one another where language and law is unable to do so.
Of course the arts in and of itself is not crucial to our survival as a nation. Again, if survival is all we are after, art is far from necessary. Furthermore, art being universal, we can always borrow from others what we cannot create ourselves.
But does it make sense to focus only on providing basic services？ Economic cycles as they are, there will always be needs to be met and there will always be an excuse to exclude the arts.
Ultimately, we need to ask ourselves if it is important for us to define ourselves as Singaporeans. At the end of the day, do we want to mean more than our cash, our cars and our condo？
（The author is an expatriate artist living in Singapore.）
面對生活許多迫切需要處理的問題,探索藝術的重要性這樣的課題,對一般人來說根本不切實際。但是,從另一個角度來看,如果我們只關心生存和基本需要,那么即使我們在經(jīng)濟上已經(jīng)取得輝煌的成就,比起世界上窮的國家,我們事實上可能好不了多少。
生命要活得精彩,不僅僅是生存而已。以《粉紅豹》聞名的演員彼得沙列曾經(jīng)說過：“生存？這可能是必要的,但肯定非常無趣?！?BR> 不論是音樂、文學、繪畫或建筑,任何形式的藝術都可以為我們單調(diào)的生活注入新的生命和活力。如果新加坡忽視藝術活動,只能提供令人滿意和舒適的生存環(huán)境,世界上杰出的人才和成功的新加坡人,必然會到其他地方尋找他們向往的生活。
生命應該充滿變化和驚喜。當然,新加坡能夠提供的遠超過一個便利的生活空間。例如,在為本地藝術工作者提供發(fā)展空間方面,國家藝術理事會便作出了巨大的努力。濱海藝術中心的建立,也顯示了政府支持文化藝術活動的決心。問題是：“這一切是否已經(jīng)足夠？”
藝術應該溶入我們的生活里,不應該只是博物館里的陳列品。藝術應該反映在我們的自然景觀和建筑物。人行道上、學校里和巴士車站旁的繪畫和雕塑作品,所能發(fā)揮的感染力,遠勝于一所耗費大量金錢完成卻定時關閉的博物館。
藝術工作者應該是社會的一分子,不應該受到摒棄。很不幸的,新加坡人所受的教育和培訓,使他們非常重視效率和成果。一些人不但因此遠離藝術,甚至還回避藝術工作者。
新加坡人具有很高的教育水平,只可惜人們一旦離開了學校便對文學失去興趣。更糟糕的是,一些人認為有志于藝術工作,因而沒有能力擁有共管公寓的人,簡直是在浪費生命。所以,只是為本地藝術工作者提供經(jīng)濟資助和建立一個棲身之所是不夠的。
更重要的是讓我們的孩子,也就是我們的未來,了解藝術不是毫無意義或者根本不必要的。我們必須讓他們明白,藝術不止是漂亮的照片或者柔和的音樂。
藝術是基本的創(chuàng)意活動,是概念的構思和靈感的體現(xiàn)。重要的是藝術和對錯無關,目的在于發(fā)掘和探索我們生活的世界。我們向來關心什么是對什么是錯,什么是正確什么是不正確。在藝術的領域里,我們不作出任何判斷,卻往往有重大的體會。
藝術可以幫助我們領會因語言、知識和技術障礙,使我們不可能理解的事物。
藝術也可以把我們聯(lián)系在一起,這是語言和法律所無法做到的。
當然,藝術本身不是國家生存的關鍵。但就像我們先前提及,如果我們只關心生存,藝術便可有可無。
因為藝術普遍存在世界各地,我們自己不能創(chuàng)作的,也可以向他人借用。
但是,只是為藝術提供基本的協(xié)助是不是明智的做法？經(jīng)濟周期意味著總會有比藝術更迫切的需要,也總會有借口把藝術排除在外。
我們終必須問自己,我們是否重視我們是新加坡人的認同感？同時,我們要不要把生命的意義局限于金錢、汽車和共管公寓？