Deviant at the Substation

This is an installation that teachers near the city area could check out.... Deviant at the Substation is about the 'deviant' students in schools today. You know, the ones who don't want to listen to your lessons, spend their time doing all sorts of crazy stuff...

And yet one day do fantastically well for themselves.

I dunno whether any of you have ever experienced this kind of student? I felt it was an interesting conundrum for any teacher. If you were to impose your own rules and restrictions on them, you could stifle them for life. Yet, if you don't hold them in check, they could potentially self-combust. And obviously, they're not interested in listening to you anyway.

Hence this installation by Felicia Low, who herself happens to be an art teacher at CHIJ Katong Convent. "This show is all about the students I have witnessed - surfacing in full bloom"

This is the main installation piece:


I like the idea of the helium balloons. They hang around the empty classroom area with illustrations of concerned parents, and they have little tags on them with a quotation from that parent, eg, "Let's ask your teacher why she always picks on you". It reminds me a lot of parents who are such "concerned stakeholders" but they only hang around, [literally] and are never really around in the classroom. It also makes me feel like they were ghosts hanging around the classroom, keeping a high eye on everything you do.

This is the kind of art I like. That makes me think.

I also like the photos on lightboxes, especially this one:


I can bark and bark all I want, but I can't stop them from biting me if I want. Sheesh. Unfair world.

The installation is about slightly larger than a classroom, so take the time to walk around and think about the artist's message, rather than just quickly peeking around and dashing off.

For more information, click here