A 10-day event hosted by Mein Ding Gallery Studio from March 19 to March 28, ‘The IMPACT’ exhibition and Celebrate Life is held at Sawmill Living Museum in Bukit Merah and loaded with various activities such as personal sharing, workshops, live art installations and evening busking.
According to Alice, artist, creative art facilitator and director for Mein Ding, ‘The IMPACT’ exhibition is a collaborative effort between Mein Ding, Global Social Network (a German-based organisation) and Alex Brummer, with the aim to bring people from all walks of life together through art.
Nevertheless, without Peter Witzigmann (Peter W), artist, founder and director of Mein Ding, this exhibition would not be a success.
The exhibition gives everyone an opportunity to express themselves regardless of who they are. Many already have a perception of how an artist should be. Hence, Mein Ding Gallery Studio hopes to see people from all walks of life come forward and exhibit their ideas.
“You don’t have to be someone important to be heard. Art and nature is a way of self-expression,” Alice explained.
“We are also grateful for Tan Kai Lek’s support for allowing us to utilise his space for the exhibition.”
“Sometimes we just need someone to talk to and to understand what we are feeling. One activity entitled ‘Silence Speaks’ does exactly that. “You allow that time and space for people to relax. One will learn to connect with themselves, their surroundings as well as the environment,” Alice said.
She further shared with us her experience with two participants. “The energy we felt between each other was peaceful and stress-free. However, it’s slightly different for the second participant, I could feel the intensity of anxiety and unease. When we take a moment of silence, things will be unearthed. There’s no point running away from the problem as it will always come back to you. Best we can do for ourselves is to acknowledge it,” the artist highlighted.
Participants who wish to share their thoughts or lockdown experience can also do so via the personal sharing sessions.
According to one of the speakers, Ina Tajuddin, who quit her job as a teacher, soon realised her life is more than ‘just laundry’, which has led her to discover her passion. “Despite things not going as planned, I personally enjoyed the obstacles and the process of overcoming them. You just have to keep going, keep doing.”
As for an anonymous 81-year-old Ipohite, art has given her a purpose and helped her face the lockdown in a positive manner. “I had sessions with her that facilitated her needs, like making pottery,” Alice said.
The artist added, “We included busking because I have noticed that many talented artists and singers couldn’t perform like they used to, due to the pandemic. Thus, they can share their work at The IMPACT exhibition.”
To find out more about the exhibition, check out https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1040284893046684&id=537178783357300
Anyone who is interested to be a part of any similar events can visit Mein Ding’s FB page at https://www.facebook.com/meindinggallerystudio/posts/1040284893046684
Gisele Soo
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