Creating a scene

All-night raves, ‘mat rockers’ (Malay heavy-metal fans) and nude art. Freedom of expression, artistic experimentation and raw, unpolished theatre. It doesn’t sound like Singapore, does it? But since 16 September 1990, when The Substation flung open its doors to an art-starved nation, a very special seed was sown. Finally, the island had an independent space for unrecognised, nascent artists to experiment, learn and exhibit. Some 19 years later, despite perennial funding issues and countless battles with the Government over programming, The Substation has endured as a home for experimental performance and visual art, theatre and film. More than that, it has evolved into a credible contemporary arts institution with a board and management team that wants to see it recognised on an international stage.

So far, so good, too, says general manager Julie Englefield. ‘Basically every established artist in Singapore has come through The Substation. Every single one…and that’s important because it means that we are the place they started,’ she says. ‘We are not some two-bit organisation that runs on cash and doesn’t write receipts. We would like culturally exposed tourists coming through Singapore to read about us, like we read about exhibitions in London. This is what our long-term goal is.’ The Substation prides itself on artistic integrity and on managing what Englefield describes as an artist’s ‘journey through the process’. There’s no need for an artist to deliver a perfect performance, she says. Instead, the centre encourages artists, established or otherwise, to use the space to experiment with something new. ‘You don’t come to The Substation to see a polished performance of Cats. We have commercial and non-commercial people coming in and hiring the space, and we encourage experimentation and new work, original and regionally focused work.’

 Rock The Sub, er, rocks the Sub!

Wind back the clock to the very beginning, though, and in 1987 the building that houses the art centre today was a disused power substation in need of much repair. The Substation’s founder and first art director, celebrated actor/playwright Kuo Pao Kun, took his journalist friend T Sasitharan to see where he wanted to build a home for budding artists. ‘I remember going down to this old ramshackle, broken-down space and [Pao Kun] told me that this was where the theatre and dance studio was going to be,’ Sasitharan says. ‘I shared his dream in a kind of vicarious way, because at that time I was working for The Straits Times as the arts reporter – so I followed The Substation’s development very closely. I was intimately involved.’

Sasitharan, an active thespian, later left journalism to become The Substation’s second art director from 1996 until 2000. Today he heads up the Theatre Training and Research Program at Emily Hill, and while he says he misses heading up Pao Kun’s baby, he remains an active and vocal member of the board. ‘I miss it because I think, surprisingly, despite [the fact] that we have so many other art spaces in Singapore, there’s still no space like The Substation. It’s not about bricks and mortar. It’s not about the sound system or the flooring or the acoustics. It’s about what it stands for. It represents a certain kind of freedom, a certain kind of opportunity.’

T Sasitharan

Sasitharan and Englefield agree that funding issues are some of the biggest hurdles for the centre, despite the fact it predates the country’s National Art Centre and is the only independent arts venue in the country. ‘It’s been there for 19 years and it deserves to be there,’ Sasitharan says. ‘I think too much of the funding of the arts in Singapore is tied up with what the Government wants and what the Government thinks should be promoted. There is not enough independent funding for the arts.’

In his days as art director, Sasitharan says there were many occasions when he would clean the toilets himself in preparation for an evening audience. ‘It’s a very down-to-earth and not a glamorous thing, but that’s what it was about, so that everyone could come in and feel welcome. And that was very, very important to The Substation.’

Englefield says The Substation’s most important point of difference today is that it has grown organically – that it isn’t an imported product and that it has history. But she worries constantly about the future. ‘We need to have a comprehensive 10-year business plan, which we have, as well as funding, donors and sponsorship. At this point the NAC [National Arts Council] provides us with a lease that is heavily subsidised…it’s a significant commitment and one for which we are very grateful and hope it continues.’

And what if her hopes for continued support from the NAC are realised? Where to next for the country’s first home for the arts? Englefield says the future depends on staffing, funding, and whether or not they will always have a building to call their own. ‘This will ensure that we have the potential to get to that point where we are a credible and internationally competitive arts institution that compares with those in Paris, London, New York and Sydney.’

Julie Englefield

Related:

• The Substation through the ages
• The Substation
• More events at The Substation