District 14: Associates' Rehearsal 1
Updated: Nov 18, 2020
| Documentation by Syarifuddin Sahari |
10am - 1pm, Geylang Serai
The associates met inside Joo Chiat Complex, and Haizad briefed them on their first task for the rehearsal:
To stand at the railings on any level and remain in that spot for 20 mins.
Watch “live performances” that pop in and out.
Observe the behaviour, movement, shadows, sounds.
Take notice of when they get bored.
To not write down their findings.
What to say if they are approached by security.
Birds perched upon the indoor railings inside Joo Chiat Complex.
Some thoughts from the task:
- We seemed to be noticed as we entered / heads turned when we came in.
o Was it because we were “strangers” who are not from the area?
o Does it happen to everyone that enters, a general curiousity to see a new presence
entering the building?
- We were the only ones leaning on the railings, everyone else was walking, besides those who
were waiting momentarily for someone to catch up.
- The conscious effort to blend in, a [personal] challenge of stepping out of a performer / artist hat and to be pedestrian.
o Compelled to look at the phone to seem more “natural” and had to resist doing so to stay true to the task.
Everyone then moved over to a coffeeshop at the back of Joo Chiat Complex to share their observations, and Haizad requested them to choose only 1 sight / performance out of all they have witnessed:
- Haizad: People taking the escalators to go down, while taking the stairs to go up.
o An interesting occurrence in Joo Chiat Complex as it is usually the other way around.
- Syimah: Stillness when nobody was crossing the central area.
- Valerie: Entering and exiting the space to stillness to 4 people who were planted.
- Jonit: Security uncle sitting in his booth drinking coffee.
- There was a common “performance” of the cleaner who mopped the floor; everyone agreed that he was the “main lead”.
With that in mind, Haizad then invited the associates to write a love letter to Joo Chiat (could be the space or the people) or to someone who will watch District 14.