![]() ![]() The title of the poem, “Postcards from Chinatown”, relates to how the place is fake, and in place merely as an attraction. ![]() The fact that this stage performance is a parallel to real life, shows that the unique heritage and culture of our past has been consumed by the performance of the present, and only hints of it are left in the shadows, practically nonexistent if one does not observe closely. This is similar to how the “spotlight” meaning our attention, is always focused on the attractions of Chinatown, while backstage and in the background, the past is hidden. Interestingly, in theatre, downstage centre is always well-lit, with spotlights focused on it, while in the background the lighting is dim and unspectacular. Of course, in a performance, the focus is always only on what is in the foreground, while items in the background are blended into the scene, out of the limelight. The emphasis on “background” insinuates that the past has not quite completely vanished yet, but it has just been pushed into the background and backstage, while the present takes centre stage. In the second stanza, “background” is repeated so many times while the poet is relating the past, “Background of the closed down emporium, background of the foreign worker outside an unopened shophouse”. The idea of dimensions on stage allows the poet to toy with the idea that the past is still lurking in the shadows of the present’s folly. Umbrellas for holding water” scoffs at this charlatan modern-day Chinatown, which is now nothing but a huge stage putting up a performance for tourists. The line in the third stanza, “Souvenir shops selling Chinese hats and fake pigtails stapled to the end. The poet using this metaphor to relate the present to a stage performance is making a mockery of the present, which has pulled people into its deception which is nothing more thana tourist attraction. This draws the audience into the show, momentarily allowing them to imbibe in the performance. The performance is acted out live in front of the audience, with the characters in close proximity to us and the actors’ stage presence being palpable and tactile. The incorporated country.We Will Write a Custom Case Study Specificallyīut what can we draw from the poet assimilating the past to a stage performance? Firstly, stage performances provide the audience with a sense of intimacy as well as reality. Trishaws and fluorescent T-shirts peddle you around Rojak culture and the embracement of strollingĭown the street back into the tour bus. Souvenir shops selling Chinese hats and fake ![]() Our performance dictates a different set of scripts. Background wet market,īackground unanswered responses to the cajolingįrom the hawkers in the background hawker centre. That was in the background where I walked,Īn unopened shophouse. Urn, three joss sticks burnt out sometime ago. Racks of clothes along racks of clocks, as The poem was conceived in a period of commodification in Chinatown, where its landscape was (and still is) slowly being transformed into unrecognisable modernities. "Postcards from Chinatown" was written in 1997, based on a photographic study of old Chinatown, particularly Smith Street Complex and Block 1 Upper Pickering Street, the latter of which housed Terence’s paternal grandparents, and formed a significant part of his childhood memory. His research focuses on diasporic, racial and spiritual spatialities in suburban Singapore, particularly Bukit Brown Cemetery. His visual work has been featured in a diverse number of formats including academic journals (Cultural Geographies, Visual Communication) and the mainstream media (Straits Times Through the Lens Spotlight). His poetry has also been featured in anthologies such as _No Other City_ (1999) and _From Boys to Men_ (2002). He has published two books of poetry, _Live a Manic Existence with a Cup of Sanity in Your Hand_ (1997) and _From Where I’m Standing_ (2004). Terence Heng (b.1978) is a photographer and visual sociologist. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |