Narratives: notes on a cultural journey: Cultural Medallion recipients, 1979-2001

This book records and introduces the various artists who have been awarded the highest arts award in Singapore: the cultural Medallion. It is not a definitive guide to the arts in Singapore but rather notes on people, Cultural Medallion recipients from 1979 to 2001, who have made a mark on arts development and played an instrumental role in weaving the tapestry of nationhood.
This book is conceptually structured in three parts. In the the first part, the introductory essay presents a macro-view of the arts highlighting the complementary and contradictory worlds of the arts and its administration of the Cultural Medallion.
In the second part, contextual essays on the main genres - written by eminent persons, who have followed arts development, shaped public opinion of the arts and even played a formative and integral role in arts development - present a localized world-view of the arts in their specific development. The essayists reflect, ponder and contextualize some of the trends in the very specific genres. The genre of photography was was particularly problematic for its lack of historical documentation and proved to be rather daunting at times. But it does point to a fertile field waiting some unraveling. This editor has taken on the task of writing the essay on photography.
In the third part, profiles on the Cultural Medallion awardees, written by a generation of young writers who are playing an important role in the very specific genres, present a personalized world-view of the individuals. The writings vary in style, tone and inflection from a stoic recantation of awards to lyrical renditions of color and form to probing interviews: all with the aim to height the profile of the genres and to make reading of the texts less daunting.
Research and documentation of the artists were not easy to come by. Negotiating between what artists wanted profiled and gathering information on artists wanted profiled and gathering information on artists who had passed on, was challenging to say writers, despite short notice, enviably delivered all. I must also acknowledge the valuable support
and work of the National Arts Council in commissioning this book and in following the meandering research journey of this book in full faith.
This book can be read in any order. The sections are not categories of award but rather organised according to genres for easy reading. There is no beginning or end. The aim is to unveil a part of unrecorded narrative to remember and to begin.