Minoshi, Japan

In a wooden water tank filled with kozo pulp, a young paper maker swishes a reed mould and
deckle left and right and left and right, then subsequently forwards and backwards several times.
His expert flicks removes any remaining water in the mould and he proceeds to lift the reed mat
containing the thin layer of wet pulp carefully onto a completed stack of dripping wet washi paper.
His movements are precise, measured and conscientious. He is aware of every movement he
makes, never a step out of place.

Singapore
Seated at a worktable with a harsh spotlight and hunched over a tiny fragment of paper, a student
cuts, scores, folds and glues together pieces of paper and vinyl to form the semblance of an
imaginary city. She works meticulously and with exactitude, discarding any pieces that do not work.
Centimeter by centimeter, a vivid, whimsical landscape appears. When completed, it will not
measure more than 2 handspans. Without an understanding of the nuances of paper, her
determination and skill, Memories would not have been created.

To touch is to explore, to see with oneʼs hands, to connect with the material beyond. To make is to
learn, to involve the senses when working with materials. To grasp is to comprehend and perceive
more about ourselves and our world through this engagement. To educate is to create this space
of potential understanding through making.
1. TACTILE:- to touch, to feel, to understand and be engaged

The notion of TACTILE suggests to us a certain relationship with the senses. This is reflected in
the way many of the artworks have been researched, explored and developed; demonstrating a
dynamic and multi-disciplinary approach in taking an idea from its initial stage to creating a final
artwork. It is also shown through an intensive engagement with the physical senses such as sight,
touch, sound, etc vis-a-vis the use of materials.

Just like the young man making washi paper, the student making an artwork requires her to learn
how to engage with her material, in this case paper, experiment and negotiate with it until it is able
to take a tangible form illustrating her intended ideas. Across time and space, working with oneʼs
hands have always been important in that they help foster understanding and impart insight
through the creative exploration and experimentation of materials, medium and ideas. “Human
intelligence is complex and multifaceted. We can think about the world and our experiences in
terms of sight, in tough, in sound, in movement and in many other ways. this is why the world is full
of music, dance, architecture, design, practical technology, relationships and values.” 1

1 Robinson, Ken. 2001 “Out of Our Minds”, Capstone Publishing Limited, p9

More importantly, the growing awareness and utilization of this sense of tactile-ness, at times in
contrast to and sometimes in combination with the use of digital means, gives currency to our
understanding of the present time that we live in, as well as evoking a certain zeitgeist in its
emphasis on a very physical, hands-on approach coupled with an understanding of technology in
the field of the visual arts and design. In more ways than one TACTILE attempts to grasp at an
understanding of this continuing evolution in the world of visual arts education.

2. Art as a process: A different approach towards art coursework

To create with your hands is to learn by making, to think by doing, to engage with the material until
you “grasp” at that moment of vision and clarity.

In that light, a work of art presented in an art gallery space is not purely an art object, existing
outside of the continuum of ordinarily lived time and space. Knowing about the process of
artmaking is thus an equally important one, especially for the artist, as it can be seen as one which
is in itself an engagement with the world; in a bid to describe, understand and interact with what we
experience around us.

Each of the artworks presented in this exhibition are not only chosen because of the way they
respond to the theme of tactile, but also in the manner by which the student was engaged with the
chosen medium and ideas. As evident in the work, engagement was in-depth and dynamic, above
and beyond what was expected of a junior college student. The works responded to the studentsʼ
observations of life, of their particular contexts and surroundings. All this coupled with an
awareness of what had been done by other artists, designers, etc; demonstrating an ability to draw
influences from numerous sources.

We believe that the artmaking process does not stop at the finished work. The (student) artists
carry this experience of artmaking with them into their future and this may contribute to a more
multidimensional approach within their explorations in future projects, as the artmaking process is
not simply one of production but one which involves negotiations with ideas, materials and people.

In addition, the life of an artwork includes its function as “objects of contemplation”, proffering
spaces for thought, discussion, sharing and inspiration. The different use of materials and the
various ways in which each material is being used in this exhibition invites the viewer to approach
the work up close, to interact with it and determine oneʼs own interpretation, thereby exploring new
paths of understanding and realisations.

3. Notes in Collaboration and Sharing

“Creativity draws from networks of knowledge and ideas. ...it is dynamic and interactive.” 2

Over the last few years, many junior college art teachers had started inviting each other to their
respective schools to share and learn about art coursework processes through looking at artworks,
as well as the different ways in which each teacher was developing an art programme within the
school. There is no one methodology or pedagogy to teach art, one discovers that there are many
approaches, subsequently there is much to learn from.

2 Robinson, Ken. 2001 “Out of Our Minds”, Capstone Publishing Limited, p167
Indeed, it is precisely this diversity that invigorates and creates excitement. This proliferation of
ideas ignited a spark which inspired the teachers, cascading down to the students… who in turn
benefited from these inter-school visits, gaining the opportunity to view the exciting and awe-
inspiring work from their peers in other schools. Having the opportunity to interact and look at new
ideas and ways of working with materials, taking away new paths of understanding which often
become infused into their own works. A form of affective learning - exploring with the senses. It is
against this educational backdrop that TACTILE was born.

Human intelligence is creative in a profound sense. Thinking and feeling are not simply about
seeing the world as it is, but of having ideas about it, of interpreting experience to give it
meaning. ... Creative insights often occur by making connections between ideas or experiences
that were previously unconnected. 3

Why do we, as a civilization, place so much value on artworks such as that of Michelangeloʼs
Sistine Chapel frescos, or Lucien Freudʼs paintings of awkwardly posed nudes? Surely it cannot be
purely religious fervor or art world economics? Beyond these discernible interconnections we
would need to ask ourselves, exactly what do these visual forms contain that ignite our senses and
feelings?

In school, we see each student as a unique person with unique strengths, capable of an individual
expression of creativity through an engagement and development (of skills and ideas) via the
coursework process, resulting in the creation of a visual work of art that says something about that
engagement as well as themselves.

This is perhaps because deep down inside, in many ways art educators realise and believe that
the visual arts can help us to unlock some of the secrets of what it means to be human... for each
and every one of us.

chan liping
2009

3 Robinson, Ken. 2001 “Out of Our Minds”, Capstone Publishing Limited, p11