Sewing Happiness: A Series of Fun & Simple Fabric Collage Projects for Learning Great & Living Well.

Project of 2017

“Blossom Colours of Life” is a community art project co-created by Singaporean artist, Tan Haur, with patients of Jurong Community Hospital. Strolling down memory lane with the patients, the artist gathered heart-warming stories of senior participants through simple heartfelt conversations and craft sessions and translated them into a visual journal of 15 colourful fabric collage artworks. The art-making process encourages patients to revisit those nostalgic scenes of yesteryears and reminisce about their favourite food, the simple life and the good old kampong days. Stories were stitched together to form intricate fabric collages of iconic landmarks like the former National Theatre and objects like Tingkat and rotary dial phone – each rekindling a connection between the past and the present. The pattern-rich art pieces adorn the walls of Jurong Community Hospital, bringing to life stories and experiences of our shared heritage and history that would allow patients to relive fond memories and be inspired with hope and optimism.

[ About the Artist ]
Multidisciplinary Singaporean artist, Tan Haur, spent most of his childhood at his grandmother’s dressmaking studio near Boat Quay playing with stacks of fabrics and nitty-gritty sewing tools. Inspired by his mother (a seamstress) and wife (an arts and crafts trainer), Tan incorporates sewing and crafting in his artistic practices. Tan graduated from the Australian National University (College of Arts & Social Sciences) in 2007 and has since worked with various social groups and organizations on collaborative art projects.
More about Tan http://bit.ly/2BovGL0

[Connection]

Email Tan Haur at:

tanhaur@gmail.com

WhatsApp & SMS:

(+65) 9070 2000

Fabric collage (Tingkat tote bag) workshop

A very successful workshop! All participants had completed their fabric collage within the 2 hours time frame, I am so proud of them. Cheers!   ~Tan Haur (Master of Visual Arts, ANU)

More about Tan: http://bit.ly/2BovGL0

For inquiries regarding textile illustration projects, art workshops, and commercial works please contact Tan Haur directly at:-

Email:

tanhaur@gmail.com

WhatsApp & SMS:

(+65) 9070 2000

It would take a while

"It would take a while to develop photos, but it was worth the while."

- Mdm Chan, 70

Mdm Chan recalled how the traditional analog photographic process would usually take some time to develop into negatives and prints. Using caterpillars turning into butterflies as metaphors, she described how the photographic process required a bit of time but was worth the wait.

*Analogue photographic processing or development is the chemical means by which photographic film or paper is treated after photographic exposure to produce a negative or positive image.

Exhibition: Blossom Colours of Life

 (A community art project lead by artist Tan Haur)
 Art Medium: Fabric collage
 Organizer and collector: JurongHealth
 Venue: Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, Tower A, level 2, Singapore.


人老了都會記性不好，一般人多認為這是老化的關係，殊不知有可能錯過了就醫的寶貴時機。

 失智症是因為「腦中病理變化」造成認知功能不良，請盡早尋求專業協助與護理。

 這次的社區藝術創作也鼓勵大家一起正面看待身體老化現象與失智症。


#手芸 #手作り #手作控 #療癒手作

[Connection]

Email Tan Haur at:

tanhaur@gmail.com

WhatsApp & SMS:

(+65) 9070 2000

About

Singaporean artist, Tan Haur, spent most of his childhood at his grandma’s dressmaking studio near Boat Quay playing with stacks of fabrics and nitty-gritty sewing stuff. 

Inspired by his mother (a seamstress) and wife (an arts and craft trainer), Tan incorporates sewing and crafting in his artistic practices. Graduated from the Australian National University (College of  Arts & Social Sciences) in 2007, Tan has since worked with various social groups and organizations on collaborative art projects.

https://cass.anu.edu.au/profiles/tan-haur

[Connection]

Email Tan Haur at:

tanhaur@gmail.com

WhatsApp & SMS:

(+65) 9070 2000

Fabric collage: Craft space

"I enjoyed decorating and working in my crafts space, just like how cats relax and play at their own pace and time. Life used to move at a much slower pace compared to now."
- Mdm Ho, 94

When Mdm Ho was younger, she made her own clothes with a traditional sewing machine. She would use old newspapers as her dressmaking pattern paper templates.

Exhibition: Blossom Colors of Life
(A community art project lead by artist Tan Haur)
Art medium: Fabric collage
Organizer and collector: JurongHealth
Venue: Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, Tower A, level 2, Singapore.


人老了都會記性不好，一般人多認為這是老化的關係，殊不知有可能錯過了就醫的寶貴時機。

失智症是因為「腦中病理變化」造成認知功能不良，請盡早尋求專業協助與護理。

這次的社區藝術創作也鼓勵大家一起正面看待身體老化現象與失智症。


#手芸 #手作り #手作控 #療癒手作

[Connection]

Email Tan Haur at:

tanhaur@gmail.com

WhatsApp & SMS:

(+65) 9070 2000

Fabric collage: Singapore National Theatre

"There were many international performances here. Some people could not get tickets, so they ran up the hill behind to watch it for free."
- Mr. Surmani, 72

"Many people like to take photos here last time. It was surrounded by beautiful flower gardens and magnificent landscapes."
- Mdm Chan, 70

*Singapore National Theatre: Officially opened on 8 August 1963, this theatre was built to commemorate the attainment of Singapore’s self-government in 1959. It was demolished in 1986 due to structural reasons.

Exhibition: Blossom Colours of Life
(A community art project lead by artist Tan Haur)
Art medium: Fabric collage
Organizer and collector: JurongHealth
Venue: Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, Tower A, level 2, Singapore.

人老了都會記性不好，一般人多認為這是老化的關係，殊不知有可能錯過了就醫的寶貴時機。

失智症是因為「腦中病理變化」造成認知功能不良，請盡早尋求專業協助與護理。

這次的社區藝術創作也鼓勵大家一起正面看待身體老化現象與失智症。

#手芸 #手作り #手作控 #療癒手作

[Connection]

Email Tan Haur at:

tanhaur@gmail.com

WhatsApp & SMS:

(+65) 9070 2000

My sewing illustration

Yesterday's memories: National theatre✨😊My sewing illustration✂️❣️

#手芸 #手作り #手作控 #療癒手作 #Singapore

Dragon Slide

"The reason playground slides are made is for us to experience the joy of falling even if there's no one to catch us."

Yesterday's memories: Dragon Playground Slide✨😊My sewing illustration✂️❣️

*The dragon playground is one of the most loved landmarks in Singapore. Designed by the Housing & Development Board and built in the 70s, this concrete dragon has been an icon of Singapore design across various forms of media.

#手芸 #手作り #手作控 #療癒手作 

Fabric collage: Typewriter

"You could engage some of the five-foot-way letter-writers downtown to type a letter or fill up a form. Depending on how lengthy the letters were, fees could be as low as a cup of coffee."

- Mdm Chan, 70

Mdm Chan recalled how mechanical typewriter was not a common sight in the old kampong days and not everyone could read and write.

*The five-foot way was a unique feature of Malaya’s shophouses. Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore, stipulated that shophouses must have a covered walkway of about five feet along its street front.

*Five-foot-way traders were craftsmen who conducted their businesses along shophouse walkways that were five feet wide. Five-foot-way traders included: knife sharpeners, roadside barbers, mask makers, fortune tellers, locksmiths, letter writers, traditional “medicine men” (known as bomoh in Malay), newspaper vendors, storytellers, tinsmiths, hair-bun makers, bench makers, garland makers, stamp dealers and food vendors.

Exhibition: Blossom Colours of Life

(A community art project lead by artist Tan Haur)

Organiser and collector: JurongHealth

Venue: Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, Tower A, level 2, Singapore.

人老了都會記性不好，一般人多認為這是老化的關係，殊不知有可能錯過了就醫的寶貴時機。

失智症是因為「腦中病理變化」造成認知功能不良，請盡早尋求專業協助與護理。

這次的社區藝術創作也鼓勵大家一起正面看待身體老化現象與失智症。

#手芸 #手作り #手作控 #療癒手作

Fabric collage: Dragon playground

"I still remember it vividly."
- Mr Surmani, 72

Madam Chan (70-year-young) and Mr Surmani (72-year-young) recognised the remarkable Dragon playground when I shared the photograph with them. The popular ones were the wooden see-saw, merry-go-round and Dragon-slide.

Exhibition: Blossom Colours of Life
(A community art project lead by artist Tan Haur)
Organiser and collector: JurongHealth
Venue: Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, Tower A, level 2, Singapore.

人老了都會記性不好，一般人多認為這是老化的關係，殊不知有可能錯過了就醫的寶貴時機。

失智症是因為「腦中病理變化」造成認知功能不良，請盡早尋求專業協助與護理。

這次的社區藝術創作也鼓勵大家一起正面看待身體老化現象與失智症。

#手芸 #手作り #手作控 #療癒手作

Fabric collage: Kampong

"Nothing beats living in my fishing village by the sea in Bedok, I could see the beach, the coconut trees and enjoy the sea breeze."
- Mr Yusof, 69

Fishing, attap houses and wooden cottages are common subjects that patients in Jurong Community Hospital often bring up when they reminisce about their growing up years in the 60s when kampongs and fishing villages were a common sight in Singapore.

*A kampong (spelt kampung in Malay and Indonesian) is a traditional village in Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and Cambodia.

Exhibition: Blossom Colours of Life
(A community art project lead by artist Tan Haur)
Organiser and collector: JurongHealth
Venue: Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, Tower A, level 2, Singapore.

#手芸 #手作り #手作控 #療癒手作

Fabric collage: Tiffin carriers

"Food taste better in a Tingkat or banana leaf - not in Styrofoam boxes."
- Mdm Allamelu, 72

"I make my own sambal balachang with batu-tub!"
- Mrs Sadan, 62

*Tingkat derived from Malay word, which means 'level' or 'tier', are enamel Tiffin carriers.
*Batu-tub is a Malay word of Mortar and Pestle.

Exhibition: Blossom Colours of Life
(A community art project lead by artist Tan Haur)
Organiser and collector: JurongHealth
Venue: Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, Tower A, level 2, Singapore.

#手芸 #手作り #手作控 #療癒手作

Exhibition: Blossom Colours of Life 绽放生命的色彩

Exhibition: Blossom Colours of Life
(A community art project lead by artist Tan Haur)
Organiser and collector: JurongHealth
Venue: Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, Tower A, level 2, Singapore.

Blossom Colours of Life 绽放生命的色彩

A community art project lead by artist: Tan Haur (Singapore)

Pre-exhibition release:

 While it may appear as a sentimental longing or wistful affection for Singapore’s past, I think this work is much more than that. I hope that as a viewer navigates this series of artworks, they will leave with a more in-depth understanding of the core value of the past, and have a profound impact on the future. In a nutshell, these are genuine Singaporeans' stories, flashbacks and words of wisdom from our fellow seniors. They’re a constructive force giving us chance to reflect and think through what we feel are identity markers as individuals, as a community, as a multicultural Singaporean society.

 The vision and mission of the "Blossom Colours of Life" are to create and exhibit a variety of shapes and colours to tell a story as well as provide soothing comfort to one's eyes and soul within the healthcare environment. Through dialogues and basic interactive art and craft sessions, senior participants shared their memories and experiences of good old days through imagery-led mirroring and storytelling. Right after several workshops, with the narrative information, I moved on to stitch the stories together to form a visual journal with colourful fabric collage.

 This specific project has involved invited seniors who seek for greater community engagement, especially those staying in the rehabilitation ward, some with early symptoms of dementia, to reconnect and create memories-art without worrying too much about professional drafting, cutting and sewing. The “Blossom Colours of Life” workshops received a tremendous response and I am so grateful it had paved the path towards the completion of the final artworks for exhibition.

 Last but not least, this series of work will continue to spark and inspire dialogue between patients and professional staff at the rehabilitation ward (Jurong Community Hospital) after the exhibition. My sincere appreciation to all the participants, the volunteers, art assistant Mui and the organiser (JurongHealth) in making this art project possible. Thank you very much.

~ Tan Haur

#手芸 #手作り #手作控 #療癒手作