The foil might have come and gone, but the discussion that it has brought about seems here to stay
Image Credit: Priyageetha Dia on Facebook.
It has been about a week since the infamous “golden staircase” was found on the 20th floor of a Jalan Rajah flat which was painstakingly paved by a Lasalle College of the Arts student, 25-year-old Priyageetha Dia.
Yesterday morning, however, the gold foil covering the staircase was removed by its creator, with nothing but a small square of gold left.
On Miss Dia’s Facebook page, she wrote, “the existence and the end of this work bears my responsibility and no one else’s. With a little trace left behind, a memento of the space.”
Golden Divide Between Art & Vandalism
The foil might have come and gone, but the discussion that it has brought about seems here to stay. The golden staircase, imagined as a work of art to prompt the discussion on “what constitutes public and private space”, is doing its exact purpose.
Two camps, one proclaiming that its art and the other calling it vandalism, have started to divide those who live in the block.
Supporters have pointed out that the foil was not a permanent fixture, thus they “don’t consider it vandalism as no damage was done.” Alvin Pang, a poet, even went a step further to say that it’s obvious “when someone is trying to beautify an area.”
The detractors, however, view the staircase as public property, thus making it vandalism regardless of the intent. Toh Zu Mei, a platform services executive, said that “it’s still vandalism at the end of the day, no matter how pretty it looks. Otherwise how do we draw the line?”
Lasalle Speaks Up
Regardless of a person’s view, opening up the public to a healthy debate was the original intent of the staircase, and it has certainly done its job. A spokesperson for Lasalle College of the Arts added on, saying that to “question and critically reflect on what can sometimes be taken for granted about social and cultural norms” is the purpose of art in society.
Image Credit: Priyageetha Dia on Facebook
Is The Government Becoming More Accepting Of Street Art?
What’s more noteworthy, perhaps, is the Jalan Besar Town Council’s action – or lack thereof.
The government, and by extension the Town Councils, have been known for their rather heavy-handed but well-intended approaches to issues. A recent one to note would be the culling of 24 chickens in the Sin Ming area after noise complaints, one that sparked debate on the extreme actions for a minor issue.
Although the town council did come out saying that it “constitutes an unauthorized act and is thus not permissible,” there was no immediate move to have the gold foil removed. They even added on, saying that they would like to “explore ways in which we may be able to work together” as it is “supportive of efforts by the community to enhance our living environment.”
Such a stance is atypical of a government agency, and one that should be applauded. It marks a discernible change in tone the government has adopted over the past year, slowing shifting towards being more open and transparent. Aside from this one incident, events like Budget 2017 and PM Lee’s honest answer to 377A when interviewed by the BBC have shown that the Singapore Government is signalling a massive change in mindsets.
One could argue that this change is to combat the growing populist movement of the western world, or perhaps it’s the changing social attitudes of Singapore – as predicted by PM Lee himself. But no matter the case, it’s a long-awaited change that I, for one, embrace wholly.
