The Dilemma Of Space

Thought I'd make a trip down to the SAM after getting the presents for the gathering. Honestly, it was partly for the competition and 'cause I thought The Big Picture Show, which caught my attention, might satiate my occasional need for a visual comm brain trigger.

As the exhibition title suggests, some of the pieces of display literally filled almost whole walls. Scrutinising each work that caught my interest took more than a whole ten minutes at least.

I guess we always feel that having to bring out the quintessence of an artwork concept on limited canvas space is a great challenge, but given an abundance of space, it's equally tough to balance between creating an impactful art piece and losing your audience in the vastness of the canvas.

It's the same with writing - take poetry versus a novel, for example, and probably life in general. Don't we all grapple with the struggle of what to prioritise and cramp into our limited hours when we are busy? And when we do find time for leisurely pursuits, we ponder over how best to spend it wisely so that every activity is a pleasurable one and not a waste of time.

After the viewing, I can understand why the works on display were selected - each artist succeeded in fully utilising and filling the huge space while converging the different elements to a core message. In fact, some of these works even had a disturbing impact.

Photography was prohibited within the galleries, and with that limitation in canvas space I had (contrary to the exhibits), it was just a matter of trying to look at ordinary things from different angles. Life gets more interesting this way doesn't it? And nevertheless, the architecture of the museum (which happens to be the old SJI school grounds) alone was worthy of a series of snaps.

The last thing that should constrain you is the size of the canvas you have. Enough said, I'll let the visuals paint the rest of the story.