Here’s something that happened behind/inside the booths by the artist alley at the Singapore Toy and Comics Convention, from the POV of cool cat comix artists Ken Foo and Troy Chin.
drearyweary & Ken foo at STCC 2008
Check it out. I got a cameo role inside this series of 4koma.
Just last week, I was following the series of articles in the papers on Singapore’s brain and rootedness of her citizens.
If only they’d realise our kids when they grow up, they’re always dreaming someone else’s dream – ideas, aspirations and cultural values picked up during the socialisation process of ‘play’. The fiction they read, the games they play, the cartoons they watch, the toys and figurines they collect – are not our own. It’s not difficult for them to assimilate themselves into another culture/society/nation when they come of age.
Singapore’s myth making infrastructure is not in place yet. Maybe, the policy makers didn’t appreciate the strategic importance of ‘play’ in the schema of nation building.
Hopefully, they’ll do a second take at the development of the animation, games and comics industry – the Interactive Digital Media (IDM) industry is part of something bigger; and it’s more than just about the economy, stupid.
I guess you are referring to the lack of Singaporean identity…? There’s nothing we can relate to as homegrown…unless we consider Mr Kiasu -_- or PCK.
[...] post info By Loba Categories: Manga and News Tags: Ken Foo, Singapore Toy and Comics Convention, STCC, Troy Chin Came across this while suring 0ne’s Blog. [...]
I don’t think it’s as simple as a Singaporean identity.
That being said, I don’t have any solutions either, so maybe a multi-faceted approach would work.
LOL @ 4koma. Nice to see your cameo there.
But, onto your other point, after it’s all said and done, it is more than just our identity, its how we see the World in relation to what our own country has to offer.
I can offer few solutions here, sadly, except that we place, as you have said, more emphasis on digital media. But then again there’s this whole economy issue with the govt. and blah blah blah~
with the MDA being run by a clueless guy who came from the library, expect more safe, unexciting crap. I think most ppl there don’t even have industry experience. It’s just a dumping ground for scholars and guys from the military. (”hey you saw some film last year right?” “ya!” “ok you can go MDA!”)