A publicity stunt by SingPost took a turn for the worse when speculations started running as the public mistook these as acts of vandalism, some even described it as "gangsterish". The mere intention for the SingPost to do was to introduce themselves as sponsors for the upcoming Youth Olympics Games (YOG). Working hand in hand with SingPost was A Group Of People, a local events agency, who created this idea. The use of grafitti goes according to the theme YOG, Express Yourself. Steve Ng is the Vice President of Marketing at SingPost says, "As part of the YOG is also talking about self expressing, it's really about sports and arts, and sports and arts is really about expressing yourself and that's the core spirit of it. " They also intended to engage the youths. There are a total of 6 scattered all over the island.
However, is this still considered to be a form of Art?
Communication. Art, at its simplest, is a form of communication. As most forms of communication have an intent or goal directed toward another individual, this is a motivated purpose. The form of street art or grafitti does bring about communication to the audience. The theme, "Express Yourself" is expressed directly and very publicly through the use of grafitti. For this particulary mailbox, it states, "To be young is to be bold". It encourages the youths not to be afraid of expression. Art is also used very commonly for advertising and commercialism. In this case, it basically advertises the YOG. However, I would find this quite unsuccessful. The idea is very indirect and inconspicuous. For a person to decipher the meaning, he/she must first know the theme of the YOG itself. However, even so, it is still hard to understand and many mistake it as an act of vandalism.
Still, Art is a from of expression. The use of word and the use of medium itself seems just right. It is upfrontal and does make people stop for awhile and think. It is impactful. Instead of the mundane and common use of digitally designed posters, why not use grafitti? It is modern, engaging and appealing, especially to the youth. Grafitti has also been recognized as "Public Art" and high art.
The fact that we are still be shocked and alarmed by the use of grafitti as public art shows that the society has not accepted grafitti as a form of art yet. Many still regard it as a form of rebellion or vandalism. This is may be especially so because Grafitti is not a common sight around Singapore. Singaporeans may still see art as oil paintings on canvases or scupltures, which is the more traditional method of making art. However, this is not the case as art's boundaries has been broken in so many ways through time. For instance, putting aside grafitti, there are still more radical way in which artists make art. The Sensation exhibition during 1997 featured Chris Ofili, who uses elephant dung in his works. There was also Damien Hirst who preseved dead animals in large tanks, calling it Art.
Some Singaporeans are perhaps still rigid in their perceptions of Art due to the insufficient exposure or lack of interest. I guess, they cannot be blamed? However, with more knowledge and studies, I'm sure they'll understand this evolution that is taking place Art. The use of these materials may be different and radical, however, it is the modest intentions of the artist.
The issue of distrust also comes into play. Singaporeans are afraid that this will spark off more vandalism around the country. It may give Youths the idea that grafitti is "okay". However, I believe that it will not happen (Especially after these newspaper reports). Youths still understand that grafitti is illegal and punishable by law (canning I think). Especially when the police is highly unamuse and not pleased by this concept, Youth will still refrain from involving themselves in such activities.
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