REALISING THE RENAISSANCE CITY? A STUDY OF ARTS SPACES IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Despite the protracted and intimate relationships between society, space and the arts, there are surprisingly few geographical explorations of arts spaces. Indeed, the arts have only been paid lip-service in the study of cultural, urban and economic geography. This study aims to fill this intellectual lacuna by re-centering the arts and making it the protagonist in the interrogation of arts spaces. It also provides an alternative conceptualisation of arts spaces by proposing to look beyond physical manifestations of the arts to the social and creative realms. These objectives are attained by examining Singapore's quest to become a Renaissance City. At the dawn of a new millennium, the government has envisaged Singapore as a Renaissance City. This is an unprecedented move as the arts have never been accorded high priority in this nation. This goal is however not easily achieved. I argue that while Singapore has developed much potential through government initiatives, the vision of the Renaissance City will remain an illusion unless more holistic and nuanced approaches are adopted in providing arts spaces in the country. Using a realist-informed methodology that embraces both qualitative and quantitative methods, data are collected to propound this argument along three major thrusts. Firstly, I demonstrate that the government's endeavours to provide physical spaces for the arts are checked by the suitability of these spaces. Secondly, I show that the Singaporean society remains unprepared for a renaissance despite the government's attempts to cultivate an artistically appreciative society. Finally, I illustrate that while the government has attempted to nurture creative talents in Singapore, these efforts are daunted by various constraints. With the insights gleaned from the study, I conclude that there is a need for greater sensitivity in dealing with arts spaces in order to gain a perceptive understanding of the arts.