An installation project that aims to explore the implications of engineering harmony into Singaporean society through ethnic representation in traditional music.

SAMA-SAMA • 创新 is an installation project that aims to explore the implications of engineering harmony into Singaporean society through ethnic representation in traditional music. An amalgamation of two of Singapore’s official languages, this title is etymologically symbolic: the Malay phrase sama-sama (which can be translated as “same”, “equally” or “together”) is taken from a larger phrase, sama-sama menuju bahagia (“let us progress towards happiness together”), which is a line in the Singapore national anthem; the Mandarin Chinese phrase chuang xin 创新 (“innovate”), consists of the character chuang 创 (“create”, “build”) and xin 新 (“new”) – which is, coincidentally, the same character used in xin jia po 新加坡, the Chinese name for Singapore. A play on words, the phrase thus suggests that the building of Singapore is synonymous with innovation. Together, SAMA-SAMA • 创新 invites query: is nation-building antithetical to cultural preservation?

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