Where does the “public” reside in public art? Is it within people, within shared spaces, or both? Does the notion of the “private” exist in public art? Can public art infiltrate the private spheres of individuals? Can it be privately experienced?
A Daily Act focuses on everyday, mundane life occurrences. Participants are encouraged to explore the emotional nuances of their daily routines, whether at home or on the streets. As they go about a regular day, some individuals may encounter instructions; they may walk past them on their way to the train station or pause to observe a postcard while enjoying their coffee. Over time, these prompts may lead their perceptions to shift, senses to sharpen and movements to become more deliberate.
Motivated by a desire to introduce poetry into daily lived experiences within the city, A Daily Act asks: Can the banal become remarkable? Can the ordinary become extraordinary? Widely distributed as site-specific instructions across Tanjong Pagar, the project aims to evoke an aesthetic experience rooted in participants’ willingness to engage.
Developed by Atelier HOKO, A Daily Act is commissioned as part of The Everyday Museum, a public art initiative by the Singapore Art Museum.
Final Presentation
A Daily Act
Final presentation, as part of Singapore Art Week
Fri-Sun, 17-26 Jan 2025, 10am-10pm
Container Bay, rear entrance of SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, Level 1
A Daily Act is a year-long project by Atelier HOKO, commissioned by The Everyday Museum, a public art initiative by Singapore Art Museum. In July 2024, the project explored the nature of public art and daily routines through over 80 prompts distributed across Tanjong Pagar via banners, flyers and postcards. Each prompt invited public responses, written or performed. Reflecting on these responses, the creator turned their focus to the concept of “instructions” and observed a key insight: we perform instructions daily, often without realising it.
The concluding presentation of A Daily Act, as part of Singapore Art Week 2025, will further the dialogue on how we navigate the boundaries between routine compliance and creative expression in our daily interactions. When presented with an instruction that neither restricts nor regulates our bodies in space, does confusion – or sometimes even frustration – emerge? What ingrained social habits do our reactions toward these instructions reveal? A Daily Act invites us to consider how instructions can free us, embrace subjectivity, and foster spontaneity and joy in everyday life.
As part of this presentation, join Alvin and Clara of Atelier HOKO for a casual conversation as we unpack this monumental project alongside their continuous praxis of examining the nuances of everyday creative expressions.
Artist Talk: A Daily Act
Sat, 25 Jan 2025 | 5-6pm
SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, Level 3, Corporate Office
Free Admission
to receive a programme reminder and for us to gauge attendance numbers.
About Atelier HOKO
Atelier HOKO (2002) is an independent research lab that focuses on the study of the growing disengagement between people, things and space. The atelier hopes to cultivate in people an open-ness and ability to un-know, bringing about a heightened curiosity towards all phenomena by taking a fresh look at reality. Founded by Alvin Ho and Clara Koh.