Guest Article by Era
So I learnt recently about the four generations that are in the workplace. So for those who do not know this, there are four generations in the workplace known as : Veterans (1922-1943) – 71 until 92 yrs Baby Boomers (1943-1960) – 54 until 71 yrs Gen X (1960-1980) – 34 until 54 years Millennials […]
As a Bruneian it might seem unimportant to you to think about drones. But with the right mindset even a subject so remote from you can change the way you think about your everyday life. Drones are essentially aircraft without pilots present in the aerial vehicle. They are instead controlled by ‘pilots’ from the ground in a remote location. In recent years, there has been a commercialization of drones by companies such as Amazon who are testing them for a new delivery system. However drones are used mainly for reconnaissance, surveillance, and warfare. By equipping drones with missiles and bombs, military strategy has become more efficient and it is possible to engage in warfare without being in the warzone. In many other fields, technology has made it easier to save lives (medicine), improve living (energy), or keep in touch (communication). In this field, technology has made it easier to kill.
The word kampung has its roots in the colonial times derived from the word camp as in site or an alteration on the word compound which, for some reason, dictionaries seem to describe as a Far Eastern or African term for an enclosure of residences. Kampung itself by definition is a small village or an area of rural residence – that is outside of the city and beyond the urban zone. I do not know if these terms apply to Brunei as decisive as these definitions seem to clarify but what I am trying to get at is the suggestion of a geographical ‘outside’ (of the city) and of the theoretical ‘other’ (than that of the centre).
A work of art can alienate if it remains an object of presentation perceived to belong on some unreachable plane. Unreachable in a sense that it is considered too highbrow or in the way it does not reach out and speak to the observer. Such misperception, that art is generally unreachable, can stem from both the artist and the observer.
The sense of tension in the painting ‘Rooted’ (above) makes it seem the human like figure is trying to writhe himself free of something. The contours of the figure affirms this narrative: the momentum of the anatomy gives me the impression that there is a contraction of the body, a subtle struggle. The neck looks like it is stretching out or fighting against a downward pull. If the figure was looking directly at me, the gaze of his hollow eyes would almost be unbearable. I feel I am spared by the artist. The colours tell a different story.