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ZeroOne San Jose / ISEA2006 exhibitions
Singapore Container: Margaret Tan + Shirly Soh Curated by Gunalan Nadarajan
Sticking Point
Written by Michela Pilo   
Aug 03, 2006 at 08:52 PM

This work deals with the recent FTA between Singapore and USA that has been a source of tremendous optimism and grave concern among a variety of people, depending on which side of the free-trade issue one sides with.

One of the elements that Singapore has had to 'give in' is that of the import of chewing gum. The FTA problematized the ban on the import of chewing gum imposed by the Singapore government in the late 80's. Given the fact that this has been one of the most conspicuous and controversial policies of the Singapore government, it is no surprise that there are several political sensitivities that have been sparked by this. It is fascinating how this ban on chewing gum has unfavorably positioned Singapore internationally. Today, Singapore still holds the ban on the import of chewing gums but as a provision to the FTA given in to the limited imports of therapeutic chewing gum (e.g., nicotine gum).

In this work, we seek to problematize the notion of free trade by reflecting on the ways in which it brings deeper cultural and political differences to the forefront. Toward this end, we are proposing to create a video installation comprising of interviews of Singaporeans who are asked to express their views about the FTA, free trade and their notion of what US imports mean to them.