I am a Farmer.

[ Image: Rojak 8 @ National Stadium. Source:Torrance Goh ]

FARM. An area for growing of crops or rearing of animals. Or if you are referring to FARM.sg then it’ll be about the society that nurtures local artists and designers. With their recently concluded STAMP campaign, and their fast growing spatial design arm, FARMworks, Torrance of Farm.sg is getting really busy lately. Five Foot Way Magazine’s Adib J takes a little out of his time for a chat about Farm and the built environment.

FFW: Describe what FARM.sg is about and how you fit in within the farm setup.

TG: FARM is a society that nurtures local artists and designers. Basically, FARM facilitates and initiates a variety of Systems to encourage conversations, exchange and collaboration between Singapore-based Creatives. I work with a few others on the conceptualisation of these Systems and how they are run.

FFW: Tell everyone who Torrance of Farm is.

TG: I am keen in making things. I am trained in art when I was very young and later on architecture but have always been experimenting with graphics.

[ Image: . Source:Torrance Goh ]

FFW: FARM has set out to ‘grow local creatives’. In your opinion, what is the state of creative growth in Singapore?

TG: I think the creative industry is generally getting much better in these past few years, whether be it in food, arts, films, literature or architecture. There are also numerous government initiatives to make a better creative city. We are still a very young industry and are keen in celebrating anything that comes along

FFW: With ROJAK, FARM-ers have been exposed to a variety of local creatives thought processes and works. Is there a distinctive Singapore taste to the works in ROJAK so far?

TG:No, I do not think so. With the globalisation of cities aided by the connectedness of internet and our constant globe-trotting, it’s not surprising to see works that are no longer contextually based. However, it is also those that relate more to a local culture or society that we notice and enjoy.

[ Image: Rojak 8 @ National Stadium. Source:Torrance Goh ]

FFW: The recently concluded STAMP organised by FARM have had a large impact on how people see these postboxes. What was simply urban furniture that blended into oblivion has been transformed into a canvas for expression. What is your take on seeing urban furniture as designed objects?

TG: I think we have already witness more and more urban furniture design that works in numerous cities. I am especially keen in those that involve the community for the city belongs very much to them. The design will reflect their culture, upbringing and creative levels.

FFW: Do you feel STAMP have had its desired impact?

TG: Yes and no. STAMP does not contribute to new designs of urban furniture. It however makes the post-boxes interesting by making a canvas for the public’s brush. STAMP is a system that began from a frustration of the lack of public art or graffiti, so yes, it has its impact by showing the public the possibilities of public community Art.

FFW: If there was one thing that you would do differently about STAMP or FARM, what would it be?

TG:It will be the permanence of the artworks in STAMP. We understand this is quite impossible for many were cautious as to how they will look like as this is a first attempt at painting post-boxes. However I am still glad that STAMP has churned out many beautiful post-boxes that are very contextual to their site.

[ Image: Farm Works. Source:Torrance Goh ]

FFW: After STAMP, what’s next?

TG; There might be another STAMP. We work on systems so we are keen to try make things work again. Many of the new systems work on collaborative efforts.

FARMWORK has been something we have been working on for a year. It began as a system of collaborative space-making studio, integrating our local creatives’ work with spatial constructs. Right now, we have a portfolio of interiors and exhibition spaces. And we are pleased to begin on architectural works as well.

WORM is a new System on publishing artists’ and designers’ books. We are working on 2 books. The first is with Tang Ling Nah on the state of local curator-ship and the second is with Michael Lee on the never built National Art Gallery.

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Adib is the co-founder of 5ft Creatives and he loves to walk on the FIVEFOOTWAY.