Our SG Mandate
2021, five-channel audio, 5m 54s
The excessive usage of the word ‘mandate’ in Singapore’s 2020 General Elections intrigued and prompted me to find out what it really means. This work is conceived as part of my explorations into the ‘mandate’ of the Singapore government, claimed as key to combating the present difficulties and towards better days ahead.
Scanning through news articles, rally speeches, interviews, and any public occasions in which the word ‘mandate’ is mentioned by a politician, the five-channel sound work puts together soundbites collected from different speakers across various instances. The overlapping speeches constitute a disorganised discussion regarding the nation’s future and the plans ahead, as the only intelligible moments occur during the common utterance of the word ‘mandate’.
A piece written as part of my explorations during the 2020 GE period can be read here.