Otso-Otso

My piece is all about taking space - having an outlet of self-expression. This socio-cultural space in Singapore, holding a diverse collective of ethnic groups should provide me a sense of safety and security. But there is an inertia in doing so due to a deep-rooted, internalised shame from childhood that is not properly processed. In every space I was in, there was always a feeling of “Other-ness”. As a response, I assimilated through learning how to change the way I spoke.

Being rejected from the space that I was born in and being reminded by the people in my immediate family about that, I was extremely afraid of authority, and people-pleasing was an immediate defence mechanism. Because of this, I’ve realised that I had rejected myself, along with the oppressors who had done the same.

In this piece titled Otso-otso (eight-eight), I utilise sight and sound - colourful textiles and Karaoke classics in the Philippines to create visual and sonic disturbance.