PIYH: Exhibition Day

On 6 October 2024, roughly 4 months after the commencement of this project, we formally launched the Paradise in Your Hands exhibition at Punggol Regional Library (PRL). In fact, you can sign up for it right here, and the exhibition will be open until the end of November. View our participants’ lovely and heartfelt clay sculptures in person!

The day itself arrived with a mix of excitement and nervous energy as our youth volunteers, senior participants, and their friends and family gathered in PRL’s cozy programme room. Of course, anGie seah was present as well, being the artist heading this project and imparting her artistic expertise to our participants. She kicked off the discussion by presenting a slideshow that we created to recap each of our sessions, also offering her reflections on the overall creative process and the value of collaboration across generations. 

We then screened two videos that captured the essence of the PIYH project. The first featured an interview with the artist herself, who despite her initial shyness, spoke candidly about her vision and the joy of guiding everyone. The second video showcased the participants’ perspectives, and the room erupted with laughter when a youth volunteer chimed in on-screen, “Actually, Uncle Mike [is] quite cool leh.” Moments like these are what we strive for, as they truly highlight the lasting bonds formed during our programmes. 

In addition, we invited a few of our youth and senior participants up on stage to participate in a panel discussion where they could share their overall takeaways from the PIYH project. In a heartwarming moment, both of the youths revealed that they were still in touch with the seniors they had partnered with! anGie also conducted a lively, impromptu Q&A session during the discussion about the field trip session, as some of the patrons in attendance were quite curious about the Dragon Kiln. One member of the public had frequently purchased clay wares from there, but had been unaware that you can actually enter the Kiln and explore its interior. In addition to fostering intergenerational bonds, we are glad that the PIYH project can also enable our participants to explore a little piece of Singapore’s artistic history. 

After the discussion, we moved to Level 4 for the exhibition. Everyone was eager to see their sculptures displayed under the bright spotlights in shining glass cases, each accompanied by writeups detailing the names of the creators and the stories behind their works. Large info panels showcased various other interesting takeaways from the PIYH project, such as the 2 videos we created, quotes from the volunteers, snippets from these very diary entries, and of course, a thank-you to all of our participants.

The day concluded with a few cheerful group photos taken against the backdrop of the exhibition, framed by some adorable doodles of all the participants that one of our volunteers had drawn. The PIYH project was truly a celebration of connections and shared experiences, and the laughter, stories, and friendships formed from this project filled our hearts with warmth. Thank you, as well, for being part of this journey—stay tuned for more stories that continue to emerge from our exploration of art and community.