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| Jennifer Teo (second from left) with the organizers of the Tokyo RRFM |
When Jennifer and Tien had an opportunity to rent a gallery
space, they seized the opportunity to fill a void they saw in the Singapore
cultural landscape, creating a relaxed, open space for artists, students and
anyone from the larger community interested in joining in or simply
socializing. “The Post-Museum is focused
on people creating the culture they want.”
From 2007 to 2011, they ran a combined gallery and studio space for
artists, the only such place in Singapore to be entirely self-funded. Artists and community members were able to
gather, socialize and create art outside the constraints and pressures of the
institution.
Although the physical space has since closed, the
Post-Museum continues to work in Singapore, focused on commissioned projects,
art activities, and most importantly community building. “We wanted to get people to participate, come
together, and work to make a better world.
It’s not just about the art, it’s the social part of the art, creating
culture from the ground up.”
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| Singapore Really Really Free Market |
One of the most important projects connected with the
Post-Museum is the Really Really Free Market, a temporary market session passed
on a gift economy, hosted by a horizontally-organized collective. Effectively, a RRFM is something like a flea
market where any and all goods and services are available for free – at the
Singapore RRFM, currently one of the longest-running RRFMs in the world, people
bring everything from old clothes and books to freshly baked pastries, and
offer their knowledge as yoga instructors, tarot card readers, or just lend a
listening ear and a free hug. There is
no price on anything, nor even a sense of bartering. Jennifer explains that the point isn’t to
acquire goods or find a deal; it’s about challenging how we assign values to
objects and services, and building ties within our community.
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| All kinds of services can be found at the Singapore RRFM |
“It’s like a picnic,” she explains – the food might be the
first thing you notice, but it’s not really what brought everyone there. “For a time, there is total freedom. Everyone has a good time, everyone makes
friends.”
Jennifer has come to Worcester to organize our first RRFM on September 8, 2019. Though she brings her expertise from Singapore, as well as various other cities in Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and the UK where she has helped to establish RRFMs, she sees this not as a personal project, but as “seeding” a new chapter – creating a team that will keep the movement going after she has left.
Jennifer has come to Worcester to organize our first RRFM on September 8, 2019. Though she brings her expertise from Singapore, as well as various other cities in Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and the UK where she has helped to establish RRFMs, she sees this not as a personal project, but as “seeding” a new chapter – creating a team that will keep the movement going after she has left.
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| Everyone has something to contribute! |
If you’re interested in joining the project – as an
organizer or just a volunteer for the day – contact Jennifer Teo at
Jennifer@post-museum.org and put WRRFM in your subject line. You can also meet with Jennifer at any of our
upcoming Southeast Asian Artist-In-Residence Open Studios, beginning Wednesday,
August 21.