The substation at 25: On institutional memory and forgetting

Abstract

The Substation is often described as Singapore’s first independent art space, but in reality, only its programming is truly independent, and it has faced a constant struggle to survive under the pressures of time, space and money. In 2015, part of The Substation’s archive was transferred to the National Library Board for safekeeping. In the process of interviews and reviewing the materials, it became clear that the physical archive is an incomplete representation. For many, The Substation seems to exist first and foremost as an idea-to provide a conceptual, ideological space for experimentation in the arts in Singapore. Perhaps it can even be said to exist as a catalogue of yet-to-be-realised potential.