We must always remember; the gift we once had and could not keep

A message for The Substation’s 30th Anniversary

All those who have walked through the doors of The Substation have felt the weight of its love and know its magic.

When I first came to Singapore in 2004, I did not fit in anywhere. A classical Odissi dancer trying to do experimental work—there was absolutely no place for me, not just here but anywhere else. Then I discovered The Substation and Audrey Wong (Artistic Co-Director of The Substation from 2000–2009). I was welcomed and given space to work with no questions asked. For the next 7 years, The Substation was home. I had access to a studio every day to practise and make work and be part of a thriving, spirited community of artists. Whatever I have managed today as an artist, I owe it to this little space with the biggest heart that a brick-and-mortar building could have. It did not matter where I had come from or what I did. I was an artist and The Substation was a home for all art and artists.

I would never imagine that one day I have the honour of being the Artistic Co-Director of The Substation. I was overwhelmed with joy but also conscious of the huge responsibility and obligation that I have in terms of giving back to art and young artists—just as I had been given the support all those years ago. Every day, I wonder if I am doing enough, whether I'd be able to repay the debt of love.

Just walking into the building every day makes me happy. In Rabindranath Tagore's short story The Hungry Stones, he writes of the walls absorbing stories. This is true with our small space on 45 Armenian Street. The building is alive and has a spirit. When you can feel the energy which emerges from the walls, you too will be convinced it is alive. A place like this is rare. In July 2021, this building will be taken away for renovation, and we will—in all probability—never be able to re-create anything quite like it again. The Substation was Kuo Pao Kun's dream, a gift to the arts community in Singapore. It has been three decades and perhaps we once took this place for granted and did not value it enough.

Now it will go, inevitably an era will pass, and we will never have anything like this ever again. But we must always remember; remember the gift that we once had and could not keep.

Raka Maitra
Artistic Co-Director of The Substation (2019–)