1. Deeper understanding of church history, with a focus on its origin of visuals, images, iconography and publicity/graphic design/propaganda

2. To have a better understanding of the climate of the culture and society in which Christian messages now exist in (as opposed to past decades).

3. What are the common “Christian messages”? Jargon, clichés, stereotypes, visuals, etc. Who are they meant for? Who created them/How did they come to be? Who still uses them? Are they speaking to the target audience they are utilized for? Are they as effective in today’s culture and society (in the world and in particular, in Singapore)?

4. Research done on attitudes, perceptions and opinions about Christians, Christianity and their “messages”. First generally in the world and then specifically in Singapore. (Will probably specify a few countries other than Singapore, just for focusing’s sake)

6. Profile of a Christian Chinese individual living in Singapore.

7. Surveys done with university students in Singapore (from all religions) regarding their opinions on Christianity, Christians and their messages.

8. Brainstorm ways of effectively communicating Christian messages.

I understand my major in Visual Communication to be an intensive training in communication problem solving. How do we design the best solutions to communicate to the desired target audience? The challenge is then to know the audience and the message very well.

This is the ultimate challenge for any communication student: to design ways of communicating messages from a generally stigmatized community, i.e. Christians.

My task is to objectively treat all Christians as a client. How would and could I assist them in effectively communicating their messages? What are these messages and what constitutes effectively communicating them i.e. what are the desired outcomes of communicating these messages?

My caution and concern would be to ensure I do not portray Christians as a victimized community.

This should not be a pity-party, nor will it be a “lashing back at the world because you don’t like me” angst-ridden endeavor. Rather it should be an opportunity to look at what when wrong and why. Why do people find Christians and Christianity offensive? And what can be done to clear up the misunderstandings, not in a defensive manner, but in a genuine, sincere, humbled attempt to reflect upon and correct certain methods and manners of communicating Christian messages which offend and/or are turnoffs.

It is an extremely sensitive and vulnerable topic for me to pursue because I am a Christian myself.

However it is also an exploration into my identity as a Christian English-educated Chinese young woman living in Southeast Asia. My focus will be on fellow Christian Asians living in this part of the world. There will be times where post-colonialism, dying Asian traditions, the “generation gap”, westernized media, post-modernism and even the rise of technology will come into play.

My take is that it’s just like a sales pitch; the target market can choose to accept or not, to buy or not. My job is not to force them into buying, but rather to present in the best manner I possibly can. The rest is up to the potential buyer.

I do not have a fixed title yet for my FYP; titles are very important to me and I don’t feel I have sufficient grasp on the topic to give it a title yet. However, I can say my areas of research revolve around studying Christians and Christianity as if they were clients. This research will culminate in the profiling of the young (JC, university, and yuppie) Singaporean English-speaking Christian (very much like myself). It will also ultimately be to study this niche community which actually is very well connected and to discover what they think of themselves as Asian Christians and Christian Asians living in Singapore.

Well, I’ve finalized my research outline and topic. Made a little book out of it.

This book contains my research outline, contract and also a section on how me and my FYP advisor can work together.

“All human activity lies within the Artist’s scope”

– Geoffrey Chaucer

http://shamullings.blogspot.com/

Will copy and paste a few entries. 

The Royal Breakfast

—

You Know Not How I Feel, and You Never Shall…

Feelings 
deep deep down 
In my heart I feel 
So much, so real 
So solid, so here… 
Exploding. 
Queasiness, excitement, 
Fear. 
Butterflies, literally 
Up. Down. 
Jerking me around. 

Hollow fingers grab nothing 
Invisible grasps 
Aching gasps 
Frustration is wild 
Strangling, suffocating 
Wild, angry, a tangled mass 
O God, will you not release 
this broken lass? 

A trembling smile, 
pursed lips 
The sparkling duo 
dulled. 
Step, step, smile, 
Step, step, smile, 
The rhythm is simple 
but 

the crushing, the shattered, 
the shard within 
present always, 
jarred with each step 
the marred flinches 
clenched endurance 
gritted so hard 
as a child pinks with pain, 
with agony 
I cry out. 
But 

a sigh is all I allow 
to be uttered, 
To express the depths 
I swallow, 
Suppress. 
A prayer muttered 
A wisp, a film 
exposed, 
vulnerable, 
What sigh be it? 
A gentle, a whisper, 
slight, delicate, 
delicious… 
a sound barely there, 
deaf to the world. 
Light in existence 
so as to hide the insight 
to the inside… 
Of the It that died.

WHO am I? 

Shari Chong Ying Yi. Chinese-Malaysian. Mother-tongue English. Educated in Malay & English. Born and raised on Penang Island, Malaysia. Described as a “Caucasian Tai-Tai”. Speaks a little Mandarin and Hokkien. 

What is the biggest part of me? 

Being a Christian. Being a Christian Chinese-Malaysian growing up in Southeast Asia. What does that mean? 

Being considered a “Westernized/Americanized Asian”. What does that mean?

What does being “Ang Moh Sai” (White Shit) or “Kin Jiu Kia” (Banana Kid) really mean? What perceptions do these people have? Or Asia? Of the Western World? What is the “Western World” to them?

—

“In preparation for Octobust! – our festival celebrating Children’s Day – later this year, Esplanade will be working with various children’s groups to bring a series of arts workshops to their beneficiaries. During these workshops, themed “Postcards to/from the Moon”,  the students will be guided by trained artists to create artworks which will then be exhibited as part of a visual arts display at Jendela, Esplanade’s Visual Arts gallery, from 30 September to 14 October.

There are four workshops which you can volunteer your time at:

1.      9 June, 10.40am – 11.40am
Location: Metta School
Profile of workshop participants: Intellectually-disabled children

2.      16 June, 3pm – 5pm
Location: Pei Tong CareHut
Profile of workshop participants: Children with behavioral issues

3.      22 June, 3.30pm – 5.30pm
Location: MENDAKI
Profile of workshop participants: Children from low-income families

4.      30 June, 1.30pm – 3.30pm
Location: Evergreen Primary School (En Student Care centre)
Profile of workshop participants: Children with behavioral issues”

—

“Postcards to/from the Moon workshop  

Objective 

In an effort to increase reach and art participation from children 12 years old and under, as well as to 

extend the OctoBurst! experience beyond its four-day festival run, we propose to introduce Postcards 

to/from the Moon. This project invites children to submit works of art which illustrates stories and/or 

dialogue that they would imagine having with counterparts from the moon (and vice versa). Each drawing 

should also be accompanied by a short story which can be performed by a story-teller or the artist.  

Why the moon?  

The moon has captured many children’s imagination over all over the world for centuries.  Everywhere in 

the world, there are stories evolving the moon, folklores and even superstitions surrounding them. The 

Chinese still revisits the legend of Chang Er, with many still worshipping the moon, leaving offerings of 

prayer during Mid-autumn festival; Indians celebrate the moon during Moon Harvest; Judasim and most 

of the Middle Eastern culture allegorises the moon as female. In all cultures around the world, many 

superstitions are based on the waxing and the waning moon.  

Mathematically and scientifically, the lunar calendar is the more “accurate” calendar in comparison to the 

the Gregorian calendar that we use internationally today. Once perceived only as a flat and smooth 

surface, the moon and many of its related findings surrounding it, has helped scientific research 

progressed.  

The Moon has also been the subject of many works of art and literature. It is a motif in the visual arts, the 

mood-setter in performing arts, source of inspiration for countless of poetry, prose and music. Its 

mysticism and enigmatic nature still capturing the hearts, imagination and aspiration (we hear children 

wanting to be astronauts) of millions worldwide.   

Exhibition held in conjunction with…….. 

Rarely the occasion, Children’s Day coincides with the mid-autumn festival this year. We therefore take 

the opportunity to develop this relationship and conversation regarding the moon with children.  

Facilitators at the workshop  

Qualified artists who had previously exhibited or worked with Esplanade at some kind of capacity.  

Format of workshop  

Facilitator will encourage a narrative from the participants.  The children will be given a moment to reflect 

on their personal relationship/stories/encounters with the moon. They will be then asked to jot down their 

thoughts and translate them in pictorial forms, guided individually by the facilitators.  

Participants/Children are encouraged to sit around tables, preferably in groups of 8-10.  A range of 

materials will be provided by the facilitators themselves and the children can help themselves to their 

personal preferences.  

Materials  

The workshops aim to explore materials from two specific groups 1)the natural 2)the man-made.  They 

will be asked to choose one kind of material to represent their own postcard to the moon, and the other, 

postcard from the moon.  This will encourage the children to, in their thinking processes, delve deeper 

into the meanings, origins and connotations of the materials.  

The facilitators would also encourage the use of recycled/found materials. It would hopefully send the 

message to the children that there are indeed materials in abundance if they choose to look around them, 

and therefore hopefully instill in the children the values of being resourceful, as well as, the virtues of 

being prudent.  

Outcome of the workshop 

We envisage that there would be final products of an assortment of shapes, colours, and expressions – 

all of which would accompany different narratives of stories from the children themselves.  

While the facilitator may provide briefs, guidelines and conditions the children might need to adhere to 

(see example below), we still acknowledge the fact that children would have their own stories to tell, 

accompanied by their own individual expressions!  

Final display  

The facilitators will collect the artworks from the children at the end of each session (or otherwise, arrange 

for a pickup from Esplanade)  

An exhibition in Jendela (Visual Arts Space) at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay will feature all children’s 

work from the workshop. The exhibition will run from late September to early October 2009.  

—

My parents and the college group have been consistently visiting the CPS for two years now. I’ve gone with them twice when I was home. It’s so heartwarming to see how attached the children are to my parents and brother especially. The little boys just swarm my brother, asking him to carry them or show them how to play with his handphone. 

The children in the CPS come from broken homes. Some are orphans but most have been abused and/or neglected and so now they live in a small single-storey bungalow with about 20-plus other children. They have house mothers who are exceptionally caring and self-sacrificing. They run on charitable funding. 

There are children of all sorts of races. Chinese, Indian, Malay and even those of mixed heritage. I helped my mom teach them how to make beaded crocodile keychains out of beads and thin wire. Was pretty overwhelming at first, having to pay attention to so many children all shouting out “Sister Sister!”. But as they began to get the hang of the process, I was able to really go around and pay individual attention to each child, encouraging them when they got it right and reassuring them when they got frustrated and confused.

Poster made by Mom & Dad for CPS children

Mom with CPS poster

It’s such an honor to be able to love others. It almost feels so fulfilling that it makes you wonder if we weren’t created (or exist) for this one purpose: to do what we can to make the lives of others better. Loving others by doing what is best for them. 

Why am I blogging about all this in my FYP blog? Well, cos’ my FYP is part of my life now; it’s personal. And as such, it’s an opportunity for me to figure out some things I’m curious about, things which mean a lot to me. 

I’ll explain further in the upcoming entries.

What am I really excited about? Just creating works and working with children and/or youth. I have no commercial inclinations. Not yet anyway. Sometimes I do wish I had a little more excitement and drive towards the professional world though. But as of now, my heart yearns to work with troubled, less fortunate children/youth/women… I would love to work at the Northlight School or even at any centers or initiatives that help others. I figure I’ve been so blessed and loved my whole life, I want to give back to other people.

These are fragments of musings I’ve been chewing on as I near graduation. I am most comfortable using creative methods and communication skills to work with children, youth and battered women who don’t get the attention and respect they deserve. My heart aches for them and I think I can and want to finally do something about it rather than sit around and cry for them.