Halfway through writing the first draft of this review, I realized something: I didn’t really want to go over the same old narrative loopholes, or the sad state of action sequences in summer blockbusters that have reduced battles to demolition derbies. So instead of writing 1000 words on camera angles and the improbability that anyone believed Nick Fury was actually dead, I’m going to talk about Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, and the unavoidably political dimensions of one of America’s most famous superheroes.
I’ll preface this opinion piece by saying that yes, I am a fervent feminist. I am that girl who spends her free time writing rebuttals to sexist RJ Confessions, who can’t watch a movie without asking herself whether it passes the Bechdel Test, who has interned with AWARE in the past. In short, the kind of ardent advocate for women’s rights who might be caricatured as being a bra-burning, man-hating, humorless lesbian.
Last Friday was a night for the arts. Despite sheeting rains, throngs of Rafflesians swarmed the amphitheatre in anticipation of The Poetry of Movement, while Raffles Photography Society’s Anamorphosis and Raffles Art Club’s Up had taken over the adjacent walkways. In a corner of Block A, a warm glow unfurled from the usually disused art exhibition space. This was Crossing, a joint showcase by the most recent batch of graduated art students encapsulating their progress at a point when they are about to embark on their respective university educations.
A significant turnout for the art alumni’s collaborative exhibition
Although the space was only meant to open at 7.30pm, a steady stream of alumni and students from other schools began trickling in beginning from 6pm. Walking in, William Batara Jeremiah Samosir was seen animatedly talking to two J2 art students about his coursework boards: “That’s the good thing about art – you can never have something perfect.”
Seet Yun Teng articulated its significance thus, “For us, this showcase tracks our progress, letting us see where we are now. It’s a milestone in our lives, tracking how far we’ve come and where we’re going, which is very important especially for those of us who might not be going down an art path in future. For our batch, it’s like closure.” Of the ten students, four will be attending a fine arts education, including Yun Teng and William. Two others hope to study architecture.
Pursuing something as demanding as art demands a great deal of passion, which these alumni did not lack. Asked what her most valuable takeaway from JC art was, Yun Teng said, “What I like is that art here really opens the mind up and encourages experimentation and independent work, which you don’t really see in other schools […] Art here showed me that it is possible to do art beyond JC. There’s a perception that it’s not possible to study art at a higher level, but my time in art convinced me that this is really what I want to do for the rest of my life.” Yun Teng is currently interning at the National Arts Council.
William’s evocative installation was a heartfelt commentary on the feeling of displacement from being in a foreign country, and parental love.
Similarly, for William, art was clearly something both tied to the self and indispensable: “Art is a language in itself, you use it to express things language can’t really express. It’s like a religion and a philosophy […] a real and total reflection of your life and experience. And I think art is meant to be shared.”
A closeup of one of the hundred memories, printed on tissue paper, making up Seet Yun Teng’s coursework.Tan Yan Yong’s coursework, entitled Course, was a maze installation featuring quirky larger-than-life illustrations of the inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract.Chia Yu Xuan’s installation drew on the properties of temples to create an immersive spiritual experience.
Share it they did. The artworks on display at the exhibition that day spanned a wide range of materials, from oil on canvas to mixed media to illustration to video to installation, and grappled with various subject matters ranging from social identity to spirituality. Since a coursework concept is developed over the span of up to a year, many of these artworks were extremely personal, offering an insight into the artists’ worldviews and what they held dear to their hearts. Yun Teng’s work, An Open Call for Memories, was a ten-month process. She collected memories from over a hundred people in pictures and text which they either wished they remembered or wanted never to forget. The images were printed on tissue paper to symbolise fragility, mounted on the interior of a Styrofoam space, backlit with small lights and the anecdotes painstakingly handwritten in gaps in the Styrofoam. The resultant immersive installation was a cosy space suffused with warmth, allowing one to literally get a glimpse of the fragile, precious memories of all contributors. Said Yun Teng: “It’s a very personal work for me, but at the same time it’s very universal because it speaks to a wider audience.”
Eugene Tan’s Die-abetic Me photoseries
In addition to their coursework, each artist also displayed samples of work they have done since graduation, which were more experimental in nature. William featured Clouds ‘n’ Thoughts, a popular ongoing instagram-based project dedicated to illustrating pithy quotes that anyone can submit here. Another student, Ahmad Nazaruddin, submitted a glass and charcoal-on-paper work addressing the prickly subject of religion. Eugene Tan, whose trompe l’oeil triptych oil painting drew considerable interest from exhibition-goers, also submitted a photoseries exploring the sinister nature of seemingly innocuous candy, aptly titled Die-abetic Me. Having been liberated from the constraints of the A Level system, each of them evidently seized the chance to explore their interests and take more risks. When comparing each artist’s past courseworks to their present experiments, one can clearly see how their skills and conceptualisation abilities have progressed since their graduation, as well as their flexibility in dealing with a diverse range of topics of interest.
Four of ten exhibiting artists, and their teachers. Left to right: Ms Amanda Poh, Miss Julie Lee, Seet Yun Teng, Ahmad Nazaruddin, Tan Yan Yong, William Batara Jeremiah Samosir.
Mr Chia Wei Hou, their teacher and mentor throughout their H2Art journey, commented on the artworks exhibited, “Overall, their coursework was very high in standard, but the works that they do now are very organic – in a way they’re more engaged and open. There’s the sense that there is no longer a need to come up with a solution [to a question]… They’re full of potential, and I hope they can use their knowledge and make a difference in whatever they do and continue the passion. This exhibition is site and context-specific, so before we take it all down, I hope that as many people can see it as possible.” Yun Teng said, “Not everyone could make it, but I’m proud we put it together.”
Written by Shikhar Gupta (15S06M) and Lorraine Fong (15A01C)
Photos by Isaac Siaw (15S03Q)
Lift, breathe, swing, release. Strike.
The electric atmosphere at Orchid Bowl in Orchid Country Club was unmistakable for anything but the pride of the various supporters for their schools, and there was never a moment when the cheering stopped. With the 34th Council pouring on the support, the A-Division bowlers of Raffles Institution bowled their way to strong finishes.
Boys
Surprisingly, the boys were not always in command, as one would surmise looking at their performance on 29th April at Orchid Bowl. They had been trailing Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) for the first two days of the tournament, but pushed hard to claim the lead on the third day. Following that they gave no quarter on the final day, and cruised to victory, claiming the overall school champions spot.
The Boys’ team takes home the overall schools’ championship title
Speaking to Press, team captain Jevarn Li said “I’m really happy and proud. We lost to ACJC last year by one point, and I am proud that we managed to win it back by a larger margin.”
Both he and his teammates were clearly elated at their success. The team comprising Marcus Seah, Ian Siow, Ng Kai Xiang and Jevarn came in first for the Team event, Jevarn and Marcus came in 2nd runner’s up for the Doubles event, and Jevarn clinched the overall all events gold with a 29 pin lead.
Girls
The girls also performed strongly, however they missed out on top spot for overall schools, losing narrowly to the ACJC girls. They had taken the lead on the first day, but after ACJC had wrested it back on the next, they were left playing catch-up.
Cheritta Low, captain of the RI female bowling squad reflected, “We trained very very hard this year, it seemed very promising, but luck wasn’t on our side. However, I am very proud of my team for persevering through trainings, and throughout the four days of the tournament and never giving up.”
Team members Jamie, Rebecca, Clarie and Limin huddle together to encourage and spur each other on during the tournament
The team of Joey Yeo, Kristin Quah, Cheritta Low and Darolyn Tan came in first for the team event, but their performance was not enough to take the overall girls’ champions position. Also a national bowler, Joey Yeo performed spectacularly. She and Jamie Lim came in first and first runner’s up for the Singles event, respectively.
In the Doubles event, the pairs of Joey and Kristin, placed first, while Darolyn and Cheritta came in second. Not only did Joey win the high game award for two separate events, scoring pinfalls of 248 and 247 during the Singles and Team event, she also clinched the overall girls gold with a 326 pin lead in what was a seemingly effortless performance.
From left to right: Darolyn, Cheritta, Joey and Kristin proudly accept their gold trophies for the team event
Clearly the star of the show, Joey Yeo felt satisfied with her performance, and thanked the team for their never ending support, camaraderie, and perseverance. The bowling teacher-in-charge, Mr Lee Chee Keong was also happy with both the boys’ and girls’ performances. When asked to sum up his feelings about the tournament, his reply was simply “Good job.”
When asked about the future of RI Bowling, Cheritta was pensive. “Seeing a lot of our juniors train for the past half a year or so, I’ve seen them improve a lot and I am very proud of them. And though we placed 2nd, there is still a chance to fight. There is no definite ‘winner’ or ‘loser’, it can only go up from here,” she said.
All five teams were also buoyed by the constant support by the Rafflesian councilors,who themselves were enjoying the action. One of the supporters even wanted in on it, saying that “everyone [wanted] to bowl, because it [was] so fun.” The bowlers never forgot the supporters even throughout the whole four hours of the final day, acknowledging their cheers constantly.
Amidst all the feelings about the game, Rebecca Wong felt wistful that her competitive days were probably over. “I’ll probably and hopefully continue [bowling] as a leisure sport, and it’s so sad as this is our last major competition,” she told Press.
Framing it up: RI Bowling poses for the camera with their awards lined up before them
The fight is not yet over for Joey, Cheritta, Jevarn and Kai Xiang, though. The four of them ride high on confidence into the Masters Finals, to be held on the 3rd of May at Orchid Bowl. The event will be starting at 8 AM, so do hop by to offer your support if you can! All of us here at Raffles Press would like to congratulate everyone, and the best of luck to those competing this Saturday.
Written by Ching Ann Hui (15S03A), Michelle Choy (15S05A), and Tan Su (15S07A)
Months of intense training – including coming to school before assembly to train – boiled down to 2 days of finals for Raffles Swim. As Madeline Quek put it, the trainings were “tiring physically, but worth it”. Looking at the results now, it is clear that it was indeed worth it – with the A division girls clinching 1st overall and A division boys being awarded first runners up.
It was a close fight and tensions were rising with RI’s rival schools ACS(I) and ACJC proving to be strong competitors. The coach of RI swim Mr Lim Yao Xiang commented early on that there was no clear indication on which school would emerge victorious, and that it might even “boil down to the last relay.” Despite having “no national swimmers on the team”, the stellar achievements stood as testament to the sheer grit and hard work of our swimmers.
GIRLS
The girl’s segment of the competition began with our girls team placing in the top 3 for almost all races – a result consistent with what we have seen in previous years.
For the 50m Freestyle race, tensions rose as Song Ai Vee went neck and neck with Annis Loy from Temasek Junior College. The two eventually tied for second place after an intense fight, with Nicole Ong Ting Zhi racing in a close third just milliseconds after. Nicole Ong also bagged a bronze medal for the 50m backstroke.
Similar victories were seen in the 200m freestyle where Dayna Ang and Christiane Tan placed 1st and 2nd respectively. Richelle Ang also made a podium finish – clinching third place in the 200m individual medley. Rachel Lee put up a strong showing with two wins: 3rd in the 50m breaststroke as well as in the 100m breaststroke.
Madeline Quek was another serial medallist with her placing of 2nd in the 50m backstroke and butterfly. Over at the 200m breaststroke, Grace Tan placed 3rd and Gayle Tan placed a commendable 2nd despite facing strong competitors from ACJC.
The 400m freestyle elicited cheers from the Rafflesian crowd as Teo Jing Wen, Kimberly Yeo and Chloe Tan all placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively, sweeping the awards for that category.
A breathtaking dash to the finish in the 200m breaststroke event led to Samantha Yeo setting a new competition record, clocking in at 2.34.17 – almost 3 whole seconds faster than the previous record.
Samantha again clinched first position for the Girls 100m Breaststroke, with a record breaking timing of 1:11.65, 1.06 seconds faster than the previous record. Unfortunately, the result was subsequently disqualified due to her doing a double fly kick.
Despite that, spirits soared as the much-anticipated 4x50m Freestyle Relay saw our girls relay team (Samantha Yeo, Teo, Jing Wen Shan, Madeline Quek and Song Ai Vee) bring a roaring victory to RI by coming in first with a timing of 1:50.44 9 in the 4×50 Meter Freestyle relay. The 4x50m Medley relay had a similar showing, with the girls securing the overall gold medal for our team.
BOYS
Victory was never a certain prospect with our boys team facing up against strong rivals such as ACJC, ACSI and Singapore Sports School (who had home advantage). Swim team coach Mr Lim Yao Xiang had realistic expectations of the boys team, remarking that “with no national swimmers in the team i feel that second is already a very good result.”
In the 200m freestyle race – a race primarily between RI, ACSI and ACJC, Andy Lo was able to clinch the gold medal, beating ACSI by 1.23 seconds. The other 2 RI swimmers,, Aloysius Tan and Bryan Tan came in 4th and 5th respectively. Other notable races include the 100m breaststroke where Alexander Tseng Wei Chen, Teo Cheng Quan Edmund and Lee Teck Fang Kenneth came in 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively. Despite the stiff competition for the 100m backstroke, where a new record was set by one of our arch competitors, Andy Lo and Joshua Koh fought to clinch the 2nd and 5th respectively. Joshua Koh also took home a bronze for the 200m Backstroke.
Quan Ren Barry Koh fought hard to finish 5th in the 200m butterfly race. In the first and second laps, he was placed 6th with timings of 1:07.18, 1:44.4 respectively. However, at the last lap, after putting up a valiant fight, he finally emerged 5th, with the timing of 2 2:23.54.
The 4x50m freestyle and medley relays were both highly anticipated races. For the freestyle race, our team fought hard but ACSI took the lead and clinched gold by a narrow 3-second difference. Ultimately the Raffles Swim team came in second for both races, making the school extremely proud. The team consisted of Bradley Samual, Windley, Teo Chang Quan Edmund, Lee Teck Fang Kenneth and Tan Xuan Fu.
The fight to the finish is never easy, just as the race to the finals was tough for the Raffles Swim team. However, as A-division girls captain Kathleen Leong said: We really hope that the raffles legacy will be able to continue for many years to come and that everybody will be able to swim for pride, glory, honour – Raffles!
