By Clara Tan, Hariz Emran and Tessa Goh

 

Earlier in the semester, maNUScript went live with the primary purpose of inviting students and staff of the National University of Singapore (NUS) to revitalise the campus via collective self-expression. Currently located at Level 4 of the NUS Central Library, maNUScript is an interactive visual installation as part of third space presented by the NUS Office of Student Affairs, Centre for the Arts (CFA) and supported by ExxonMobil Asia Pacific.

Drawing inspiration from a previous installation titled The Wheel of Hypersensitivity by Dani Massee and Milena Radzikowska, the project was originally born out of a group proposal submitted for the NM3245 Managing Arts and Cultural Events course offered by the NUS Department of Communications and New Media (CNM). As part of the final assignment for the course, we were tasked with curating our own arts event based on the purpose and objectives of the third space programme that revolve around the setting of social spaces for arts experiences, exploration and inquiry projects, as well as the empowerment of both students and staff. maNUScript was thus conceived with the following objectives in mind:

1. To establish highly accessible arts experience sites for NUS students and staff
2. To rally the involvement and participation of NUS students and staff in campus redesigning efforts
3. To provide space for discourse and conversations on identity amongst NUS students and staff
4. To generate opportunities for self-expression by NUS students and staff in the provided medium

We are grateful to NUS Libraries for their partnership in enabling the use of space to experiment and bring maNUScript to life through their Placemaking initiative, aimed at bringing meaning to library spaces and beyond, to meet the diverse needs of the NUS community. Other than providing the venue to host the installation, librarians and staff from NUS Libraries shared insights on the best location to install maNUScript as well as how best to activate the space to encourage NUS community’s participation. Special thanks to Ming Guang, a member of Placemaking Matrix who oversaw this meaningful collaboration.

Apart from the venue change, we were fortunately able to retain the other details of the project. In its current iteration, maNUScript is being managed by three members of the initial project group: Clara Tan, Hariz Emran and Tessa Goh.

We truly believe that the significance of maNUScript, with its uplifting and reflective prompt statement, lies in its provision of a space for a diverse range of insights and expression that enables it to be all-welcoming while also allowing for mutual affirmation since one can find like-minded participants through the installation. After all, the project was designed to build upon Henri Lefebvre’s conceptualisation of the spatial triad: perceived, conceived and lived space. It prompts participants to reflect on their perceived space, specifically the physical traits and properties of their faculty campus that they encounter daily and possibly ways in which they can be revitalised. Next, the creative input by participants is inherently a collective representation of their conceived space, of their diverse understandings of the faculty campus as well as its significance and purposes. Finally, participants are also invited to engage in lived space through the installations by forming new social relations, while maintaining already established ones, and sharing their own lived experiences and opinions.

To interact with the installation, participants can utilise the provided resources on-site to respond to the prompt statement in either of the following ways or even both at once:

• Jot down a response on a note paper and pin it onto the board
• Identify the pinned responses that resonate with them the most and use a coloured string to tie those pins together

Apart from the previously stated objectives that maNUScript initially set out to do, we sincerely hope that participants walk away from the installation having at least meaningfully contributed to a tangible manifestation of a collective identity on campus while also learning more about their peers. The plethora of responses that have coloured the installation since its launch has not only provided us with a positive indication of the success of our humble endeavour but also a sense of hope and optimism on campus.

To help promote and guide participants on how to interact with maNUScript, we also held a mini launch event on the 12^th of February 2025 at the installation itself. We explained the inspiration behind maNUScript before inviting the audience to pin their notes onto the board.

Participants can stay updated with the latest developments of maNUScript by following our Instagram page @manuscript.nus! Do stay tuned for our fireside chat sometime in Week 10 of the semester.

 

List of resources from NUS Libraries to help inform our approach

Bernstein, J. S. (2014). Standing Room Only: Marketing Insights for Engaging Performing Arts Audiences. Palgrave Macmillan.

Brown, S. & James, J. (2003). Event Design and Management: Ritual Sacrifice?. In I. Yeoman, M. Robertson, J. Ali-Knight, S. Drummond & U. McMahon-Beattie (Eds.), Festival and Events Management: An International Arts and Culture Perspective (pp. 53–64). Routledge.

Dimmock, K., & Tiyce, M. (2001). Festivals and Events: Celebrating Special Interest Tourism. In N. Douglas, N. Douglas, & R. Derrett (Eds.), Special Interest Tourism: Context and Cases (pp. 355–384). John Wiley & Sons Australia.

Lefebvre, H. (1991). The Production of Space. Donald Nicholson-Smith (trans.). Basil Blackwell.

Silvers, J. R. (2008). Risk Management for Meetings and Events. Butterworth-Heinemann.