An experiment on non-conventional printed narratives and storytelling. Adopting traits of ergodic literature, it is a fictional graphic novel/cookbook whose narratives are unravelled through recipes, journals, emails and game(s). As an ergodic, experimental text, it requires the reader to explore the various visuals, texts and formats to fully discover the narrative.
The story follows an unidentified creature seeking to impress a cashier by writing a cookbook, of which the book details its journey in writing the cookbook.
‘Get cracking’ means to get started with something quickly. With Singapore’s fast-paced lifestyle, we often forget to fully immerse ourselves in the moment, thus overlooking the little joys in life. Even the act of eating might become a mindless activity, where people rush to finish their meals to continue on with their bustling lives, without savouring the food they are consuming. In Singapore, with the advent of convenience foods or processed foods, and the growing prioritisation of careers and academics in families, there is a decline of home cooking, and children have fewer opportunities to be involved in cooking and planning their meals. Cooking becomes a chore and a hindrance, and people increasingly turn to eating out or taking away food.
Let’s Get Crackin’ seeks to spark joy and interest in food and cooking in children, and help them get in touch with food, using a fun, creative and mindful approach. It comprises an illustrated step-by-step recipe book with engaging activities and educational information that aims to build healthy and joyful relationships with food, together with a kit containing cooking tools and items that would ease children into getting started in their food and cooking journey.
Mai Kiasu Lah!! is a semi-fictional graphic novel told through the perspective of the author, an adult who is reflecting on her experiences with Singapore’s kiasu education culture and performance-centric society. The author characterises her fear of losing out as an imaginary monster. Through a series of short stories, the author explores her relationship with this kiasu mentality and academic validation growing up in Singapore’s education system. This collection of stories hopes to challenge the performance-centred nature of Singaporean society, and question the effectiveness of a meritocratic education system on nurturing young creatives in Singapore. This project therefore aims to shed some light on this issue and not to solve it entirely, but to provide a sense of solace to those who feel the same way.
PLAYFUL BYGONES: The Novelty of an Expired Era is an experimental zine that embraces the delightful lunacy of play through journalism, illustration and design. “Play culture” may be a nebulous concept at times – but it is a perfect reflection of the norms and values of a society at any given moment, deserving of its own documentation and celebration.
