Complete works of Kuo Pao Kun
Just found this series at the library yesterday. Found it to be quite interesting, so I borrowed volume 7:papers and speeches home to read. Some general information of the series is that it contains the works of Mr Kuo Pao Kun, one of the pioneers for the Singapore theatre scene. He has indeed inspired many and his 24 pieces of work is noteworthy, some of which has been showcased overseas too, such as(but not limited to) The coffin is too big for the hole(棺才太大洞太小),laojiu(老九);and the silly little girl and the funny old tree(傻女孩与怪老树).
Here I would like to talk about some of the works mentioned in volume 7.
One of the articles mentioned is" Better to have a Worthy Failure than a Mediocore Sucess"
He mentions that the spirit to explore to experiment and to break through, is innate in al artistic endeavours. In its remarkable effort to search for excellence, Singapore has created a twin monster------the fear of failure(also known as kiasu-ism).Indeed, on our way to greater achievements, we have forgotten the age-old wisdom that failure is the mother of sucess. The most important line in the article(I feel) is"Give more value to a 'failed' bold adventure than a 'successful' meek repeat."
(My opinions) True enough, we are almost given direct paths to follow and "succeed" in life from the very day we are born. We always say" 学别人的优点,学别人怎么成功", but by "copying" other people's technique, we are merely repeating the successes of others, not our own. A good example would be how primary school language teachers teach(no offence). They often tell students to pick out the good points of others and put it into their own writing. What I wonder is, shouldnt the students writing be only dictated by the students themselves? Schools nowadays often teach students learn how to learn, but shouldnt students themselves learn how to learn by trying different methods and through experimenting, themselves?
He also aptly defines art into 4 categories, mainly literature, visual arts( such as paintings etc), music and theatre.
有的人, 想表达一种意思, 他把这种意思用文字写下来, 这是文学的根本.
有的人, 想表达一种意思, 他把这种意思用线条和色彩表达出来,这是绘画的根本.
有的人, 想表达一种意思, 他把这种意思用声音和节奏表达出来,这是音乐的根本.
有的人, 想表达一种意思, 他把这种意思用本身一些动作表达出来,这就是戏剧的根本.
(taken from page 22 和中学生谈戏剧, volume 7 of complete works of kuo pao kun)
Interesting,isnt it?
Of course, in the book, there are much much more articles on arts,culture and theatre which is very interesting, but I picked these 2 as they relate better to me (and my blog readers,if there were any).
I highly recommend this series of books for 1) anyone interested in the arts or 2) anyone wants some enrichment and inspiration).
Here I would like to talk about some of the works mentioned in volume 7.
One of the articles mentioned is" Better to have a Worthy Failure than a Mediocore Sucess"
He mentions that the spirit to explore to experiment and to break through, is innate in al artistic endeavours. In its remarkable effort to search for excellence, Singapore has created a twin monster------the fear of failure(also known as kiasu-ism).Indeed, on our way to greater achievements, we have forgotten the age-old wisdom that failure is the mother of sucess. The most important line in the article(I feel) is"Give more value to a 'failed' bold adventure than a 'successful' meek repeat."
(My opinions) True enough, we are almost given direct paths to follow and "succeed" in life from the very day we are born. We always say" 学别人的优点,学别人怎么成功", but by "copying" other people's technique, we are merely repeating the successes of others, not our own. A good example would be how primary school language teachers teach(no offence). They often tell students to pick out the good points of others and put it into their own writing. What I wonder is, shouldnt the students writing be only dictated by the students themselves? Schools nowadays often teach students learn how to learn, but shouldnt students themselves learn how to learn by trying different methods and through experimenting, themselves?
He also aptly defines art into 4 categories, mainly literature, visual arts( such as paintings etc), music and theatre.
有的人, 想表达一种意思, 他把这种意思用文字写下来, 这是文学的根本.
有的人, 想表达一种意思, 他把这种意思用线条和色彩表达出来,这是绘画的根本.
有的人, 想表达一种意思, 他把这种意思用声音和节奏表达出来,这是音乐的根本.
有的人, 想表达一种意思, 他把这种意思用本身一些动作表达出来,这就是戏剧的根本.
(taken from page 22 和中学生谈戏剧, volume 7 of complete works of kuo pao kun)
Interesting,isnt it?
Of course, in the book, there are much much more articles on arts,culture and theatre which is very interesting, but I picked these 2 as they relate better to me (and my blog readers,if there were any).
I highly recommend this series of books for 1) anyone interested in the arts or 2) anyone wants some enrichment and inspiration).
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