Voices from the Courts is collaboration between the artist Jack Tan and the Community Justice Centre (CJC), a charity based at the State Courts and the Family Justice Courts of Singapore.

8 October 2016

Voices from the Courts

Art Exhibiton

29 October 2016

Voices from the Courts

Fundraising Concert

A photograph of voice coach guiding the choir members.

A photograph of the ACJC

Alumni Choir rehearsing

at Salon Du Sens

A photograph of the ACJC

Alumni Choir discussing the graphic scores.

Voices from the Courts is collaboration between the artist Jack Tan¹ and the Community Justice Centre² (CJC), a charity based at the State Courts and the Family Justice Courts of Singapore, out of which a number of projects, events, exhibitions and artworks have emerged.

Undertaking the first ever artist’s residency at the Singapore courts in January and February 2016, Tan explored the soundscape of the courts by attending hearings, sitting in for legal advice sessions, and volunteering in various litigants-in-person help programmes. He focussed on how voice happened in court — timbre, tone, echo, cacophony, lyricism, dissonance, etc. — and in particular the experience of the litigant-in-person. Tan made drawings of the sounds he heard in court which he later turned into graphic scores. These scores were then interpreted and sung by the Anglo-Chinese Junior College Alumni choir to create a sound and art installation called ‘Hearings’. This work forms a springboard for a major fundraising initiative where funds for and awareness of CJC's vital work can be raised through music and visual art. The collaboration has produced the following:

² The Community Justice Centre is an independent charity committed to ensuring that litigants-in-person have access to justice through community partnership. www.cjc.org.sg

¹ Jack Tan is an artist who makes work that explores the connection between law and art. www.jacktan.net

Fundraising Concert

A celebration of the musical and performancetalents of Singapore's Court community with contributions from lawyers, judges, volunteers and staff at The Arts House, Singapore.

Hearings

A work of art that comprises a set of

graphic music scores inspired by the voices and soundscape of the State Courts and

Family Justice Courts

of Singapore, and by

the experience of litigants–in–person supported by CJC.

Showcase

A weeklong showcase of Hearings as textile hangings within a court

and CJC inspired art intallation at the music venue Salon du Sens.

Art & Law Question Time

Launching the showcase will be a Q&A panel specially assembled to answer legal questions thatartists, designers,

curators and gallerists might have.

Choral Performances

Public performances of Hearings by the Anglo– Chinese Junior College Alumni Choir and art installation at the Arts House (part of the Singapore Biennale 2016)

Singapore Biennale

An adaptation of

Hearings has been commissioned by the Singapore Biennale 2016 as a sound and textile installation at the Arts House, the first Court House and old Supreme Court of Singapore.

Video competition

Engaging with film and communication students from across the country to explore law in ordinary people's lives, a winning video will be screened at the Concert.

About

Originally conceived as vocal works, Hearings is performed by the Anglo-Chinese Junior College Alumni choir. The choir worked together to interpret and sing the scores over 3 rehearsals at the end of which, they recorded their final interpretation. This recording forms part of the art installation of Hearings at Salon du Sens (8 - 15 Oct 2016) and has been adapted for exhibtion at the Singapore Biennale (26-29 Oct 2016 at The Arts House, and 26 Oct 2016 to 27 Feb 2017 at Singapore Art Musem at 8Q). The choir will perform live at The Arts House on 29 October 2016 at 2:00PM, 3:00PM & 4:00PM.

Hearings is a work of art comprising a set of 8 graphic scores that were created by Jack Tan from his residency with the Community Justice Centre (CJC) at the State Courts and Family Justice Courts of Singapore. During his residency, Tan attended court hearings, sat in on legal advice sessions, helped out at CJC's support services desks, and observed CJC's volunteers as they befriended litigants-in-person. During this time, the artist listened to the voices and the sounds around him and thought about these as the productions of various legal and social conditions. Hence the graphic scores do not only refer to specific procedural stages in litigation, but they also tap into various emotional, psychological or environmental conditions connected to court processes as experienced by the litigant-in-person.

Salon du Sens, a shophouse music venue, will transformed into a gallery for the Voices from the Courts showcase. The exhibition will present large wall hangings of Hearings, a sound installation of the work, as well as other artwork inspired by court furniture. During the exhibition launch on 8 Oct 2016, the ACJC Alumni Choir will perform the scores.

The showcase also marks the launch of a fundraising and awareness campaign for CJC's vital work in supporting legal literacy, needy litigants and in promoting access to justice. The exhibtion, and subsequent events, is a first in a cross-sector collaboration where a publicly funded artist and a social justice organisation is working together to achieve mutual goals.

A fundraising concert on 29 Oct 2016 at The Arts House culminates the Voices from the Courts project highlighting the way that art and law can come together to create new art and to support important social justice programmes such as those run by the Community Justice Centre (CJC). The concert will feature music performances by judges, lawyers, volunteers and staff representing different parts of the court community. A donation of $200 or more to support CJC's vital work will guarantee a concert ticket.

What the Community Justice Centre does

Programmes that your donations help

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Join us for a legal Q&A panel specially convened by Jack Tan for the arts community on 8 October 2016 at Salon du Sens. Comprising lawyers and professionals with relevant experience, the expert panel will answer questions from artists, curators and designers, and help the creative community think through some of the common legal problems that affect them. Questions covered could include copyright, trademarks, partnership agreements, artist-gallery contracts, tax, setting up an artist-run company, landlord-tenant disputes, making small claims, debt recovery, court procedure and more.

Audience members will be asked to submit their questions upon booking so that popular topics can be identified beforehand and common questions grouped together and posed to the panel on the day. This event is supported by the Pro Bono Services Office of the Law Society of Singapore.

To book a place, fill in this form.

The Art & Law Questiontime will take place on 8 October 2016, 4:00PM - 6:00PM at Salon du Sens, 49 Nivern Road, Singapore 228397

Panelists:

The Community Justice Centre (CJC) was launched in March 2013 by the Honourable the Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, to help unrepresented litigants who may be daunted by the prospect of handling a case on their own. The CJC offers these litigants assistance with the courts’ processes and procedures, so that that they may better navigate the court system, thereby enhancing access to justice, irrespective of background or social status. The CJC also assists litigants who face financial difficulties or underlying emotional or psychological distress. By working in partnership with social agencies, lawyers and volunteers, CJC provides a continuum of tiered programmes, catering to the individual needs of these litigants.

Access to justice is about ensuring that everyone is able to get the help they need when they meet with a legal issue. The CJC is dedicated to helping people gain access to justice and it does this through a number of projects. For example, the Friends of Litigants-in-Person (FLIP) programme provides trained lay volunteers who can accompany unrepresented litigants as they progress through the various stages of the court system. The CJC’s social support programme provides interim financial and rations support followed up with referral services to social agencies, for litigants and/or their families who may suffer from hardship or distress so that they may receive sustainable support for their social issues. Donating to the CJC will directly help its mission in ensuring the access of justice for all.

Besides the numerous programmes currently available to needy and unrepresented litigants, there are some new and exciting initiatives such as Support for Families of an Incarcerated Person which recognises the destructive effect of the primary care-giver or earner becoming incarcerated and seeks to help the families left behind. Your donations will go towards supporting these vital programmes.

Time:

8 Oct 2016, 6:15PM - 9:00PM: Opening event

9-15 Oct 2016, 12:00PM - 7:30PM: Showcase

Address

Salon du Sens

49 Nivern Road,

Singapore 228397

A photograph of a CJC

Court Facilitator giving advice to a litigant.

Samuel Seow is Director of Samuel Seow Law Corporation, a firm committed to becoming an integral and vital part of our clients‘ businesses by bringing the best legal services experience to entrepreneurs, artists, creative professionals, corporations and consumers around the world through its innovative and unique style of legal practice, based on the principles of passion, creativity and love.

Lim Yueh Fen is an art collector, qualified lawyer and certified public accountant. She is currently a company legal advisor. Her previous work experience was with the Singapore Exchange, Tiger Airways , Allen & Gledhill and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Her legal specialism covers general corporate, corporate governance and regulatory law. She is also an art enthusiast and collector of Southeast Asian art and has a particular interest in large scale 20th century and contemporary paintings.

Zen Teh is an artist and educator interested in man's relationship with the natural world. Zen’s art practice is shaped by her proficiency in photography and painting, alongside her continual investigation into interdisciplinary studies of the works of nature and human behaviour. As an independent artist, she has worked with galleries, independent art institutions and government organisations to present her works in local and international exhibitions and art fairs.

Leonard Lee is the Executive Director of the Community Justice Centre and a scholar with the Singapore Management University Masters in Social Science, specializing in the Tri-Sector Collaboration. With understanding of the non-profit and legal sector, Leonard is deeply committed to equal access to justice.

Jack Tan is an artist who makes work that explores the connection between law and art. Using law as an art medium, he creates performances, performatives, sculpture, video and participatory projects that highlight the rules — customs, rituals, habits and laws — that guide human behaviour. Prior to becoming an artist, Jack trained as a commercial litigator in the UK and worked in civil rights NGOs.

Jack Tan and the Community Justice Centre would like to thank the following for their support in enabling Voices from the Courts to happen:

The staff and volunteers of The Community Justice Centre

The State Courts of Singapore

The Family Justice Courts of Singapore

National Arts Council of Singapore

Toteboard Arts Fund

Singapore Biennale

Singapore Art Museum

Fireshot, sound equipment sponsor

Salon du Sens, venue sponsor

The Arts House, venue sponsor

Anglo-Chinese Junior College Alumni Choir