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LUMEN | FEATURE : SJI ’ S 170TH ANNIVERSARY
Bringing La Salle ’ s Light to Life
About the Artwork Series
At the core of the project is an invitation for viewers to be the heart , the memory , the guarantors of our Lasallian heritage . The body of work is diverse as the talents of the minds who made them , and visitors to the five sites will experience realistic , abstract and even symbolic interpretations of our founder , St John Baptist De La Salle ’ s formation journey . Each site is accompanied by a short description written by the artists about their works , as well as a reflective question to invite visitors to begin making personal connections between what they see and experience and what they understand of La Salle ’ s vision and mission of serving the last , the lost and the least . The journey of walking in places of light and darkness is both comforting and challenging at times , and we hope that visitors will recognise the light of La Salle in their own lives as they move through this art experience .
To commemorate the 170th anniversary of Lasallian presence and the establishment of the first Lasallian schools in Asia since 1852 , SJI commissioned a series of artwork which would be developed by Josephians who are artists and designers . Overseeing the success of this extensive project that spans across five different sites around the SJI campus is a fellow Josephian , Mr Michael Ee , an SJI alumnus and Art teacher himself .
In this two-part Lumen feature , Mr Ee interviews three Josephians who shared their views on the first two of the five new artwork in the series themed “ A Walk in the Light of La Salle ”.
Heather , Yap Kai Shuen is a Year 5 IBDP Art student whose forte is in watercolour , but enjoys experimenting with new mediums . She enjoys listening to podcasts and reading books .
Xu He is a Year 4 Josephian Arts Programme ( JAP ) student who enjoys doing art for fun and also to convey emotions or messages that are harder to put into words . He is more fluent in traditional mediums such as graphite or ink .
Isaac , Low Tze Shui is a Year 1 JAP Art student who loves to do art as a hobby and to express his personality and interests through art . He is more familiar with using gouache and watercolours as well as copic markers .
Mr Ee : What were some of your reactions when you first saw the artworks in school ?
Xu He : It was a pleasant surprise for me when I first saw the artworks , but it was even more surprising after I realised that these were actually done by Josephians who are artists and designers in the world today . I felt that the artworks not only brought a splash of colour to our school campus , but they were also meaningful as these artworks were the artists ’ own interpretations of our founder ’ s formation journey . This “ journey ” can be taken quite literally as walking around the school to view the different artworks for the first time is also quite an experience in itself .
Heather : When I first saw the artworks , I was in awe of the scale of the works , and the dedication the artists had in creating the pieces . Both required immense skills , and were done in a brilliant and thought provoking manner . Like what Xu He mentioned , the artworks had the Lasallian values and history beautifully woven in . I found them to not only enrich the school ’ s environment aesthetically , but they also served to instil pride within me about our founder and made me proud to be a student of the school .
Isaac : I agree completely . I find it very impressive that my fellow Josephians are able to make such incredible art pieces , and it makes me even prouder to be a Josephian myself . I feel that these artworks make us realise just how much of a rich history this school has . Our founder De La Salle has truly played a huge part to bring us where we are today , as depicted in these artworks .
Mr Ee : As an art student , how do you feel knowing that these artworks were commissioned work by art alumni of the school ? Why ?
Isaac : Being a JAP student makes me feel proud to be a person recognised for my artistic talents in the school . We should harness our talents and nurture the skills that we have . I hope that I can achieve amazing things for the school and contribute with my creativity , just like how the alumni who created these artworks have .
Xu He : It was inspiring to say the least because as a JAP student too , I was questioning how I could use my artistic skills in the future or contribute to the school . “ A Walk in the Light of La Salle ” is the perfect example of what I hope to do in the future one day if given the chance .
Heather : I share the same sentiments . Seeing the alumni of the school able to have their works commissioned and displayed in the school inspires me