Story
and returning to Singapore
Hello again, Friends and Family,
I realized recently that it has been a year since I joined Substack and started my newsletter. Thank you very much for sticking with me!
I also want to thank everyone who came to support me at the Fort Point Open Studios in October. The Fort Point Arts Community is a wonderful organization. I’m so grateful to have been a part of their event, during which I met many interesting volunteers, artists, and visitors.
I’m currently writing from Singapore, on a trip accompanying Ken to his writer’s residency at Nanyang Technological University. Singapore also happens to be my birthplace, but I left as a toddler, and so had only the faintest impressions of it, before visiting again as an adult on a couple of other occasions.
Upon seeing some banners in the downtown area for Singapore’s 60th birthday celebration, my brain finally registered just how young this country is. It became an independent nation when my mother was already 12.
Unlike my previous visits, which mainly focused on seeing friends and family (and admittedly shopping), I really want to spend some time understanding the history of Singapore. In my search for information on the subject, I stumbled upon the audiobook title, Living the Asian Century: An Undiplomatic Memoir, by one-time President of the United Nations Security Council, Kishore Mahbubani. When I purchased the book, I knew nothing about Mr. Mahbubani. I loved hearing about what he had seen of Singapore’s changes, as well as his own journey in representing Singapore on the world stage. It’s remarkable how despite his many great accomplishments, I sensed no arrogance. I believe his earnestness is a reflection of his love of philosophy. The “story” in history always resonates with me more than straight facts and dates.
And while we’re talking about “story”, I had the privilege of joining Polymath Circle’s book discussion yesterday on Grandma’s Story by Trinh T. Mihn-Ha. I can’t remember how I came across the group, but I suspect it was from Erica Hu, whose Substack posts I enjoy. I’m still trying to figure out Substack, which I only recently understood to be another social media platform. Grandma’s Story is not a book that you would easily find in a bookstore, and I would not have picked up a copy had it not been for Francesca Valli’s kind invitation for me to join and Erica’s selection. It turned out to be a beautiful essay about storytelling, truth, our role as an individual in the realm of humanity in passing down stories. It is a short but very dense book. What a delight it was to slow down, reflect, and exchange thoughts with these polymaths over Zoom (we are spread out all over the globe). I am also a bit tickled by this inclusion, as those who follow me on Instagram know that my handle is “@expert.in.nothing”.
It seems to me that “story” as a concept is becoming increasingly important in fine art photography forms. We all need to gasp for breath in an overwhelming deluge of images, many of which are designed to fool the viewer, for likes, to push a political agenda, or to get us to benefit the creator financially (sometimes all of the above).
(As an aside, I want to clarify that there is a difference between art created with AI as a relevant medium to express meaningful ideas, and images created with AI disguised as real photos to lie to viewers. For me, personally, something has to have been exposed to light in order to qualify as photography, as “photo” has to be a role in the medium. However, A.I. is a completely valid art medium.)
“Story” reminds us that we are human and helps us relate to the world around us and to each other.
On a lighter note, I am obsessed with these Red Junglefowls now found all over Singapore. They are the ancestors of our domesticated chickens. Once endangered (maybe that’s why I didn’t see any on my last visits?), they are now protected by law. Don’t think about dinner when you see one.
Art Updates
Only a few more days to see “Wish You Were Here” at the Multicultural Center in Cambridge, MA. The show runs through November 21. 41 2nd Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Five pieces from my “Red in Nature” series will be in the Mother Brook Arts Community “Small Works Sale” show from December 4, 2025 to January 9th, 2026. 123 High Street, Dedham, Massachusetts.
I will have a small cyanotype print of “Song Sparrow Feeding Brown-Headed Cowbird” in the Griffin Museum of Photography’s Winter Solstice 2025 Exhibition from December 5, 2025 to January 4, 2026. 67 Shore Road, Winchester, Massachusetts.
Finally, James David Tabor and I made a second edition (60 copies) of our photobook Alchemy of the Unknowns. Please click here to purchase from him (I myself currently don’t have the capacity to ship).
Again, thank you for reading and following my journey in art and life. Until next month!
Warmly,
Lisa
Lisa, I love your musings about the importance of story and storytelling. I was reading something recently that talked about the key to understanding others’ experience through individual’s stories… as opposed to reading a traditional dry history of a person/people, focusing on dates and places. We need to share our stories to understand each other, to have compassion. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and photos!
I also think that your analysis of what constitute photographic art (‘something has to have been exposed to light in order to qualify as photography, as “photo” has to be a role in the medium’) should be taken as a guide, as a criterion, on how we think about other arts, from cinema to writing, in the age of AI. Super-helpful. Thank you!