I Dream of Singapore (2019)

In a city continuously shaped and charted by migration, there seems to be an underlying tension between our narratives of success and the invisibility of labour. Despite being built on these movements, the city often forgets the people behind our progress, letting their stories slip past our sight.

Beyond statistics and numbers, what is often forgotten are the people’s lived experiences — their losses, adaptations, and connections to this land we call home. Through Lei Yuan Bin’s I Dream of Singapore (2019), the poems from Migrant Writers of Singapore (MWS) and the DIY Pocketbook Activity by radioriotgrrrl, join Weekend Culture as we take a deeper look at the lives that build our city and reconsider what it means to truly see them.

About Bridging Worlds, Carrying Dreams: A Poetry Gathering
From modern skyscrapers to clean households, traces of migrant workers' labour are everywhere as they work tirelessly to support our country. However, while the results of their labour are highly visible, their presence is muted in comparison.

But migrant workers and domestic helpers do not just toil under the hot sun or tend to families – they create art too. Many workers channel their hopes, dreams and desires into writing during their free time. Migrant literature, a growing scene in Singapore, offers a platform for migrants to share their stories. 

Bridging Worlds, Carrying Dreams: A Poetry Gathering is organised by Migrant Writers of Singapore and supported by Sing Lit Station, to establish bonding among the international community of poets and poetry enthusiasts.

About DIY Pocketbook Activity
Join radioriotgrrrl in the foyer for a drop-in activity: making your own pocketbooks! Scrapbooking materials, printed matter and film negatives are provided so that you can put together your very own field notebook. Resist psychic death together, develop a tactile habit of bearing witness to the labour that you put out into the world every day.

About Migrant Writers of Singapore
Migrant Writers of Singapore is a collective of migrant literature enthusiasts. They offer a platform and various activities for migrant artists to develop their talents, through workshops, performances and publishing.

About radioriotgrrrl
radioriotgrrrl (RRG) is Nadhirah Khalid and Mengju Lin, or Natto and MJ. RRG was born during their angsty art school years. Borrowing the ethos of the riot grrrl movement of the 90’s, RRG is about punk, intersectionality, and making a more hospitable and joyful world together.