It was a delight to be a part of the fundraising initiative by the Rainbow Center. Rainbow Centre Singapore is a not-for-profit Organisation that serves children and young people with a diverse range of moderate to severe developmental needs, including autism, physical, visual and/or hearing disabilities; many have multiple disabilities. The Rainbow Centre schools and programmes adopt a holistic developmental curriculum in the areas of language and communication skills, cognitive skills, social and emotional skills, fine and gross motor skills, and adaptive daily living skills.
The exhibition was held from the 1st - 15th Dec 2016 AT ION ORCHARD, Singapore 10 AM – 10 PM
During the art making process for these works, Madhvee had categorically used various mediums as a metaphor to express the notion of Plus est en vous. Relentless dedication and synchronised efforts of the involved individuals, with an objective of bringing out the best in the students, is something that motivated Madhvee. The philosophy of treating failure as an experience is highlighted in this body of work.
The Making of the chair
All the artists participating were briefed about the possible challenged, while working with children with special needs. I initially managed to spend time with some very talented kids whose abilities were beyond their disabilities. It would be absolutely fair to say I was mightly impressed with some of the works these kids produced. I also met some other kids with greater challenges and that is when I realised that the chair I am going to produce by collaborating with them can't be a planned design. I will not only have to keep their physical and developmental limitations in mind, but I will not be able to predict what their mood will be on the day of actual collaboration. The student I worked with was an autistic child. My challenge was to keep him interested for at least more than few seconds.
I had gone to give something to these children, but the life lessons and the optimism I learned from the teachers, caregivers and the children is unmatchable. I will always be thankful to have this opportunity.
