“Political Economy regards the proletarian like a horse, he must receive enough to enable him to work. It does not consider him, during the time when he is not working, as a human being. It leaves this to criminal law, doctors, religion, statistical tables, politics, and the beadle.” This quote by Karl Marx would seem rather crude if used in today’s context of a refined capitalist society where the majority (working class) would be happy so long as there is continued economic growth and low unemployment rates. But since the last general election (Singapore) in 2011, the polls have shown that addressing the working class (majority) is no longer a game of statistics, but a situation which requires the incumbent government to have more care for the people. In my video work, I wanted specifically to create a situation where I could document and observe the reactions of the working class in a state of temporary public disorder. By disrupting the peace with a seemingly benign act of popping balloons, it can be deduced that people are highly adaptive to change. Placed in a political context, this work is a personal embodiment and projection of the future of Singapore. Will we eventually see the rise of the working class?
Untitled (Working Class)7 min 21 sec, HD Video, 2013