Local academic Rebecca Coyle from Southern Cross University has recently been appointed to the Board of Regional Arts NSW. In this month's Perspectives, we ask her to share her thoughts on the subject of Ideas.

I recently travelled to Singapore and Vietnam, where I was able to catch the Singapore Biennale, and attend a Symposium organised by the Vietnam Institute for Art and Culture (VICAS).

Most striking to me in Singapore, were some of the politically-charged works inspired by the Merlion (Singapore's 'white lion' mascot adopted as its symbol since the 1960s) in the Negotiating Home, History and Nation: Two Decades of Contemporary Art from Southeast Asia, 1991-2010 show.

Since the late 1990s Japanese artist Tatsu Nishi has created public installations around monuments, parked cars, etc., including his work 'War and Peace and In-between' which was exhibited at the Art Gallery of NSW in 2009.

In his 'The Merlion Hotel' installation in Singapore, he placed a largescale version of the white cement Merlion, such as is usually located in a public park or on the waterside, into a hotel room that visitors could book into to stay overnight.

The room interior features wallpaper printed with images of Raffles facing the Merlion, but ultimately is dominated by the huge Merlion itself. By giving the monument a new setting and surrounds, its symbolic meaning can be reviewed.

A Singaporean artist, Ryf Zaini, irreverently draws on the Merlion icon with his own 'Disarming the Lion' installation located in a prime situation on the lawn outside the Singapore Art Museum, in a busy part of the city. With video screens showing archival footage of the Merlion's introduction to Singaporean culture, Zaini's metal lion assists passers-by to examine the mascot's unfolding symbolic identity.

By contrast, a range of projects were presented at the Vietnam Institute for Art and Culture's Symposium (VICAS), held at Tuy Hoa in Phu Yen Province and centred around the strong interest in translating cultural activity into sustainable artist practice while also building community and development.

Presentations covered regional approaches to cultural activities in relation to heritage and tourism. For example Nguyen Huu Thong, the VICAS Director for the central region, discussed the Phuroc Tich village that relies on pottery production rather than farming as its major income source. In such contexts, capacity building is particularly important, including education and training not just in creative skills but matched with planning, business and management skills.

What became evident in this event is the usefulness of exchanging information about creative solutions to regional needs. While on one level regional identity and unique features make each area special, we can also benefit from sharing our specific approaches couched in the context that has produced them.

Moving closer to home, it was evocative to hear sounds from Maddi Flynn's seascape recordings on an ABC radio feature recently. She recorded the sounds of a trawler unloading its catch at Bermagui in southern NSW. The reactions of the people involved in this event are mixed with the sounds of the sea and industrial activities. This sonic perspective on everyday life emphasised the link between creative practice and everyday working lives.

Soundscapes and sound recordings have also been produced in the Northern Rivers, and presented in public spaces too, and 'speak' in potent ways about our region and unique characteristics. But that may be the subject for another perspective.

Associate Professor Rebecca Coyle is a researcher in the School of Arts & Social Sciences at Southern Cross University. She has published books, journal articles and papers on various areas of cultural production, including screen, radio and music. She has won grants from the Australia Council, Australian Film Commission and Australia Research Council, and is currently primarily researching creative practices and industries.