How long was The Projector living on borrowed time? In hindsight, the answer is clear: Since before it opened, if I’m being honest. Its very ethos of daring to dream was already in tension with Singapore’s instinct to drift towards the mainstream.
And yet, I don’t resonate with the jadedness that seems to follow after such spaces close. I don’t see The Projector’s closure as a cautionary tale against risk-taking.
If anything, its existence paved the way for fellow rebels. It gave us permission to wholeheartedly pursue the risks we truly believe in, if only so we remember everything it stood for.
In the cinema’s announcement on Tuesday, Tan too acknowledged that the place might be closing, but it hopes its “spirit will live on in the conversations, ideas and communities we’ve nurtured”.
“If Singapore wants to thrive, it must find a way for creative and cultural businesses to survive because culture is the cornerstone of identity and civil society,” she said.
The Projector proved that this reality is possible, despite the odds. Because while the outcome of risk-taking, status quo-breaking and boundary-pushing may not always endure, true rebels know the magic lies in the attempt. And we will all be better for it.
