Creativity is Contagious, Pass it On - Albert Einstein, Modern Calligraphy Script Art Mural by Leah Chong in Singapore

The Arts Market is a new facility centre in Tampines by Family Central, a service by Fei Yue Community Services (FYCS), where courses in the Arts are offered to the young and the young at heart*. It’s a space to explore further into creative art forms, hence the choice of the quote: "Creativity is contagious, pass it on", by Albert Einstein. FYCS wanted a modern calligraphy piece to tie in with the Santorini concept of the space. I worked on a modern calligraphy style with longer strokes in the piece to portray movement and fluidity. I took opportunities in areas that allow for extended strokes and ligatures like the crossbars of the t's and swashes in the descenders, while ensuring legibility is not compromised. This style also ties in conceptually to convey the essence of the quote - the encouraged call for action in sharing and passing on the creativity with other like-minded individuals in the community. Because majority of the space is taken up by the long workshop tables, I went for a lighter script weight. Not only does it make the whole piece more breathable in relation with the physical constraints of the space, it also pairs well with the romantic and dreamy Santorini theme of the place. An off-black colour was chosen for the paint, as anchored nicely by the same shade of the chairs (not pictured). A stylistic choice that I made as well, is to break the rule of thick downstrokes and thin hairline strokes that you'd see in traditional script. I found that this rule was a tad too rigid for the message. The calligraphy historians are probably throwing a riot now, but I think creativity is more often that not, spontaneous in nature and comes sub-consciously. To communicate the purity of that spontaneity, I went for a more abstract, less calculated and regulated approach.