PRELUDE STUDIES 1 : AFTERMATH
Prelude studies 1 was a small group assignment where intensive research is being conducted on various war heroes during the Japanese Occupation. This assignment was to aid us in the next upcoming project which is primer 2 and a strong foundation can be formed when this group assignment is done well.
INTRODUCTION
TASK
3 war heroes were given to us and we had to research on one so my group researched about Sybil Kathigasu war effort during the Japanese Occupation and World War 2. From her story , I have extracted out 3 different emotions that she has gone through during her tough times and this is also how most of the people felt during the Japanese Occupation. The 3 emotions are Anxiety , Sanguine and Relieved and from this 3 emotions , we had to create 21 images that are made up of artworks , installations , photography etc in reference from the internet and library to represent the 3 different emotions and this images will be used as a form of exhibtion later on. We also decided our theme of this project to be Reflection as we believed that one needs to reflect itself about this emotions in order to understand it truly and more deeply.
RESEARCH
Surname : Kathigasu
Given Name : Sybil
Born : 1899
Died : 12 Jun 1948
Country : Malaya and Singapore
Category : Resistance
Gender : Female
BACKGROUND INFO
Sybil Medan Kathigasu was born Sybil Medan Daly to an Irish-Eurasian planter (Joseph Daly) and a French-Eurasian midwife (Beatrice Matilda Daly née Martin) on 3 September 1899 in Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia. She married AC Kathigasu, a doctor, while she was a trained nurse and together they operated a clinic in Ipoh from 1926 until Japanese troops arrived in Malaya on 26 December, 1942. She was also fluent in speaking cantonese as well.Sybil's first child was a son born on 26 August 1919, but due to major problems at birth, died after only 19 hours. He was named Michael after Sybil's elder brother who was born in Taiping on 12 November 1892 and was killed in Gallipoli on 10 July 1915 as a member of the British Army. The devastating blow of baby Michael's death led to Sybil's mother suggesting that a young boy, William Pillay, born 25 October 1918, who she had delivered and had remained staying with them at their Pudu house, should be adopted by Sybil and her husband. Then a daughter, Olga, was born to Sybil in Pekeliling, Kuala Lumpur, on 26 February 1921. The earlier sudden death of baby Michael made Olga a very special baby to Sybil, when she was born without problems. So when Sybil returned to Ipoh on 7 April 1921, it was not only with Olga, but also with William and her mother who had agreed to stay in Ipoh with the family.
WAR EFFORTS
The couple, along with their two daughters Olga and Dawn and an adopted son William, moved to a small town called Papan. Together with her husband, the resistance fighter opened another dispensary in Papan and secretly provided the guerrilla forces with medical treatment and supplies as well as information to the resistance forces during the Japanese Occupation of Malaya. They were betrayed and she was caught by the Japanese in 1943 and tortured mercilessly. She underwent the “Tokyo wine treatment” whereby water was pumped into her and her torturer would stomp on her stomach and force water out of her through all her orifices. She was beaten, burnt and kicked on the jaw in an attempt to break her. She could not walk, lost all her fingernails and had broken bones everywhere, including her skull. Her five-year-old daughter, Dawn, was dangled from a tree and her torturers threatened to roast her child alive with charcoal burning beneath her. Despite being tortured and thrown into prison by the Japanese military police, Sybil never divulged information about the resistance movement. She survived the ordeal although her health was severely affected after the various injuries sustained during her incarceration. When Malaya was liberated in 1945, Sybil was flown to Britain for medical treatment. She was awarded the George Medal for Gallantry, the only Malaysian woman to receive the medal for bravery.
IMPACTS
Sybil Kathigasu died in 1948, in Lanark, Scotland, from acute septicaemia brought on by her previous injury sustained during her torture. In 1949, her remains were returned to Ipoh, where a huge crowd paid tribute and accompanied her cortege to her final resting place in the grounds of St Michael’s Church.Director Bernard Chauly is retelling the story of Sybil Kathigasu, based on her memoir. When asked what message he wanted relayed, he said: “It is one woman’s struggle and sacrifice driven by deep personal conviction for justice, in the face of inhumanity at a time when Malaya was upside down. For those who’re familiar and passionate about her story, this series need no introduction. For the majority of the Malaysian public, the simple message is: here is a story we should all know. One that should be in our history books.” Bernard’s films normally feature female protagonists: “The contribution of women to the course of history, ours included, has been under- documented, under-recognised and often untold. For him, the Sybil Kathigasu story is a perfect example: “Luckily for us, she lived to tell her story and penned down her gripping experiences. In short, it is a rare historiography of a true wirawati negara ( national heroine).” Sybil Kathigasu is without doubt a Malaysian heroine and 12 June 2010, marks the 62nd anniversary of her death from the torture she received at the hands of the Japanese military police. She, like many others in the war effort, gave the ultimate sacrifice to the nation in order that we may live in peace and security.
ANXIETY
SANGUINE
RELIEVED
CONCLUSION
Through this mini assignment , I have learnt and understand various emotions more deeply and also able to read and translate them into various images which express abstract emotions through different form of works. This has allowed me to have a greater sense of judging an artwork better in relation to emotions.