Scheherazade’s Sea, my autobiographic multimedia multisensory series, began in 2010. This work set the foundation for Lucy Like-a-Charm, in terms of developing artistic practice, approaches, concepts, and technical skills.

Scheherazade’s Sea, 2010, premiered at the University of Hong Kong. It was my “coming out” work about finding my Autistic identity.

This work was restaged in 2013 at the World Stage Design Festival, in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom, as Scheherazade’s Sea: songs from silence.

In 2020, in the midst of Covid19 circuit breaker in Singapore, I was awarded a Digital Presentation Grant by the National Arts Council, and created a fully digitalised adaptation, Scheherazade’s Sea: stories and songs from a hidden world.

Scheherazade’s Sea: continuing journey, 2021, was the final installation in the Scheherazade’s Sea series. Departing from my previous solo performances / singular executions, this 2021 work featured a cast of artists with different disabilities, at varying stages of their artistic journeys, bringing together professional, emerging and amateur artists. The role of Scheherazade was performed by blind artist, Claire Teo, the first time this role was played by anyone other than myself. Scheherazade’s Sea: continuing journey, combined more complex digital work than previously, blended with recorded ‘live’ performance. It was presented online due to remaining Covid19 restrictions on large gatherings, and in consideration of the artists’ disabilities and compromised immunities. This work was supported by a Creation Grant from the National Arts Council, with creative collaborator ART:DIS Singapore and venue partner Tzu Chi Humanistic Youth Centre. The ‘live’ recorded segments were directed by Peter Sau, Head of Performing Arts and Artistic Development, ART:DIS. It was the first time in Singapore an Autistic artist with accompanying disabilities was awarded a mainstream grant by the NAC, not specific to “arts and disabilities.”

The era of Scheherazade’s Sea has come to a gentle end, in an inexorable organic transition. The dark loneliness, suppressed anguish, unresolved questioning and unrequited yearnings that marked this journey began to give way to a new dimension of light, resolution, grace, and complete love when Lucy Like-a-Charm, love of my life, entered my realm in 2012, slowly and gradually at first, then escalating with urgency, in a crescendo stretto, during Lucy’s final days in 2023.

After Lucy’s departure in March 2023, I began to write our promised memoir-fantasy, and create visual images – sketches, drawings, paintings, fantasia photo collages – of Lucy. A completely different tonality and spirit emerged. Instead of the angst that marked Scheherazade’s Sea, this new journey bears the pneuma, the life force, of the humble yet majestic, gentle yet strong, Lucy Like-a-Charm.

The process is like a ‘coming of age’ passage for me, as a transdisciplinary researcher-artist, and a human traversing this corporeal realm of existence. I am deeply grateful to the brave Scheherazade, to our supporters, mentors and friends who walked alongside, and most importantly, to Lucy Like-a-Charm, my channel of divine grace and love.

Please continue to walk with us into the dawning of Lucy Like-a-Charm – a memoir-fantasy about a beautiful journey towards Becoming, empowered by love, transformed by grace.