SINGAPORE - Accused of "moral policing", the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) on Thursday (Dec 1) responded to critics of its decision to deny ratings to two shows in next January's M1 Singapore Fringe Festival.
Last Friday, performance lecture Naked Ladies and interactive piece Undressing Room were said to exceed the R18 rating under the Arts Entertainment Classification Code (AECC). This means both works would have to be changed and resubmitted for classification before being shown here.
IMDA's latest statement said: "Naked Ladies includes a scene where the performer inserts her finger into her vagina and then into her mouth. Undressing Room involves the performer and an audience-participant completely undressing and then touching each other. Disallowing these scenes can hardly be considered retrograde moral policing; it is an objective application of existing guidelines."
Last Friday, IMDA had said: "The performances had excessive nudity which included scenes of audience-participants stripping naked, and graphic depictions of exposed genitalia."
On Nov 30, artists network Arts Engage issued an open letter on its website, questioning the grounds and process used to censor both works. It called the ratings denial "opaque, backwoods censorship" and an "unmerited and retrograde step which runs counter to the move towards a reasonable, open and fair regimen of arts regulation in Singapore".
The letter added: "Who decides if nudity, a legitimate and time-honoured device of artistic expression, is 'excessive' or not? Where is the artist's voice in this decision process and how is nudity in these works 'excessive'?"
It went on to say: "How is nudity (excessive or not) harmful to young people? Finally, doesn't the fact that the works have an R18 rating already protect the young??"
IMDA's response said: "IMDA has conducted itself transparently, contrary to Arts Engage's allegations. We have engaged the applicant every step of the way, and communicated our concerns clearly. It is therefore regrettable that Arts Engage has accused IMDA of being opaque. If the applicant modifies the performances to meet the AECC guidelines, IMDA will license them accordingly.
"In discharging our regulatory responsibilities, IMDA aims to strike a balance between a performance's artistic merits, and prevailing social norms. Artistic expression cannot be an end in itself, without due consideration for social mores."
