Life as Theatre in Singapore

This article examines forms of cultural performance and dramatization of life in public spaces in Singapore. Through the concept of the sociality of affect, it examines how affective elements are generated, how they are ‘structured’ and whether or not they can be mobilized for specific purposes. Affect and forms of emotional engagement are integral features of socio-economic life in the postindustrial economy. The dramatising of life and the transforming of the street into a theatre mobilises affect for the continued vitality of consumer culture. ‘Territories of feeling’ that offer performative possibilities are created to bring enchantment to the otherwise mundane. It is in these spaces, that the creation of value and the reproduction of the consumer economy take place.