Aiman begins by talking about how he felt uncomfortable when he was pushed towards creative integrity again and again by every lecturer of his, "I think it helped that I came in with a head full of filmographic references, as well as this queer artistic instinct”. He mentioned that it was all thanks to the work of his lecturers that grounded “this heady eighteen-year old’s excitement”. When asked to further explain what he meant, Aiman recalled an instance where Mark Teh, his Malaysian Arts and Culture lecturer, made him question the things he would say out loud. This, in turn, made Aiman become more aware of the things he says and to not be controversial just for the sake of it.

Stating that “the University had its magic of choosing the right lecturers from every pocket of whatever murky mix of film and theatre there was”, Aiman shared that he felt extremely lucky to have been able to work with Leow Puay Tin, a lecturer who mentored him in his final year project. “She knew how to make sense of the student that I was, which ultimately is the biggest compliment”.

One of the highlights of Aiman's diploma was his final year project, a piece entitled ‘In-Vogueing Women’, devised under the guided assistance of Puay Tin. The ten-minute piece explored the mediation of western and local feminism, folklore, and movement through the lens of a queer Malay boy. Texts were sourced from Aiman’s grandmother's recorded accounts of her life as a young girl, and was performed by course mates Camillea Benjamin, Kyliesha Lam as well as Aiman himself. When describing the performance, he said, "It stood as a kaleidoscopic scene of vinyl pants, dancing to nothing, witchcraft and an observation of girlhood under the periodical context of British Malaya.”

In his eyes, Puay Tin was a big believer in rationalising every and any idea that her students came up with - nothing was unfeasible or too preposterous. "I remember a moment in which we had to map out where our props would be on stage, and her asking me why I had placed them there, and mentioning how different our messages on stage would read if we placed our props differently”. He believes that a lot of her students were thankful for Puay Tin’s input – how she demanded a lot more from her students, as well as in their artistry, because he thinks Puay Tin simply saw her students as artists.

Currently Aiman is at home, in quarantine and expresses his creativity through Cempedak Collective, an online space where he uploads various forms of art together with fellow artist Ho Lee Ching and Dawn Cheong. As the arts scene has been brought to a pause, he continues to actively seek future engagements. Once cultural and artistic events can resume, he already has several gigs lined up.

As for the future, he hopes to become a full-time artist and to direct his own theatre production very soon. "I hope to help people understand why I make the art I do”. Additionally, Aiman also wants to learn how to play the guitar before he turns 22. However, his ultimate aspiring goal would be to keep doing what he wants to do in a place where the arts do not take second place.

This article was adapted from the School of Arts Press (SOAP), February 2021