274 ar sts, 119 ci es, 35 countries

DiverseCity features Singaporean and global ar sts, cultural leaders, and partners from diverse sectors harnessing the power of the arts and culture to create posi ve social change. It celebrates the richness of ’s culture and our friendships with world communi es.

PRESENTS

007 CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE Vijayalakshmi Mohan 100 MUSIC AND SOUND ARTS Wang Ruobing Arif Ayab Wee Hong Ling Bridges Collec ve 008 ARTS FOR GOOD Yunrubin Hoh Chung Shih and Ng Tian Hui Art of Sustainability Zhao Renhui Katryna Tan and Roberto Alvarez Arts & Disability Forum Kenny Hogan Arts Therapy Interna onal 078 PERFORMING ARTS L.A.B Humanitarian Mission Cake Theatrical Produc ons LalitAnjali CausewayEXchange Checkpoint Theatre Mantravine CHAIRITY: Arts and Design Chinese Theatre Circle ONE Chamber Choir Against Cancer Chowk Produc ons Ong Kian Peng Empowering Communi es Through Chua Soo Pong Resonance Arts Educa on Dance Ensemble Singapore Singapore Wind Symphony Play Me, I’m Yours DIAN Dancers T’ang Quartet The Kupang Project Hatch Theatrics Tan Li Yun Jocelyn Twin Ci es – Singapore Exchange The A Cappella Society Unseen: Shi LAB KL How Drama The Pinholes Young Social Entrepreneurs X Culture In Source Theatre The Voodoo Sound Jade Opera Group Tropic Green Jamie Lewis 060 CULTURAL CONNECTIONS Lee Yeong Wen 110 MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTS Li le Creators Boedi Widjaja Lynn Lu Daniel Kok 062 VISUAL AND LITERARY ARTS Movement Collec ve Joel Ong Adeleine Daysor Noor Eff endy Ibrahim and Group Kon Man Lo Ang Song Ming Maya Dance Theatre Lina Adam Angie Tan-Burns and Gregory Burns Kavitha Krishnan Mukta Ahluwalia Bedi Artesan Gallery Khairul Shahrin bin Muhamad Johry Singapore Contemporary Ben Puah Nu Style Dancers Young Ar sts Chng Seok Tin Odyssey Dance Theatre The Bhumi Collec ve Craig McTurk Operaworks Yellowren Produc ons Dawn Ng Peneroka Daya Tari Yuzuru Maeda Genevieve Chua Ramesh Meyyappan Zai Kuning Han Sai Por Shanghai Yue Opera Jason Lim Apprecia on Club SEA ArtsFest Jason Wee Shantha Ra i Singapour en –Le Fes val Kamarulzaman bin Singai Tamil Sangam Something to Write Home About Mohamed Sapiee Singapore Hainan Society Max Kong Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan Ren Zi Dance Theatre Royston Tan and How Wee Ng Siong Leng Musical Associa on Sim Chi Yin Sri Warisan Som Said Singapore Art Team Sophia Natasha Wei, Daniela Singapore Film Society Beltrani and Ezzam Rahman Social Crea ves Stephanie Burridge The Society of Chinese Ar sts T.H.E Dance Company Tsujii Junko The Finger Players TUJU Art Group Tradi onal Arts Centre Ver cal Submarine SHARE WAY OF LIFE, IDEAS AND VALUES

CULTURE PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE PROMOTE URBAN LIVING UNDERSTANDING

ARTS FOR FOSTER SOCIAL INCLUSION GOOD

ENABLE LIVELIHOODS FORGE NEW FRIENDSHIPS EXCHANGE

ENABLE CREATE COLLABORATIONS SOCIAL IMPACT

6 / DiverseCityDivver y CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

The arts are the expression of a society’s iden ty, way of life and perspec ve. As a medium that transcends language, it has the power to connect people and communi es, crea ng bridges and li ing barriers.

At the Singapore Interna onal Founda on, people and partnerships are central to what we do; bringing to exchange with the interna onal community, sharing insights into our values and culture, and in return learning new perspec ves from friends all across the world.

We are therefore delighted to have enabled a diverse and talented group of ar sts to share Singapore’s cultural experiences and innova on with world communi es, through our Singapore Interna onale programme.

In 2016, we launched the Arts for Good ini a ve to harness the transforma ve power of the arts to bring people together and for social impact. Together with ar sts and prac oners, we sought to raise awareness of social issues, share best prac ces, as well as galvanise greater community involvement in sustainable change. This is consistent with the SIF’s work in connec ng communi es, enabling collabora on and eff ec ng change.

This publica on presents a snapshot of the SIF’s work in Arts and Culture from September 2014 to September 2016, featuring nearly 300 ar sts, cultural leaders, social entrepreneurs and partners working together on 156 projects which had taken place in 119 ci es in 35 countries. We hope you will be inspired by their work, and join us in leveraging the arts and culture for a be er world!

Ambassador Ong Keng Yong Chairman Singapore Interna onal Founda on

DiverseCity / 7 ARTS FOR GOOD Arts for Good – Harnessing the power of arts and culture to create positive social change We partner ar sts, cultural ins tu ons and diff erent sectors of society to contribute to posi ve social change through the arts and culture. Arts for Good aims to foster inclusive communi es, promote sustainable urban living and enable livelihoods. “People are realising that sustainability for our future genera on is becoming a very important topic. In saving some materials to do a piece of art — the importance is not on the art itself, but the message behind it.” — Sun Yu-li, Co-founder, The Living! Project, Singapore

10 / DiverseCity “Culture is the driving force behind sustainable urban living as well as the soul of the city. Art, as a carrier of culture, is its most crea ve, progressive and diverse part, and calls for inclusiveness and open minds.” — Fu Jun, Co-curator, Art of Sustainability,

DiverseCity / 11 ART OF SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainable urban living is a key theme to tackle for the 21st century, requiring mul disciplinary thinking towards fi nding innova ve solu ons for improving the quality of life. The SIF partnered the Shanghai People’s Associa on for Friendship with Foreign Countries (SPAFFC) to bring together Singaporean and Chinese curators and ar sts in a cross-cultural ar s c exchange, culmina ng in a joint exhibi on to spur the public towards living more sustainably.

March to September 2016 Singapore and Shanghai, China

The UN projects that 70% of the world’s popula on will be The exchange culminated in a joint exhibi on of artworks living in ci es by 2050. Given this scenario, how can ci es be at the Shanghai Dayuntang Art Gallery in September 2016, more sustainable? In Art of Sustainability, the SIF and SPAFFC which invited the public to refl ect on how they can lead worked with curators Fu Jun, Deputy Director of the Shanghai more sustainable lifestyles. The artworks have since inspired Oil Pain ng & Ins tute Art Museum and Allan Lim, off shoot exhibi ons and were adopted as teaching materials Co-founder of The Living! Project to create a meaningful in schools in Shanghai. programme of exchange for ar sts from Singapore and China to contemplate this ques on. The project also brought sustainability experts and the arts community in Shanghai together to share their aspira ons The ar sts, Tan Sock Fong, Didier Ng, Karen Mitchell and for how the arts can intersect with various areas in society to Kenneth Lee from Singapore and Mao Donghua, Du Haijun, bring about more sustainable urban prac ces. Zong Xitao and Zhang Yue from Shanghai made study visits to both ci es in order to learn about the sustainability eff orts in each city. In order to raise public awareness on living sustainably, they also incorporated public engagements into their art installa ons, involving communi es in both ci es in the actual crea on of the artworks for a joint exhibi on (Top) in Shanghai. Singaporean ar st Tan Sock Fong working with residents of Xiaodongmen sub-district in Shanghai, placing personal [email protected] pledges to create a sustainable urban environment into www.sif.org.sg/artsforgood recycled bo les for her art installa on Promise

12 / DiverseCity (Top le ) (Bo om right) The ar sts together with curators discuss plans for an Chinese ar sts get up close and personal with the works of art exhibi on at the Shanghai Dayuntang Art Gallery Nanyang masters – Wu Guanzhong and Chua Ek Kay – at the Na onal Gallery Singapore (Top right) Curators Fu Jun (le ) and Allan Lim (right) both stressed that despite having diff erent values and perspec ves, the challenges to living sustainably remain the same and can be addressed by working together

(Bo om le ) Chinese ar sts gain an overview of Singapore’s growth as a Co-organiser: global city from Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority

Venue Partner:

Shanghai Dayuntang Art Gallery

Supporters:

Scan to view Read the insights from the ar sts on sustainability www.sif.org.sg/publications/art-of- sustainability-pulse-of-a-city

DiverseCity / 13 (Top le and right) (Bo om right) Residents from the Xiaodongmen sub-district, together As part of Tan Sock Fong’s artwork Promise, visitors to with student volunteers from the University of Shanghai for the exhibi on le pledges they can carry out to live more Science and Technology (Department of Anima on and Public sustainably: “I’ll cut down the use of plas c utensils by Arts) coming together at the Shanghai Dayuntang Art Gallery bringing fork and spoon from home to offi ce,” and to create part of the art installa on by Singaporean ar sts “Sort waste, use renewable materials,” are some of the promises le behind (Bo om le ) Residents from Ang Mo Kio district in Singapore having a go at weaving upcycled fabric for Didier Ng’s Ripple

14 / DiverseCity “In order for a city to be sustainable, the most important factor is that every resident must be able to fi nd a sense of presence in the city. This is very important in (Top le ) Art of Sustainability included a dialogue with the Singaporean ensuring the sustainable and Chinese ar sts along with various representa ves from the urban planning, crea ve industries and ar s c development of a city.” community on The Arts and Sustainable Urban Living — Ji Lihu, Deputy Planner, (Centre le ) SIF Execu ve Director Jean Tan (right) discussing Chinese Urban Planning and ar st Du Haijun’s City Subway Series with Singapore Deputy Consul-General Philip Ong (le ) Architectural Design Ins tute, Fudan University (Bo om le ) SPAFFC Vice President Jing Ying (le ) with SIF Governor Young Business Ambassadors David Chong (centre) and Singaporean ar st Tan Sock Fong (right) exchanging views on how their respec ve ci es manage Alumnus, 2009 issues related to urban living

(Top right) Singaporean ar st Didier Ng’s Ripple was included into a group exhibi on Art Songjiang Contemporary Exhibi on at the Songjiang Art Museum from 28 September to 18 October 2016

DiverseCity / 15 ARTS & DISABILITY FORUM

The SIF partnered the Na onal Arts Council of Singapore and the Bri sh Council in organising the Arts & Disability Forum, a mul -sectorial gathering to examine the role of the arts in raising awareness and enabling ac on towards shaping inclusive socie es.

29 to 31 March 2016 Singapore

How can the arts foster greater social inclusion? How can alongside keynote addresses from dis nguished UK speakers it shape posi ve mindsets towards disability? The three- Jo Verrent, a diversity advocate and senior producer for day Forum sought to address this in a series of discussions, Unlimited, a commissioning programme for disabled workshops and ar st-led tours, examining societal a tudes ar sts, and Claire Cunningham, a renowned disabled towards disability and accessibility, and how the arts can be mul disciplinary ar st. harnessed to raise awareness on the issues faced by persons with disabili es. Anita Fam, Chairman of Singapore’s Third Enabling Masterplan Steering Commi ee and SIF Governor (2010- The Forum gathered a cross-sec on of professionals, 2016), also chaired the fi rst-ever na onal-level roundtable both disabled and non-disabled, from the arts, private, that discussed a common vision for the future of arts and government and social services sectors, with par cipants disability in Singapore. hailing from over 20 countries. Par cipants shared insights

(Top) Shape Arts Trainer Barbara Lisicki facilita ng a discussion [email protected] about the social and medical models of disability at a www.sif.org.sg/artsforgood workshop during the Forum

16 / DiverseCity (Top le ) (Top right) Zoe Par ngton (le ), Shape Arts trainer, leading par cipants From le : Jo Verrent, keynote speaker for the Arts & on an “Access Audit Trail” at the Na onal Gallery Singapore, Disability Forum, with Anita Fam, Chairman of Singapore’s examining how spaces can cater to accessibility needs Third Enabling Masterplan Steering Commi ee and then SIF Governor, at the mul -sectorial roundtable session on envisioning access and disability in Singapore

(Bo om right) Audiences giving Lily Goh, hearing-impaired Singaporean performer and founder of Extraordinary Horizons, a round of applause in sign language a er a performance

Partners:

Scan to view Read the insights shared during the Arts & Disability Forum in the publica on Sponsor: www.sif.org.sg/publications/ arts-and-disability-forum-2016-post- forum-publication

DiverseCity / 17 ART FOR ALL ARTS & DISABILITY FORUM Artists from Singapore and the United BY AUDRINA GAN Kingdom shared their experiences of fostering social inclusion through the arts at the Arts and Disability Forum 2016 in Singapore. “There are talented and open-minded individuals (in Singapore). If they are strongly supported, he Arts and Disability Forum 2016, organised by Singapore’s National Arts Council in disabled voices will be able to lead and more role T collaboration with the Singapore International models can emerge to inspire disabled children, Foundation (SIF) and British Council Singapore, was held helping them to understand their right to both at the National Gallery Singapore from March 29 to 31. discover and fulfi l their own potential.” It brought together artists, healthcare practitioners, and Claire Cunningham, Multidisciplinary Artist, professionals from the social service sector and arts and cultural organisations. The participants from Singapore and the United Kingdom shared their experiences and views on how art can effect social change by challenging society’s deepest assumptions about disability.

UK artist Claire Cunningham, who spoke at the forum, hopes to change the perception that disabled people are not as productive and skilful as the able-bodied. Cunningham, who was born with osteoporosis, is known for using her crutches in multi-disciplinary performances that encompass dance, puppetry, video and animation.

She says: “My impairment is part of me and shapes how I encounter the world. While the impairment can create difficulties, it has also made me thoughtful, good at problem-solving and given me unique skills in working with crutches to create dance and other art forms.”

To illustrate how she uses her craft to foster a more inclusive society, Cunningham cited one of her works, Guide Gods, a theatre performance which looks at how different faiths view disability. Apart from ensuring that a broad range of perspectives is represented in the performance, she also sought to make the show accessible for those with hearing and visual impairments (Top, opposite) by integrating captions and audio descriptions. Audience UK ar st Claire Cunningham sharing her experiences and the members were also encouraged to interact with one insights she gleaned from them during the Arts and Disability another during a tea session after the performance. Forum at the Na onal Gallery Singapore Cunningham hopes that there will be more projects, This ar cle was fi rst published in like Guide Gods, which create opportunities for disabled SINGAPORE Magazine Issue 2/2016, and able-bodied performers and the general public to a publica on of the Singapore Interna onal Founda on. meet in an inclusive space, enabling long-term sharing singaporemagazine.sif.org.sg and learning.

18 / DiverseCity She says: “There are talented and open-minded Quek says that the music scores had to be arranged, individuals (in Singapore). If they are strongly supported, like changing the tempo of the pieces, to ensure that disabled voices will be able to lead, and more role models everyone could play the songs. He also had to adapt his can emerge to inspire disabled children, helping them to conducting style to cater to different needs. understand their right to both discover and fulfil their own potential.” He says: “Some of our visually impaired members told me that they can’t see me but they can sense my BUILDING INCLUSION presence from the breaths I take, so I try to breathe deeper Singaporean Quek Ling Kiong, resident conductor of the whenever I’m performing with them.” Singapore Chinese Orchestra as well as music director of the Singapore Youth Chinese Orchestra, shared his Quek, who credits music for transforming him from a experience promoting inclusion through music. rebel to a disciplined person, says: “I want to share this wonderful art with more people and show that music can He led The Purple Symphony, Singapore’s first help bring people together.” orchestra comprising able-bodied and disabled musicians, last year in its performance at The Purple Parade, an annual gathering that supports inclusion and celebrates the abilities of people with special needs. The Purple Symphony also performed at the 8th ASEAN Para Games in Singapore last year.

DiverseCity / 19 ART THAT BINDS ARTS & DISABILITY FORUM British artist and diversity advocate BY AUDRINA GAN Jo Verrent shares insights on shaping a more inclusive society.

hen Jo Verrent touched down in Singapore after a 13-hour flight from the United Kingdom in W March, she was, like most visitors, struck by the “By involving disabled people equally — as artists heat and humidity. and audiences — we can all benefi t from the sharing “It was still snowing in the UK when I boarded the of our perspectives. Any cross-border exchange is flight,” she recalls. The British speaker, writer and diversity useful. When we see how other societies work, we consultant had traded the cold of Yorkshire, where she lives, for the warmth of Singapore where she was a look even harder at ourselves.” keynote speaker at the Arts and Disability Forum from Jo Verrent, Writer and Diversity Consultant, March 29 to 31. The forum was organised by Singapore’s United Kingdom National Arts Council in collaboration with Singapore International Foundation and British Council Singapore. It brought together UK and Singaporean arts practitioners as well as representatives of relevant organisations from the social and healthcare sectors to share insights on encouraging greater social inclusiveness through the arts.

Verrent, who is hearing-impaired, is also the senior producer of the Unlimited programme in the UK, the world’s largest commission programme for disabled artists. It provides funds and mentoring support for disabled artists in the UK, with the aim of showing that their work is of high quality and can appeal to anyone who appreciates good art.

She says: “For me, the best art is one that gives new perspectives. While the quality of work of disabled artists is no different from that of able-bodied artists, the former may provide a perspective that audience members have not seen before.”

When people see a reflection of themselves in the works presented, that is when art becomes a force for inclusion, says Verrent. “Many disabled people feel on the edge of society. So, incorporating and sharing elements of their experience in their art allows them to be heard, seen and acknowledged,” she says. (Top opposite) (right) Jo Verrent in conversa on with Felicia Low on the As part of her advocacy work, Verrent hopes to social model of disability challenge the notion of disability as a medical condition. She argues that people are disabled by the physical This ar cle was fi rst published in environment and people’s perceptions of their disabilities. SINGAPORE Magazine Issue 2/2016, She says: “A person in a wheelchair can’t get to a place a publica on of the Singapore Interna onal Founda on. because it doesn’t have a ramp or a lift. He is limited by singaporemagazine.sif.org.sg the steps in front of him.”

20 / DiverseCity CREATING AN INCLUSIVE SOCIETY by the barriers put up by others, such as the lack of She considers the Arts and Disability Forum an important physical access as well as the lack of access to education, step in shaping a more inclusive society. She says: information and communication. “Disabled people have as much right to be represented as any other group in our communities. By involving She cites Glasgow-based theatre performer Ramesh disabled people equally – as artists and audiences – we Meyyappan as a good Singaporean role model for can all benefit from the sharing of our perspectives. Any fostering inclusivity. Meyyappan, who was born deaf, is cross-border exchange is useful. When we see how other regarded as one of Scotland’s leading disabled artists. societies work, we look even harder at ourselves.” He was awarded a commission under the Unlimited programme in 2012. She says that while the UK is not a perfect example of inclusiveness, it has made advancements in areas such Says Verrent: “So many people told him he couldn’t as arts and culture. “Every cultural building in the UK has work in the industry, that his deafness would be a barrier, to consider access to the disabled, and every cultural and he has exploded that . I know many deaf and organisation has to show what it is doing to involve disabled people who see Ramesh as a role model. He disabled people. We also have some dedicated funding has shown that he can create great art irrespective of any through programmes such as Unlimited,” she explains. disabilities.”

She adds that the UK adopts a multi-layered approach In order to see more Singaporean artists like to the issue by working with young people, professional Meyyappan, who is breaking down both cultural disabled artists, and audiences to build an ecology that boundaries as a Singaporean artist in Glasgow and the connects the disabled with the community. She believes disability barrier created by society, Verrent says providing that a similar trend is already emerging in Singapore. opportunities and access to the disabled is crucial. She explains: “It’s about opening up training and support She says: “I found people who were hungry to do routes so that all disabled people interested in the arts more for equality, but who wanted the government to show have a chance to access training and development. Not its commitment as well.” This, she says, was especially everyone will become world-class artists, but some people evident in her interactions with the country’s young will, and disabled people deserve to be in that group as people. They told her that the disabled should not be seen much as anyone else.” as needing pity, but as people who are disadvantaged

DiverseCity / 21 LEAVE NO ONE How does a society foster greater BEHIND inclusiveness of those who are disabled? ARTS & DISABILITY FORUM Then SIF Governor Anita Fam, chairperson of the third Enabling Masterplan Steering Committee, weighs in on the issue. “The arts is a useful platform for raising public aking place on Aug 9 every year, Singapore’s awareness about disability. It has the potential to National Day Parade is always a spectacle change mindsets and expectations.” T to behold. Anita Fam, vice-president of the National Council of Social Service This year’s event featured a segment where more than 150 special needs participants hand-signed two of the country’s favourite songs – Home and Count On Me, Singapore – as well as the Singapore Pledge. It sent out a beautiful message that these individuals, given the same opportunities as everyone else, have much to contribute. It is time to recognise their talents.

The idea of inclusiveness is behind the push to include individuals with special needs in our society. It is one of the main objectives that the third Enabling Masterplan Steering Committee, of which I am chairperson, is focusing on. Another objective is providing caregivers with support by helping them, for instance, with care-planning for their disabled loved ones.

The Enabling Masterplan is a five-year roadmap that charts the development of policies, programmes, services and other forms of support for people with disabilities in Singapore. It helps the government prioritise its resources to support the sector, such as by building disability and (Top, opposite) education infrastructure, and initiating partnerships with Anita Fam is vice-president of the Na onal Council of the private sector. The third masterplan, to be presented Social Service, the na onal coordina ng body for voluntary to the Singapore government later this year, will guide the welfare organisa ons in Singapore and chairperson of the development of programmes and services in the disability third Enabling Masterplan Steering Commi ee in Singapore. sector from 2017 to 2021. The former lawyer is an ac ve volunteer in the social services sector and serves on the board of various public Another way in which we hope to foster inclusiveness organisa ons, including the Na onal Healthcare Group and of the disabled is through dialogue. One example is the Assisi Hospice, of which she is chairman the Arts and Disability Forum held in March as part of the Singapore International Foundation’s Arts For Good Photo credit: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings initiative. During the forum, I moderated a roundtable Limited. Reprinted with permission. themed, “Visioning Arts and Disability in Singapore: Policy, Access and Awareness”. This ar cle was fi rst published in SINGAPORE Magazine Issue 2/2016, The arts is a useful platform for raising public a publica on of the Singapore Interna onal Founda on. awareness about disability. It has the potential to change singaporemagazine.sif.org.sg mindsets and expectations. This roundtable allowed us to

22 / DiverseCity start thinking about how we can leverage the arts to foster National Archives, is already employing individuals with inclusiveness. autism at its Digital Services Centre.

I came away feeling enriched and excited by the Today, we are in a better place than before collaborations between the two sectors in other countries. as a society. It made me realise there is still much to be done in Singapore, and I plan to speak to Singapore International Parents used to hide their disabled children away from Festival of Arts (SIFA) director Ong Keng Sen to see if such curious eyes, but now, they have assistance and no longer collaborations and performances can be incorporated into feel ashamed of their children. Many are very supportive future SIFA programming, to provide the disabled with and refuse to allow their children to be handicapped by more representation in our arts and culture scene. their disability.

We already have one great example in Singapore This is a mindset that we need to adopt when of the arts and disability sectors merging. The Purple interacting with individuals with special needs. We can Symphony, established in 2015, is an inclusive orchestra see their many admirable attributes, such as grit and made up of musicians with and without special needs, a toughness of character. Society can afford to draw more perfect representation of arts for good. inspiration from them.

CHANGING MINDSETS One such inspiration is Singapore navy serviceman Another important thing I feel Singaporeans can do to Jason Chee, who has emerged victorious – literally – from build a more inclusive society is to be open-minded and his ordeal of losing both legs and his left arm in a ship not pigeonhole people. accident in 2012. He was part of the men’s table tennis team that won a gold medal at the ASEAN Para Games We can start, for example, by employing people 2015. with disabilities. They are loyal and serious workers who will work hard and not job-hop. Singapore’s National If he can achieve so much, we able-bodied people Library Board, which manages the public libraries and the have no excuse not to live well.

DiverseCity / 23 ARTS THERAPY INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN MISSION

Red Pencil Interna onal is a non-profi t organisa on that helps children, adults and families aff ected by natural disasters and armed confl icts overseas through arts therapy.

February to November 2016 Erbil, Kurdistan

American art therapists Nancy Slater and Sofi a Casas volunteered for the Red Pencil Interna onal Humanitarian mission in Erbil, Kurdistan. Singaporean photographer Edwin Koo joined the team to document their mission in order to raise awareness on the power of the arts to heal.

Conduc ng a train-the-trainers programme, the art therapists shared various art therapy techniques, from pain ng to cra s, with psychotherapists from human rights organisa on the Jiyan Founda on. These techniques promote self-insight and healing, adding more tools for the psychotherapists in their work with refugees.

(Top) With guidance from local psychotherapists trained by Red [email protected] Pencil Interna onal, children designed and created their ideal www.redpencil.org city using art materials provided

24 / DiverseCity (Top le ) Psychotherapists from the Jiyan Founda on engaging refugee children at the Qushtapa Camp in Erbil, Kurdistan, through the various arts-based ac vi es

(Top right) Art therapists Nancy Slater (right) and Sofi a Casas (centre) sharing how arts therapy can be used for healing with psychotherapists from the Jiyan Founda on Partners:

(Bo om) Psychotherapists from the Jiyan Founda on Kurdistan learning to use art as a visual tool for self-expression during the train-the-trainers workshop

DiverseCity / 25 INVISIBLE COSTS ARTS THERAPY INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN MISSION BY EDWIN KOO

Edwin Koo, a photographer from Singapore, joined the Red Pencil Interna onal team during their humanitarian mission to Kurdistan to document the process. He shares his own refl ec ons from the mission. In June 2016, I was introduced to two new things in my life: arts therapy and Kurdistan. I was asked by Red Pencil Interna onal to go to Erbil, where I spent days documen ng an arts therapy workshop in which 20 psychotherapists were trained to use arts therapy methods in their rehabilita ve work with Kurds displaced by the Syrian War.

Much has been wri en and reported about the Syrian War (Top) and its fallout. Yet, nothing ever seems to sink in. The civil Some of the Kurdish children and psychotherapists who took war, which has now morphed into a mangled mishmash of part in the arts therapy workshop sectarian violence, proxy wars and open reprisals, did not help the world understand itself. Violence is an Photo credit: Edwin Koo unintelligible language.

26 / DiverseCity At one point, the death toll was a yards ck to measure the When I was tasked to document the arts therapy session, I war’s severity. It snowballed into such an indecent fi gure it went about it with my tradi onal approach to documentary became an embarrassment to the world community. — to be the invisible witness, observing and recording We stopped coun ng the dead, because we couldn’t do through photographs. On the second day at the Qushtapa anything to stop the violence. Camp, I decided to take a pause from “taking” photos, to “making” photos. Even though I spoke no Kurdish, I wanted I am no confl ict photographer. The closest encounter I’ve had the children to know they are important. I had a portable with this senseless violence was with the Kurdish children printer and put it into ac on. displaced from Syria. Some of them have seen their own family die before their eyes. Some of them can s ll hear the I started making portraits of them, placing them as formally bomb explosions that destroyed their homes. Many would as I would an adult coming for a portraiture session. I printed remember the dangerous journeys they undertook to fl ee their best image on li le Instax prints to be gi ed to them. their birthplace. These are experiences that no child should When they received their photos, their delight was clearly ever go through. visible.

Today, we s ll grapple to understand the violence that wrecks When the therapists saw the children have their portraits our world. We see this city fall, that army retaking a town, taken, they started to protest: “What about us?” At fi rst I that building bombed by ISIS terrorists in vengeance. Yet, was worried that I would run out of prints, but in the end, we tend to forget that beyond the immediate mayhem that I managed to take a photo for each one of them. violence wreaks, it is the trauma of its vic ms that will remain for a long me, especially for the children, who s ll have a I would like to make visible the eff orts made to counter the long journey ahead. invisible cost of war and violence, by paying homage to the people who suff er from it, and who seek to alleviate it. The This is the invisible cost of war. only way to confront the cost of war, is to come face-to-face with the faces of these children.

DiverseCity / 27 CAUSEWAYEXCHANGE

CausewayEXchange (CEX) is an arts and culture fes val that brings together the ar s c and crea ve communi es of Singapore and . It is organised annually by DMR Produc ons, alterna ng between both countries, and has been supported by the SIF since 2011.

George Town Festival and 12th Johor Bahru Arts Festival 1 August to 10 September 2015 Penang and Johor Bahru, Malaysia

The SIF supported over ten groups and ar sts from Singapore under CEX to par cipate in performances and dialogues at two arts fes vals in Malaysia, enabling them to connect with wider audiences and fi nd new avenues for collabora on. Ar sts came from a variety of genres, including visual, literary and performing arts.

1 to 13 September 2016 Singapore

The SIF partnered DMR Produc ons, the Global Cultural Alliance and The RICE Company to launch an Arts and Healing segment under CEX, which explored how the arts can be used as a form of healing and therapy. The Arts and Healing programmes included Tales of the Swordfi sh, Healing Through Arts, and Doctors with a Cause.

(Top) marke [email protected] Panellists come from both sides of the causeway at causewayexchange.com the panel discussion Healing Through Arts

28 / DiverseCity CausewayEXchange 2015

Musicians at the Nadi Singapura musical showcase and workshop as part of CausewayEXchange 2015, which featured tradi onal Malay drums and percussion

CausewayEXchange 2016

Tales of the Swordfi sh Healing Through Arts Doctors with A Cause Malaysian theatre group Main -based world music band Singaporeans Dr Chang Tou Liang, Dr Wayang conducts a mul disciplinary At Adau leads an interac ve music Au Kah Kay and Malaysian Dr Thevi art workshop for benefi ciaries of segment with elderly par cipants Thanigasalam performed classical Singapore’s The Business Times from HCA hospice during Healing music pieces to raise funds for the next Budding Ar sts Fund as well as Through Arts, a panel discussion with edi on of Arts and Healing in 2017, young talents from The Malaysian Singaporean and Malaysian art and together with Malaysian stand-up High Commission drama therapists comedian Dr Jason Leong

Partners:

DiverseCity / 29 CHAIRITY: ART AND DESIGN AGAINST CANCER

Imis Iskandar founded CHAIRITY: Art and Design Against Cancer in 2012 to raise awareness on cancer through the arts, a er his father was diagnosed with the illness.

April 2016 Jakarta, Indonesia

Imis brought his CHAIRITY ini a ve to Jakarta, Indonesia with the support of the SIF. Over 50 Indonesian and Singaporean ar sts came together to turn ordinary chairs into art pieces expressing their personal refl ec ons on or journeys with cancer.

These chairs were auc oned off to raise awareness about cancer, raising over S$800,000 for two Indonesian cancer founda ons.

(Top) [email protected] Founder Imis Iskandar with some of the chairs www.chairityindonesia.com created for CHAIRITY

30 / DiverseCity “The success of the project is not measured by the amount raised, but by the awareness created. Through CHAIRITY, we brought communi es in Singapore and Indonesia together to contribute to a greater good and to touch the lives of others.” — Imis Iskandar, Founder, CHAIRITY: Arts and Design Against Cancer, Singapore

(Top) Singaporeans Imis Iskandar (far right) and Abu Jalal Sarimon (centre) with SIF partner Indonesian Budi Soehardi, founder of Roslin Orphanage (far le ) at the recep on before the CHAIRITY Gala Dinner

(Middle) Chairs by Indonesian ar sts Ario and Di a were auc oned by Chris e’s Indonesia, with all proceeds going to two Indonesian cancer founda ons

(Bo om) Indonesian ar st Heri Dono working on his contribu on for CHAIRITY

DiverseCity / 31 CHAIRS FOR Singaporean Imis Iskandar partners CHARITY artists from around Asia to raise funds CHAIRITY: ART AND DESIGN for needy cancer patients through his AGAINST CANCER art and charity initiative, CHAIRITY. BY CHARLENE CHUA n 2010, Imis Iskandar’s father was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer. A year later, he suffered a relapse, I which prompted Imis to do something, not only to honour his father, but also to help cancer patients with financial difficulties. Although his father was able to afford treatment, Imis realised that others might struggle with its cost.

Imis, 33, a regional sales representative, says: “My parents raised me with the mentality that I should give back to society when I can.” The former product designer decided to put that into practice through CHAIRITY, an initiative in which chairs specially decorated by artists and designers are auctioned to raise funds for non-profit organisations that work with cancer patients. The design of each chair reflects the artist’s perspective on the impact of cancer.

CHAIRITY’s first fund raiser took place in Singapore in May 2012 to coincide with the 59th birthday of Imis’ father. Despite being bedridden at the time, Imis’ father turned up at the event on a stretcher to lend his support. He died a few days later.

Since then, CHAIRITY has continued to bring together artists and designers – from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and China – to decorate chairs to raise awareness for cancer. To date, CHAIRITY has been held in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, raising more than S$1 million for needy cancer patients in the three countries.

In April 2016, CHAIRITY was held in Jakarta, supported by the Singapore International Foundation under its Arts For Good initiative. The 54 chairs, designed by 50 international artists and designers, were displayed (Top opposite) at a shopping centre in central Jakarta before being Singaporean ar st Abu Jalal Sarimonʼs chair, Roaring Stripes auctioned off. They raised a total of S$830,000 – the largest amount so far – for the Indonesian Cancer Foundation Photo credit: CHAIRITY and the Indonesian Childhood Cancer Foundation.

This ar cle was fi rst published in During the event, Imis was introduced to Indonesian SINGAPORE Magazine Issue 2/2016, artist S Teddy Darmawan, who was diagnosed with late- a publica on of the Singapore Interna onal Founda on. stage pancreatic cancer. Despite his condition, Darmawan singaporemagazine.sif.org.sg insisted on being part of CHAIRITY and even recruited

32 / DiverseCity other artists for the event. He died a month after the auction.

Says Imis: “I just feel blessed and fortunate to be given the opportunity to work with renowned and established artists from all over the world. Even though they may have different perspectives on life, everyone has one common interest: to contribute to society by doing what they do best and love.

“Over the years, these collaborations have profoundly influenced my life and inspired me to continue what I’m doing.”

The next CHAIRITY event will be held in Singapore in December in aid of Rainbow Centre, a non-profit organisation for children with special needs.

DiverseCity / 33 IMIS ISKANDAR: WEDNESDAY 27 April, 2016 CHAIRS FOR Inspired by his father’s battle with cancer, Singaporean Imis CANCER Iskandar initiated Chairity — a collaborative platform for artists CHARITY and designers to express their CHAIRITY: ART AND DESIGN interpretations of cancer onto AGAINST CANCER BY YULIASRI PERDANI a piece of classical European furniture: the Louis Arm Chair.

ince it was initiated in 2012, Chairity has held chair auctions to raise money for cancer patients in S Singapore and Malaysia. Now, Imis is bringing Chairity to Jakarta, where 54 chairs bearing the creations of 51 artists from Indonesia, Singapore and China, will be auctioned at the Grand Mercure Hotel in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Among the participating locals are big names in the country’s art scene such as Heri Dono and Agus Suwage. There are also fi ve non-professional artists who have contributed works, including National Police detective division chief Comr. Gen. Anang Iskandar and Nathania Berniece Zhong, the daughter of Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama.

“We give them just the frames and it’s up to them how they want to express the interpretation of cancer onto the chair,” Imis told The Jakarta Post on Monday in Jakarta.

“We have people who burn the frame, people who paint the frame, do nothing with frame and just cover it with white cloth. So many interpretations.”

The proceeds from the chair sales will be donated to the Indonesian Childhood Cancer Foundation (YOAI) and Indonesian Cancer Foundation (YKI) to build accommodation for children with cancer from less-fortunate families. (Top) “Why a chair? Because a chair is something very common. Charitable art: Singaporean Imis Iskander poses with a chair You fi nd a chair everywhere. Everyone has a chair but we designed by ar st Tatang Ramadhan Bouqie. The chair is always take it for granted,” Imis said. “Cancer is in every one one of the many designed by Indonesian, Singaporean and of us. It is active and inactive. Not until cancer hits you or Chinese ar sts to raise money for fi nancially-challenged your family members or someone close to you do you know cancer pa ents in Indonesia. what cancer is.”

34 / DiverseCity FEATURES | 23

The history of Chairity started in 2010 when Imis’ father, chance to paint and design small chairs. The project generated Abdul Rahman B. Jasman, was diagnosed with stage 3 lung S$70,000 for the Children Cancer Foundation. cancer. After months of intensive treatment, his father was declared cancer-free in 2011. However, half a year later, the “After three times doing it in Singapore and Malaysia. I cancer returned, and this time it had spread into his brain thought I should be doing it in Indonesia because my mom and bones. is Indonesian.”

“It was diagnosed as stage 4, the last stage. So we knew Imis and his relatives in Indonesia formed Yayasan that it looked like there was no hope,” he says. Kursi Putih or the White Chairs Foundation (Kupu) as the Indonesian chapter of Chairity. Imis left his job to take care of his father, an experience that made him realize what cancer was and what battling the With help from Christie’s auction house, Imis got in disease meant — how it affected him not only physically and touch with prominent artists across Indonesia. For months, emotionally, but also fi nancially. Imis, who works as the regional sales manager of a German company, went back and forth between Singapore and “We realized how expensive it [the treatment] was. I was Indonesia to approach the artists. just blessed because my dad could afford his own treatment. From there, I began to notice other patients, how they go for “I went around Indonesia from Bandung, Semarang, treatment and how they cannot afford treatment. How they are Subang, Yogyakarta, Bali and Surabaya to meet the artists. I just waiting for time.” was so blessed to be introduced to good artists.”

To honor his father and to help cancer patients from less Aside from Agus Suwage and Heri Dono, other fortunate families, Imis and his friend Gary Ng started to plan participating artists include Obin, Ipong Purnama Sidhi, the art and charity project that they called Chairity. Affandi, Astari Rasyid and Asri Nugroho.

“By using chairs as art pieces, [the impact] is more The event also features chairs designed by three longlasting. If today I give the foundation S$10,000, Singaporean artists — Abu Jalal Sarimon, Rosihan Dahim tomorrow it will be fi nished. But the chair, you put it and Jeffrey Wandly, as well as Chinese artist Kuku Chai. anywhere, 10 years down the road, people will still see the chair and still remember the project.” The minimum price of each chair is set at Rp 50 million. However, Imis said the sale of the chairs would be conducted With the help of local visual artist Justin Lee, they in casual manner. managed to gather over 20 artists for the project. Although having no background in art, Imis managed to gain support “Only fi ve chairs are selected by Christie’s. For other from individuals, companies and the government for the chairs, people can choose how much they want to pay,” he event, held in 2012. said. “It is not really auction. It just sells the piece but they have an option to make it higher.” The fi rst Chairity, offi ciated by then Singapore President SR Nathan, managed to collect S$120,000 through the sale of Just like in the previous Chairity events, the one in Jakarta 35 chairs. Imis gave 78 percent of that to the Singapore Cancer will have a dedication page to Imis’ father. The Jakarta event Society. The event brought back emotional memories to Imis. was supported by Singapore International Foundation (SIF). “What happened is my father called his own ambulance so he could be at the show. Halfway through my speech, he came in. “The SIF, whose mission is to bring world communities It was the last week of his life,” Imis recalled. “So it became a together to do good, believes the arts are a way for us to very personal and emotional project for me.” bring people together to engage in cross-cultural interaction that strengthens understanding,” said SIF communications With help from the Singaporean President, Imis held manager, Tay Hsu Chern, said. a Chairity project in in 2014, involving renowned Malaysian artists. The collected funds went to the “This year, we launched the ‘arts for good’ initiative, which National Cancer Society Malaysia. continues to build on this belief while focusing on arts and culture as an enabler to connect Singaporeans like Imis and Imis involved children in the third event at Red Dot Design Indonesian artists together to promote awareness of social Museum Singapore in April 2015. Children, including some issues like cancer and collaborate for positive social change.” from the Children Cancer Foundation in Singapore, got the

DiverseCity / 35 EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES THROUGH ARTS EDUCATION

Dr Esther Joosa is an arts educa on consultant with a focus on the design and teaching of individualised art outreach programmes and professional development workshops.

May 2016 Tamil Nadu, India

Dr Joosa conducted art workshops with Buds of Christ in Tamil Nadu to give a voice to mothers and children aff ected by HIV in Youth and Children Empowerment in 2011 and in Unmasking the Face of HIV in 2014.

The SIF con nued its partnership with her in a follow-up train-the-trainers workshop, Empowering Communi es through Arts Educa on, for 23 social workers from four non-governmental organisa ons brought together by Buds of (Top) Christ India. Arts educator Dr Esther Joosa (le ), guiding workshop Dr Joosa taught par cipants how to incorporate the arts into par cipants in a mask-making ac vity during the programme their care-giving prac ces and equipped them with skills to be er communicate with HIV-aff ected communi es. She also (Opposite top) organised art ac vi es aimed at improving self-expression, Workshop par cipants and arts educator such as self-portraiture workshops, in which more than 100 Dr Esther Joosa (centre) people from the community par cipated. (Opposite bo om le ) esther.joosa@artso hearth.com Workshop par cipants sharing insights into India through www.artso hearth.org pain ng of the Kolam, a tradi onal art form in India

36 / DiverseCity “My rela onship with Singapore Interna onal Founda on has been an amazing journey of building trust, receiving opportuni es and taking on responsibili es. I came as a bystander believing I’m an arts educator. I le as a learner. I le as an appren ce. I le as a person who could see how much a society has to off er if only we give them that opportunity.” — Dr Esther Joosa, Arts Educator, Singapore

Partners: Scan to view View the video highlights and insights from par cipants of Empowering Communi es Through Arts Educa on https://youtu.be/6pN2iqVOaQo

DiverseCity / 37 THE KUPANG PROJECT

How do you do good through the arts? Indonesian and Singaporean ar sts came together in The Kupang Project, a year-long collabora on to develop a Crea ve Educa on Programme and to conduct a series of train-the-trainers workshops for the empowerment of residents and caregivers of the Roslin Orphanage in Indonesia.

April 2015 to May 2016 Kupang, Indonesia

The Kupang Project introduced arts and culture into the educa onal programme of the Roslin Orphanage. It gave residents a new avenue in which to express themselves, learn the value of discipline and gave its caregivers the training to con nue the programme for its future residents.

(Top) Singaporean ar s c collaborator Desmond Sim (le ) and Indonesian caregiver Marianne Soehardi (right) explain the [email protected] concept of pa erns in visual arts to par cipants of www.facebook.com/kupangproject The Kupang Project

38 / DiverseCity “I feel very happy because I am able to perform well and have more confi dence in everything I do. Learning from this experience has inspired me.” — Bendita Soares Pinto, Resident of Roslin Orphanage, Indonesia

(Top le ) Arts educator Nora Samosir teaching par cipants dic on and pronuncia on techniques

(Top right, Bo om) Residents of the Roslin Orphanage taking part in a drawing workshop, with beau ful results

Partners: Scan to view View the media feature on The Kupang Project on Channel News Asia’s On the Red Dot (March 2016) https://youtu.be/tWNcF6bA4Y4

DiverseCity / 39 THE ROSLIN ORPHANAGE become agents of posi ve change contribu ng meaningfully The Roslin Orphanage, which opened in 1999, was founded to society. Through its educa onal programme, residents are and is managed by Budi and Peggy Soehardi and their family. taught the importance of viable and sustainable livelihoods Today, the orphanage houses more than 150 orphans. through par cipa on in various responsibili es around the orphanage, such as working in the farm, or cooking meals. The orphanage aims to empower its residents through educa on, to develop them to their full poten al in order to

“We really appreciate the help and par cipa on willingly and wholeheartedly rendered by our Singaporean friends. This partnership was founded on mutual trust, working together to create future professionals who will be able to contribute to society.” — Budi Soehardi, Founder, Roslin Orphanage, Indonesia

(Le ) The Roslin Orphanage includes sleeping quarters, a school compound where lessons are held and an open courtyard for rest and recrea on

(Right) There are also farms where seasonal produce such as rice, avocados, chillies and papayas are grown, harvested and distributed to the community

40 / DiverseCity (Top) The collaborators from SIF, GenerAsia Limited and Roslin Orphanage

DiverseCity / 41 CREATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAMME Led by Singaporeans Desmond Sim (visual arts), Damien Lim The ar s c collaborators from Indonesia and Singapore (drum circle and musical bells), Richard Tan (theatre and worked together with the caregivers from the orphanage dance) and Joyce Lim (leadership), the CEP brought together to develop a Crea ve Educa on Programme (CEP). other Singaporean and Indonesian ar sts to collaborate in carrying out the programme. The Kupang Project saw The CEP introduces arts-based ac vi es such as drawing, Singaporean ar sts Clement Chow, Richard Chia, Nora ac ng, singing and drum playing into the educa onal Samosir, Jackie Pereira and renowned Indonesian Jazz singer, programme of the Roslin Orphanage. The programme was Nita Aartsen volunteering their me to contribute to designed to create a safe and structured environment to the programme. encourage the residents to explore and express themselves through various arts-based ac vi es.

(Top) Arts in session: Snippets from the workshops and training sessions at The Kupang Project conducted by the Singaporean and Indonesian collaborators with caregivers and residents of the Roslin Orphanage

42 / DiverseCity “Music is one of the best ways to connect people. Although we all come from diff erent backgrounds, through music, we all become interconnected and move in solidarity. Through this project, we grow together as a community, bound by our common desire to help develop the children.” — Nita Aartsen, Musician, Indonesia

(Top) The Kupang Project included arts-based workshops on theatre, dance, visual arts, music and English

DiverseCity / 43 A LASTING IMPACT Once shy and self-conscious, the residents who took part caregivers at the orphanage to successfully incorporate a in the arts ac vi es under the CEP are now armed with sustainable arts programme into their exis ng curriculum, newfound confi dence: able to read through workshop mul plying the results to benefi t future residents of the scripts, understand stage direc ons and project their voices Roslin Orphanage. to larger audiences. By making new friends, learning new skills and gaining self- They are also now equipped with basic ar s c skills in visual confi dence, The Kupang Project opened up new opportuni es and performing arts. All of these enable them to be er for everyone at the Roslin Orphanage to increase their express themselves. intercultural understanding, grow their self-awareness and enhance their well-being, which will help them later in life! Through the train-the-trainers programme that ran concurrently, the collaborators worked directly with the

“Our aim is to come here to show that the arts can be sustainable as forms of livelihood. The kids can see the value of their work and become empowered to realise that their talent is something that can help them make a living.” — Desmond Sim, Playwright, Singapore

(Top) Ar st Desmond Sim (in blue) reading out workshop scripts to residents of the Roslin Orphanage, caregivers and collaborators

44 / DiverseCity “I learned a lot from all the friends that came. I want to learn more: how to focus, concentrate, collaborate with others, and how to act well. I also learned new vocabulary and how to be a be er singer. Thank you for everything.” — Sonya Ivoni Tanono, Resident of Roslin Orphanage, Indonesia

(Top) All together now: the ar s c collaborators come together with caregivers and residents of the Roslin Orphanage who took part in The Kupang Project

DiverseCity / 45 A CREATIVE A couple’s determination to APPROACH help others is fostering greater TO MAKING understanding across borders and cultures

A DIFFERENCE n 19 9 9, f o r m e r a i r l i n e p i l o t B u d i S o e h a r d i a n d h i s wife Peggy (who were then based in Singapore) watched THE KUPANG PROJECT I a television programme about East Timor refugees. Moved by their plight, the couple decided to help and support those who were most at risk — the children.

Peggy found a place to stay in West Timor and took in four children. The couple co-founded the Roslin Orphanage in the early 2000s, which has been gradually built up over the years.

With education as one of the bedrocks of the Roslin Orphanage’s goals, the couple’s efforts have taken a creative turn with The Kupang Project, a collaboration with the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) and GenerAsia.

The SIF organises cultural-exchange programmes to promote international understanding while GenerAsia encourages new and veteran artistes to work together to create new works for young Asians.

THE NEXT CREATIVE LEVEL The Kupang Project is a creative-education programme for the children at the Roslin Orphanage that has brought together Singapore and Indonesian communities through the arts.

Said Soh Lai Yee, head, cultural exchange, Programme Division, SIF: “It brings together globally responsible Singaporeans and Indonesians based in Singapore and the Indonesian community to harness the power of culture to uplift the lives of the residents in the orphanage, and inspire others to do good.”

While The Kupang Project may be a relatively small- scale effort, Richard Tan, artistic director of GenerAsia, believes in its long-term benefi ts.

“This is a very meaningful project for Singaporeans and Indonesians, as we reach out to each other, bond and extend our friendships. It may be a very small project but the repercussions, the waves of how this will grow, is going to be (Opposite, Top) very inspiring for other people,” he said. Richard Tan (centre, wearing black T-shirt) is a former ar s c director (Dance) with the SAF Music & Drama Company. He This inspiration has already made a difference in the is working with children from Roslin Orphanage in Kupang, lives of many children involved in the project, like Galang Indonesia, as part of The Kupang Project. Nahak. The 12-year-old didn’t make much of an initial impression due to his shyness and was fi rst cast in the show’s This ar cle was excerpted from TODAY 31 March 2016. chorus line. Galang’s transformation began at a workshop Produced by the TODAY Special Projects Team with actress Nora Samosir.

46 / DiverseCity Said Richard: “He responded to the lessons and started In part, it refl ects the view that arts practitioners can to engage. So I gave him a challenge to be cast in a lead role take on a bigger role as artist-ambassadors — people who as Mungil, the lost ant. In a few days, he memorised the script can work with overseas peers to foster greater understanding and in coaching sessions with Nora and myself, he learnt across borders. really fast.” This can help foster greater inclusiveness by raising Added Kupang Project producer Joyce Lim: “Galang awareness of issues affecting varied demographics — like the had a moment of self-realisation and in a few minutes he disabled, the aged and at-risk youth. transformed. All we did was ignite the spark. He did the rest.” Said Lai Yee: “We believe in the power of collaborations Workshops, which started last April, concluded this and the value of arts and culture in doing good.” month. Its objectives included teaching Indonesian trainers to develop a creative-education syllabus for Roslin Orphanage residents, so these efforts can be sustained. THE ARTS FOR GOOD

Today, about 170 children call the Roslin Orphanage in Programmes like The Kupang Project and Singapore West Timor home, and it’s all because a former pilot and his Interna onale project are now a part of the SIF’s wife decided to make a difference over 15 years ago. recently launched Arts for Good ini a ve, which uses the arts to foster greater understanding between INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES Singaporeans and overseas communi es. And perhaps Programmes like The Kupang Project and the Singapore best of all, it’s a mutually benefi cial rela onship. Internationale (SI) programme (both of which are now a part of the SIF’s recently launched Arts for Good initiative) have been giving artists a platform to wear multiple hats as they Said Soh Lai Yee, head, cultural exchange, Programme practise their craft and build international relationships. Division, SIF: “The arts and culture has been one key feature of our work since 2000. When our ar sts Launched in 2000, the SI programme partners interact and collaborate with their global counterparts, Singaporean artists who work in a variety of fi elds such as the they share a facet of Singapore culture in their role as performing, visual and literary arts. The aim, says Lai Yee, is ci zen ambassadors but also draw inspira ons from to bridge communities for a better world. other cultures.”

DiverseCity / 47 PLAY ME, I’M YOURS

Touring over 50 ci es and reaching over 10 million people worldwide, Play Me, I’m Yours is a global art installa on by ar st Luke Jerram from the United Kingdom. Since 2008, more than 1,500 pianos have been decorated, played at and enjoyed in public spaces.

March to June 2016 Singapore

The SIF partnered organisa on The Playtent to co-present Play Me, I’m Yours in Singapore. In this edi on, 25 ar sts worked with 25 social enterprises and welfare organisa ons to decorate 25 crowd-sourced pianos, giving them a new lease of life!

From neighbourhoods to commercial spaces, the pianos were placed across Singapore to encourage everyone to play them, crea ng music for all to enjoy. Performances and community events were also held around each piano, invi ng the public to learn more about the causes and organisa ons involved.

(Top) [email protected] Founder Luke Jerram engages with a young member of the www.streetpianos.sg/2016 public at the launch of Play Me, I’m Yours

48 / DiverseCity “By sharing in Singapore, we help the world to recognise that Singapore has an all- inclusive a tude to community arts and a posi ve approach to cross-cultural rela ons.” — Rebecca Lee, Director, The Playtent, Singapore

Co-presenter:

Partners:

(Top) Founder of Play Me, I’m Yours Luke Jerram with presen ng partners Rebecca Lee from The Playtent and Jennifer Lewis from the SIF at the launch of the project Offi cial Paint Sponsor:

(Bo om le ) A collec ve of 25 pianists performing on 25 pianos at the launch of Play Me, I’m Yours in Singapore Supporter: (Bo om right) 25 local ar sts in Singapore worked together with benefi ciaries from 25 social enterprises and social welfare organisa ons to decorate donated pianos

DiverseCity / 49 MUSICAL BONDS PLAY ME, I’M YOURS The Singapore edition of global arts BY SASHA GONZALES movement “Play Me, Iʼm Yours” was a colourful collaboration between local and foreign artists, musicians and social welfare organisations. It showed “A project like this is a social magnet. It increases social cohesion, encourages community action, how the arts can bring people together and has far-reaching effects on current and and raise awareness for social good. future generations.” Zhivko Girginov, Music Teacher n 2008, British artist Luke Jerram launched an art installation called “Play Me, I’m Yours” in Birmingham, I . He placed 15 pianos that members of the public could play at various locations throughout the city, like bus shelters, train stations, skate parks and laundrettes.

The pianos had a transformative effect on people. In a matter of weeks, thousands of people became “street performers”, sharing their creativity and connecting with one another through music. Since then, the project has toured internationally and reached over six million people. More than 1,300 pianos have been installed in 46 cities across the globe, all bearing the simple instruction, “Play Me, I’m Yours”.

The Playtent, an artistic space that nurtures local talent through education, decided to bring this street piano project to Singapore, but with a difference. The Singapore edition, which ran from March to June, saw 25 Singapore- based artists and 25 social welfare organisations (SWOs) working together to give 25 donated pianos a new lease of life, re-decorating them for the enjoyment of the local community.

The Playtent’s initiative was co-presented with the Singapore International Foundation (SIF). Both share the that the arts is for everyone, and has the (Top opposite) potential to do good through connecting communities Play Me, Iʼm Yours provided opportuni es for people from and raising awareness of the SWOs and artistic groups all walks of life to bond over music as they played the pianos involved. Says Jean Low, one of The Playtent’s directors: placed at 24 diff erent communal spaces around Singapore “We just wanted to bring art and music to everyone in Singapore, and to make the arts accessible, fun, and Photo credit: Jus n Loh, The Playtent open to everyone.”

This ar cle was fi rst published in The 25 pianos, donated by well-meaning individuals SINGAPORE Magazine Issue 2/2016, or sourced from members of the public, were installed at a publica on of the Singapore Interna onal Founda on. various locations across the island, including void decks, singaporemagazine.sif.org.sg parks and commercial spaces. During the exhibition

50 / DiverseCity period, workshops and music performances by musicians, Girginov, who was born in Bulgaria and has been groups and students were held using the pianos, adding to living in Singapore since 2009, says he was grateful to the festivities and community spirit. be part of the experience. He adds: “A project like this is a social magnet. It increases social cohesion, encourages Some of the SWOs which participated in the project community action, and has far-reaching effects on current include Dignity Kitchen, a hawker-training school for and future generations.” disabled and disadvantaged people, and the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped, a non-profit He also volunteered to tune and maintain all 25 organisation which works with the visually impaired. pianos during the exhibition period, which gave him the Says Low: “We also wanted to provide a platform for the opportunity to visit the SWOs and meet their beneficiaries. SWOs to showcase their members’ artistic talent. Our aim As a result, he says, he is now inspired to volunteer for was for the artists to connect and work with the SWOs, other projects that help the less fortunate. using art as an educational tool, in hopes that they would also foster long-term relationships with these organisations Jasmine Goh-Chew, a local shop owner, volunteered or inspire others to do so.” to be a “piano guardian” during the exhibition. “One of my customers told me about the initiative and asked BIG-HEARTED HELPERS if I wanted to help,” she says. “I loved the idea of being The Singapore edition was launched by Jerram, the involved in an art project that encouraged community Playtent and SIF at the Singapore Sports Hub on March bonding, so I agreed to look after the piano outside my 13, with a live recital featuring all 25 pianos. The live hardware shop.” recital was made possible by Zhivko Girginov, a music teacher at Tanglewood Music School in Singapore. Her tasks included locking and unlocking the piano daily at designated times and making sure that information He says: “At first I only intended to participate in a pamphlets about the project were available to the public. piano duet, but I couldn’t bear the thought of the other 24 pianos not being played. So at the last minute, I recruited By the end of the project in June, more than 160,000 25 other pianists, comprising local and foreign friends, people had interacted with the pianos and gained other piano teachers and their students. exposure to the various SWOs and artists involved.

It was an impromptu performance; I had to quickly Twelve pianos were auctioned off, with the proceeds rearrange the music to suit both concert performers and going directly to the SWOs, while the rest were returned novice students, and we had no time to rehearse. to the SWOs for their beneficiaries to continue playing beautiful tunes on.

DiverseCity / 51 TWIN CITIES-SINGAPORE EXCHANGE

ArtsWok Collabora ve is an arts-based community development organisa on that nurtures communi es by harnessing the power of the arts to create dialogue, invite social par cipa on and build bridges across diff erences.

19 to 24 September 2016 Minneapolis and St Paul, of America

SIF supported ArtsWok Collabora ve with other ar sts and A summary of the cross-cultural insights on how ar sts can crea ve producers from Singapore to par cipate in a cross- create social change when arts and communi es meet was cultural study exchange on how the arts can be harnessed shared with the Singapore community at Singapore Insights: to create posi ve social change. The team, comprising ‘Without Culture, There is No Future for Ci es’ held at the independent fi lmmaker Jasmine Ng, visual ar st Alecia Neo, Na onal Museum of Singapore in March 2017. with associate ar s c director Koh Hui Ling and resident ar st Han Xuemei from Drama Box, met with various American community leaders.

The Singaporean team shared examples from their own community-based arts projects addressing inclusiveness and end-of-life ma ers being faced by Singapore. From their American counterparts, they learned about arts-based community development prac ces in the US, the cri cal thinking behind art-making around the city and use of art to tackle urban issues.

(Top) Jasmine Ng, independent fi lmmaker and arts educator, [email protected] sharing her experience with American ar sts www.artswok.org and administrators

52 / DiverseCity “Even though two groups of ar sts across con nents have prac ces borne out of diff erent contexts, we see some fundamental values remain the same: respect for the na ve wisdom of communi es, trust in the crea ve process to create imagina ve solu ons to challenges, and faith in the transforma ve power of the arts to bridge the gaps as socie es grow more diverse and complex.” — Ko Siew Huey, Director, ArtsWok Collabora ve, Singapore

(Top le ) Ko Siew Huey, Director of ArtsWok Collabora ve, sharing her experience with American ar sts and administrators

(Top right) (Bo om) Gülgün Kayim , Director of Arts, Culture and the Crea ve ArtsWok Collabora ve shared the work of the various Economy at the City of Minneapolis (right) discussing her American arts-based community prac oners at Singapore work in bringing ar sts and government offi cials together Insights: Without Culture there is No Future for Ci es in March to improve civic engagement and policymaking 2017, dis lling their best prac ces for applica on in Singapore

DiverseCity / 53 UNSEEN: SHIFT LAB KL

As part of Ti an Budaya, a cultural showcase which celebrated 50 years of friendship between Singapore and Malaysia, the SIF enabled an Arts for Good collabora on, Unseen: Shi LAB KL. Singaporean visual ar st Alecia Neo, Malaysian theatre prac oner Christopher Ling from theatrethreesixty and Malaysian sound designer Ng Chor Guan from Toccata Studio teamed up to harness the arts for the benefi t of visually-impaired youths from social enterprise Dialogue in the Dark Malaysia.

December 2015 to April 2016 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Singapore

Unseen: Shi LAB KL is a collabora ve project that explores using art techniques to empower visually-impaired youths. During Ti an Budaya in Kuala Lumpur, the ar sts facilitated a series of workshops on photography, sound, movement and storytelling for par cipants as a means of self-expression in order to increase their self-confi dence.

The project was documented and showcased under Unseen: Constella ons, which exhibited in Singapore from March to April in 2016. Accompanying the exhibi on, the ar sts held a public talk to share best prac ces learned from the project.

(Top) Alecia Neo explaining the process of Unseen: Shi Lab KL to a group of journalists from India during [email protected] the launch evening of Unseen: www.alecianeo.com Constella ons in Singapore

54 / DiverseCity (Le ) (Top right) Alecia Neo (right) teaching the par cipants various methods Par cipants from Dialogue in the Dark Malaysia engage in of expressing themselves through the use of props during a sound-based exercise encouraging them to share their the workshop experiences as a visually-impaired person

(Bo om right) Par cipants from Dialogue In the Dark Malaysia on a photo walk during a workshop conducted by Alecia Neo

Partners:

Scan to view View Unseen featured on Channel News Asia’s On the Red Dot (March 2016) https://youtu.be/LQnQCZadC0s

DiverseCity / 55 UNSEEN CONNECTIONS UNSEEN: SHIFT LAB KL Artists from Singapore and Malaysia BY CHARLENE CHUA collaborate on an art project to help the visually impaired community in Malaysia gain greater self-confi dence and, in the process, foster greater “People donʼt know the world of the blind. I want them to see that our experience is not poor; it is social inclusion. just different. We have to rely on our other senses. n December last year, 10 visually impaired adults from Hopefully, once they experience what we experience, Malaysia were encouraged to share their stories in a it creates empathy and inclusion.” I series of arts-based workshops in Kuala Lumpur under Unseen: Shift LAB KL. The programme, part of Singapore Stevens Chan, director of Dialogue In The Dark Malaysia International Foundation’s (SIF) Arts For Good initiative, aimed to use art to help the blind gain self-confidence.

Singaporean artist Alecia Neo, 30, worked alongside Ng Chor Guan, the founder of Malaysian sound group Toccata Studio, and Christopher Ling, the artistic director of Malaysian theatre group theatrethreesixty, leading workshops in sound, performance, movement, storytelling, and photography. The 10 participants are all guides for social enterprise Dialogue In The Dark Malaysia, which runs experiential tours and workshops to help able-bodied individuals understand what it’s like to be visually impaired.

During the eight-day workshop, Neo’s role as lead artist was to push participants to think outside the box and gain new perspectives through their narratives. She says: “It is a long process to achieve complete empowerment. My small contribution to this is that we have triggered the imagination of the visually impaired and opened their minds to possibilities. Their mindset has to change collectively, perhaps with more direct interaction with the public.”

Stevens Chan, Dialogue In The Dark Malaysia’s director, says that the group is thankful to be part of this cross-border partnership, which he felt has greatly empowered the visually impaired community in Malaysia. (Top opposite) Chan, 54, who is visually impaired, adds: “People don’t Alecia Neo (centre) with par cipants of her Unseen project know the world of the blind. I want them to see that our experience is not poor; it is just different. We have to rely Photo credit: Alecia Neo on our other senses. Hopefully, once they experience what we experience, it creates empathy and inclusion.” This ar cle was fi rst published in SINGAPORE Magazine Issue 2/2016, An Unseen: Shift LAB KL participant, who declined a publica on of the Singapore Interna onal Founda on. to be named, says that the event provided a healthy and singaporemagazine.sif.org.sg open environment for him to share his experience as a

56 / DiverseCity blind person. He adds: “I’m a quiet person, but culminated in an exhibition in Taipei, which was supported the workshop made me want to share (my thoughts by SIF. and feelings).” Neo says: “My intent was to explore art in the absence ART AS CATALYST of sight. I wrestled with how we could develop an artistic Neo’s passion for working with the visually impaired process that takes into account the lived experiences of the began in 2011. With SIF support, she worked with disabled in a tangible way…to allow individuals from the visually impaired participants through non-profit group to gain autonomy and agency.” organisation Bamboo Curtain Studio in Taiwan. The studio promotes cross-cultural exchanges by providing a She continues to explore the issues of sight and meeting point for creative talents, for short visits or specific sightlessness in society as part of an ongoing, long-term projects. During her artist residency in 2012 with the art series, Unseen. She hopes her art can catalyse organisation, Neo conducted one-to-one photography dialogue between individuals with visual impairment and workshops for six visually impaired participants from the those without as well as correct misperceptions about the Eden Social Welfare Foundation, a non-governmental visually impaired through reinterpreting and representing organisation for persons with disabilities in Taiwan. real stories from different individuals about blindness.

The participants collaborated with Neo to create a series of images that represents their world. This

DiverseCity / 57 YOUNG SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS X CULTURE

Four recent social enterprises mentored through the SIF’s Young Social Entrepreneurs (YSE) programme focused on solving social issues through business and culture. These young entrepreneurs have discovered that engaging diverse groups through the arts can be a powerful way to bring about change, growth and transforma on of people, culture and place.

The SIF’s YSE programme aims to inspire, equip and enable youths of diff erent na onali es to start or scale up their social enterprises in Singapore and beyond. Since 2010, the programme has enabled more than 480 social entrepreneurs through funding, mentorship, networking opportuni es and knowledge exchange.

(Top) Changemakers represen ng social enterprises across Indonesia analysing case studies for social impact measurement at the SIF’s inaugural overseas www.sif.org.sg/yse YSE Workshop in Jakarta in October 2016

58 / DiverseCity KAMA BATIK KANDAMA

Kama Ba k trains unemployed women in Central Java, Kandama, meaning “powerful” in the na ve Tuwali language Indonesia in turning what would otherwise have been in , produces clothing made by tradi onal indigenous ba k waste into trendy fashion products. It also provides communi es in the . The enterprise enables employment opportuni es for housewives in Pekalongan and women from the mountainous regions of the Philippines to Yogyakarta as part of its training programme. secure employment opportuni es, to learn new skills and to breathe new life into a dying indigenous cra .

[email protected] facebook.com/kamaba [email protected]/kandamaph [email protected]

NOMAD STARTIC

“Arts play an integral role in our social enterprise, STARTIC empowers marginalised individuals in Indonesia through preserving heritage through each cra made by a train-the-trainers eco-preneurship programme. It also promotes our ar sans. Through a balance of innova on, upcycled products in the crea ve and fashion industry. incorpora on of modern fashion elements while maintaining the essence of human touch, we Working with independent street peddlers to factory owners, the group aims to inspire communi es, one village at a me, empower our partner ar sans to build their to see the ar s c possibili es in waste. local communi es.” — Haziq Rashid, Co-founder, Nomad, one of the winning teams of YSE 2016, Singapore NOMAD partners with ar sans in rural communi es in India to create and sell unique leather cra s. Profi ts from sales support sanita on and educa on for children in poor rural communi es. [email protected] theprojectnomad.com [email protected] star c.co [email protected] Photo credits: Kama Ba k, Kandama, NOMAD, STARTIC DiverseCity / 59 CRAFT FOR CHANGE BY KAREN TEE Singapore social enterprise Nomad works with artisans to handcraft leather bags, which helps to empower and better the lives of underprivileged communities. “Before we started doing leather work, we worked as labourers for shopkeepers in the market who paid us n 2014, Muhammad Haziq Mohd Rashid went on a backpacking trip to India where he lived among rural 4,000 rupees [S$86] per month. They would cut our I communities, and was inspired to do something to help pay if there was any holiday. Now, we earn more by them improve their standard of living. making bags.” Haziq, a student at Singapore’s Nanyang Raj, an artisan from Roopsi village Technological University, says: “Their living conditions are very different from what I am used to in Singapore, and this definitely opened my eyes to a whole new world. Most of the children barely had any clothes or shoes, and they often lived on only one meal a day.”

Despite their poverty, he realised that many of them were skilled artisans. “They have traditional craft skills, which have been passed down in their families for generations,” he says.

However, they lacked access to markets in which to sell their goods, and at prices which would allow them to support their families. Their products were also not commercially attuned to global trends and demand, he adds.

Determined to improve this situation, he returned to India in 2015 with his cousin, Mohd Nasrul Rohmat, to launch their social enterprise business. Called Nomad, it sells products crafted by artisans from disadvantaged communities on an online platform, thereby connecting them to the global market.

Nomad is currently collaborating with artisans from the (Top) farming village of Roopsi, located in the desert region of Cousins Mohd Nasrul Rohmat and Muhammad Haziq Mohd Rajasthan in northern India, to create handcrafted leather Rashid started Nomad in 2015 to help disadvantaged ar sans messenger bags. They chose to work with artisans from Roopsi because most of the villagers belong to the Dalit (Top opposite) caste, one of the poorest groups of marginalised people Nasrul teaching English to children at the village School in the country, Haziq says. Besides cutting, hammering and stitching the leather, the artisans treat the leather with Photo credit: Nomad traditional vegetable tanning, which makes use of tannic acids naturally found in plants, rather than using harmful This ar cle was fi rst published in chemicals. SINGAPORE Magazine Issue 1/2017, a publica on of the Singapore Interna onal Founda on. For their efforts, Nomad was one of six teams singaporemagazine.sif.org.sg that received funding of up to S$20,000 each under

60 / DiverseCity Besides helping to raise the artisans’ wages, Nomad also supports the village school by paying its electricity bills and rent. Up to 140 children from various nearby villages attend the school.

Nasrul says he was particularly moved by the children’s hunger to learn when he first met them two years ago. This strengthened Nomad’s resolve to give back to the community. It also pays for educational materials and school fees for about 40 students who cannot afford them.

Earlier this year, Nomad provided some 120 children with sweaters for winter, and gave them writing materials and notebooks as gifts. Nasrul says: “You can imagine how happy they were when we gave each of them a complete set of stationery to kick-start the new year. The smiles of the children and their enthusiasm are priceless.”

Nomad has also assumed responsibility for the upkeep of the school, and has installed fans in the classrooms Singapore International Foundation’s Young Social for a more conducive learning environment. Last year, it Entrepreneurs (YSE) Programme in 2016. The YSE built the first toilet in the school, which has contributed programme supports international youth to start or scale significantly to raising sanitation and hygiene standards up social enterprises in Singapore and beyond, as well as for the children. Haziq says: “The toilet became a learning the building of a network of young global changemakers. tool for the teachers, who taught the students how to show consideration for others by taking care of and cleaning the The SIF grant, says Nasrul, has gone towards toilet after use.” improving bag production processes, including procuring better sewing machines and hardware for the artisans. For Nomad’s upcoming collection, which is expected They have also used a portion of the grant to invest in to launch in July, the duo has enlisted Singapore label marketing efforts to reach out to a wider audience. Caseiro Bags to come up with designs that will appeal to a contemporary audience. “The design process is a GIVING BACK collaborative one, based on suggestions and input from One of the biggest challenges Haziq and Nasrul face both designers and artisans,” says Haziq. when working with the artisans is the language barrier. Haziq says: “We use Google Translate or even resort to Haziq and Nasrul first work with Caseiro Bags to drawing on paper.” create prototypes before taking the samples to India. The artisans then add their own signature to the design. But the rewards considerably surpass the language “For example, some designs may not be functional – a challenges they face. So far, five artisans in Roopsi have shoulder strap attached in a particular way could create seen their income increase by 300 per cent through a weak contact point. The artisans would then suggest Nomad, says Haziq. Nomad buys the bags from the modifications based on their experience to improve the artisans for an agreed amount. It then sells the bags on its design,” says Haziq. website for between US$50 and US$120. The price takes into account the production, material and shipping costs of The duo are also harnessing the power of the YSE each bag, says Haziq, with about 30 per cent of revenue network to reach out to more marginalised communities. going to the artisan. They are collaborating with Philippines-based social enterprise Kandama, also a YSE 2016 finalist, to create He hopes to expand this partnership to 25 artisans crafted goods that will help to improve the livelihood of in time. The Singaporeans also share the modern bag communities in the Philippines. Kandama offers vocational designs with the artisans to help them become more training to women in the mountain regions of the self-sufficient. Says Raj, an artisan from Roopsi: “Before Philippines. Haziq says: “The women produce indigenous we started doing leather work, we worked as labourers woven garments that are incorporated into fashion wear for shopkeepers in the market who paid us 4,000 rupees for modern women. We are working with Kandama to [S$86] per month. They would cut our pay if there was incorporate their fabrics into Nomad’s leather bags any holiday. Now, we earn more by making bags.” and accessories.”

DiverseCity / 61 CULTURAL CONNECTIONS Cultural Connections – Celebrating collaborations across borders Through art, we celebrate Singapore’s es with world communi es. VISUAL AND LITERARY ARTS

Adeleine Daysor Ang Song Ming Angie Tan-Burns and Gregory Burns Artesan Gallery Ben Puah Chng Seok Tin Craig McTurk Dawn Ng Genevieve Chua Han Sai Por Jason Lim Jason Wee Kamarulzaman bin Mohamed Sapiee Max Kong Ren Zi Royston Tan and How Wee Ng Sim Chi Yin Singapore Art Team Singapore Film Society Social Creatives The Society of Chinese Artists Tsujii Junko TUJU Art Group Vijayalakshmi Mohan Wang Ruobing Wee Hong Ling Yunrubin Zhao Renhui

64 / DiverseCity ADELEINE ANG DAYSOR SONG MING

Adeleine Daysor is an ar st, educator and cultural researcher Ang Song Ming explores music as a subject in his art prac ce, invested in the everyday. She is fascinated with the making of connec ng sonic and visual art. His work is rooted in the , the thingness of things and the eff ects of the uncanny. everyday, beginning from simple ideas and presented through various media. Everyday Myths Kofu City, Something Old, Something New 14th Istanbul Biennial Pain ngs, objects and installa ons about the mundane, Istanbul, Turkey strange and euphoric, Everyday Myths is a repertoire of visual artworks based on events that are signifi cant or recurring in Something Old, Something New is a mixed media installa on daily environments and rou nes, such as fl owers growing out that includes glass , HD video, photographs and of concrete. drawings inspired by a chance encounter with a 19th century music stand during an ar st residency in Scotland.

[email protected] www.circadiansongs.com [email protected]

DiverseCity / 65 ANGIE TAN- ARTESAN BURNS AND GALLERY GREGORY BURNS

Angie Tan-Burns approaches architectural and landscape Artesan is an art gallery and studio specialising in photography with an impressionist’s eye, resul ng in abstract, contemporary Pan-Asian art. Its main emphasis has been painterly composi ons that blur the lines between photography Southeast Asian ar sts and has showcased ar sts from and pain ng. Gregory Burns, recently named United States Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and Malaysia. Sports Academy 2016 Ar st of the Year, is a painter and It has also been engaged in major collabora ons with various intrepid traveller. His works draw upon a diverse collec on of ins tu ons both in Singapore and overseas. colours and imagery, expressing the power of the human spirit searching for meaning and a sense of place. URBANOA: Southeast Asian Pla orm Florence Biennale X 2015 Mushin: Mindfulness Florence, Exhibi on and Lecture Series Los Gatos, United States of America URBANOA: Southeast Asian Pla orm was an exhibi on showcasing art from Southeast Asia for the fi rst me at the The exhibi on at Iwasawa Oriental Arts marks the fi rst me Florence Biennale X 2015. Curated by Director of Artesan tradi onal Japanese arts and contemporary arts are unifi ed Gallery Roberta Dans, the exhibi on featured ar sts in an expression of cultural construct. The site specifi c works Goh Beng Kwan, Jus n Lee, Denise Jillian Tan and Ryf Zaini produced as a result from the Burns’ collabora on with two from Singapore, as well as other ar sts from Malaysia and resident ar st associates, seek to present an alterna ve to the Philippines. today’s complex culture of busyness and on-demand lifestyles.

angarts.com [email protected] gregoryburns.com [email protected] www.theartesan.com [email protected]

66 / DiverseCity BEN CHNG PUAH SEOK TIN

Ben Puah is an established ar st with more than 100 Singapore Cultural Medallion recipient Chng Seok Tin is an exhibi ons under his belt. He creates shocking and powerful ar st with visual impairment, specialising in crea ng prints, works that refuse to fi t into the mainstream. He is also very mixed media works and sculptures to refl ect on nature and ac ve in community art, working on projects with schools the human condi on. She is also a writer and was awarded and young ar sts to provide them with pla orms to showcase the Singapore Chinese Literary Award in 2007. their talents. Dreams of the Red Dust The Li le Pirate in Me George Town Fes val 2016 Shenyang, China Penang, Malaysia Manila, Philippines Some of Chng’s works were exhibited at the Arts Beyond Living in a mul cultural city that constantly reinvents itself, Sight exhibi on under the fes val. The pla orm encourages one develops a new sense of crea vity and sensi vity, the visually-impaired to create their own art. She also and learns more of oneself and his rela onship with his par cipated in a dialogue session with design students at a surroundings. Art is a mirror of life and in The Li le Pirate college to share about her journey as an ar st with disability in Me, Puah presents his life through a mixture of fi gures, and also conducted a series of crea ve workshops to train landscapes and objects. other art prac oners and visually-impaired students on crea ng sound art and sculptures. New Direc ons: Singapore Contemporary Ar sts Exhibi on Hanoi, Vietnam

New Direc ons is an exhibi on sharing Singapore in Vietnam, featuring 40 works of photography, drawing, pain ngs, installa on and videos by six ar sts.

[email protected] www.chngseok n.com [email protected]

DiverseCity / 67 CRAIG DAWN MCTURK NG

Craig McTurk is a documentary director, camera operator Dawn Ng works across a range of media such as collage, and editor who has made numerous fi lms over the past 15 photography, illustra on, lights and installa ons. Her years. He is currently a Senior Lecturer for the School of Film adver sing background is refl ected through hints of pop & Media Studies at the Ngee Ann Polytechnic in Singapore, culture in her artwork. where he has taught video produc on modules since 2001. A Thing of Beauty Par ng Glances – Singapore’s Evolving Spaces Singapour Fes varts | Art Paris Art Fair 2015 Penang, Malaysia Paris, France

Par ng Glances – Singapore’s Evolving Spaces examines a A Thing of Beauty is a series of photographed installa ons of country undergoing profound development by turning a camera small objects sourced locally from a total of 138 mom and lens on six communi es in Singapore that are on the precipice pop shops across Singapore’s residen al heartlands: small of change. The exhibi on of photographs from this heritage- details of everyday life translated into objects, put together themed book off ers visitors a unique look at how a na on into a structural wonderland of monochroma c shapes. grapples to preserve its heritage while growing its economy.

[email protected] www.dawn-ng.com [email protected]

68 / DiverseCity GENEVIEVE HAN CHUA SAI POR

Genevieve Chua’s works are informed by Southeast Asian Han Sai Por is one of Asia’s leading modern sculptors and supers on, horror and con ngent reali es presented as a recipient of the Singapore Cultural Medallion. She has installa ons, images and objects. She was the recipient par cipated in numerous interna onal exhibi ons and of the Na onal Arts Council of Singapore’s Young Ar st projects around the world. Han channels both passions for Award (2012). She also par cipated in the SIF-Bri sh Council fi ne arts and landscape architecture into a body of work that Ar st-in-Residence Exchange Programme in 2012, where makes a signifi cant statement about the changing landscape. she collaborated with Bri sh ar st Emma Critchley on a joint exhibi on Disappearing Moon, refl ec ng their experiences in Gene c Plant Series their respec ve host country. London Art Biennale 2015 London, United Kingdom Moths Art Basel Week (Fringe Programme) Gene c Plants Series depicts sculptures of original gene c S.A.R., China concepts and plant structures, which are constantly manipulated by humans for economic needs, the consequences Moths is the second part of the Unnatural History Drawings and dangers of which people o en neglect to consider. It series. The work is inspired by and derived from the refl ects Han’s concern for nature, environmental issues and taxonomy of museum specimen classifi ca on systems. unforeseen danger. Presented as a series of pain ngs and objects, Moths draws upon the evolu on of moths alongside the evolu on of fl owers they pollinate.

[email protected] hansaipor.com [email protected]

DiverseCity / 69 JASON JASON LIM WEE

Jason Lim’s repertoire of works encompasses ceramics, video Jason Wee is an ar st, curator and writer. His art prac ce art, installa on art and performance art. He has organised and is concerned with the hollowing out of singular authority in created various pla orms for alterna ve art prac oners to favour of polyphony. He transforms these singular histories meet and collaborate. He was co-Ar s c Director of Future and spaces into various visual and wri en materials, with of Imagina on 2, 5 and 7, an interna onal performance art par cular a en on to architectures, idealism and mee ng held thrice in Singapore. unexplored futures.

1st Confl icta Laboratory The Measures of Your Dwelling: Singapore as Unhomed Punta Arenas, Chile and Stu gart,

Lim presented a performa ve piece responding to the The Measure of Your Dwelling is an exhibi on with ten ar sts discussion of the problem of today and territory in the context from Singapore, curated by Jason Wee, which examines ways of Chilean Southern Patagonia and Antarc ca. The work is in which the familiar and domes c can become foreign, and based on belief that art’s language fl ourishes while in constant how the diff erences of the two are reconciled. The exhibi on experimenta on, this being the only path leading to the looks at uncanny infrastructures that shape the city of encounter of human beings with their habitat and surroundings. Singapore, its waterways and canals, its constructed forest- like greenery, and examines how it has changed, possibly past one’s recogni on.

jasonlim4.wix.com/ wwwwixcomjasonlim [email protected] [email protected]

70 / DiverseCity KAMARULZAMAN MAX BIN MOHAMED KONG SAPIEE

Kamarulzaman bin Mohamed Sapiee is a mul disciplinary Max Kong is an award-winning painter from Singapore, ar st whose work tackles the issues of growing up in a digital inspired by the ques on of “how to paint” instead of “what world coupled with his personal life experiences. to paint”. He challenges the no on of conven onal pain ng by using alterna ve methods and materials such as wood, Facial Codes cement and mixed media in his artwork. He constructs 21st Interna onal Symposium on Electronic Art surfaces wherein the viewer learns how to see a pain ng Vancouver, Canada instead of what to see in a pain ng.

The artwork series Facial Codes is an interac ve visual Where Do I Begin installa on that encourages people to interact with the Max Kong Solo Exhibi on 2015 artwork using their mobile phones. Visitors scan QR codes Kobe, Japan with smartphones, which show a total of four photographs, each unique and telling a diff erent story of the ar st’s life. Incorpora ng elements such as repe on of pa ern and systema c spacing with mediums and forms in a displaced perspec ve, artworks for Where Do I Begin aim to extend the limita ons of the material and aesthe c.

I Was There 13th Link Project Kyoto, Japan

Presented as part of the Kyoto Link Project at Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, I Was There explores and emphasises the concern about ge ng informa on from the TV, internet and news media.

[email protected] maxkong.com [email protected]

DiverseCity / 71 REN ZI ROYSTON TAN AND HOW WEE NG

Ren Zi focuses on the role memory plays in our sense of iden ty “Both humorous and touching, the seven and the world. His works seem more like open-ended stories segments, each with their own director, gently as they juxtapose scenes and fi gures from personal memory, history and mythology. reveal and quietly celebrate important truths about Singaporean culture, its links to others in Ouroborous the region and beyond.” Open Door Discourse–New York Art Residency & — Chris Davies, SIF representa ve and guest at Studios Exhibi on the screening , United States of America Royston Tan is a fi lm director and writer who fi rst came Drawing on the concept of exhibi on mimicking open studios into prominence through his short fi lms and fi ve features. with singular art works, each ar st displayed both in-progress He led the project 7 Le ers which pays tribute to Singapore and complete works from the residency. Ouroborous is a as a home, in conjunc on with Singapore’s 50th year of video installa on that contemplates the rela onship between independence. gene c and personal memory, to the cyclical nature of the cosmos. It was screened alongside photographs of the New Dr How Wee Ng is a Senior Teaching Fellow at the York City landscape depic ng the nuances of the city. Department of the Languages and Cultures of China and Inner Asia at the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies.

7 Le ers London and Manchester, United Kingdom

7 Le ers is a fi lm anthology made in collabora on with six other award-winning auteurs and fi lmmakers in Singapore. It off ers a panorama of the rich cultural diversity and history of Singapore. The premiere in the United Kingdom was held at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and in Manchester.

[email protected] [email protected] 7le ers.sg [email protected]

72 / DiverseCity SIM SINGAPORE CHI YIN ART TEAM

Sim Chi Yin, a photographer and visual author, focuses on The Singapore Art Team comprises senior members and the documentary projects in Asia with a par cular interest in presidents from these art socie es: the Modern Art Society, history and memory, migra on and transience. She has the Singapore Watercolour Society and the Singapore Art exhibited her work, as well as spoken and taught at fes vals Society. Together, they promote and advance Asian culture and schools in Asia, Europe and the United States. and values through visual art, specifi cally Asian modern and contemporary art. Ground Up: Telling Stories in the Mul media Age OBSCURA Fes val of Photography MIGRATION Penang, Malaysia Langkawi Art Biennale 2014 and 1st Malaysia Biennale Langkawi, Malaysia Sim draws on her experience in working on editorial assignments, as well as long-form personal projects, MIGRATION is a refl ec on of our globalised world, where and provides advice to emerging photographers on how the movement of people and mobility has become more to advance and shape their careers. At the fes val, she seamless than ever, and where cultures meld together in a conducted a workshop on how to tell compelling visual constant state of fl ux. stories on individuals and communi es to promote posi ve social change.

www.mass.org.sg [email protected] singaporeartsociety.com [email protected] www.chiyinsim.com [email protected] watercolour.org.sg [email protected]

DiverseCity / 73 SINGAPORE SOCIAL FILM SOCIETY CREATIVES

The Singapore Film Society has been conceptualising, sourcing, Social Crea ves is guided by their ar s c and social impact, programming, marke ng and managing a year-round line-up of to create colours in Singapore’s social fabric, by engaging, quality fi lm screenings for more than 50 years. educa ng and exposing society to arts and crea vity. Their belief in bringing arts to the heart of the people, Island Exchange: Novel Conserva on Ideas from serving as a catalyst for a vibrant world through the earliest Singapore and Penang form of communica on – cave drawings, which are referred Film exchange with the George Town World as murals today. Heritage Incorporated Penang, Malaysia Sleep of Reason & Lion Spirit The Miracle project Seven fi nalists’ fi lms from the Singapore Heritage Short Film Shanghai and Nanchang, China Compe on were shown on several pla orms in Penang, in a traveling showcase held in conjuc on with the 2015 Kaki Lima The ar sts represented Singapore in a public art mural Short Film Compe on. A public talk was also held to educate project at Longhu Mountain involving ar sts from China, and encourage youth in fi lm-making. Canada, Germany, Russia, Mexico, Argen na and the United States. In addi on, the ar sts collaborated with faculty members and students from Fudan University to create a mural on campus.

www.sfs.org.sg [email protected] www.socialcrea ves.com info@socialcrea ves.com

74 / DiverseCity THE SOCIETY TSUJII OF CHINESE JUNKO ARTISTS

The Society of Chinese Ar sts aims to inspire and encourage Tsujii Junko’s works are whimsical abstrac ons of encounters members to create more artwork and form stronger social between people and nature. Inspired by nature and its and professional es with other ar sts from Asia and beyond. beauty, her art explores the rela onship between people and their life experiences. ASEAN Refl ec ons 南国风貌 Exhibi on at Zhongshan Culture and Art Centre Kaenjyu No Iro Zhongshan, China Joint Exhibi on Tokyo, Japan The works by 25 visual ar sts incorporate elements of the ar sts’ observa ons of Singapore’s development in the The exhibi on showcased 30 pain ngs from Singaporean earlier years, into their pain ng styles. The ar sts also had a ar st Junko with her former Japanese student Kei Kimura dialogue session with local ar sts, art offi cials and residents with diff erent ideologies on using colours. Kaenjyu No Iro, from Zhongshan to share their blend of Chinese and Western Japanese for passion of colour explore existen alism, stylis c techniques. communica ons and subculture.

www.soca.org.sg [email protected] [email protected]

DiverseCity / 75 TUJU VERTICAL ART GROUP SUBMARINE

TUJU Art Group aspires to engage and nurture ar sts who are Ver cal Submarine is an independent collec ve that produces ac ve global thinkers, to shape Singapore’s art development. installa ons, drawings and pain ngs involving text-image- The group, comprising fi ve Malay visual ar sts, has exhibited narra ve with a sense of humour. They have presented works in the Middle East, , Europe and Asia, and projects in , Taiwan, Hong Kong S.A.R. and Korea. has a passion for contribu ng their ar s c skills to social and community engagement projects in Singapore. Mirrors and Copula ons The Roving Eye: Contemporary Art from Southeast Asia My Country Istanbul, Turkey TUJU Celebrates SG50 Jakarta, Yogyakarta, and Bali, Indonesia Mirrors and Copula ons examines op cal illusion and Civitanova, Italy ideology–of how one looks at an image or a scene. Viewers are tricked into believing the window in the room to be a As part of the celebra ons for Singapore’s 50th year of mirror, featuring inverted text and other op cal illusions independence, the group organised exhibi ons featuring aimed to inspire refl ec on on language, and the shaping of artworks depic ng Singapore stories, people, architecture socio-poli cal iden ty of the self. and food in Indonesia and Italy.

[email protected] ver calsubmarine.org signal@ver calsubmarine.org

76 / DiverseCity VIJAYALAKSHMI WANG MOHAN RUOBING

Holder of a Guinness World Record and 16 Singapore Book Wang Ruobing is an ar st and independent researcher and of Records in Rangoli art-making, Vijayalakshmi Mohan curator, and was previously Curator at the Na onal Gallery is a world-renowned interna onal ar st preserving and Singapore. Her art prac ce cuts across a wide range of promo ng the art of Rangoli through demonstra ons, media and techniques including drawing, fi lm, photography, workshops, community par cipa ons and exhibi ons. sculpture and installa on.

Singa Rangoli Weighing Ma er Nebraska, San Jose and Sea le, United States of America #TransAc ng: a Market of Values Abu Dhabi, London, United Kingdom

Singa Rangoli is a new idea and prac ce developed by With the interplay of bodies of art/market goers, Weighing Mohan. She experiments with diff erent materials and Ma ers employs the value of the force of gravity ac ng on a mediums, while keeping the tradi onal ethose in Rangoli product (Man), as a way to cri que the aim of #TransAc ng: art-making, as well as involving the community in the A Market of Values – ‘animat[ing] economies beyond crea ve process. Due to interest in her work in community the fi nancial’. and therapeu c arts, Mohan was invited by the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) to introduce Singa Rangoli to various ins tutes and community organisa ons including the UNOMedical Centre, local library and children’s museum.

[email protected] www.wangruobing.com [email protected]

DiverseCity / 77 WEE YUNRUBIN HONG LING

Wee Hong Ling is a scien st-turned-ar st who realised her YUNRUBIN is Singaporean-Danish art duo, Joanne Pang Rui passion for ceramics while pursuing her PhD. Since comple ng Yun and Jonas Rubin. Their works focus on the materiality, her doctoral degree, she has been a full- me ceramicist who place and structure within a given environment. splits her me between Asia and the United States. Your Circus Eye & The Distance Between Two Parts My Home 吾屋 Play Ping Pong Ceramic Art Exhibi on Group Exhibi on Nanjing, China Copenhagen, Denmark

Wee defi nes home by rela onships, shared members and Your Circus Eye refers to the basic geometrical shapes found experiences, and hence her works centre on the elusive in the art of Franciska Clausen. Exhibi on par cipants hand quali es of home as a place one escapes from and returns to. in a work of art that takes as its point of departure, the This two-week solo exhibi on comprising 30 pieces of Wee’s abstract and concrete mode of expression from the ar st sculptural ceramics, was coupled with dialogues with local art Franciska Clausen. professionals, cri cs and enthusiasts. The Distance Between Two Parts Play Ping Pong is part of a group exhibi on at TYS GALLERY that inves gated and explored themes on the body, space and its circumstances.

Dollar Hauler on the Volga Shiryaevo Biennale Samara, Russia

Dollar Hauler on the Volga consists of a performance that makes reference to well-known pain ng Barge Haulers on the Volga (Burlaki) by Ilya Repin. As an image of hardship and the toil of peasants in contrast to wealth, the artwork ques ons and make a modern day parallel to the scene depicted in the pain ng. www.ceramicus.com [email protected] www.yunrubin.com [email protected]

78 / DiverseCity ZHAO RENHUI

A Guide to the Flora and Fauna of the World & The Blind Vienna Fes val of Photography Vienna, Austria

Some of the works on display were part of the series A Guide to the Flora and Fauna of the World showcased at the 2013. Other installa ons were from The Blind, a book launched at the exhibi on featuring a series of images documen ng a camoufl age cloak, exploring man’s rela onship with nature.

Christmas Island, Naturally Sydney Biennale Sydney, Australia The man behind the fi c onal Ins tute of Cri cal Zoologists, Christmas Island, Naturally examines the changing ecologies Zhao Renhui is an interna onal award-winning ar st of Christmas Island and the recent animal ex nc on that who describes himself as “really obsessed with animals”, had occurred there. The work deals with issues of ecological and seeks to explore how people view them. Zhao works changes and man’s rela onship with nature in an primarily in photography to test the role the medium plays in island context. dissemina ng truth.

www.cri calzoologists.org [email protected]

DiverseCity / 79 PERFORMING ARTS

Cake Theatrical Productions Checkpoint Theatre Chinese Theatre Circle Chowk Productions Chua Soo Pong Dance Ensemble Singapore DIAN Dancers Hatch Theatrics Ho Tzu Nyen How Drama In Source Theatre Jade Opera Group Jamie Lewis Lee Yeong Wen Little Creators Lynn Lu Movement Collective Noor Eff endy Ibrahim and Group Maya Dance Theatre Kavitha Krishnan Khairul Shahrin bin Muhamad Johry Nu Style Dancers Odyssey Dance Theatre Operaworks Peneroka Daya Tari Ramesh Meyyappan Shanghai Yue Opera Appreciation Club Shantha Ratii Singai Tamil Sangam Singapore Hainan Society Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan Dance Theatre Siong Leng Musical Association Sri Warisan Som Said Sophia Natasha Wei, Daniela Beltrani and Ezzam Rahman Stephanie Burridge T.H.E Dance Company The Finger Players Traditional Arts Centre

80 / DiverseCity CAKE CHECKPOINT THEATRICAL THEATRE PRODUCTIONS

From in mate theatre experiments to lush outdoor Mixing honesty and humour in a potent brew, Checkpoint spectacles, Cake Theatrical Produc ons is commi ed to Theatre creates and presents vibrant, important and exploring the possibili es of theatre and performance, contemporary Asian plays that connect with, challenge and off ering pieces that are varied, mul disciplinary and inspire local and interna onal audiences. Its oeuvre includes ar s cally adventurous. other original theatrical and mul disciplinary work, and collabora ons with other countries to showcase Performance-Making Workshop & Presenta on Singaporean wri ng. CPR Summer Forum Falmouth, United Kingdom Cogito Japan – Singapore collabora on The theatre company conducted a four-day, hands-on Kinosaki, Japan workshop on performance-making, with methods of crea ng, approaches and vocabulary specifi c to the company. The With the English to Japanese transla on of Cogito, wri en workshop was followed by an excerpt from a performance, by playwright Huzir Sulaiman, the work adds to the eff orts of with a post-performance discussion facilitated by Richard spreading contemporary Asian plays across Asian countries. Gough, Director of The Centre for Performance Research Through this collabora on with the Kinosaki Interna onal in Wales. Arts Centre, the theatre company has devised new transla on methods that combine literary, theatrical and cultural considera ons.

[email protected] checkpoint-theatre.org [email protected]

DiverseCity / 81 CHINESE CHOWK THEATRE PRODUCTIONS CIRCLE

An ardent and prolifi c proponent of Chinese opera, dance Chowk Produc ons promotes the Odissi dance form, builds and music, Chinese Theatre Circle has staged more than a repertoire of works and grooms students to become ar sts, 2,000 performances in Singapore and 23 other countries and teachers and choreographers in order to expand the territories. Its signature opera, A Costly Impulse, was recorded genre of Indian dance beyond dichotomies of classical live in Beijing and broadcast to 700 million people. and contemporary.

Intrigues in the Qing Imperial Court The Hungry Stones Interna onal Cantonese Opera Fes val & SG50 Celebra on Les Hivernales Sydney, Australia Avignon, France Berlin, Germany Upon the invita on of the Centre de Développement The fi rst performance of Qing Dynasty Cantonese Opera in Chorégraphique, The Hungry Stones is inspired by and is a Australia, Intrigues in the Qing Imperial Court, wri en by response to a short story wri en by Rabindranath Tagore. Singaporean homegrown playwright Leslie Wong, tells the Working with tradi onal forms to create a contemporary story of the 100 Day Reform Movement in 1898, an interes ng vocabulary, dance, music and installa ons were intricately episode in the modern history of China towards the end of the combined to fashion a complex allegory. Qing Dynasty.

World Cantonese Fes val in Paris 2014 Paris, France

The group performed at a fes val organised by the Associa on of Cantonese Opera in Europe. The fes val marked the 50th anniversary of diploma c rela ons between France and China, as well as celebrated the lis ng of Cantonese Opera as a Chinese cultural heritage by UNESCO.

[email protected] www.chowk.sg [email protected]

82 / DiverseCity CHUA DANCE SOO PONG ENSEMBLE SINGAPORE

A signifi cant contributor to the arts in Singapore, Dr Chua Dance Ensemble Singapore combines wushu mar al arts and Soo Pong founded the Chinese Opera Ins tute, co-founded classical Chinese dance into a unique form of contemporary the Asia Dance Associa on, Asia Pacifi c Dance Alliance, dance. Modern yet respec ul of heritage, the ensemble ASEAN Puppetry Associa on and edited Performing Arts, collaborates with interna onally-renowned choreographers the fi rst journal on Arts in Singapore. He is also the founding and dancers. director of the School of Performing Arts, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and helped set up its drama, dance and arts Mo fs management departments. 2015 Input Cheongju Interna onal Dance Fes val Cheongju City, Mouse Daughter’s Marriage Children Season of Theatre in Vietnam Mo fs is a collabora ve dance performance inspired by Hanoi, Vietnam the remaining dragon kilns of Southeast Asia, exhibi ng Singaporean tradi ons in fi ring ceramic works. The process of Serving as a bridge to the Vietnamese theatre community, this moulding the clay, fi ring the ceramics and pain ng the art is version of the Mouse Daughter’s Marriage, wri en by opera interpreted through dance. veteran Dr Chua, was performed in Vietnamese in the style of a children’s musical. Since its premiere in 2003 in Singapore, 2014 South Korea Dance Fes val Tour various companies in China and Singapore have adapted the Cheongju City, South Korea Mouse Daughter’s Marriage into diff erent produc ons. Invited by the President of the Korea Dance Associa on, The Nigh ngale Roh Hyun Sik, as well as by the Input Cheongju Interna onal George Town Fes val Dance Fes val Organising Commi ee, DES presented its Penang, Malaysia hybrid style of Chinese Contemporary and Tradi onal Dance Nanning City Community Arts Centre Outreach Programme to Korean audiences. Nanning, China

The Nigh ngale is an original children’s dance drama, adapted by Dr Chua from Danish writer Hans Chris an Andersen’s well- known work. Featuring 11 dancers, the work premiered as as children’s Huangmei opera in 2005.

[email protected] www.des.org.sg [email protected]

DiverseCity / 83 DIAN HATCH DANCERS THEATRICS

With a name that means ‘glowing light’ in Malay, DIAN Dancers Hatch Theatrics is a collec ve of young theatre professionals is a dance troupe dedicated to produce works that preserve the who believe in the ability and the beauty of cross-disciplinary tradi ons of the Malay art scene’s forefathers. It also invests collabora on, as well as in con nually learning from other in grooming the community’s next genera on of youth theatre prac oners. dance leaders. Super Happy Land Warna Sari Temasek , Japan Caboolture Mul cultural Fes val Brisbane, Australia A collabora ve produc on with Theatre Group Gumbo from Japan, Super Happy Land includes songs, dances, Warna Sari Temasek takes audiences on a journey to uncover fi ghts, humour and a sweet love story infused with familiar the vibrancy and colours of Singaporean Malay culture at one Singaporean lifestyle icons. Costumes for the main characters of the largest mul cultural community fes vals in the Moreton were specially designed in collabora on with students from Bay region in Australia. the Ueda College of Fashion, Osaka.

hatchtheatrics.wixsite.com/ diandancers.web.com [email protected] hatchtheatrics [email protected]

84 / DiverseCity HO HOW TZU NYEN DRAMA

Ho Tzu Nyen works primarily in fi lm, video and performance, How Drama, a Singapore-based theatre company, specialises and has recently developed environmental mul media in providing new theatre experiences for audiences installa ons. He o en appropriates the structures of epic worldwide through emphasis on site-specifi c produc ons myths for his work, and is par cularly interested in moments and audience interac on. when contemporary fi gures imagine and invent the past in order to serve the needs of the present. He is recipient of Fat Kids Are Harder To Kidnap the Na onal Arts Council of Singapore’s Young Ar st Capital Fringe and Singapore’s Na onal Day Celebra ons by Award (2009). the Singapore Embassy Washington D.C., United States of America Ten Thousand Tigers Fes val Theaterformen Tackling hard issues such as racism, terrorism and taxi uncles, Braunschweig, Germany Fat Kids Are Harder To Kidnap was performed to an American audience on Capitol Hill in 2015 and 2016. The hour-long Ho transformed his 2014 theatrical performance Ten Thousand performance features 31 plays with quirky observa ons Tigers into a large-scale mul disciplinary piece incorpora ng and a wacky take on current aff airs. The theatre company dance, music and installa ons. The work a empts to tell a also collaborated with two community organisa ons and story of Singapore through the tale of the Malayan ger across conducted theatre workshops for youth-at-risk. a thousand years of history.

[email protected] facebook.com/howdramasg [email protected]

DiverseCity / 85 IN JADE SOURCE OPERA THEATRE GROUP

In Source Theatre produces theatrical pieces that aim to inspire Jade Opera Group creates and presents high quality audiences in Singapore and abroad. The theatre focuses on produc ons of diverse Chinese operas, combining solid meless works, building on elements of indigenous Asian training in Taiwanese opera with innova ve plays wri en by performing arts within contemporary theatre. its director Madam Hong Kun Yu.

Mandala The Painted Skin Shanghai Interna onal Contemporary Theatre Fes val IX Oral Tradi ons Interna onal Seminar and Fes val (Lisan IX) Shanghai, China Manado, Indonesia

Mandala portrays the diff erent stages of life for a typical An opera about a young student who walks into a trap urban dweller. The audience journeys with this dweller, to prepared by a female ghost wearing a beau ful human mask, seek silence within and begin to refl ect and go through a The Painted Skin is an allegory about resis ng tempta on. contempla on process, deciding to treat life diff erently and It reminds people to remember right and wrong when dealing live life anew. with any situa on in life.

The Missing Groom 2015 Spots Op West World Congress and Interna onal Theatre Fes val Westouter,

Cross-cultural Hokkien opera The Missing Groom, based on the Indonesian popular folk tale of Panji was featured in a performance at a beau ful old church.

www.insourcetheatre.com [email protected] [email protected]

86 / DiverseCity JAMIE LEE LEWIS YEONG WEN

Jamie Lewis creates and performs experimental and Lee Yeong Wen is a dancer who believes in pushing the contemporary intercultural work. Her work inves gates envelope of the art form and challenging the limits of his the thresholds of audienc engagement, exploring the role body. In 2001, he represented Singapore in the ASEAN of the audience as a co-creator. Commi ee on Culture and Informa on’s Realising Rama tour to Europe. Saltwater Brisbane Fes val and Theatre Works: Selected Works Moving in the Moment Brisbane and Melbourne, Australia Bates Dance Fes val Lewiston, United States of America Saltwater is a Singapore-Australian collabora on produced by Woo Hsia Ling, an independent producer and stage Moving in the Moment is a reminder of the importance of manager. The autobiographical performance features crea vity, concentra on, collabora on, and also of fi nding Lewis having conversa ons with the Australian community, playfulness and joy in dance. Upon invita on by Nancy Stark while preparing and sharing a typical meal to illustrate the Smith and the Bates Dance Fes val, Lee collaborated with over Singaporean way of life. 20 ar sts on this work of improvisa onal dance and music.

[email protected] jamielewis.com.au [email protected] www.gentleapproach.net [email protected]

DiverseCity / 87 LITTLE LYNN CREATORS LU

Li le Creators is a non-profi t organisa on that facilitates Lynn Lu is a visual ar st from Singapore. She was trained exchange programmes between Singapore and Japanese at Carnegie Mellon University, San Francisco Art Ins tute, children and youths to venture out, immerse in another Musashino Art University in Tokyo and was awarded country’s art and cultural scene so that they may gain greater the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by the University of insights and exposure which will heighten their personal growth Newcastle in Australia. and ar s c development. Tend Friendship Concert 2015 Secret Archipelago Tokyo, Japan Paris, France

Young performing arts talents from Singapore had an Tend features a one-on-one performance, where par cipants opportunity to perform with other young talents across Asia are invited to share lingering personal traumas. In exchange, to understand and appreciate the Japanese culture. the ar st administers comfor ng ac ons based on the comforts she received from her own mother as a child.

Ground, Swallow Me Up 3rd Cyprus Interna onal Performance Art Fes val Nicosia, Cyprus

Ground, Swallow Me Up is a piece of performance art storytelling based on collected anonymous stories of great personal embarrassment and mor fi ca on from the ci zens of Nicosia, Cyprus. Lu recounted these collected and anonymous anecdotes from a hole in the ground, as though the “earth had cracked open and swallowed the ar st whole”.

www.li lecreators.jp kyoko@li lecreators.jp www.lynnlu.info [email protected]

88 / DiverseCity MOVEMENT NOOR EFFENDY COLLECTIVE IBRAHIM AND GROUP

Movement Collec ve is interested in presen ng contemporary Interdisciplinary ar st Noor Eff endy Ibrahim started his dance works, which is not only framed within the confi nes ar s c prac ce as a playwright and director in Malay of a theatre se ng. They constantly push the boundaries of language theatre before pursuing physical theatre and performance by exploring the limitless possibili es of diff erent performance art. Eff endy was previously the Ar s c spaces and working across disciplines. Director of Teater Ekamatra and The Substa on.

Direc ons, (/…) and Checkmate Si Ti Kay 4th Sibu Interna onal Dance Fes val 4th Performa ve Arts Fes val Sibu, Malaysia Bangkok, Thailand

The collec ve held a series of interac ve performances, In its interna onal premiere, Si Ti Kay examines cohesion conducted a dance movement workshop and dialogue within dysfunc onality in the idea of the family, and session at the fes val which was held in conjunc on with the invites audiences to move around the theatre to view the Hornland Dance Theatre’s 20th Anniversary. This was their fi rst performance from various perspec ves. interna onal showcase to enable the group to strengthen es with the Malaysian dance community, and further developing their own art with new poten al collaborators.

[email protected] eff [email protected]

DiverseCity / 89 MAYA DANCE THEATRE

White Lotus Bali Mandara Mahalango 2016 Bali, Indonesia

White Lotus narrates fi ve diff erent stories origina ng from Asian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. The produc on featured collabora ons between ar sts from Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand, and incorporated music by Indonesian ar sts.

Random Chapters Kaatsbaan Interna onal Dance Centre Tivoli, United States of America

Interna onal Dance Fes val 2014 Maya Dance Theatre is a non-profi t dance company that Bangkok, Thailand has carved out a niche for itself in the Singapore dance scene by conceiving a brand of movement that preserves Created through a unique collabora on with varied dance the ethos of Asian Dance, while seamlessly melding it with professionals from Indonesia, Malaysia, United States of a contemporary aesthe c — one that is grounded in the America and Israel, Random Chapters echoes the diverse visceral nature of the human spirit. ar s c voices of individuals, refl ec ng diff erent moments of emo ons and expressed through Asian body culture and intercultural nuances. Like the chapters of a book, dancers enact the long narra ves through movements to connect the audiences to the diff erent moments of each of the stories in the chapters.

Grey Skies New York and Los Angeles, United States of America

Grey Skies explores the convergence of tradi onal Asian dance Bharathanatyam and modern contemporary dance.

www.mayadancetheatre.org [email protected]

90 / DiverseCity KAVITHA KHAIRUL KRISHNAN SHAHRIN BIN MUHAMAD JOHRY

Kavitha Krishnan is the founder and Ar s c Director of Khairul Shahrin bin Muhamad Johry is Assistant Maya Dance Theatre. She has had many years of Indian Choreographer and Principal Dancer with Maya Dance dance training in Bharathanatyam and was trained as an Theatre. He prac sed hip-hop prior to his training in occupa onal therapist. Indian classical dance.

Tradi ons in Transi ons Connec ng through dance in Australia DANscienCE Fes val 2015 Australia’s Interna onal Day of Disability Celebra ons Brisbane, Australia Canberra and Sydney, Australia

Aside from her work with Maya Dance Theatre, Krishnan was Upon invita on from the Canberra Dance Theatre, Shahrin invited to make a presenta on on and par cipate in a dialogue created a new dance choreography for youth and special with the Australian community, sharing about the endeavour needs students, which was performed for Australia’s by Singapore ar sts and arts groups to make the no on of ‘Art Interna onal Day of Disability at the Na onal Museum of for All’ a reality. She also shared about her own work in making Australia in 2015. the arts become a vital medium to develop people with special needs. Shahrin Johry, Assistant Choreographer and Principal KA Dancer from Maya Dance Theatre, assisted her in conduc ng a Asia Tri Jogja 2016 workshop on the value of dance to enhance holis c well-being, Yogyakarta, Indonesia in reference to the principles behind Bharathanatyam. KA sets out to fi nd a co-rela on between the living self of KA (the spirit) and the knowledge (of the master) a ained, taking on a new transforma on of expression based on the diff erent embodiment of knowledge. The work explores Asian tradi ons through the contemporary body performed by Maya Dance Theatre, accompanied by live music by musicians Kailin Yong and Raghavendran Rajasekaran, and original music composi on by Na onal Arts Council of Singapore’s Young Ar st Award (2013) recipient Bani Haykal.

[email protected] credit: Erwin Octavianto [email protected]

DiverseCity / 91 NU ODYSSEY STYLE DANCE DANCERS THEATRE

Nu Style Dancers are a group of children under the Li le Arts Odyssey Dance Theatre is comprised of highly skilled, Academy. They are trained primarily in Nu Style and hip-hop homegrown Singaporean dance ar stes. It is a strong dance styles. Taught by one of Singapore’s renowned dancer- advocate of original dance works and is known for its choreographers, Wan Smoof from Styles From Beyond, the crea ve use of mul media in its performances. Founded NuStylers have performed at numerous events. by Dr Danny Tan, the company has represented Singapore in various tours interna onally. ChildAid Asia Kuala Lumpur 2015 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 8 Elements & 9th Element 8th Xposi on ‘O’ Contemporary Dance Fes val 2015 A fundraising dance performance at the ChildAid Siena, Italy Interna onal concert series to benefi t low-income and underprivileged students. Interna onal Dance Fes val and Gwangju Donggu Road Art Fes val Seoul and Gwangju, South Korea

9th Element is a work following 8 Elements, inspired by the concept of trigram, with s mulus between the art forms of fi lm, design and dance. It was the main highlight of the 8th Xposi on ‘O’ Contemporary Dance Fes val held in conjuc on with the Move Off Fes val 2015, and included a special master class for the Italian community by the company’s Ar s c Director Dr Danny Tan, recipient of the Na onal Arts Council of Singapore’s Young Ar st Award (2004).

theli leartsacademy.com [email protected] odysseydancetheatre.com [email protected]

92 / DiverseCity OPERAWORKS PENEROKA DAYA TARI

OperaWorks was set up by some Cantonese Opera veterans in Peneroka Daya Tari, Malay for dance explorers, aims to break Singapore to promote the art of Cantonese opera and nurture cultural boundaries, nurture and expose talents to a wide enthusiasts. It also promotes the exchange of ideas, skills and array of dance genres, art forms and disciplines. experiences between Singapore and other parts of the world through cultural events. Solit@ry Tidak Sekadar Tari | Not Just Dance Reminiscing the Golden Age of Cantonese Opera Songs Solo, Indonesia 7th Yang Cheng Interna onal Opera Fes val Guangzhou, China Solit@ry, choreographed and conceptualised by one of their members Fathurrahman Said, aims to portray the rela onship The group collaborated with Chinese ar sts to perform a that humans share with technology ever since its incep on in series of works illustra ng the development of the history of the last few decades. Cantonese opera in the last century through music, costumes and the set design. Tari Melayu Singapura Fes val Tanggal 3 Nan Jombang Padang, Indonesia

The group performed several original pieces. For example, Dua Ha Menjadi Satu depicts the beauty of diff erences. Another piece, Selendang di Ha ku, represents the strength, heart and fragility of the search for the path of one’s life, and the memory of the journey.

[email protected] facebook.com/penerokadayatari [email protected]

DiverseCity / 93 RAMESH SHANGHAI MEYYAPPAN YUE OPERA APPRECIATION CLUB

“Bu erfl y explored the very powerful human Shanghai Yue Opera Apprecia on Club promotes Chinese emo ons of grief and loss and the profound opera that originated in the area known as the Yue Kingdom in ancient mes. A group of keen enthusiasts impact that can have on us. I enjoy fi nding and formed a club to promote this graceful art form, epitomized telling those stories that we all understand, by its beau ful melody and modern approach in presenta on. those emo ons that are felt and shared by all of us, regardless of who or where we are.” Celebrate the Beauty of Yue Opera — Ramesh Meyyappan 14th Zijiang Yue Opera Showcase Shaoxing, China A mul -faceted theatre prac oner, Ramesh creates performances using an eclec c mix of visual and physical The Shaoxing Grand Theatre in China held a large Yue opera theatre styles. The Glasgow-based Singaporean, through performance, which gathered China’s top opera actors and his universal and narra ve theatre work, aims to be an interna onal opera enthusiasts. The group represented ambassador for not only Singapore, but for the deaf Singapore to showcase the fi nest of Singapore Chinese community as well. cultural heritage.

Bu erfl y Brits off Broadway New York City, United States of America

Bu erfl y is a visual theatre performance without words, using puppets. It is a bold retelling of Madame Bu erfl y, developed and devised by Meyyappan as an accessible visual theatre produc on that tells the story of a woman’s spiral into despair.

facebook.com/pages/上海越剧 rameshmeyyappan.com [email protected] 欣赏学会/586462421403672 [email protected]

94 / DiverseCity SHANTHA SINGAI RATII TAMIL SANGAM

Dance-choreographer Shantha Ra i, known for the beauty, Singai Tamil Sangam seeks to improve the livelihoods of gentle yet persuasive power of her dance, hopes to promote Tamil people through educa on and fi nancial assistance. the Indian arts, especially among young people, through The organisa on also ac vely promotes the Tamil language, workshops and master classes all over the world. culture and the arts.

And Miles to Flow & Poothana’s Libera on Roots New Delhi, India Solo Interna onal Performing Arts Fes val Surakarta, Indonesia Shantha Ra i screened And Miles to Flow, a dance fi lm about tradi onal dance-theatre forms from two countries in Asia: Together with Maya Dance Theatre, Singai Tamil Sangam Kathakali from India and Kabuki, Noh and Onnagata from presented Roots, a contemporary Asian dance produc on Japan. The fi lm introduces audiences to the origins and and a Rangoli art workshop which featured collabora ons behind a Kathakali produc on and its similarity between the Singaporeans with Phi haya Phaefuang to the Japanese dance-forms. She ends with the session a (Thailand), Tunku A ah (Malaysia/Indonesia) and Mruthika performance of Poothana’s Libera on by students. Raman (Singapore).

shanthara i.com shantara @gmail.com [email protected]

DiverseCity / 95 SINGAPORE SINGAPORE HAINAN HOKKIEN HUAY SOCIETY KUAN DANCE THEATRE

The Singapore Hainan Society has been providing a cultural Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan Dance Theatre is an pla orm to local talents to prac ce Chinese Stage Opera avoca onal troupe off ering Chinese dance courses and since 1956. The society recruits and provides free training performing opportuni es for dance enthusiasts. and courses for new students conducted by professional opera specialists. The Wilderness 3rd China Cao Yu Culture Week The Kingdom and the Beauty Qianjiang, China Hainan, China The company staged the dance drama The Wilderness in The society held a workshop and staged a performance of the a premier showcase devised by Principal Choreographer, Chinese opera, The Kingdom and the Beauty, set in the Ming Jenny Neo. This new work is inspired by renowned Chinese dynasty. The opera features a central love story between the playwright Cao Yu’s famous play of the same tle. juvenile emperor Zhengde who falls in love with a commoner despite the disapproval of the Empress Dowager.

hainansociety.org [email protected] shhkdt.com.sg [email protected]

96 / DiverseCity SIONG LENG SRI WARISAN MUSICAL SOM SAID ASSOCIATION

Siong Leng Musical Associa on was founded in 1941 to Sri Warisan Som Said is a performing arts company founded promote and preserve tradi onal Nanyin and Liyuan Opera by renowned Singapore Cultural Medallion recipient, Madam in Singapore. The associa on is commi ed to keeping Som Said. Fusing rich tradi onal styles with contemporary the ancient art forms alive in today’s mul cultural and techniques, the company has trained performers in technologically progressive Singapore. mul disciplinary arts such as dance, music, vocal and theatre produc ons for the past 20 years. Soul Journey & Tradi onal Nanyin Concert Siong Leng Musical Associa on Japan Tour Stories of Singapore & My Heritage Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan Yilan Interna onal Children’s Folklore & Folkgame Fes val Yilan, Taiwan The associa on collaborated with Gei Boon Hua Arts Produc on in Japan to present a tradi onal Nanyin IV Fes val Internacional de Folclore de Soledade performance, a produc on of Soul Journey, as well as held Soledade, Brazil two Nanyin workshops in various venues, and universi es of Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan. Stories of Singapore and My Heritage were performed together with Orkestra Sri Temasek, showcasing mul -ethnic music and dance performances to 100 interna onal cultural delegates in Taiwan.

The company also collaborated with dancers and musicians from Singapore, OrkeStarTrio and Jigri Yarr Bhangra, during the showcase in Brazil.

siongleng.com [email protected] sriwarisan.com [email protected]

DiverseCity / 97 SOPHIA NATASHA WEI, DANIELA BELTRANI AND EZZAM RAHMAN

In macy ʤ密, Vague Bloom 2, Sewn II, Time Ĵ间, Terracotrahman and Smoke 烟 Art Now Live Tour and 15th OPEN Interna onal Performance Arts Fes val Beijing and Anyang, China

In macy and Vague Bloom 2 by Wei examined the femininity one fi nds in nature and the struggle of women to grow and fl ourish, respec vely. Beltrani sought to create a connec on with people beyond language in Sewn II, and Time explored the connec on between the fl ue and a mul -faceted concept of me. Ezzam’s Terracotrahman and Smoke were inspired by his experiences and observa ons of Chinese culture and the elements. Contemporary ar st Sophia Natasha Wei’s performances Heterotopia for Her, I am coming home for him and present the boundary between painterly images and live Gra tude Jar ac on. Daniela Beltrani is an independent curator and Melaka Art and Performance Fes val MAPFest 7 2015 performance ar st. Ezzam Rahman, a mul disciplinary ar st, Malacca, Malaysia was given the Na onal Arts Council of Singapore’s Young Ar st Award (2016) and won the President’s Young Talent Gra tude Jar by Beltrani, a propi atory performance, opened Grand Prize and People’s Choice Award (2015). the fes val. In Heterotopia, Wei created haun ng images of a female in physical struggle using juxtaposed constric ve objects. I am coming home for him by Ezzam is a tribute to his late father and to all who have experienced loss.

[email protected] sophianatasha.com [email protected] danielabeltrani.weebly.com [email protected]

98 / DiverseCity STEPHANIE T.H.E DANCE BURRIDGE COMPANY

A lecturer at LASALLE College of the Arts, Stephanie Burridge The Human Expression (T.H.E) Dance Company’s works is the former Ar s c Director of the Canberra Dance Theatre, focus on teasing out the human condi on’s diff erent winner of the South African Arts and Culture Trust Life me dimensions. Collabora on is also in the group’s ar s c DNA, Achievement award and fi rst Choreographic Fellow at the with its partners having included local musicians and many Australian Choreographic Centre. She is also the series editor interna onal ar sts. for Routledge’s Celebra ng Dance in Asia and the Pacifi c books, spanning Cambodia, India, Malaysia and Australia. Present & Pellucid New Dance for Asia Interna onal Fes val 2015 S ll Life Tokyo Session House 2015 Sydney Art Month exhibi on Tokyo, Japan Sydney, Australia Seoul Performing Arts Fes val S ll Life is an interdisciplinary site-specifi c performance on Seoul, South Korea the theme of char ng modes of placement around the work of visual ar st Tony Twigg’s Moonbathing. Created by the T.H.E’s resident choreographer Kim Jae Duk, Present featured a physical dialogue on existence and being, reason and value. Pellucid, one of T.H.E ar s c director Kuik Swee Boon’s earliest works, revolved upon simplicity and beauty, residing in quiet, simple acts.

Change & Constancy Auckland Arts Fes val 2016 Auckland, New Zealand

A double-bill commissioned by the Auckland Arts Fes val 2016 and part of the Asia Pacifi c Dance Project, Change & Constancy was inspired by the physical language, Samoan dance vocabulary and na ve tongues of the New Zealand dancers.

[email protected] the-dancecompany.com [email protected]

DiverseCity / 99 THE TRADITIONAL FINGER ARTS CENTRE PLAYERS (SINGAPORE)

The Finger Players is one of Singapore’s leading theatre A proponent of Chinese opera at the grassroots level, the companies, known for its visually- and emo onally-charged Tradi onal Arts Centre aims to connect young people through produc ons and its signature style of puppetry. The group its educa onal programmes. The organisa on also aims seeks to fuse tradi onal and contemporary puppetry with to strengthen social cohesion through the development other disciplines to create a theatre which empowers the and popularisa on of the arts in Singapore and to promote mind and soul. cultural diversity through its exchange programmes with other countries. A.I.D (Angels in Disguise) Yunlin Interna onal Puppet Theatre Fes val Mouse Daughter’s Marriage Yunlin, Taiwan 22nd India Theatre Olympaid: Interna onal Theatre Fes val Cu ack, India With a fairytale-like se ng, A.I.D (Angels in Disguise) is a story about three characters overcoming their mental and physical As part of a mix-and-make-friends session with Indian and disabili es to lend a helping hand to the people around them. Mexican troupes, members of the company performed a The performance also included a workshop to introduce a Huangmei opera en tled Mouse Daughter’s Marriage, Singaporean brand of puppetry. wri en by Singaporean opera veteran Dr Chua Soo Pong.

fi ngerplayers.comnatalie@fi ngerplayers.com tac-sg.com [email protected]

100 / DiverseCity MUSIC AND SOUND ARTS

Arif Ayab Bridges Collective Hoh Chung Shih and Ng Tian Hui Katryna Tan and Roberto Alvarez Kenny Hogan L.A.B LalitAnjali Mantravine ONE Chamber Choir Ong Kian Peng Resonance Singapore Wind Symphony T’ang Quartet Tan Li Yun Jocelyn The A Cappella Society The Pinholes The Voodoo Sound Tropic Green

DiverseCity / 101 ARIF BRIDGES AYAB COLLECTIVE

Arif Ayab is a performing ar st of Malay descent, ac ve in Bridges Collec ve fosters cross-cultural exchange in the both the local and regional art scenes for the past decade. Asia-Pacifi c region by bringing together cu ng-edge His work involves a range of genres, media, ar sts and composers and musicians from diff erent cultures to causes. Currently, he is the programme manager for The collaborate on, produce and perform new music. Ar st Village’s Pulau Ubin Residency Programme. Our Island Home Performing Iden ty Singapore-Australia Friendship Concert Tour Belfast, Ireland Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney, Australia Shah Alam, Malaysia Performing Iden ty is a collabora on with Caroline Pugh from Belfast. The work portrays diff erent cultures and tradi ons of Bridges Collec ve brought together composers, musicians performance, from physical and ritual to musical and gestural, and a photographer from Australia and Singapore to using the personal and na onal cultural backgrounds and explore mul cultural rela onships and the meaning of shared human experiences of both countries. home, highligh ng signifi cant parallels in the experience of both na ons. This bina onal collabora on culminated in a mul media concert tour in three countries, celebra ng Singapore’s, and 50 years of bilateral rela ons with Australia and Malaysia.

[email protected] bridgescollec ve.com info@bridgescollec ve.com

102 / DiverseCity HOH CHUNG KATRYNA TAN SHIH AND AND ROBERTO NG TIAN HUI ALVAREZ

Hoh Chung Shih studied the guqin with Master Ji Zhiqun. As Katryna Tan is a recipient of the Na onal Arts Council of a composer, he has collaborated with some of the world’s Singapore’s Young Ar st Award (2005). She was recently premier musicians. awarded the pres gious Se awan Tuanku Muhriz tle by the Ruler of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. She is the Ar s c The American Prize winning conductor, Ng Tian Hui is the Director for HarpFest, as well as the founder of Rave Harpers Music Director of the Mount Holyoke Symphony Orchestra, in Singapore. Roberto Alvarez is the Principal Piccolo and and the Orchestra of the East Indies. Assistant Flute at Singapore Symphony Orchestra since July 2007. They have been performing as a duo in various chamber Hi-lo-Fide-lio: Wunder mir ist bar concerts since 2008. Mount Holyoke Symphony Orchestra 2014-2015 Concert Season Finale La Noche (Spanish for ‘The Night’) South Hadley, United States of America Flute and Harp Australia tour Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Hobart and Launceston, Hi-lo-Fidelio: Wunder mir ist bar examines the audience’s Australia rela onship with Beethoven’s opera and its chorus. The work juxtaposes three diff erent recorded versions of the Spanish fl u st Alvarez and Singaporean harpist Tan explore same quartet played from three diff erent loca ons, invi ng the theme of La Noche with highly esteemed composers from audiences to roam around to interact with new music from Singapore and Spain. The performances featured pieces by the college orchestra and digitally processed lo-fi sounds Singaporean composers Robert Casteels, Ho Chee Kong and from speakers. Chen Zhangyi.

chungshih.info [email protected] katrynatan.com [email protected] ng anhui.com ng [email protected] robertoalvarezfl ute.com info@robertoalvarezfl ute.com

DiverseCity / 103 KENNY L.A.B HOGAN

A professional drummer and music teacher for the past 20 Listen and Believe a.k.a. L.A.B was born out of a love for the years, Kenny Hogan has conducted more than 300 drum limitless experimenta on and open examina on of music. clinics and has represented Singapore in music fes vals Their original material is heavily infl uenced by soul, neo-soul, worldwide. He is also a member of three world-renowned funk, hip-hop and jazz. music establishments, including the Professional Drum Teachers Guild of America. Elevate Fukuoka, Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo, Japan Singapore-India Collabora on Music Kafe L.A.B conducted an 8-show tour across Japan, including a Kolka a, India vocal workshop in Kyoto and exchanges with students from the Senzoku Gakuen Music College in Tokyo. Over a span of Hogan held a drum clinic with music students and members of two weeks, L.A.B performed with Japanese musicians and the general public together with Indian ar st Nishad Pandey, ar s c collaborators while forming las ng rela onships with recording the fi nal musical collabora on that resulted. venue owners and other promoters.

Singapore-Vietnam Collabora on Hanoi, Vietnam

Hogan performed with American musician Aaron Wilson, who owns a music academy, in a series of performance and drum clinics in Vietnam.

[email protected] listenandbelieve.com [email protected]

104 / DiverseCity LALITANJALI MANTRAVINE

LalitAnjali is an ensemble of musicians, comprising select Mantravine is a world chill-out band whose purpose is making members from the Singapore Indian Orchestra and Choir music from the heartbeat of the universe. Nature, people and and other prominent art ins tu ons. knowledge are the nutrients for this eclec c sound garden, expanding the ar s c realm by combining music with Upasana diff erent mediums. Ananya Samarpana Fes val Bengaluru, India Sumakha World Beer Summit Fes val & One Music Camp Fes val Upasana is a cross-border, cross-genre collabora on that Nagoya, Japan pays homage to 50 years of Singapore-India es, showcasing Singaporean works through tradi onal Indian dance and Dedicated as a musical blessing to a newlywed couple classical music. from India, Sumakh, sanskit for ‘fes val of celebra on’, is a con nuous musical piece includes a wide mix of musical styles in a seamless manner such as , Indian, tribal, ethnic, La n, blues, disco, cinema c, electronic, dub step and dance music.

[email protected] mantravine.com [email protected]

DiverseCity / 105 ONE ONG CHAMBER KIAN PENG CHOIR

ONE Chamber Choir is a young adult choir under the baton An ar st who creates installa ons and experiences with of Lim Ah Hooi, one of the region’s pre-eminent choral sound, Ong Kian Peng’s works feature analogue motors directors. ONE consists of 30 singers, all of whom are choral that directly feed sound into digital audio synthesisers. His enthusiasts with rich performing experience. fascina on with the medium stems from its powerful eff ects and his curiosity about contemporary society’s lack of a Llangollen Interna onal Musical Eisteddfod 2015 listening culture. He won the President’s Young Talent Grand Llanggollen, Wales Prize in 2015. Helsinki, Finland Par cle Waves The choir performed at a feature concert at the Currents 2015: Santa Fe Interna onal New Media Fes val Temppeliaukio Church in Helsinki, Finland before travelling to New Mexico, United States of America par cipate in the Llangollen Interna onal Musical Eisteddfod, emerging second in both the Mixed Choir and Open categories. Par cle Waves is a kine c sound installa on inspired by sea waves. An explora on of simplicity found in complex sounds, the listening experience is closely ed to the visual experience, from mo on to sound, bringing the two together and allowing one to contemplate upon the sounds heard in the natural world.

onechamberchoir.com [email protected] cargocollec ve.com/ctrlsave [email protected]

106 / DiverseCity 合笙: SINGAPORE RESONANCE WIND SYMPHONY

Resonance is a semi-professional ensemble of sheng (笙) The Singapore Wind Symphony (SWS) promotes the music of players and is the only one of its kind in Singapore and Singaporean composers, and advocates for wind band music Southeast Asia. The ensemble aims to inspire apprecia on by local, Southeast Asian and Asian composers. The orchestra for the sheng instrument by performing strong repertoires of has also commissioned and performed the world premiere both contemporary and tradi onal pieces to new audiences. of more than 50 original composi ons and arrangements, working with more than 25 local composers. Resonance Hong Kong Tour Shengscape Jeju Interna onal Wind Ensemble Fes val Hong Kong S.A.R., China Korea - Singapore Friendship Concert Jeju and Seoul, South Korea The ensemble performed at the inaugural event organised by the Sheng Society of Hong Kong Associa on. They also gave The Korea-Singapore Friendship Concert organised by the a public performance and one of the musicians, Dr Samuel Seodaemun-gu District Offi ce in Seoul, in celebra on of Wong, gave a talk on the development of Chinese music Singapore’s 51st Na onal Day and the Republic of Korea’s in Singapore. 71st Libera on Day, brought together performances by SWS and the Sejong Symphonic Wind Orchestra. The highlight of Music for a Thousand Smiles the concert was the fi nale where both orchestras performed Bangkok and Hua Hin, Thailand a combined piece of Arirang and Home accompanied by Singaporean soloists specialising in the erhu and tabla. Resonance held its debut interna onal tour in Thailand. The ensemble performed tradi onal sheng music to Thai audiences, and held a series of interac ons and exchanges with the ar s c communi es in Thailand at the Vic Hua Hin, Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre and Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University.

heshengresonance.wordpress.com [email protected] sws.sg [email protected]

DiverseCity / 107 T’ANG TAN QUARTET LI YUN JOCELYN

The T’ang Quartet’s crea ve output is an ar ul blend of Presently a sheng musician for the Singapore Youth Chinese East and West, seamlessly reinterpre ng classical work for Orchestra, Tan Li Yun Jocelyn is a mul -instrumentalist, contemporary fans while appealing to tradi onal audiences. whose instrument specialisa on include the sheng, gamelan For the past 20 years, the group’s musical dexterity has and piano. Interested in furthering Chinese-infl uenced music surprised and delighted audiences in Singapore and the rest in general, Tan frequently writes and arranges a wide of the world. variety of repertoire for the Singaporean sheng ensemble, 合笙：Resonance and various groups. Woodend Winter Arts Fes val Woodend, Australia Sta city 32nd Asian Composers League Fes val and Conference The quartet took part in a formal recital concert at the Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan Woodend Winter Arts Fes val 2015, and performed their silent fi lm piece in another concert, showcasing their Tan’s composi on Sta city, a piece for four-hand piano, programme to schools in Woodend through workshops and premiered as part of the concerts To the Children. As a series master classes. of concerts, lectures and symposiums, the fes val was a pla orm for promising Asia-Pacifi c composers with diff erent cultural backgrounds to present their works, exchange ideas and build solidarity with peers.

tangquartet.com [email protected] [email protected]

108 / DiverseCity THE THE A CAPPELLA PINHOLES SOCIETY

The A Capella Society envisions itself as a resource and The Pinholes is an indie band that has an early rock ‘n’ roll network centre for a cappella singers, providing inspira on and funk-soul sound nailed down, while adding their own and training opportuni es to enthusiasts, and promo ng style and grit to make them more than just another retro an interna onal standard of performance. They organise indie band. numerous events and concerts throughout the year such as A Cappella Championships, Vocal Edge Concert, Bring Back The Vibe A Cappella Fes val and their Christmas series concert Canadian Music Week Fes val 2015 and Caroler’s Camp. Toronto, Canada

Vocal Asia Fes val 2015 The band was selected as one of the bands represen ng Shanghai, China Singapore amongst 1,000 bands showcased at one of the most recognised annual entertainment events in North The society sent its house group NANU to par cipate, America. They performed their own composi ons as well as gain insights through workshops and exchanges with the homegrown music by other Singaporean bands that refl ected interna onal community, and showcase themselves as a Singapore’s way of life in the 60s and 70s, such as Ismail Singaporean pop A-Capella group. Haron, The Quests and The Straydogs.

Friends + Music II Vocal Asia Fes val 2016 Taitung, Taiwan

The society sent another of its groups, Acappuccino, which performs neo-classical and so pop-jazz music arrangements, to perform a musical repertoire wri en or arranged largely by Singaporeans. The audience included other vocalists and audiences from Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, United States as well as fi rst- me representa ves from Malaysia, Phillippines and Macau.

a-cappella.org.sg [email protected] thepinholes.com [email protected]

DiverseCity / 109 THE TROPIC VOODOO GREEN SOUND

The Voodoo Sound is an award-winning Industrial Progressive A seven-piece jazz band, Tropic Green prides itself in being Rock band from Singapore. The band blends ar s c elements one of the few jazz bands in Singapore that performs only of funk, metal and tradi onal ethnic rhythms into a ght their own original composi ons. concoc on of intense experien al music. Kathmanduda DongTaiDu Music Fes val 2015 Jazzmandu - Kathmandu Interna onal Jazz Fes val Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Kathmandu, Nepal

The band was invited to share the main stage with other The piece Kathmanduda is an interpreta on from a popular bands from Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong. They also Nepali folktune Resham Firiri, produced by Singaporean reached out to wider audiences by performing a set of original composer, Susan Harmer. The band performed for drum music at a secondary venue, and speaking at an Kathmandu’s 12th Interna onal Jazz Fes val, Valley Jams, and independent music talk panel with industry representa ves at various venues including Moksh Bar and the Jazz Bazaar from Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia. where they also interacted with bands from the United States, Sweden, France and Brazil. The Voodoo Sound in Busan ZERO Fes val 2014 and Geumjeongsan Life & Culture Fes val Busan, South Korea

The band performed and par cipated at The Ways of Another Life, a symposium which discussed ideas and projects to propel ar sts in their communi es in the ZERO Fes val 2014, an annual sub-culture fes val celebra ng the diversity of art and people. They also collaborated with a tradi onal Korean group, performing at the parade of the Geumjeongsan Life & Culture Fes val, a tradi onal local arts event to remind people of the importance of nature.

facebook.com/thevoodoosound [email protected] suharmer.com/tropic-green.html [email protected]

110 / DiverseCity MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTS

Boedi Widjaja Daniel Kok Joel Ong Kon Man Lo Lina Adam Mukta Ahluwalia Bedi Singapore Contemporary Young Artists The Bhumi Collective Yellowren Productions Yuzuru Maeda Zai Kuning

SEA ArtsFest Singapour en France – Le Festival Something to Write Home About

DiverseCity / 111 BOEDI DANIEL WIDJAJA KOK

Forced to leave his childhood home due to ethnic tension, Recipient of the Na onal Arts Council of Singapore’s Young award-winning ar st Boedi Widjaja sees the world as a Ar st Award (2008), Daniel Kok is a choreographer and fractured construct. His art incorporates ac on drawing, pole dancer. His work has been performed in various places serialisa on and aleatoricism, where some part of the overseas, including Australia, Germany, Thailand and Japan. composi on is le to chance. He seeks to help future genera ons understand what it means to live in a Bunny mul cultural and global community. Abrons Arts Center New York, United States of America Path.7, New Ground From East to the Barbican OzAsia Fes val, Melbourne Fes val, London, United Kingdom Campbeltown Arts Centre Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Australia Path.7, New Ground is an ongoing series that inves gates into no ons of place, origin and iden ty in the context of a porous Sala Hiroshima Asian global city. Naviga ng through London’s streets and Barcelona, Spain locales, densely sedimented with migra on, se lement and belonging, the elements symbolised a migrant’s burden of Bunny is a dance performance and installa on that blends motherland, and mirrored the resistance Widjaja experiences club dancing with rope-related prac ces such as macramé, in roo ng himself in his new home. Japanese bondage and rock climbing to explore no ons of collec veness and spectatorship in the theatre. Bunny is co-produced by the Campbelltown Arts Centre in Sydney, the Abrons Arts Center in New York and The Substa on in Singapore.

boediwidjaja.com boedi@beau fulbanal.com diskodanny.com [email protected]

112 / DiverseCity JOEL ONG

ARTSCAPES: Aeolus No fi ca on System Spaceworks Tacoma Tacoma, United States of America

Aeolus No fi ca on System is a site-specifi c mul media work that collects musings and stories about diff erent geographical loca ons visitors desire to go to. Visitors entered loca ons matched against real me, site-specifi c wind data, playing back corresponding audio-visual narra ves whenever the wind is blowing in the direc on of their stated des na on.

The Man Who Knew Too Much Art in Odd Spaces 2014 New York City, United States of America Joel Ong is a media ar st interested in the mee ng points The Man Who Knew Too Much is an absurdist performance of art, science and technology. He has worked as a sound that points out invisible phenomena, becoming an auditory designer and installa on ar st and is a member of the Lo conduit for the invisible soundscapes of Manha an. Collec ve, an audio produc on and sound design group Messages included readings of levels of sound, air, UV based in Singapore with members from all around the world. pollu on, broadcasted during a “sound walk” carried out along 14th Street from Union Square through the High Line Spa al Measure in New York. The Auricle Gallery Sonic Arts Season , New Zealand Bird Song Diamond by ArtSci Collec ve HarvestWorks NYC 2015 Spring installa on Spa al Measure is an electroacous c performance which New York City, United States of America explores the rela onship between sound and physical space using scien fi c and ar s c approaches. The site-specifi c Bird Song Diamond is a mul disciplinary large-scale work features an interac ve interface using digital and collabora ve project featuring ar s c interven ons from technological tools that interact with physical space Ong and research from acous c scien sts and ecologists and audiences. from UCLA and Tokyo University. This interac ve sound and projec on installa on uses hyper-direc onal sound speakers, Those Who Observe the Wind bird songs and drone footage to heighten audience’s Jack Straw Sound Art New Media Programme awareness of the environment from a bird’s point of view. Sea le, United States of America

Those Who Observe the Wind examines the unpredictable movements of the wind. Through sound, the installa on reveals an inescapable connec on to the environment by invoking, through various instruments, the voice of the wind.

arkfrequencies.com [email protected]

DiverseCity / 113 KON LINA MAN LO ADAM

No money is no problem for independent micro-budget Lina Adam is a mul disciplinary ar st who uses various fi lmmaker Kon Man Lo. Blazing an unlikely path across Asia in mediums such as performance, print-making and a tuk tuk or rickshaw, Kon Man Lo has been teaching young installa ons. Her work involves dissec ng agents of people across the region how to make basic fi lms with socialisa on and habits dealing with, but not limited to, minimal resources. memories, environment and systems of daily life.

Tuk Tuk Cinema I remember, I forget Dharamsala Interna onal Film Fes val and 4Tables Gallery undisclosed territory #09 Dharamsala, India Jawa Tengah, Indonesia

Program Revitalisi Bemo Karet (Film Screening) I remember, I forget is an autobiographical piece that Jakarta, Indonesia ar culates the intangible aspects of everyday experiences that shapes one’s iden ty on becoming human. Tuk Tuk Cinema Big Camera Obscura Show Guangzhou, China

Film school by day and open-air cinema by night, Tuk Tuk Cinema provides ac on, zombie, sci-fi and stop-mo on anima on fi lm workshops. It was started in Cambodia to equip aspiring fi lmmakers and actors with skills to li themselves out of poverty.

facebook.com/tuktukcinema [email protected] [email protected]

114 / DiverseCity MUKTA SINGAPORE AHLUWALIA CONTEMPORARY BEDI YOUNG ARTISTS

Mukta Ahluwalia Bedi is a curator and event organiser who Singapore Contemporary Young Ar sts work with and for the has been working in the crea ve industry for over 20 years. community by organising exhibi ons, workshops and talks, She truly believes in the social signifi cance of the arts, which as well as taking on commission works, including community allows mul dimensional conversa ons. art projects.

Celebra ng Singapore through the Arts: Urban-ness Private Ci zens Dubai-Singapore Show 2015 Kulter-A.Lab Dubai, United Arab Emirates Amsterdam, Netherlands

Celebra ng Singapore through the Arts: Urban-ness Private Ci zens inves gates space and constraint through links similar aspects in both Dubai and Singapore: rapid a collabora ve and personal series of works by four ar sts urbanisa on in the 21st century, skyscrapers, mul culturalism from diff erent disciplinary backgrounds. The showcase and large immigrant popula ons. Twelve Singaporean ar sts facilitated a dialogue between visitors, ar sts and artworks engaged the local arts community in Dubai in an ar s c on the no ons of private space, examining the meaning of dialogue on the rapid urbanisa on in Asia and its impact privacy and anonymity in increasingly urban environments on people. through sound, word, performance and technology.

Read more in The Art of Success as Singapore Mastered It as reprinted from Gulf News on pages 116 to 119.

facebook.com/Urbannessartshow [email protected] scyaproject.wordpress.com [email protected]

DiverseCity / 115 THE ART OF SUCCESS AS Curator Mukta Ahluwalia Bedi SINGAPORE believes Dubai has a lot in common with the city-state MASTERED IT and can take cues from it to BY N.P. KRISHNA KUMAR add vibrance to the local scene. SPECIAL TO WEEKEND REVIEW

wo decades of serving the arts and creative industries has seen Mukta Ahluwalia Bedi moving her focus from T fashion to art in Singapore, eventually fi nding her niche in the non-profi t arts sector.

After postgraduation from Lasalle, Singapore, she worked with the for a short period and then with the Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI) team in various roles. She also taught and arts criticism at Ngee Ann Poly before launching herself as an independent curator.

Mukta moved to Dubai late last year and truly believes in the social signifi cance of arts. “I believe that artists are the barometers of society and artworks are essential social products that facilitate multidimensional conversations, even though art-making is often a solitary process.”

Her interest lies primarily in independent platforms for visual artists, where they are more comfortable to take artistic risks and push the boundaries of their creativity.

Mukta spoke with Weekend Review about the rapid evolution of the arts scene in Singapore, which in the last 15 years has become one of the global art centres with a highly respected artistic community, many world-class museums and institutions of arts. She analysed the factors that led to this development, its similarities with Dubai and what the UAE can learn from Singapore to create a vibrant arts scene. Excerpts:

You have described the Singapore arts scene as quite diverse and rich with something for everyone. Can you elaborate on this? If one looks at simple statistical data there were 44 art exhibitions and 22 performances per day in 2013. These shows are across various platforms, from small artist-run spaces to the larger institutional spaces such as museums and commercial galleries. The kinds of shows also vary from traditional art forms to contemporary arts. This kind of variety is refl ective of Singapore’s cultural and ethnic diversity and its openness to a wide variety of ideas and The ar cle was fi rst published in Gulf News 22 May 2015 experiences.

116 / DiverseCity Tell us about the dramatic change in the arts scene in Singapore in the last 15 years. Every aspect of arts ecology has improved tremendously, with a wider playing fi eld for everyone. When Singapore Art Museum (SAM) opened in 1996, it was the only institutional space dedicated to visual arts. In early 2000 it had this dowdy- old-dame feel to it.

There were few places and points of interaction for the arts community, with a small audience and even fewer collectors. For most artists, being a full-time practitioner was not an option. There was little societal support and limited funding from government or private sectors. Arts philanthropy was underdeveloped.

Fast forward to 2015 and Singapore is Asia’s undisputed arts hub. There is a plethora of art spaces in Singapore. There are many artist-run spaces such as Grey Projects (2008), started by artist and writer Jason Wee. Substation (1990) is another pioneering and visionary arts space crucial to the development of local talent. It started out as an artist-managed space that struggled to survive, but it is now an iconic arts incubator.

Such spaces are crucial for younger artists to experiment with ideas and present them to the peer group and the arts community. This is also where most new art is being made and showcased for receptive audiences.

Knitted Vessel by Teo Huey Ling

DiverseCity / 117 Mythology of Flat Earth by John Clang

There are many institutional spaces as well. SAM, in So yes, government policy has played a very important the last six to seven years, reinvented itself into an exciting, role in fostering the arts ecology at a rapid pace. And it has cutting-edge contemporary art museum. National Art Gallery been successful. There has been generous state funding to — opening this year — will focus on Asian modern art. create and distribute arts, to educate and inculcate audiences as well as art philanthropists. On the academic side, there is the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art (NTU CCA) Singapore, which places itself In fact, Dubai’s Patron Of Arts Award is formulated with as a space for “critical discourse and experimental practices”. guidance from Singapore’s National Arts Council. Then there are many art festivals, from biennales to art prizes and smaller collaborations by artists. Singapore’s arts and culture policy has been implemented in a systematic, transparent and structured manner over What has been the government’s role in sustaining the last two decades. It started with building infrastructure this thriving arts culture? How much of the growth has — actual physical museums and art centres such as the been organic and how much of it is supported by the Esplanade. Then it focused on development of local talent government? and fi nally, on the arts audience and the market. Without I think I am trying to capture the diversity and rapid government patronage (with private philanthropy almost development in Singapore’s arts ecology. C.J. Wee Wan- absent), we could not have such rapid advances in cultivating ling, an eminent academician and author, explains in his a mature arts ecology. text, Creating Culture in the Globalized ‘Cultural Desert’ of Singapore, that swift modernisation from 1965 to the Eighties However, it is important to note that the excellent quality and now the highly rapid change towards a creative economy of the arts made in Singapore is credited to the artists, do not allow for grounds-up organic growth of the society the community and Singapore’s inherent culture. It is not or culture. something the government could have forced through.

118 / DiverseCity The artists have been committed to their art form and have Dubai can take a few cues from Singapore to strengthen its developed their own language, despite the many odds. Initial position as the arts hub for the Middle East and North African years saw very little support from the society. There were region Talent development would be crucial. There are few pioneering artists such as and Georgette art centres for hobbyists but this needs to be cultivated and Chen, who created the regional “”. encouraged at the tertiary level as well. Academic training is not just to impart skills but it is also a repository of art Later, second-generation artists such as Thomas Yeo practices allowing for research into historical arts and culture. and Anthony Poon coopted modernist sentiments. In the late Eighties, and those with The Artist Village It also needs a lot more artist-run independent platforms focused on creating Singapore’s artistic expression — one that where artists can experiment. had local social resonance. Singapore’s artists have always been well travelled and connected to a wider Asian and Abu Dhabi has big international brands such as the international arts community. Guggenheim and Louvre and Sharjah has the grounds-up arts scene with its biennale offering an invigorating arts The generous state funding came later, but the artists experience. Dubai has the galleries. So, there is a good continued to make art that was honest rather than playing to distribution among the three. However, accessibility is a major the market and creating weak art. The younger contemporary issue for the art-loving public as there is a lack of effi cient artists had their own set of challenges in spite of the funding. public transport connecting the three. Art events will witness Yet they have created meaningful, socially engaging art. They an exponential rise in attendance if a rail link is provided push their own boundaries beyond the comfort zone of ‘easy- between the three. to-digest’ accessible art, upholding the artistic and intellectual integrity of their work. Tell us about the you are planning to curate/organise in November this year. And most importantly for me, an art-loving audience The show is scheduled for three weeks in October. It across the population has been nurtured over the years. aims to showcase artistic excellence from Singapore and Attendance at all venues has steadily been rising. Today, open up cross-cultural dialogue with some of Singapore’s there is a culture of not just attending, but also participating best contemporary artists. It is a non-commercial show in art events. made possible with support from Singapore International Foundation, , DP Architects and What are the commercial avenues for art in the Fraser Suites. city-state? On the commercial side, ARTSingapore was replaced by two major art fairs — the Affordable Art Fair and the N.P. Krishna Kumar is a freelance writer based in Dubai. upmarket . Last year, we had the exciting Singapore Art Fair, in which quite a few important collectors and galleries from Dubai participated.

There are many more local and international galleries. These commercial spaces are important for the sustainability of the arts ecology. In a population of about 5.5 million, about 25,000 people work in the arts and culture industry, with almost 7,500 in the visual arts alone.

Apparently, there are 5,486 art and culture companies — from making and selling art and raw materials to providing other verticals such as stage lighting, costume design, music equipment, and teaching courses such as puppetry, painting or ballet.

What are the similarities with Dubai and what can the UAE learn from Singapore to create a vibrant arts scene? There are many similarities between Dubai and Singapore. Both are newer urban centres and have a distinctive Asian character in spite of rapid modernisation. Both started as trading ports and have strong historical links to a colonial past. They are dense, vertical cities with large multicultural, immigrant populations that make them vibrant. Not to forget the love for food and culture that both cities share. Both have ingredients to attract creative people.

DiverseCity / 119 THE YELLOWREN BHUMI PRODUCTIONS COLLECTIVE

The Bhumi Collec ve is a collec ve of Singaporean theatre, Yellowren Produc ons, a community arts company based dance and music-makers based in the United Kingdom, in Singapore and Japan, provides a pla orm for innova ve pursuing studies in performing arts forms. The collec ve ar sts to bring and bridge the expressions of their works aims to present mul disciplinary works that infuse tradi onal within communi es, igni ng conversa ons, rela onships forms with contemporary ones around stories and issues and stories. that are immediate and resonant, with a dash of Singaporean fl avour. Yellowren Arts Fes val 2016 Tokyo, Japan Bhumi Edinburgh Fringe Fes val Based on the theme Fill the Earth, the fes val featured the Edinburgh, United Kingdom works of three photographers from Singapore and Japan as well as an interna onal visual ar st, and a series of Bhumi, a mul disciplinary stage produc on, showcased community art workshops diff erent Malay art forms (theatre, dance, movement and music), blending tradi onal techniques and contemporary forms together.

theshai.com [email protected] www.yraf.org sue [email protected]

120 / DiverseCity YUZURU ZAI MAEDA KUNING

As an extension of her prac ce as a contemporary musician, For more than two decades, Zai Kuning has worked with an Yuzuru Maeda uses zentai, a Japanese subculture, to array of art forms including sculpture, installa on, pain ng, inves gate the human condi ons of iden ty, spiritual drawing, experimental sound and music, video, fi lm, connec ons with cosmic energy in the universe and as a performance art, dance and theatre. Mul disciplinary and means to come to terms with one’s living environment. improvisa onal art prac ce has always been important to him.

Zentai Town The Flee ng World of Dapunta Hyang: Losing oneself to be Bat Yam Interna onal Street Theatre and Art Fes val 2015 with it and taken away by it Tel Aviv, Israel 2nd Venice Interna onal Performance Art Week Venice, Italy Zentai Town featured a programme where par cipants wore full-body zentai suits, walked and performed on public roads Zai performed a piece en tled Losing oneself to be with it and to present and consider ideas about race and iden ty. taken away by it as a tribute to his elder brother who passed away just one week before the show. As part of the fes val’s Best Before It Rises by The UFO Project interest in discussing the role of rituals in performance, Moscow, Russia he conducted a ritualis c performance that employed the animis c Malay ritual of knife throwing. A zentai art project comprising a series of outdoor performances, workshops and a talk, bringing together Brutality of Fact the Muscovite ar s c community to discuss public art Solo Exhibi on collabora ons and contemporary art prac ces on iden ty Tokyo, Japan and social-cultural diff erences through mul disciplinary art presenta ons. Brutality of Fact is a series that has been developing since 2000 when Zai stayed with sea gypsies (orang laut) and learned about their plight: rejected in a landscape which tradi onally had no borders to them.

otafi nearts.com/en/ yuzuru.weebly.com [email protected] ar sts/zai-kuning [email protected]

DiverseCity / 121 SEA ARTSFEST

SEA ArtsFest is the fi rst Southeast Asian arts fes val in the United Kingdom. The Fes val champions the showcase and development of works from Southeast Asian ar sts, as well as ar sts inspired by Southeast Asia. It brought together ar sts, prac oners, makers and thinkers to increase awareness of Southeast Asian arts in the UK. It ran annually from 2013 to 2015.

25 September to 2 November 2014 26 October to 13 December 2015 London, United Kingdom

Featuring an array of performances, including fi lm, theatre, music, tradi onal and heritage arts, outdoor performances, par cipatory workshops, roundtable discussions and so forth. The SIF has supported ar sts to take part in SEA ArtsFest since 2014, including producer Annie Jael Kwan, fashion designer Riyan Haff ys, and ar sts atelier | small, Fiona Tan, Hanqing Miao, Social Crea ves, Tan Pin Pin and The Observatory.

(Top) [email protected] Tears of Milk by Singapore-based Bri sh mixed www.seaartsfest.org media ar st Ketna Patel

122 / DiverseCity ANNIE ATELIER | SMALL, JAEL KWAN FIONA TAN, AND HANQING MIAO

Galvanised by ideas of home, iden ty and belonging, atelier | small is an architectural collec ve based in Annie Jael Kwan is a freelance producer and project manager Singapore. atelier | small also works collabora vely of arts events. She champions for Southeast Asian art in the with visual, sound and dance ar sts to design and realise United Kingdom. art installa ons.

FRACTURED | KHMER PASSAGES Fiona Tan is an ar st interested in the social and poli cal roles that architecture and design can play in shaping society. FRACTURED | KHMER PASSAGES is an installa on that uses Central themes that run through her work are the issues of dance, music and interviews to explore ques ons of cultural iden ty, authority and migra on. iden ty, heritage and innova on in the fast-changing contexts of post-revolu onary Cambodia. Hanqing Miao is an ar st, curator and producer based in London and produces numerous art events independently. Kwan, together with Bri sh ar sts Jai Raff erty and Thomas Bu ery, also held workshops with Cambodian NGO- Invisible Islands: 6771 Miles Away supported school Phare Ponleu Selpak on audio-visual technologies, such as fi lming and imagery manipula on. Taking the stories of Sang Nila Utama and Sir Stamford Raffl es, Invisible Island: 6771 Miles presents a myriad of diff erent stories: fantas cal, fanciful and factual, posing ques ons around the founding of Singapore, poli cs of memory and na onal iden ty through parallels between folk history and colonial history.

facebook.com/pg/atelier.small [email protected] www.fi ona-tan.net fi [email protected] [email protected] www.hanqingmiao.com [email protected]

DiverseCity / 123 RIYAN TAN HAFFYS PIN PIN

A self-made fashion designer with over seven years of Tan Pin Pin is an award-winning director of Singapore GaGa. experience in the Singaporean fashion industry, Riyan Haff ys She is known for fi lms that focus on Singapore and her is passionate about pushing the boundaries of fashion and histories, which have screened in Berlinale, Busan, Vision du par cularly about evolving the fashion industry in Singapore. Reel, Flaherty Seminar as well as on Discovery Networks.

Renova a To Singapore, with Love

Renova a, meaning rebirth, is a capsule Autumn/Winter To Singapore, with Love, is a documentary about diff erent collec on from Haff ys. The collec on’s primary themes genera ons of Singapore poli cal exiles as they talk about centre on rebirth and the struggle that comes with what Singapore means to them. reinven ng and carving out a new iden ty for oneself.

www.riyanhaff ys.com riyan.haff [email protected] [email protected]

124 / DiverseCity THE SOCIAL OBSERVATORY CREATIVES

The Observatory’s music is texturally complex and viscerally Social Crea ves is guided by their ar s c and social mission: emo onal, crossing wasted borders and musical extremi es. to create colours in Singapore’s social fabric by engaging, The group draws inspira on from their Southeast Asian roots educa ng and exposing society to arts and crea vity. They and heroes of new music and art. believe in bringing arts to the hearts of the people as a catalyst for a vibrant world through the earliest form of Flux & Formlessness - Contemporary Original Music communica on: cave drawings, which are referred to today as murals. The Observatory played a live musical gig as part of the SEA ArtsFest Finale and Closing Party. Pain ng London

Pain ng London featured murals painted together with staff and pa ents at the Thurrock Lifestyles Solu on welfare home in South Ockendon, Essex.

www.theobservatory.com.sg [email protected] ves.com info@socialcrea ves.com

DiverseCity / 125 SINGAPOUR EN FRANCE – LE FESTIVAL

Celebra ng 50 years of diploma c es between France and Singapore as well as Singapore’s 50th year of independence, Singapour en France – Le Fes val was a three-month fes val featuring a selec on of works by Singaporean ar sts upon invita on of France.

March to June 2015 Paris, Lyon, Lille and Nantes, France

Singapour en France – Le Fes val presented an array of ar s c performances and exhibi ons, including visual arts, theatre and dance. The fes val took place in four French ci es and at cultural ins tu ons such as the Théâtre de la Ville, Théâtre des Bouff es du Nord and Palais de Tokyo.

It was co-organised by Singapore’s Na onal Heritage Board, Na onal Arts Council, and France’s Ins tut Français, and supported by Singapore’s Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and Ministry of Foreign Aff airs, France’s Ministry of Foreign Aff airs and Interna onal Development, and Ministry of Culture and Communica on. The SIF supported ar sts Lowave, Ong Kian Peng and Ver cal Submarine at the fes val.

(Top) You are What I Dont Want to Be was performed by Singaporean ar st Ezzam Rahman, using white feathers and white powder as symbolic elements for migra on, moving to a live soundtrack by French experimental musician Pascal Ba us at Eglise Saint Merry

126 / DiverseCity ONG KIAN PENG VERTICAL AND GROUP SUBMARINE

An ar st who creates installa ons and experiences with Ver cal Submarine is an independent collec ve that produces sound, Ong Kian Peng’s works feature analogue motors installa ons, drawings and pain ngs involving text-image- that directly feed sound into digital audio synthesisers. His narra ves with a sense of humour. They have presented fascina on with the medium stems from its powerful eff ects projects in Spain, Taiwan, Hong Kong S.A.R. and South Korea. and his curiosity about contemporary society’s lack of a listening culture. He won the President’s Young Talent Grand The Cabinet Prize in 2015. Daumeray and Anjou, France

Urban Explora ons: Snapshots from Two Ci es The Cabinet was a video and photographic installa on at the Paris, France Founda on La Roche Jacquelin. The artwork showcased an explora on of an 18th century rococo chateau as a cabinet, Urban Explora ons: Snapshots from Two Ci es gathered with endless closed doors that hinders one from entering. Ong Kian Peng and a group of ar sts, researchers and scien sts from Singapore, France and Germany to par cipate in urban-sensing: an art-science approach to inves gate how communi es around the world relate to their urban environment through the senses, par cularly exploring the city of Paris.

[email protected] calsubmarine.org signal@ver calsubmarine.org

DiverseCity / 127 LOWAVE

A bilateral curatorial pla orm based in Singapore and Paris, Lowave has developed numerous art projects including exhibi ons and collabora ons between Singapore and France.

Silke Schmickl is a curator with the Na onal Gallery Singapore, and is the Co-founding Director of Lowave. She is interested in developing new curatorial prac ces, par cularly exploring non-tradi onal pla orms that may extend beyond physical spaces.

Singapour mon amour Paris, France

Singapour mon amour featured a series of live dance and music performances, audio-visual screenings and dialogues with 40 contemporary Singaporean and French ar sts, fi lmmakers, musicians and intellectuals to celebrate the alterna ve and independent arts movement in Singapore.

Some performers and par cipants include French ar sts Paul Régimbeau, Chris ne O , and Singaporean ar sts Ang Soo Koon, Ho Tzu Nyen, Urich Lau, Teow Yue Han, Ezzam Rahman, Bani Haykal and Jason Wee, amongst others.

(Top le ) Live performance by FOUDRE!, Chris ne O and Mondkopf against the backdrop of Singaporean ar st Ho Tzu Nyen’s www.lowave.com [email protected] video EARTH, as part of INTER|ac ons at Église Saint-Merry

128 / DiverseCity “I love how the Singaporean art scene embraces, through its welcoming, collabora ve and integra ve nature, the unique possibili es of a mul cultural society in the 21st century.” — Silke Schmickl, Co-curator, Singapour mon amour and Co-founding Director, Lowave, Germany

(Top) Panel discussion following an illustrated performa ve talk by Singaporean ar sts Ho Tzu Hyen and Ang Soo Koon at Centre George Pompidou

(Bo om) Exhibi on Poli cs and Poe cs of Spaces at Le point Ephémère

DiverseCity / 129 SOMETHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT

Something to Write Home About celebrated Singapore’s 50th year of independence, and brought together ar sts and performers from Singapore and the United States.

12 to 22 September 2015 New York, United States of America

The fes val was the brainchild of Dr Wee Hong Ling, a NASA scien st-turned-ceramic-ar st, who was fuelled by a desire to start a conversa on on what home is, and to provide New Yorkers a window into life in Singapore, given the signifi cant occasion.

Her ini al idea of a visual arts exhibi on expanded to include dance, music, fi lm and food, as other New York-based Singaporean ar sts pitched in, giving rise to new friendships and collabora ons with Singaporeans and Americans.

The SIF supported the fes val by enabling Singapore-based talents to be a part of this fes val, including theatre companies The Necessary Stage and Checkpoint Theatre, performing arts groups Maya Dance Theatre and Singai Tamil Sangam, literary ar st Verena Tay and visual ar st duo Angie Tan-Burns and Gregory Burns. (Top) Le ers from Home featured an evening of cultural and contemporary dance performances by Singai Tamil Sangam and Maya Dance Theatre in collabora on [email protected] with New York-based ar sts Janis Brenner and Esmé www.somethingtowritehomeabout.nyc Boyce in celebra on of Singapore’s golden jubilee

130 / DiverseCity “These stories – whether they be through theatre, literature or dance, and regardless of where we are from – show that we are as diff erent as we are similar.” — Dr Wee Hong Ling, Producer, Something to Write Home About, and Ceramic Ar st, Singapore

(Top) Singaporeʼs Ambassador to the United States Ashok Kumar Mirpuri at the fes val (right) with fes val producer Dr Wee Hong Ling (centre)

(Bo om) Across a dozen events, the fes val a racted close to 1,500 Excerpted from Singapore Magazine Issue 4/2015 people to come together to generate conversa ons about Photo credits: Lee Min Wei, Hiu Zhi Wei, Something To Write Home About, Singapore’s art and culture Singapore International Foundation

DiverseCity / 131 ANGIE TAN- CHECKPOINT BURNS AND THEATRE GREGORY BURNS

The collabora ve art by husband and wife duo that harmonises Mixing honesty and humour in a potent brew, Checkpoint photography and acrylic pain ng is like the calm a er the Theatre creates and presents vibrant, important and storm. There is an extra set of eyes, heart, passion and contemporary Asian plays that connect with, challenge and perspec ve, there is give and take and there is push and pull, inspire local and interna onal audiences. Its oeuvre includes a mixing of perspec ves. other original theatrical and mul disciplinary work, and collabora ons with other countries to showcase Singapore Shop Houses Singaporean wri ng.

This series is a combina on of photography and pain ng by The Weight of Silk on Skin & Recalling Mother both ar sts, showcasing tradi onal architectural icons, such as the Peranakan-style shop houses common in Singapore. As part of the programme Playwrights and Their Works, Photographs by Angie Tan-Burns are painted over in the the theatre company presented to full houses a reading of abstract style of Gregory Burns, resul ng in a collabora on an excerpt from The Weight of Silk on Skin by Co-founder in mixed media. Huzir Sulaiman together with works by other Singaporean playwrights. Recalling Mother, which was performed in English, Malay and Cantonese, depicts two women sharing about two other women – their mothers – and the complexi es of living with (and not living with) “mother”.

angarts.com [email protected] gbatjourney.blogspot.com [email protected] checkpoint-theatre.org [email protected]

132 / DiverseCity THE VERENA NECESSARY TAY STAGE

With nearly three decades under its belt, The Necessary A seasoned storyteller and theatre prac oner, Verena Stage has produced more than 60 original works, many Tay has brought tradi onal and her own stories vocally and cri cally acclaimed by local and overseas audiences. To boost physically alive in her unique fashion, deligh ng audiences. the arts in Singapore, the group also organises the annual M1 Singapore Fringe Fes val to present contemporary, cu ng- Cursed Earth & The Land edge and socially-engaged works. Cursed Earth is comprised of four parts, each covering Best Of & Poor Thing diff erent eras of Singapore’s history, incorpora ng supernatural mo fs and urban legends prevalent in Southeast The Necessary Stage presented Best Of, a play about Malay Asia. The Land tells about a piece of land in Singapore cursed Muslim woman going through a divorce, as well as conducted a for centuries, and remains cursed through the present day. reading of Poor Thing, a play that tackles road rage in Singapore.

necessary.org [email protected] verenatay.com [email protected]

DiverseCity / 133 All photos courtesy of respec ve ar sts and the SIF, unless otherwise stated.

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©Copyright 2017, Singapore Interna onal Founda on

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Na onal Library Board, Singapore Cataloguing in Publica on Data Name(s): Singapore Interna onal Founda on, publisher. Title: DiverseCity : connec ng communi es through arts & culture. Descrip on: Singapore : Singapore Interna onal Founda on, [2017] Iden fi er(s): OCN 984505698 | ISBN 978-981-11-2907-0 (paperback) Subject(s): LCSH: Arts, Singaporean. | Ar sts--Singapore. Classifi ca on: DDC 700.95957--dc23