Celebrate the Power of the Word. Choose Your Party

For Immediate Release

The Arts House turns 13! Celebrate the power of the word. Choose your party.

Singapore, 3 March 2017 – In celebration of its 13th anniversary, The Arts House has invited artists, writers and musicians to come together to share stories that inspire their being and their work. Held over the weekend of 25 and 26 March, the renewed House Party will feature poetry, storytelling, films, music and photography and will extend out onto the Empress Lawn in the Civic District.

“Since its inception, The Arts House at Old Parliament Place has been supporting and presenting Singapore artists in the realm of literary arts, and we are glad to be able to continue this mission,” says Sarah Martin, Chief Executive Officer of Arts House Limited, “We welcome all to be inspired by the literary arts presented in various artistic disciplines in our specially curated celebrations this year.”

Music and Poetry

Produced by the NAC Young Artist Award 2016 recipient and poet Marc Nair, Note for Note sets up a poetic musical dialogue between ten poets and ten musicians. Featuring poets such as Aaron Lee, Bani Haykal, David Wong, Deborah Emmanuel, Pooja Nansi,, Shivram Gopinath, and Yong Shu Hoong, as well as musicians including Patrick Chng and Vick Low, this performance will give these talented artists, each with strikingly different styles, a chance to explore the space between music and meaning in the historic Chamber.

Storytelling

Words come to life through the timeless art of storytelling with master storyteller Kamini Ramachandran, who will put a spin on tales about mythical Transformations found in Asian folklore. Created for an adult audience, Shapeshifter Stories is the solo showcase that revels in ancient stories of shapeshifters retold by Kamini with live music accompaniment. For families with young children, The Indigo Jackal sees the retelling of the famous tales of the cunning trickster from The Panchatantra, the ancient Indian collection of interrelated animal fables.

Music

One of the two key music programmes as part of House Party is In The Spotlight curated by rising star violinist Loh Jun Hong. Featuring a stellar cast of classical musicians including the husband-and-wife team of LilianLillian Wang and Tan Wee-Hsin, this performance invites the audience to experience the illustrious harmonies of various instrument pairings sans the conventional performance space. Held in the Living Room, this space is ideal for the artists and audience to experience art-making on an intimate level.

The second music programme that focuses on Jazz is curated by one of the region’s most prolific jazz pianists, Aya Sekine. The first component of this programme is Music@Empress - The Jazz Edition. With support from the National Arts Council, emerging and established jazz musicians including New York based Singapore guitarist Andrew Lim will take the stage at the lush space of the Empress Lawn within the culturally rich Civic District. In the second component to take place in the cosy Living Room, familiar names like Chok Kerong and Weixiang Tan will perform pieces that began their love affair with jazz.

Photography

Pet me, Pet Me, Look at Me, Love Me, an introspective photography exhibition, allows audience to explore notions of intimacy and longing. Held in a unique space within the House - Gallery I - Singapore-based photographers Liana Yang and Lavender Chang explore the role of the written word in their artistic practices. Tours and workshops with the curator and photographers will also be held to augment the exhibition experience. Two separate dialogue sessions will see Yang and Chang engage and converse, with NAC Young Artists Award 2012 recipient and Epigram Books Fiction Prize 2015 winner O Thiam Chin as well as Cultural Medallion recipient You Jin (Tham Yew Chin) respectively. They will disscuss the common threads and themes in the different practices of literary arts and photography, and how text and images influence each other.

Film In partnership with the Singapore Film Society, winning entries from the Singapore Heritage Short Film Competition 2016 will be screened. These films shine a light on the artistic and cultural practices that subsist on the fringes of memory in Singapore, from traditional analogue photography to Chinese opera. Audience will get to learn more about the art form, as well as the creative processes involved in film-making, in the post-show dialogues with winner Eileen Chong and first runner-up Saleem Hadi.

Drop in activities

True to any celebration, the transformation of space is integral. This will be manifested in The Arty Party Room. Artist collective 3 Pumpkin Project and sound artist Zai Tang will transform Gallery II. The public will be taken into a different dimension where they can contribute to the community collage using cut-outs of geometric shapes, lines, images, letters as well as found materials, or partake in a book exchange. Artists and musicians from the main stage programmes will also drop in with bite-sized teasers throughout the day.

House Tours

In the spirit of anniversary celebrations, visitors can choose to embark on a tour that will follow the trials faced by first generation nation-builders like Lee Kuan Yew, David Marshall and S. Rajaratnam.

Please refer to Annex A, Annex B and Annex C for the schedule, detailed programme write-ups and artists’ bios.

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For more information and high res pictures, please contact:

Willy Beh Bernadette Yew Asst Manager, Marketing & Communications Asst Director, Marketing & Communications Arts House Limited Arts House Limited T: +65 6332 6921 T: +65 6332 6901 M: +65 9841 9794 M: +65 9793 3140 E: [email protected] E: [email protected]

About The Arts House Occupying the almost 200-year-old building that was Singapore’s first Parliament House, The Arts House has played an active role in the Singapore arts and creative scene. The House promotes and presents multi-disciplinary programmes and festivals such as literary arts, film, performing and visual arts. The Arts House is run and managed by Arts House Limited. For more information, visit www.theartshouse.sg.

About Arts House Limited Arts House Limited (AHL) is a not-for-profit organisation committed to enriching lives through the arts. AHL runs The Arts House, a multi-disciplinary arts centre with a focus on literary programming located in the heart of Singapore’s Civic District; presents the Singapore International Festival of Arts, an annual celebration of performing arts; and manages Goodman Arts Centre and Aliwal Arts Centre, two creative enclaves for artists, arts groups and creative businesses, and the exhibition and performance spaces located at ARTrium @ MCI.

44 Annex A: Schedule

Schedule for 25 March 2017

Location Council Screening Blue Room Chamber Corridors Empress Lawn Gallery I Gallery II Play Den Porch Time Room Room

10am-11am

Tribute to Our Transformations– 11am–12pm Founding The Indigo Jackal Pet Me, Pet Me, Storytelling Fathers Exhibition Tour Look at Me, Love Me Photography exhibition 12pm–1pm The Arty Party Room

Between Frames 1pm–2pm Film Screening

2pm–3pm Curator’s Tour

Storytime MoonShadow

Stories Conversations Party Snackers 3pm–4pm with Filmmakers Rendezvous Eileen Chong Dialogue: You Jin and The Art of Singapore Lavender Chang 4pm–5pm Between Frames Film Screening

Pet Me, Pet Me, Food for Tribute to Our Look at Me, Thought Founding 5pm–6pm Love Me Forum: Liana Yang The Arty Party Fathers Exhibition Photography Tour exhibition Room

6pm–7pm Music@Empress Jazz edition 7pm–8pm

Note for Note Transformations– Music and Poetry 8pm–9pm Shapeshifter Stories Storytelling Jazz in the House 9pm–10pm Jazz Recital

5 Annex A: Schedule

Schedule for 26 March 2017

Location Blue Room Gallery I Gallery II Living Room Porch Screening Room Time

11am–12pm

12pm–1pm The Arty Party Rendezvous Room Social Space Between Frames 1pm–2pm Dialogue: O Thiam Film Screening Chin and Liana Yang

2pm–3pm

Pet Me, Pet Me, Let’s Play Chamber music recital Conversations with Love, Virtually Look at Me, Party Snackers by Lillian Wang and Filmmakers 3pm–4pm Forum session: Liana Love Me Tan Wee-Hsin F&B Yang Saleem Hadi Photography exhibition The Old Voice

4pm–5pm In The Spotlight Between Frames Chamber music recital Film Screening

5pm–6pm

6pm–7pm

7pm–8pm

76 Annex B: Programmes

Storytelling

The Indigo Jackal 1 adult & 1 child* $18 2 adults & 1 child* $25 Each additional child* $8

*Age 10 years and below

Recommended for families with children 4 – 7 years old. All children must be accompanied by an adult throughout the session.

In conjunction with World Storytelling Day, The Arts House and Moonshadow Stories present Asian tales surrounding the theme of ‘transformations’.

Note for Note is a performance that pairs ten poets with ten musicians. Produced by Marc Nair, the show reveals a different side to the poets, who will work with skilled musicians of their choosing to craft a musical dialogue.

Featuring Aaron Lee and Yong Kailin, Bani Haykal, Christine Chia, David Wong and Vick Low, Deborah Emmanuel and Chong Li-Chuan, Kok Wei Liang and Mark Nicodemus Tan, Pooja Nansi and Nathan Kumar K., Samuel Caleb Wee and Koh Zhong Ren, Shivram Gopinath and Rupak George and fnally, Yong Shu Hoong and Patrick Chng.

Producer’s Note ComeMarc Nair snooping, sniffing and slinking into the wily Jackal’s world! Listen to the story of the cunning“Being in trickster love is somethingand his most like famous poetry. adventure. Certainly, you A sly can tale analyze from The and Pancha expoundtantra its variousretold by senses masterand intentions, storyteller but Kamini there is alwaysRamachandran, something with left over, visual mysteriously puppets hovering and lots between of audience music and participation.meaning.” This session is f ollowed by a simple craft activity to make your own Jackal - Muriel character Spark and bring him back home. There is music in poetry and poetry in music. Like a pair of lovers entwined, they are collisions of soft touches, harder notes; the warm embrace of rhythm. Sometimes in rhyme, sometimes out of time, this showcase allows ten different poets with strikingly different styles a chance to explore the space between music and meaning. Because that is where magic happens.

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TRANSFORMATIONSTRANSFORMATIONS 98 9 TRANSFORMATIONS 98 TRANSFORMATIONSTRANSFORMATIONS 9 9 TRANSFORMATIONS 9 Annex B: Programmes Annex B: Programmes

Shapeshifter Stories $20Shapeshifter (Regular) Stories $15$20 (Concession(Regular) – Students with valid ID, seniors and NSF) $15 (Concession – Students with valid ID, seniors and NSF) Suitable for adult audiences 16 years and above. Suitable for adult audiences 16 years and above.

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TRANSFORMATIONS 109 TRANSFORMATIONS 10 Annex B: Programmes

Music

IN THE SPOTLIGHT 26 March | 4pm–5pm | Living Room | $20 | houseparty-inthespotlight.peatix.com

Engage in light-hearted musical conversations with a stellar cast of classical musicians in the intimacy of the Living Room and experience the colourful harmonies of instrument pairings. Expect contrasting soundscapes as the musicians perform a musical sampling of pieces by three composers from three countries.

MOZART Duo for Violin and Viola No. 1 in G major, K. 423

PROKOFIEV Cello Sonata, Op. 119, 1st Movement

FAURE Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 15

Khor Shang Jin, piano Lillian Wang, violin Lin Juan, cello Tan Wee-Hsin, viola

IN THE SPOTLIGHT 1110 Annex B: Programmes

Producer’s Note Loh Jun Hong For most musicians, chamber music has a special place in our hearts. It combines both the intimacy of sharing and creating music with friends, as well as the artistic independence of shaping one’s own musical line.

I worked with the four musicians to select the repertoire, which are close to their hearts and reflect their personal stories. We centred this recital on Faure’s Piano Quartet No.1 in C minorminor,, an unmistakably French work instilled with sensuality and romanticism. The Piano Quartet grouping marries the size of the string quartet with the sound world of piano quintet; every member of the piano quartet plays on different instruments, which gives each line a distinct musical flavour.

To get audiences acquainted with the separate flavours, the recital will start with Mozart’s String Duo, a fresh and energetic violin-viola duet aptly played by husband-and-wife Tan Wee-Hsin and Lillian Wang as they juxtapose its beautiful interweaving melodies. Next, for the cello and piano, we have Prokofiev’s rich and voluptuous Cello Sonata Op. 119119,, a piece that was penned down for the great cellist Rostropovich and finally, the quartet will join together culminating in Faure’s Piano Quartet.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT 12112 Annex B: Programmes

JAZZ IN THE HOUSE 25 March | 9pm–10.10pm | Living Room | Free admission

9pm–9.30pm Oliver Von Essen + Richard Jackson ft. Navin Kumar 9.40pm–10.10pm Chok Kerong x Weixiang Tan ft. Aaron James Lee

Be enchanted by the featured jazz musicians who will play music which inspired and began their love affair with jazz.

MUSIC@EMPRESS – THE JAZZ EDITION 25 March | 6pm–7.30pm | Empress Lawn | Free admission 6pm–6.30pm Ernesto Valerio + Mario Serio 6.40pm–7.10pm Nicole Duffell Trio ft. Christy Smith & Andrew Lim 7.20pm–7.50pm RaghaJazz

Join us as the sun sets with a showcase of emerging and established jazz musicians. The featured musicians will also share more about their musical influences and experiences that have contributed to the development of their individual performance styles.

Music@Empress is supported by the National Arts Council.

Producer’s Note Aya Sekine Singapore's Jazz history predates the independence of Singapore. The community has been surviving through ups and downs and and itit ’iss greatgreat inin itsits own way, but it's never recognised as vibrant part of arts culture in Singapore. At this point in the history, I feel it is time for us to make a change, even in small steps.

I arrived at the theme ‘My Jazz For You’ where I asked the artists to pick the repertoire to remain artistic, but to think of what the audience will receive. I’ve also requested artists to choosechoose repertoire which inspired them to become the jazz musicians they are today. This concert is about our music, about sharing our love and commitment to the audience. We hope you will feel our excitement—our Jazz, for you.

JAZZ IN THE HOUSE / MUSIC@EMPRESS 13123 Annex B: Programmes

Photography Exhibition

PET ME, PET ME, LOOK AT ME, LOVE ME 17 March–12 April | 10am–8pm | Gallery I | Free admission

Forever is a long time (2014) Liana Yang

This exhibition explores notions of intimacy and longing by focusing on the role of the written word in the conceptual practices of two Singapore-based female photographers – Liana Yang and Lavender Chang.

By manipulating new and traditional media, Yang upends contemporary notions of romance and courtship, provoking thought on the dynamics of relationships and our expressions of fondness. With projects often meant as open-ended questionnaires, Chang integrates text in her works to probe at how people seek emotional anchorage in times of uncertainty and adversity.

Collectively, their works utilize text as a point of entry to interrogate the relationship between prose, visual and mental imagery, shedding light on unseen and unspoken yearnings.

Curator's tour 25 March | 2pm–3pm | Gallery I | Free admission with registration at houseparty-petmetour.peatix.com

We are sharing the love. Join curator Kong Yen Lin as she shares insights into the conceptualization of the show and the thought processes of each artist.

PET ME, PET ME, LOOK AT ME, LOVE ME 1413 Annex B: Programmes

Rendezvous: A dialogue between image makers and wordsmiths

You Jin and Lavender Chang 25 March | 3.30pm–4.30pm | Blue Room | Free admission with registration at houseparty- rendezvous.peatix.com | Conducted in Mandarin

O Thiam Chin and Liana Yang 26 March | 2pm–3pm | Blue Room | Free admission with registration at houseparty- rendezvous.peatix.com

In this segment, each artist engages in conversation—a Singaporean writer whose work explores common threads and themes in their practices, and how text and images influence each other.

PET ME, PET ME, LOOK AT ME, LOVE ME 1514 Annex B: Programmes

To Love and Be Fed Interact with each artist in an intimate setting and gain a deeper perspective of her practice through a series of hands-an activities.

Food for thought 25 March | 5pm–6pm | Blue Room | Free admission with registration at houseparty-loveandfood.peatix.com

Suitable for families with children age 64 years and above

Bring your favourite hawker dish and join Lavender Chang for a light-hearted sharing session on the social and personal memories revolving around food.

Love, Virtually 26 March | 4pm–5pm | Blue Room | Free admission with registration at houseparty-loveandfood.peatix.com

Suitable for participants age 18 and above.

Join Liana Yang as she shares about a main tenet of her artistic practice—how she reads between the lines for subliminal messages in text and images—via the medium of online dating. Engage in a sharing session to unravel the complexities of virtual romance and the ambiguities of human interactions.

PET ME, PET ME, LOOK AT ME, LOVE ME 1615 Annex B: Programmes

Film

BETWEEN FRAMES 25 & 26 March | 12 pm–5pm (screened on a loop at the start of each hour) | Screening Room | Free admission

Stroke by stroke, a man fends off the tide of digitalization painting movie posters by hand, a cassette tape of old songs whirrs softly to life, a fan of classic Indian radio dramas relives fond memories of the past—these compelling and original narratives are some of the winning films from the 2016 Singapore Heritage Short Film Competition.

The films shine a light on the artistic or cultural practices subsisting on the fringes of memory in Singapore, from traditional Chinese opera to analogue photography. Learn more about the art form being portrayed as well as the creative processes involved in film making in post- show dialogues featuring directors of the winning entry, Art of Singapore, and first runner-up, The Old Voice.

The screenings are organised by the Singapore Film Society.

Films are screened in the following sequence:

Singapore Icons in Pop Culture Dir: Gwendolin Mah / 2016 / Singapore / 10min / PG In recent years, entrepreneurs have started producing handicrafts, household items, and fashion statements out of cultural icons that are easily recognised by Singaporeans. Are Singaporeans popularising its culture, without realising it?

Retrospection Dir: Nurul Farhana Bte Mohd Zaidi / 2016 / Singapore / 6min 45sec / PG Retrospection is a documentary depicting photography as a popular mass culture. It focuses on capturing photographs to store precious memories from the eyes of two individuals and highlighting experiences from the past.

BETWEEN FRAMES 1716 Annex B: Programmes

Transcend In Heritage Dir: Ong Wei Ting / 2014 / Singapore / 8min 30sec / Mandarin and English with English subtitles / PG This documentary takes us inside the world of a few Chinese shadow puppetry enthusiasts, including Paper Monkey Theatre’s founder Benjamin Ho and his crew, as they embark on a journey to revive this dying art form.

Curry Fish Head Dir: Srinivas Bhakta / 2014 / Singapore / 6min 45sec / Tamil with English subtitles / PG The film tells a story of a girl in the midst of ever-changing landscape of Singapore from late 60’s to present day.

Cassette Dir: Chee Wei Teck / 2016 / Singapore / 1min 58sec / Mandarin with English subtitles / PG Do you have any memory trigger? What happens when it fails you? A man tries to get his cassette tapes and recorder to work. This short recalls how people used to make and exchange mix tapes.

Preserving Art Dir: Jordan Low / 2014 / Singapore / 10min 51sec / Mandarin with English subtitles / PG Semi-practitioner Mdm Lee Swee Har recollects the good old days of Chinese Opera in Singapore and explains what drove it to its current state.

The Old Voice Dir: Saleem Hadi / 2016 / Singapore / 8min / Tamil with English subtitles / PG Memories and nostalgia take centrestage in this Tamil short film, when the protagonist, an old man, loses his beloved transistor radio, but salvages recollections of his favourite radio dramas with the help of a voice actor.

The Old Voice is the first runner up of the 2016 Singapore Heritage Short Film Festival.

* Post-show dialogue with Saleem Hadi on 26 March 26, 3pm–4pm

The Art of Singapore Dir: Eileen Chong / 2016 / Singapore / 4min 41sec / Mandarin, Hokkien with English subtitles / PG The documentary explores the life of Mr Ang Hao Sai, the last movie poster painter in Singapore. Trace his journey as an artist and a pioneer, delving into his work—a tribute to the history of Singapore that captures poignant moments. The film is a nostalgic ode to the complexities and growth of Singapore through the eyes of an artist.

The Art of Singapore is the winner of the 2016 Singapore Heritage Short Film Festival.

*Post-show dialogue with Eileen Chong on 25 March, 3pm–4pm

BETWEEN FRAMES 1817 Annex B:B: ProgrammesProgrammes

Social SpaceSpace

THE ARTYARTY PARTYPARTY ROOM ROOM 25 March || 11am11am––8pm8pm | | Gallery Gallery II II| |Free Free admission admission 26 March || 11am11am––4pm4pm | | Gallery Gallery II II| |Free Free admission admission

Visit The Arty Party Room and put your mark on a community collage facilitated by artist collectiveVisit The Arty 3 Pumpkins Party Room Projects. and In put addition, your mark look onout afor community featured performers collage facilitated in the main by stage programmes,artist collective such 3 Pumpkins as storyteller Projects. Kamini In Ramachandran addition, look out and for the featured musical performers couple Tan in Wee - Hsinthe mainand Lillianstage Wang, programmes, who will such also asdrop storyteller in for bite Daisy-sized Mitchell performanc and thees throughoutmusical couple the day. EnjoyTan Wee reading-Hsin the and books Lillian on Wang,display whoat The will Arts also House drop Library in fo installationr bite-sized or performanceshave a little rest in betweenthroughout the the multitude day. Enjoy of programmes reading the happening books on at displaythe House at PartyThe . Arts House Library installation or have a little rest in between the multitude of programmes happening at pst…the House you hear? Party . 25 March | 11am–8pm | Gallery II | Free admission 26 March | 11am–4pm | Gallery II | Free admission pst… you hear?

25 March | 11am–8pm | Gallery II | Free admission Designed by 3 Pumpkins Projects and Diki, this interactive social space invites visitors both 26 March | 11am–4pm | Gallery II | Free admission young and old to enter the gallery and be enveloped in sound artist Zai Tang’s city soundscape, Sonorous City. While listening to a symphony of aural stimuli which is so familiar Designed by 3 Pumpkins Projects and Diki, this interactive social space invites visitors to city dwellers, visitors can attempt to create a playful landscape using a collage of geometricboth young shapes, and old lines, to maps,enter theparking gallery coupons, and be discarded enveloped brochures in sound and artist flyers. Zai Tang’s ci ty soundscape, Sonorous City. While listening to a symphony of aural stimuli which is Theso familiar title pst, to youcity dwellers, hear? is avisitors word can play attempt of the to subject create ‘house a playful party’, landscape in response using toa the anagramcollage ofs forgeometric the celebratory shapes, event. lines, maps, parking coupons, discarded brochures and flyers.

The title pst, you hear? is a word play of the subject ‘house party’, in response to the anagrams for the celebratory event.

THE ARTY PARTY ROOM 1918

THE ARTY PARTY ROOM / PARTY SNACKERS 4 Annex B: Programmes

Storytime by MoonShadow Stories 25 March | 2.30pm–3.30pm | Gallery II | Free admission

Recommended for families with children ages 4 – 7 years old.

In this storytelling session, the works of the wackiest, wildest children’s author Dr. Seuss is brought to life! Join in the fun with The Cat in the Hat and delight in the classic Green Eggs & Ham!

Continue listening to the timeless Aesop’s Fables where animals compete and outwit each other. The stories are told through colourful big books where puppets, rabbits, foxes, crows and more creatures come alive!

These storytelling sessions are performed by Daisy Mitchell, from MoonShadow Stories Young Storytellers Mentorship Programme.

Let’s Play! 26 March | 3pm–3.30pm | Gallery II | Free admission

Feast your ears in a pre-concert programme with husband-and-wife team Tan Wee-Hsin and Lillian Wang as they put the spotlight on the violin and viola, with compositions for string duos from virtuosos Mozart and Rolla.

THE ARTY PARTY ROOM 2019 Annex C: Artists’ Bios

House Tours

TRIBUTE TO OUR FOUNDING FATHERS EXHIBITION TOUR 25 March | 11am–12pm & 5pm–6pm | Meet at the entrance 15 minutes before each session | Free admission | Maximum 20 guests on a first-come-first-serve basis

What were the challenges faced by newly independent Singapore? How did Singapore pull through? This interactive tour will take you through the trials faced by first generation nation- builders like David Marshall, Edmund Barker, Goh Keng Swee, Lee Kuan Yew, Lim Kim San, S. Rajaratnam and Toh Chin Chye, via a journey through Singapore’s parliamentary system and first parliament building—The Old Parliament House—which is presently The Arts House.

The tours are led by Hands on Learning.

EXHIBITION TOUR 212020 Annex C: Artists’ Bios

Food & Beverage

PARTY SNACKERS Feeling hungry? Swing by the Porch and treat yourself to delicious food and drinks from our pop-up stalls at the Porch.

PARTY SNACKERS 2221 Annex C: Artists’ Bios

Music and Poetry

NOTE FOR NOTE

Aaron Lee

Aaron Lee is a pilgrim poet, writing mentor, community organiser and ethics lawyer. He is acknowledged to have played a key part in the late 1990s renaissance of Singapore poetry. His three books of poetry (including COASTLANDS published in 2014) are critically acclaimed. He also edited several books including the best-selling anthology No Other City: the Ethos Anthology of Urban Poetry. Lee’s work is studied at educational institution and he is regularly invited to literary festivals all over the world. In 2014 he co-founded the LANIAKEA COLLECTIVE with his wife, artist Namiko Chan Takahashi.

Bani Haykal

Bani Haykal experiments with text and music. Encompassing several disciplines including installation and performance, his interest lies at the intersection of musicology, political economy of data and speculative fiction. Working with a broad range of instruments, from acoustic to digital, traditional and hacked, his projects revolve around modes of interfacing and interaction. He is a member of b-quartet and Soundpainting ensemble Erik Satay & The Kampong Arkestra.

As an artist and a musician, Haykal has participated in festivals including da:ns Festival, The M1 Fringe Festival (Singapore), Liquid Architecture, Media/Art Kitchen (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Japan), and RRREC FEST (Indonesia) among others.

Christine Chia

Christine Chia is the author of The Law of Second Marriages (Math Paper Press) and a sequel, Separation: a history (Ethos Books). She conceptualised and co-edited the anthologies A Luxury We Cannot Afford and A Luxury We Must Afford (Math Paper Press).

She was a featured writer at the Singapore Writers Festival, the Goa Arts and Literature Festival, the Singapore Literature Festival in New York, and a writer-in-residence at Toji Cultural Center, South Korea. She has contributed poetry to Washington Square Review and W!ld Rice’s theatrical production of Another Country.

David Wong

David Wong Hsien Ming discovered poetry as a child at a Sunday lunch. His work earned an Honorable Mention (2011) before winning second prize in Singapore’s Golden Point Award (2015), and has appeared in publications like Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, Ceriph, and Mascara Literary Review. His first collection For the End Comes Reaching was published by Math Paper Press in 2015. He read philosophy at the University of Melbourne and is now a junior college teacher. davidwonghsienming.wordpress.com

Deborah Emmanuel

Deborah Emmanuel is a Singaporean writer, performer and four-time TEDx speaker. Her writing and dialogue has featured at festivals like the Makassar International Writers Festival and the Queensland Poetry Festival. Her performance work has seen cities like Melbourne, Berlin, London, Bali and Kathmandu. She is the author of two books, When I Giggle In My Sleep (2015) and Rebel Rites (2016). When not writing, she performs on stage and screen, or makes music with her bands Wobology and The Ditha Project. Deborah also conducts

NOTE FOR NOTE 2322 Annex C: Artists’ Bios

workshops on writing and performance with a variety of people; from curious adults to excited youth, from emotionally disabled seniors to incarcerated women.

Kailin Yong

Kailin Yong is a musician/teacher/actor and most of all, a global citizen and a tireless advocate for using the arts to promote peace, love and understanding. Known to many as the “fiddler for peace”, he was the recipient of the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin in 2004. Yong trained at the Vienna Academy of Music and spent 20 overseas before returning to Singapore three and a half years ago. He is a composer, music director and actor, working with many organisations. He is also the founding member of Ella & Kai, Kailin Yong Peace Project, NuMundo, PLUS Trio, Qilin Group and Y String Quartet. Yong currently teaches at LASALLE College of the Arts and the School of the Arts.

Koh Zhong Ren

Koh Zhong Ren is a multi-instrumental freelance musician whose main project is ambient rock outfit Plate. He can also be seen elsewhere collaborating with other musicians, such as in Anise and The Craic Horse. He has sessioned on cello for Hanging Up the Moon and Piblokto, and dabbles in other kinds of instrumentation, drawing influences from post-rock, folk, classical, and electronica.

Kok Wei Liang

Kok Wei Liang does absurdist, observational comedy and comic spoken word with a cheeky, irreverent bent. He enjoys looking at pop culture, technology and life with an ironic point of view. He has entire set pieces about Facebook, catfishing, the future of women in hip-hop, Beyoncé’s Formation and The Little Mermaid.

He also, sometimes, sings during his act.

Li-Chuan Chong

Li-Chuan Chong is a Singaporean composer with a keen interest in philosophy, culture and the arts. Chong's career in music and sound started in the late 90s, freelancing as a composer and sound designer in collaboration with practitioners in theatre, dance, visual arts, and architecture. Chong’s works had been presented in the UK, Europe, Japan and locally in Singapore. In recent years, he has worked with landscape designer Chang Huai Yan, visual artist Donna Ong, theatre director Nelson Chia, and choreographers Albert Tiong, Jeffrey Tan, Kuik Swee Boon and Silvia Yong. soundcloud.com/li-chuan-chong

Marc Nair (producer)

Marc Nair is a poet and photographer from Singapore. He is a recipient of the 2016 Young Artist Award. He has published seven volumes of poetry and has performed spoken word internationally for over ten years. His latest collection is Intersection, a poetic and visual architecture of space and memory created with artist Nicola Anthony. Nair was the 2016–17 NTU-NAC National Writer in Residence and is also the co-founder of Mackerel, a culture magazine. www.marcnair.com www.mackerel.life

NOTE FOR NOTE 2423 Annex C: Artists’ Bios

Mark Nicodemus Tan

Mark Nicodemus Tan’s life choices include being a starving musician and sound designer, especially with The MadHatter Project, a band that has won a couple of awards but is more proud of its ability to satiate aforementioned hunger with copious amounts of maggi goreng. More importantly, he is a multiple Champions League winner on Football Manager who sometimes believes he is a cat in a Murakami novel. That may or may not explain why he regularly refers to himself in the third person.

Nantha Kumar K.

Nantha Kumar K. caught the music bug growing up in an extended family of musicians. After dabbling in various instruments, he eventually found his musical voice through the guitar. Indicative of his wide-ranging influences, Nantha has performed with diverse artistes ranging from Top 40s band Soul Circle, and spoken-word and music duo Mango Dollies to Tamil indie band FOS. His performance highlights include community events with People’s Association, private corporate functions, the Singapore Arts Festival, Esplanade’s Flipside series and a Tamil-language television show.

An educator by profession, Nantha has spent the last ten years imbuing the love for language in his students.

Rupak George

Rupak George is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, event organizer and educator who plays for Los Cucurrus, Mantravine, Seyra and Wobology, covering genres like folk, world, Latin and dub reggae. He co-wrote the Seyra song, Jauh, which was nominated for Best Singapore Song by the prestigious Anugerah Planet Muzik Awards 2013, and has played in major events like Baybeats, MeRadio, Music Matters and Night Festival. George also gives back to the community by organising music and arts events through the entertainment collective Chill Sessions. He runs his own audio production house, Music Composer Sg, which has seen him produce music for 98.7 FM, Channel News Asia, Maya Dance Theatre and more.

Patrick Chng

Patrick Chng first burst onto the Singapore indie music scene in the late 1980s as frontman of The Oddfellows. The band scored several radio hits in the early 90s –including the No. 1 smash So Happy in 1991. He was also an original member of Padres in the 90s and is currently the guitarist for indie rock band TypeWriter. In recent years, Chng has worked behind the scenes as producer and composed music for short films such as Ho Rui An’s Migrant and Eric Khoo’s Cinema in 7 Letters.

Pooja Nansi

Pooja Nansi is the author of two collections of poetry, the co-editor of an anthology of Singaporean Poetry and the co-author of a teacher’s resource for Singaporean poetry. Her work has been showcased extensively both locally and abroad in major cities, literary festivals and key institutions.

Since April 2013, she has been curating a monthly spoken word and poetry showcase called Speakeasy which plays to packed audiences. She also runs the Singapore chapter of Burn After Reading, a collective started for young emerging poets. Her one-woman show You Are Here was commissioned by Checkpoint theatre and produced by The Esplanade for Kala Utsavam 2016. The show also toured to the Queensland Poetry Festival. She was the NAC- NTU Writer in Residence for 2015-2016 and was also a recipient of the Young Artist Award in 2016.

NOTE FOR NOTE 2524 Annex C: Artists’ Bios

Samuel Caleb Wee

Samuel Caleb Wee thinks very hard about made up things and sometimes gets paid for using big words. His poetry and journalism has appeared in publications such as Kitaab, OF ZOOS, Ceriph, Esquire, and August Man. He was also the co-editor of this is how you walk on the moon, an anthology of experimental anti-realist fiction. After exhaustive therapy to overcome his fear of Americans, he is now afraid of therapists.

Shivram Gopinath

Shivram Gopinath is a writer and spoken word performer whose work has been featured at the Lit Up Festival, Neon Lights, Singapore Heritage Fest, Singapore Writers Festival and numerous dingy bars. A proud member of the PAP (PARTY ACTION PEOPLE), a rolling poetry troupe, he is also the 2015 and 2016 Singapore National Poetry Slam Champion.

Yong Shu Hoong

Yong Shu Hoong is the author of five poetry collections, including Frottage (2005) and The Viewing Party (2013), which both won the Singapore Literature Prize. He is the editor of the anthology, Passages: Stories of Unspoken Journeys (2013), and has co-written The Adopted: Stories from Angkor (2015) and Lost Bodies: Poems Between Portugal and Home (2016). He was writer-in-residence at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) from August 2013 to February 2014. His poetry chapbook Right of the Soil was jointly published by NTU and Ethos Books in 2016.

Vick Low

Vick Low is a contemporary cellist and electronic musician. A graduate from LASALLE College of the Arts (2015), he was part of the Noise Mentorship Program 2015 with his band Canvas Conversations has since been performing with music acts such as Ethel Yap, LEW and Zeeaura. With his cello, he has performed at the JB Arts Festival 2014 and 2015 with his jazz string quartet Viva Strings, and also at the Yangon Noise Festival in 2015 on an invitation by Gitameit Music School. He has also written music for theatre production Navodaya, and the School of the Arts’ theatre production Handle With Care.

NOTE FOR NOTE 2625 Annex C: Artists’ Bios

Storytelling

TRANSFORMATIONS

Daisy Mitchell

From heartwarming folktales to fun and wacky poems, Daisy Mitchell immensely enjoys reading and performing to young audiences all around Singapore. Having worked with MoonShadow Stories for almost a year, Mitchell is grateful for the opportunities to perform outside of her time studying theatre, and in turn has fallen in love with working in children's theatre.

Derrick Tay

Derrick Tay is a singer, musician and actor. He began his journey as a storyteller since 2014. As part of Tay’s training in LASALLE College of the Arts, he was first introduced to a very unique and magical style of storytelling by master storyteller, Kamini Ramachandran. After which, he pursued his interest in storytelling and has performed for various events such as Singapore International Storytelling Festival’s Mother Tongue Tales as well as Hua-Yi Chinese Festival of the Arts. Tay’s storytelling performances usually includes his musical talents such as singing and playing of musical instruments such as flutes, plucked strings and percussion that enriches the dynamic of his performances.

Kamini Ramachandran (producer)

A pioneer in the storytelling scene, Kamini Ramachandran performs, teaches, produces, directs and breathes all things storytelling. Through MoonShadow Stories she has produced World Storytelling Day in Singapore since 2005 and organised numerous storytelling events for both adult and family audiences. A devoted artist educator she nurtures emerging talents through her Young Storytellers Mentorship Programme.

She has performed commissioned works for The Esplanade, The Arts House and for international festivals. Her rich repertoire of Asian stories has taken her to castles in Belgium, ruins in Rome, greenfield festivals in Wales, sacred forests in Shillong and recently to the cities of the Emirates. She is one of today’s most unique voices in storytelling.

TRANSFORMATIONS 2726 Annex C: Artists’ Bios

Music

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Khor Shang Jin

Dr. Cherie Khor is an active soloist and chamber musician in Singapore and overseas. Winner of the National Piano and Violin Competition in Singapore, as well as the 9th Hong Kong Piano Open Competition, she has performed in numerous venues around the world, including Singapore, Slovenia, Hong Kong, Japan, and Australia. Recordings of her performances have been broadcast on WQXR and WWFM, the classical music radio stations serving New York and New Jersey respectively.

Dr. Khor holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Manhattan School of Music, under the tutelage of Dr. Marc Silverman. She served as a Teaching Fellow in the Keyboard Skills department, and as an accompanist in the Instrumental Accompanying Programme. She is a recipient of the National Arts Council Overseas Arts Bursary (Singapore), and the Presidential Scholarship Award and Helen Cohn Award (for outstanding graduate of the Doctor of Musical Arts degree) from Manhattan School of Music.

Lillian Wang

Violinist Lillian Wang is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and Northwestern University, where she served as teaching assistant to Gerardo Ribeiro while obtaining her Masters and Certificate Degrees. Her teachers include Ilya Kaler, Charles Castleman and Jennifer Bellusci. Prior to joining the SSO in 2010, Lillian was with the Malaysian Philharmonic and a substitute with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She taught at the Northwestern Music Academy and UCSI University in KL before joining the faculty at the School of the Arts. Lillian continues to be actively involved in solo and chamber concerts, particularly in fundraising and outreach concerts aimed to benefit society and charity organizations. Recent performances involve beneficiaries such as Very Special Arts (VSA) and Children's Wishing Well Foundation. Lillian's passion for community work through music has also led her and her violist husband Wee-Hsin Tan to be involved with the Hong Kong Music for Our Young Foundation since 2012.

Lin Juan

A graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music, UK, Juan is a regular Principal Cellist of the Singapore Lyric Opera Orchestra and The Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as a freelance cellist with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. He is active in chamber music performances, appearing regularly with established Singaporean and international musicians.

Apart from being on the faculty of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, he is also active as a conductor with the Singapore National Youth Orchestra (Assistant Conductor) and Raffles Institution String Ensemble (Music Director).

Loh Jun Hong (producer)

Violinist Loh Jun Hong is an alumnus of the Verbier Festival, Switzerland, where he led the festival orchestra for numerous concerts as concertmaster and associate concertmaster under the baton of Charles Dutoit, Daniel Harding, Valery Gergiev and GianandreaNoseda. A graduate of the Juilliard School and the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, Jun Hong’s performance experience ranges from recitals in Lincoln Center New York, in Washington and Indonesia, to tours in UK and France; from concerto solos in Tokyo & Hong Kong, to premiering works for publishing company Ries&Erler in Berlin. Coming up this season includes

IN THE SPOTLIGHT 2827 Annex C: Artists’ Bios

concerto appearances in Indonesia and New Zealand. Jun Hong plays on a 1780 Mantegazza on generous loan to him from the Rin Collection.

Tan Wee-Hsin

Tan Wee-Hsin is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and Northwestern University, where he served as teaching assistant to Roland Vamos while obtaining his Doctorate. A member of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra since 2001, Tan has also performed and recorded with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and appeared in solo and chamber performances with the Eastman Virtuosi, Grammy Award winning Ying Quartet, Choir of King’s College (Cambridge) and several other local groups. Tan has also participated in music festivals across Asia, Europe and the USA and has been invited to present masterclasses and adjudicate at festivals both locally and abroad. Tan and his violinist wife Lillian Wang are strong advocates of community outreach, and their work involving various student groups have reached out to benefit charity organizations locally and abroad. Since 2012, they have worked closely with the Hong Kong Music for Our Young Foundation to further the cause of music in the lives of the underprivileged.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT 2928 Annex C: Artists’ Bios

JAZZ IN THE HOUSE

Aaron James Lee

Drummer Aaron James Lee is most known for his work as a member of celebrated Singaporean ensemble the Steve McQueens. Steadily emerging as a musician in his own right, Lee’s artistry has made him one of the most sought after drummers in Singapore, for projects that involve everything from straight-ahead jazz, R&B to pop.

Aya Sekine (producer)

Aya Sekine is a Japanese jazz pianist based in Singapore who has been actively performing worldwide over the past two decades. She is best known for her soulful and dynamic style of swinging jazz that is heavily influenced by the Bebop and straight-ahead era, but also for her daring improvisations collaborations.

Her notable recent performance includes The Esplanade’s Jazz In July (2016), CHOPPA Experimental Music Festival (2017), and Guild In Concert at National Museum of Singapore (2017). She is a member of Soul/Jazz group L.A.B (Listen And Believe), and a Soundpainting collective Erik Satay & The Kampong Arkestra led by Tim O’Dwyer. She also expands her collaborations to her homeland Japan, where she tours twice a year to challenge her artistic capacity.

Known for her forward thinking, she has programmed live music for Blu Jaz Cafe (2006-2016), which raised the bar for quality non-mainstream live music scene, Club L’Opera (2016), We Love Jazz Party Vol.3 [SJ50 Edition] (2016) and countless smaller concerts, which continually impact and inspire the community. She directs multi-faceted programming company Bon Goût Music and recently founded a non-profitable We Love Jazz (Singapore) Ltd., which envisions strengthening the community of jazz and improvised arts in Singapore.

Chok Kerong

One of the few musicians in the region to have developed a compelling voice on the Hammond organ, Chok Kerong’s trio was the first Singaporean act to be featured at the Tokyo Jazz Festival in 2016. He is also an active composer and arranger, and his work has been performed by artists such as Rani Singam, the T’ang Quartet, the Singapore Wind Symphony and his own chamber ensemble ELEVEN.

Oliver Von Essen

Oliver Von Essen is a pianist currently performing in some of the best clubs and concert venues in Singapore where he appears with the great jazz artists of the local scene. He has worked as a pianist, organist, composer, arranger and music instructor in many parts of the world since he graduated from the jazz and contemporary music program of the New School University of New York City in 1991.

Von Essen has recorded numerous CDs as a sideman with big bands, singers, and jazz combos as well as on pop, rock and songwriter albums. Von Essen appears on Al Ashley's Album These are Them also featuring Rick Stone and Dave Liebman. Von Essen can be heard on four songs of Lena Horne's last record on Blue Note. He appears on two records of Organic Combustion. As the leader of the Oliver Von Essen Trio he recorded two Albums: Shanghai Reflections and Tokyo Motion. His lastest recording is the 2015 release Just by Chance in collaboration with Singapore based U.S. jazz vocalist Richard Jackson.

JAZZ IN THE HOUSE / MUSIC@EMPRESS 3029 Annex C: Artists’ Bios

Richard Jackson

Richard Jackson was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father, George Colbert Jackson, was a well-known Gospel singer and so Jackson grew up surrounded by such legendary Gospel acts as The Fairfield Four and The Dixie Hummingbirds all of whom were his father's friends. Surrounded by musical talent his whole life helped shape Jackson's love for singing.

Jackson began singing locally around the Cincinnati area, developing quite a name for himself. Being compared to the legends Barry White, Luther Vandross, Marvin Gaye and Ronald Isley was enough to keep Jackson singing and pursuing his dream. Jackson has worked in the company of Chris Jasper Isley, Midnight Star, and has performed as the opening act for Bob James, De La Soul, George Clinton & Will Downing, Peabo Bryson, Regina Belle, The Stylistics, and Tuck and Patti.

He was also the one of the featured artistes at the Les Nuits Du Jazz Festival in Nantes, France last Oct.

Jackson has recorded a CD with Oliver von Essen that is currently being mixed and mastered.

Weixiang Tan

With performance, recording, arrangement and composition credits with top international musicians, including Grammy winners and nominees, Weixiang Tan is widely considered to be one of Singapore’s best talents. His latest offering Wei III showcases his imaginative compositions in a piano trio format.

MUSIC@EMPRESS – THE JAZZ EDITION

Andrew Lim

Guitarist Andrew Lim has been an integral part of the jazz scene in Singapore and abroad since 2001. During that time he has participated in recordings and numerous festival (including Edinburgh Jazz Festival), concert and club performances with musicians from all generations. . He is an active performer and moved to New York City in 2011 to present. Ever since the move, he has performed at many of the top venues including the famed Blue Note, Jazz at Lincoln Centre, a residency at Smoke Jazz Club, Dizzy’s , Zinc Bar and various other local clubs. His reverence to melodies and soulful style have endeared him to audiences throughout the world as well as the musicians he’s worked with.

Aya Sekine (Producer)

JAZZ IN THE HOUSE / MUSIC@EMPRESS 3130 Annex C: Artists’ Bios

impact and inspire the community. She directs multi-faceted programming company Bon Goût Music and recently founded a non-profitable We Love Jazz (Singapore) Ltd., which envisions strengthening the community of jazz and improvised arts in Singapore.

Christy Smith

Christy Smith is a professional international musician, bassist, band leader, arranger, composer and teacher.

The Christy Smith Quartet has performed at well-known Jazz festivals in Asia like the Singapore and Kuala Lumpur International Jazz Festivals. Smith is a graduate of California State Fullerton in music performance. He has had several years of orchestral and big band experience, having been under the baton of Aaron Copland, Carmen Dragon, Keith Clark, Mercer Ellington and Pat William. Christy has also worked and performed with artists such as Billy Higgins, Don Cherry, Ed Blackwell, Ernie Watts, Fela Kuti, Harold Land, Sarah Vaughn, Stevie Wonder and many others.

Smith has been based in Singapore since 1993, performing with many of the regions artists such as Jeremy Monteiro, Lewis Pragasam, Michael Veerapen, Sheila Majid and many more. He has become an important role model for aspiring musicians in the region through his teachings. Next to performing in the region, he is teaching bass guitar and double bass at LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore as well as United World South East Asia.

Ernesto Valerio + Mario Serio

The dynamic and classic duo of veteran jazz men—an experienced jazz guitarist, the Nat King Cole of Singapore jazz scene, Ernesto Valerio, who has been touching so many people’s heart with a raspy yet sultry vocal styling, together with the most loved American jazz pianist who has lived in Singapore more than a decade having played with all the jazz vocalist in the region, Mario Serio.

Two jazz giants will be sharing their favourites as they share priorities in jazz that is ‘songs and melodies’. They will re-introduce you the uncommon selections of what used to be the ‘pop music’ of the old which we now called jazz standards and evergreen.

Nicole Duffel

A formidable soloist in her own right, Nicole Duffel is a prolific composer/arranger & graduate of the West Australian Conservatorium of Music. From the age of 17, she was already prominent in the Western Australian music scene—her versatility as a tenor saxophonist has kept her involved in a diverse multitude of music projects nationally & internationally, extending across a comprehensive range of musical styles.

After years of touring as a session musician across Australia, Duffel decided to settle in Europe. Then, after passing through Singapore in 2002 on what was supposed to be stop- over, Duffel landed a contract to perform with the Way Kool band at the renowned Somerset Jazz Club. A long list of prestigious engagements ensued (as well as her yearly pilgrimages to perform in Europe) plus numerous music & arts festivals. Nicole is currently preparing her first solo album to be recorded in Singapore.

RaghaJazz

Featuring Southeast Asia’s finest self-expanding musical cats, Audrey Tengkey (Piano), Jase Sng (Bass), Jit Seng (DrumKit), Kumaran Palaniappan (Tabla), and Raghavendran (Bansuri), in one complete harmony. Their dynamic yet humble relationship began during undergraduate jazz music studies at LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore and some

JAZZ IN THE HOUSE / MUSIC@EMPRESS 3231 Annex C: Artists’ Bios previously long termed music friends. At the request of an invite, Ragha, the lead artist, instinctively called upon his “A-Team” to fire up a Jazz Fusion Band. RaghaJazz made their debut in the year 2009, for the Asian Vibes Festival, held at Esplanade, Singapore. Since then, they have been featured at various Jazz festivals held in Singapore held by the esplanade, such as the Bright Young Things, Jazz in July and Mosaic Festival,. The quintet is currently working on their first album, “Idioms of Freedom”, which is due to release on 2017.

JAZZ IN THE HOUSE / MUSIC@EMPRESS 3332 Annex C: Artists’ Bios

Photography Exhibition

PET ME, PET ME, LOOK AT ME, LOVE ME

Lavender Chang

Lavender Chang creates conceptual artworks that culminate from her sensitivity towards subtle nuances in her surroundings. These more often than not translate into images provoking deeper thought on issues of time and identity. She has participated in numerous international and local exhibitions, such as the International Orange Photo Festival, China (2010), the Kuala Lumpur International Photo Awards (2011) and Singapore Art Museum’s Sensorium 360 group show (2014) amongst others. She is the winner of the 2012/2013 Affordable Art Fair’s Young Talent Programme and most recently the 6th France + Singapore Photographic Art Awards in 2015. www.lavchang.com/

Liana Yang

Liana Yang is rarely motivated by direct beauty, but rather by the aesthetics of social and sociological interactions. She is drawn to the trivialities and oddities that we encounter in our daily experiences. This includes the enigmatic and unseen aspects of relationships, as well as explorations of memory and associations in our contemporary culture. Her artistic methodologies usually employ sex as the starting point, and often involve subverting sexual references and objectification. Her works have been showcased at major platforms such as Nooderlicht International Photofestival, The Netherlands, Arles Photography Open Salon, France and SAM@8Q. www.lianayang.com

O Thiam Chin

O Thiam Chin is the author of five collections of short fiction: Free-Falling Man, Never Been Better, Under The Sun, The Rest Of Your Life and Everything That Comes With It, and Love, Or Something Like Love. O was an honorary fellow of the Iowa International Writing Program in 2010, a recipient of the National Arts Council’s Young Artist Award in 2012, and has been shortlisted for the 2014 Singapore Literature Prize. He is also the winner of the inaugural Epigram Books Fiction Prize for his first novel, Now That It's Over. His second shortlisted novel, Fox, Fire, Girl, is forthcoming in 2017.

You Jin

Tham Yew Jin, whose pen name is You Jin, obtained her Bachelor of Arts from Nanyang University, Singapore, in 1973. Upon graduation, she served as a librarian in the National Library and subsequently as journalist and editor in Nanyang Siang Pau. She has also served as a junior college teacher.

Currently a freelance writer, You's works have been featured in numerous newspapers, journals and magazines in Singapore, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and Malaysia. She has published close to 180 short stories, essays and travelogues. A globetrotter, she has set foot on over hundred countries across the world. In 2009, she received the Cultural Medallion Award for her contributions to Chinese literary arts in Singapore.

PET ME, PET ME, LOOK AT ME, LOVE ME 3433 Annex C: Artists’ Bios

Films

BETWEEN FRAMES

David Lee (moderator)

David Lee is an experienced programmer, reviewer and publicist, having curated various film festivals and programmes such as the Animation Nation, SFS Talkies, Singapore Chinese Film Festival, SG Films@ Library and Singapore Writers Festival. He is currently the Vice Chairman of the Singapore Film Society, helping to manage the longest established (since 1958) non-profit film organization in Singapore. Together with Eternality Tan, he co-founded The Filmic Eye, a consultancy firm that specializes in film distribution & marketing, as well as conducting film education programs. He has also served as a jury member for the 2015 Crowbar Awards, My Singapore Story Microfilm Competition, the inaugural National Youth Film Awards and Singapore Short Film Awards,.

Eileen Chong

Eileen Chong is an award-winning filmmaker and director, best known for her socially-driven documentaries exploring topics such as heritage, empowerment, social conditioning and prejudice. Her short films have been viewed and shared thousands of times across social media, eliciting community support and over $100,000 in donations for local causes.

The success led to founding Project Unsung Heroes, a socially driven creative agency that focuses on production and building communities through video partnerships, installations, and screenings. Believing that storytelling is an essential part of our DNA and man’s “innate, primal search for meaning,” Eileen mission is to use film to raise awareness and positively impact society.

Her works include The making of a champion, The life of Bob Lee, and The Art of Singapore featuring Singapore’s last movie poster painter which received first place at the Singapore Heritage festival and Best editing at Top Indie film awards."

Chew Keng Kiat (moderator)

Chew Keng Kiat is a freelance film and theatre practitioner. He is the Project Manager of the Singapore Film Society and the Singapore Heritage Short Film Competition. He has also been working behind the scenes in all four editions of the Singapore Chinese Film Festival, coordinating film traffic and volunteers’ planning. He has worked with many established theatre companies in Singapore and has travelled regionally with many productions, building an extensive working experience in theatre productions and technical work over the years. A heritage buff who enjoys heritage and nature walks, he often organises and volunteers for walks at numerous heritage-rich locations in Singapore.

Saleem Hadi

Saleem Hadi is a filmmaker, TV producer/director, theatre enthusiast and media educator. Hadi has been involved in 15 short films till date— his documentary Take made him the first Sngaporean to win at the CANNES 2008 Distinguished Community Documentary Award and The Old Voice which won the 2nd Prize at the 2016 Singapore Heritage Short Film Festival. His exploration into the world of films and theatre started in 2002. He runs BLACSPICE MEDIA, a media production and enrichment company that was engaged by Indian Heritage Centre for its official opening performance for the Singapore's Culture Fest 2015. In 2016, Hadi also started a social enterprise, Singapore Indian Theatre & Film Explorers (S.I.T.F.E.) to bring people together, educate them in film making and theatre productions.

BETWEEN FRAMES 3534 Annex C: Artists’ Bios

Singapore Film Society

Across more than five decades, the Singapore Film Society is one of the oldest local organisations involved in conceptualizing, sourcing, programming, marketing and managing a year-round line-up of quality film screenings to advance levels of film appreciation in Singapore.

BETWEEN FRAMES 3635 Annex C: Artists’ Bios

Social Space

THE ARTY PARTY ROOM

3 Pumpkins Projects 3 Pumpkins Projects is an initiative that endeavours to gather artists and experts from different disciplines to produce programmes that engage both children and the general public. The collective is currently working on a time-based project, Let’s Go Play Outside, with families in rental flat areas. It has just co-produced an immersive children theatre, Child’s Play, for Esplanade Huayi Festival 2017. Zai Tang is an artist, composer and sound designer with professional experience in both London and Singapore. Diki is a graphic and exhibition designer.

House Tours

TRIBUTE TO OUR FOUNDING FATHERS EXIBITION TOUR

Hands on Learning (HOL)

Founded in 2005, HOL Education is a content consultancy specialising in out-of- classroom learning programmes. Working closely with partners like The Arts House and National Museum of Singapore, HOL offers a range of interactive, inquiry-based and experiential workshops for preschool, primary school and secondary school students. The current workshop Little Shakespeare at The Arts House is a fun and enjoyable workshop that is developed by HOL and conducted by a team of experienced facilitators. Guided by the philosophy of content accuracy, simplicity and emotional resonance, HOL turns content into experiences for their audience.

THE ARTY PARTY ROOM / HOUSE TOUR 30 36