C6 life happenings | THE STRAITS TIMES | FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2020 | Ong Sor Fern Senior Culture Correspondent recommends FREE BOOKS FROM ETHOS PHOTOS: Picks If you want a diverse sampler of Singapore writing, check out KIRSTEN TAN, home-grown publisher Ethos Books’ website. The veteran HEMAN CHONG, indie publisher has put up six free e-books, slender but Arts TALIESIN/ wide-ranging volumes featuring the works of eight writers. INSTAGRAM If you are in the mood for verse, try Some Say, A Tapir (left), which contains three poetry cycles by Alfian Sa’at, Christine Chia and Yong Shu Hoong. For two irreverent takes on the life of William Farquhar, Singapore’s overshadowed First Resident, check out Joshua Ip’s Farquhar (below, left), a snarkily contemporary free verse retelling of his life in various voices; and Colin Goh’s The Bonnie, Bonnie Banks Of Singapura (bottom, left), which the author self-deprecatingly describes as “satirical doggerel”. Goh was arguably the first writer to immortalise an alternative view of the Raffles-Farquhar myth in TalkingCock The Movie (2002), so his pop culture cred is legit. Neil Humphreys – whose comic Raffles takedown, Why Our Great Leader Was Not So Great And Not Much Of A Leader, is part of this e-book series – played Raffles in Goh’s movie. Those inclined towards science fiction can opt for Gwee Li Sui’s 2719, which imagines seven scenarios for Singapore over 700 years, or Desmond Kon’s philosophical musings in OBJECTIFS FILM LIBRARY stop-motion and hand-drawn platform Zoom. Found Texts Of The AAI Anon, Circa 3119: Eight Lyric Essays, Visual arts space Objectifs has built animations are also available. To date, these events have told from the point of view of an artificial intelligence. an online platform for its library of The collection includes works featured Kirsten Tan and Tan Wei The books come with some beautiful work from artists, South-east Asian short films. from regional film-makers such as Keong talking about their works. ranging from illustrations to photographs. Film buffs can rent works by Indonesia’s Makbul Mubarak and Follow Objectifs on its social media I have a minor quibble with some odd text layouts. Singapore directors such as Boo Thailand’s Pimpaka Towira – most of channels for updates on upcoming Those who are not tech-savvy might also struggle with the Junfeng’s 2009 Tanjong Rhu and the works are not available elsewhere. events. plethora of formats offered in the zipped download. Kirsten Tan’s 2007 Come (above). In conjunction with the library, WHERE: str.sg/JAgh But hey, free books. Last year’s Young Artist Award Objectifs is organising a series of ADMISSION: US$1.50 (S$2.10) WHERE: Ethos Books’ website PRICE: Free winner Tan Wei Keong’s quirky and film club events which currently are for 72-hour access to each short film INFO: str.sg/JQRm surreal collages of live action, held on video-conferencing INFO: str.sg/JAg7 VIRTUAL VISITS OF FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT’S WORKS Tour some of architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s creations on Instagram using the hashtag #wrightvirtualvisits. Twelve Wright sites are posting short video clips every week under this initiative by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Unity Temple Restoration Foundation. The quality of the virtual visits are erratic, some with jerky camerawork and others with dodgy sound. Fallingwater, indubitably the most famous building, gets an appallingly brief video. You do not even get to see the interior, just the external driveway approach and porch, although the exterior stone wall is a beautiful echo of the rugged hillside AMBIENT WALKING Terminal 2, which closed on May 1, Recording the walk is a way of setting. “All art is documentation,” says deserted and abnormally silent in externalising my memories.” Taliesin offers a nice six-minute concept artist Heman Chong. his almost-80-minute video. He admits he is “learning on the go” tour of Wright’s studio and you get to During the circuit breaker period, But earlier videos, such as the as he has no training in film. “Some of see more of the interior, complete the 43-year-old has shot 20 new library series and some of the mall the older walks are faster because with a Japanese print (right) as well as videos for his Ambient Walking walks, are strangely nostalgic and I didn’t quite know what I was doing quirky geometric windows and channel. The videos, lasting from comforting, filled with people going then.” shutters tucked into odd corners of 30 minutes to more than an hour about their daily routines. They The videos might not be polished, the high angled roof. each, are shot on his Osmo Pocket are a reminder of a lost era. but they are resonating with people. The same plywood floor lamp in the camera. They are point-of-view shots And in the case of the Liang Court His daily channel views have been studio pops up in the Willey house paper lanterns. Taliesin West’s video of environments, with only ambient videos and those of Rochor Complex reaching about 1,000, “double of living room. Dining rooms are the is a mini-documentary of the newly noise as the soundtrack. post-demolition, they are records what it was in January”. focus of the Westcott House and restored dining room and even has “I see them as historically of lost or soon-to-be-lost Tune in for a soothing dose of Taliesin West tours. clips of the restoration process. important documents of our shared buildings. nostalgia and escape during these The Westcott House’s dining room Great architecture porn to spend urban fabric during the Covid-19 Chong plans his walks before each uncertain times. has a beautiful dining table an afternoon drooling over. crisis,” Chong says. shoot: “Every single walk is a walk WHERE: str.sg/JgSH incorporating then-new electric light WHERE: str.sg/JQae It is surreal to see Changi Airport’s that has memories associated with it. ADMISSION: Free fixtures, which look like Japanese ADMISSION: Free ARTS Wild@Home: Mama White www.facebook.com/NACSingapore Snake WHEN: Today, 8pm Bookmark This! Ep 14: CONCERTS For the first time in 30 years, Glen Goei returns to the Singapore Ding Yi Encore! Brings Back EXHIBITIONS (MUSEUMS) stage in the title role, while theatre The Happy Times Of Happy Pandemic novels veteran Ivan Heng plays the Green Chinese New Year (2019) The Move (Asian Snake. Recorded live at the Drama Recorded in February last year, this Civilisations Museum) Centre Theatre in December 2017, for stay-home reading concert features Mandarin tunes and Find out what it takes to move a work the production is directed by Pam Oei pop music performed by home-grown of art between two museums and and written by Alfian Sa’at, with young talent Jarrell Huang (2018 why artist Percy Carpenter’s 1856 a score penned by Elaine Chan. SPOP Sing! winner) and Bonnie Loo painting, titled View Of Singapore WHERE: Watch it at str.sg/JMqS (2013 Campus Superstar winner). From Mount Wallich, is so important WHEN: Today, 7.30pm till June 7, Ding Yi Music Company’s pipa, to the country. 11.59pm INFO: www.wildrice.com.sg guzheng and suona musicians also WHERE: Watch it at str.sg/JArS performed renditions of popular INFO: www.roots.sg Chinese classics. Online Screening Of WHERE: Watch it at Lim Boon Keng, The Musical The Story Of Raffles www.facebook.com/dingyimusic Musical Theatre Limited’s 2019 musical based on Singapore pioneer 1819 is the year most famously associated with Sir Stamford Raffles. SSO Encore: A Nordic Journey – Lim Boon Keng traces the ups and downs of his life, focusing on his Watch this video to find out who Sibelius & Nielsen he was before he set foot on The concert features two works – attitudes towards education, society and love. It is penned by his great- Singapore soil and other nuggets Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’ of information about him. Finlandia Op. 26 and Danish granddaughter, playwright Stella Kon, who is also behind the WHERE: Watch it at str.sg/JArT composer Carl Nielsen’s Symphony INFO: www.roots.sg No. 3 Espansiva. It was recorded monodrama Emily Of Emerald Hill. live in July 2015 – the year marking The cast includes actor Sebastian Tan the 150th birth anniversaries of as Dr Lim and Audrey Luo (nominated EXHIBITIONS (GALLERIES) both composers. for Best Actress in this year’s The WHERE: Watch it at str.sg/JfFh Straits Times Life Theatre Awards) Online Art Exhibition WHEN: Tomorrow, 7.30pm as his first wife Margaret. By Life Art Society: INFO: str.sg/JYAq WHERE: Watch it at str.sg/JARg A Date With Dawn WHEN: Today, 8pm till May 29 To bring art into every home during INFO: www.facebook.com/ THEATRE the circuit breaker period, Life Art MusicalTheatreLive Society presents an online art Fatih – The Prince & The Drum exhibition by the group’s chairman, (In Malay With English DANCE Professor Tan Khim Ser. ST PHOTOS: OLIVIA HO, TOH WEN LI Subtitles) WHERE: Watch it at www.a-list.sg The epic tale of trial and tribulation From The Living Room: Need something to read while Lim. Listen at str.sg/Jg79 was told through Malay percussion, Oon Shu An With staying home during the martial arts, dance, prose and song. Ruby Jayaseelan OTHER ARTS EVENTS coronavirus circuit breaker Produced by: Olivia Ho, The play featured a creative team In this new online series period? In the latest episode of Toh Wen Li and Penelope Lee from Singapore, Indonesia and commissioned by the National SSOPlayOn! Conversations this Straits Times literary Edited by: Penelope Lee Thailand, with an original story and Arts Council, artists hold virtual With The Artist: Andrew podcast, journalists Olivia Ho music by Riduan Zalani and Nadi performances in their homes.