The rise and rise of Chingay

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S I N G A P O R E’S D E F I N I T I V E A R T S & C U LT U R E G U I D E
the
LIST
CONTENTS
20 FEB
TO
05 MAR
2015
ISSUE 10
features
02
one small ABC GUIDE
voice
07
05
GOLDEN AGE
OF SINGAPORE
MUSIC
Can the ’60s be resurrected?
Timbre’s DANNY LOONG says it’s
“not impossible”.
REDISCOVERING
CHINGAY
PROFILES
06
This annual street
parade dazzles
with exuberance
today, but how
did it begin?
photography JOEL LOW art direction TONY LAW hair & makeup
RICK YANG Cover (clockwise from centre) NGOW PUI LIEN,
VIGNESWARY D/O JEGANATHAN, SITI IZYANI BINTE ABDUL
JALIL, JESSY NG
LAB REPORT
Experimental arts-lab programmes
allow audiences to crash-test new
ideas and talents.
08
CHNG SEOK TIN
Regardless of medium or
setbacks, this visual artist creates
from a space of possiblity.
Japan
Foundation.
Philip
Jeyaretnam.
Krishen Jit.
NEWS
14
WHAT’S A-BUZZING
National Gallery’s celebrity
ambassadors, Singapore: Inside
Out, and the latest contest.
15LISTINGs
24EPILOGUE
gkkkkkkh
THE A TEAM
editorial director
MICHAEL CHIANG
11
associate art director
WANG MEIMEI
michaelchiang@a-list.sg
wangmeimei@a-list.sg
creative director
TONY LAW
head, digital marketing
WILLIAM LOW
editor
PAMELA HO
specialist, digital marketing
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writer
JO TAN
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tonylaw@a-list.sg
pamelaho@a-list.sg
williamlow@a-list.sg
nickyeo@a-list.sg
JOEL TAN, JIMMY LEE
jotan@a-list.sg
www.a-list.sg
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HELD IN
IN CELEBRATION OF
g
n
i
r
e
v
o
Redisc
CHINGAY
2
Elaborate floats, towering stilt-walkers, vibrant
multicultural performances… Chingay dazzles
with sheer exuberance today. But how did this
street party begin? PAMELA HO
C
BY
hingay’ comes from
the Chinese word
),
zhuang yi (
which means ‘dressed
up for a masquerade’.
With its explosion of colour and
pageantry, it has been compared to
Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival and New
Orleans’ Mardi Gras — but carried
out Singapore style!
Into its 43rd year, Chingay 2015
will feature 11,000 performers, 19
international groups and at least 15
elaborate floats in its night parade.
It’s no wonder 17 per cent of tourists
come to Singapore specially for this
annual event.
Farewell, Firecrackers
C
hingay was birthed after
the banning of firecrackers
in Singapore in 1972. It’s
believed that firecrackers drive
away evil spirits. During Chinese
New Year (CNY), these explosive
cylinders are set off with a loud
bang for good luck. Unfortunately,
firecrackers damaged property,
caused injuries and deaths, leading
to the ban.
Then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew
mooted the idea of a festive street
parade, something he adopted and
EVOLUTION
OF A
PARADE
adapted from Penang. The People’s
Association was given the task of
breathing life into this idea.
On 4 February 1973, the first
Chingay parade took off — with
rousing dragon and lion dances,
martial arts and street opera. At
11am, it left Victoria School at Jalan
Besar and made its way to Outram
Park, attracting curious bystanders
along its 8km route.
This completely Chinese celebration
took on a multicultural flavour
CHINGAY MAKES ITS FIRST
VISIT TO AN HDB ESTATE,
TOA PAYOH.
1973
Chinngaesy’sover SINGAPORE’S FIRST
PARADE TAKES TO
milesrtodecades CHINGAY
THE STREETS ON 4 FEB.
u
fo
CHINGAY IS HELD AT
ORCHARD ROAD FOR
THE FIRST TIME.
1974
1976
THE PARADE TAKES
ON A MULTICULTURAL
FLAVOUR.
1985
We Like to
Move It,
Move It!
PEOPLE’S PARADE THROUGH THE YEARS, CHINGAY
HAS MORPHED FROM BEING A COMPLETELY CHINESE
CELEBRATION TO ONE INFUSED WITH A MULTICULTURAL
AND INTERNATIONAL FLAVOUR.
F
rom Jalan Besar
in 1973, the
parade moved
to housing estates
the following year,
then to Orchard
Road in 1985
followed by City
Hall in 2008. In 2010,
Chingay made its debut at the F1
Pit Building.
What began as an 8km route is now
a 360m stretch, flanked on both
sides by spectator stands. But what
the parade lost in distance, it
made up for in scale and quality,
enabled by a more controlled
environment and sophisticated
system of lighting and sound.
Trimvei!a
Ti
in 1976. “Back then, there was
no arts scene, so the Malay and
Indian groups performed traditional
wedding processions from their
kampungs,” recounts Mdm
Lim Ah Yoke (left),
who joined People’s
Association in 1962 and
has been involved in
Chingay since day one.
In 1987, Chingay welcomed
its first foreign group — four
pop singers from Tokyo. Fastforward to 2015 and we’ll see 750
performers from Russia to Rwanda,
Turkey to Taiwan.
3 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Chingay
FLOATS CAN BE
NO WIDER THAN 3.5m
& NO TALLER THAN 4 m
THE FIRST FOREIGN GROUP
FROM JAPAN PERFORMS AT
THE PARADE.
1990
IN 1999,
TO GO THROUGH ELECTRONIC ROAD PRICING GANTRIES.
IN CHINGAY’S 43-YEAR HISTORY,
1995.AT LUCKY PLAZA,
IT ONLY RAINED ONCE:
A FIRE BROKE OUT
DELAYING THE PARADE FLAG-OFF.
CHINGAY BECOMES A
NIGHT PROCESSION.
1987
“Chingay began as just a procession,
but in the ’90s, we started doing
shows thematically,” reveals Fan
Dong Kai (above), who joined the
creative team as a choreographer
in 1992, and has been its artistic
director since 2003. “We also started
involving the local arts community.”
THE PARADE MOVES
TO CITY HALL.
1999
FIRECRACKERS MAKE
THEIR REAPPEARANCE
AT CHINGAY.
2008
2010
CHINGAY MAKES ITS
DEBUT AT THE F1 PIT
BUILDING.
3
Star Power
T
he Who’s
Who of
Singapore’s
arts community
have long had a
hand in Chingay,
including Cultural
Medallion
recipients, renowned poet Prof
Edwin Thumboo, the late music
composer Iskandar Ismail (top),
musician Liang Wern Fook and
multi-disciplinary artist Tan
Swie Hian.
CHINGAY 2015 HIGHLIGHTS
TREES OF HOPE,
SINGAPORE DREAMS
5,000 messages of
hopes and dreams
expressed by youths will
be displayed on giant
15m trees.
This year, Singaporean singersongwriter and pop sensation,
JJ Lin, will perform live. He cowrote the music for the finale
song, ‘Dreams’, with Chingay’s
music director, Goh Kheng Long.
The lyrics are penned by another
celebrated singer-songwriter,
Corrinne May.
4
INGANZO NGALI
CULTURAL TROUPE
This group from Rwanda
makes its debut with an
African warrior dance,
complete with hypnotic
drums and traditional
costumes.
WE LOVE SG FLOWERS
A million flowers
handmade from plastic
bags serve as backdrop
for the parade, a
community-engagement
project involving
families and prison
inmates.
PHOTO Warner Music Taiwan
Also among the luminaries are
theatre practitioners Chong
Tze Chien, George Chan and
Sebastian Tan.
JJ LIN, 2015 Artist
of the Year, performs
finale song ‘Dreams’,
with lyrics penned
by singer-songwriter,
Corrinne May.
Tradition
With a Twist
P
have also moved with the times,
performing now to hip-hop music
instead of CNY tunes.
For locals and foreigners, Chingay
is the perfect opportunity to
rediscover the full splendour of
Singapore’s multicultural roots.
Think of it as going for a dim sum
buffet for a sampling of bite-sized
culture! A
Chingay Parade 2015 is on at the F1 Pit
Building, 27-28 Feb, 8pm-10pm. Tickets
available via Sistic. There will also be a
special Chingay SG50 event at Orchard
Road, 1 Mar, 7pm-10pm. See Listings
pg 16 for details.
ALL IN ONE INDIAN,
MALAY, CHINESE, AND
MORE — CHINGAY IS A
SCRUMPTIOUS BUFFET
OF CULTURES AND
TRADITIONS, ALL IN
ONE PLACE.
PHOTOS People’s Association
erhaps more significant is
Chingay’s role in keeping our
traditional arts alive. “We
ought to see Chingay as a cultural
feast of traditional items,” says
Fan. “But even with something
as traditional as dragon dance,
we’ll throw in an innovative
twist — like creating the world’s
first Firecracker Dragon, made of
bamboo and entwined with live
firecrackers!” Stilt-walkers, who
have long been a Chingay staple,
INTERVIEW BY PAMELA
HO
one
small
voice!
Can Singapore’s Golden Age of music be resurrected? Timbre’s
Danny Loong reckons it’s “not impossible”.
IN THE 1960S AND
’70S, MUSIC PLAYED A
DIFFERENT ROLE. We were a
young country and music was a
way for us to come together, stay
strong and define our cultural
identity. As the years went by,
society became comfortable and
the role of music changed.
not enough live music venues in
Singapore. You need to have an
active, vibrant music scene, then
you can produce enough talent
to go out there. But they need
experience playing live. To bring
in crowds, we started with songs
audiences wanted to hear. Along
the way, we introduced projects
like Singapore Originals, where
we featured bands who wrote their
own songs. Bands like Jack & Rai,
Sara Wee’s 53A and Goodfellas
connected well with live audiences
and grew their fan base here.
holistic approach than just teaching
them, and them playing at their
family BBQs!
I think it’s the duty
of national broadcasters to push local
content.
I think it’s the duty of national
broadcasters to push local content.
Every other country has a natural
instinct to do that, but we haven’t
gotten there yet. What I’d really like
to see in my lifetime is a Superstar
from us!
Back then, there were also less
distractions. We have so many
options for entertainment now!
Can we bring back the heyday
of Singapore bands? Tough, but
DANNY LOONG CO-FOUNDER, TIMBRE GROUP
not impossible. We have popular
bands like 53A, The Sam Willows
and Gentle Bones, but they’re not
as popular as they should be. My
benchmark would be if they release
an album that becomes gold or
platinum in the region. Filipino
artists have done it.
Next, we need to find a way to
get their music to what I call the
‘gatekeepers’ — people in America
who make the decisions. Look at
Psy! I know people will criticise me
for bringing him up as an example,
but most Americans know him.
Ten years ago, we started Timbre
because we realised there were
The Timbre eco-system works like
this: we have live music venues
and we also have musicians who
are experienced enough to teach.
The Timbre Music Academy was
set up to nurture young musicians
and give them a platform to play
regularly. This creates a more
It’s a tough life, I tell them. For the
industry to grow, we need mentors
who are willing to critique and give
honest opinions. There’s still not
enough real arts dialogue here. As
an audience, you can play a part
by smiling, clapping, cheering and
saying ‘thank you’ if you enjoyed
the music. It doesn’t cost a cent, but
it makes a difference to the bands.
Singaporeans are too guarded — we
don’t have that basic etiquette yet.
The Canadian music scene was
weak in the 1970s and ’80s until a
certain Bryan Adams came along.
Then the government came in with
touring grants and a quota system
for radio stations — I believe it was
30 per cent for Canadian music.
Today, everybody knows a Bryan
Adams song. Because of him,
Canadian music grew. We need our
Bryan Adams. We need that hit
song that will make the world sit up
and say, ‘Where’s Singapore?’ It will
take time but it’s not impossible. A
DANNY LOONG is the co-founder and chief creative director
of Timbre Group, a homegrown company with a diversified
portfolio of music lifestyle brands, including the Timbre chain
of live-music restaurants and bars, international events Timbre
Rock & Roots and Beerfest Asia, as well as Timbre Music
Academy. Together with partner Edward Chia, he was conferred
the Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year award by the Singapore
Tourism Board in 2010. He was also bandleader of the nowdefunct Asian blues band, Ublues.
5
Profile
SIGHT
TO BEHOLD
Regardless of medium — or personal setbacks
— visual artist Chng Seok Tin creates from a
space of possibility. BY PAMELA HO
6
SHE HAD NEVER WORKED
WITH PORCELAIN
BEFORE, BUT THAT WAS
NO OBSTACLE TO HER
WELL-HONED CREATIVE
INSTINCTS. When visual artist
Chng Seok Tin, 68, was invited to
be part of the Esplanade’s These
Sacred Things exhibition, she
chose porcelain simply because
she’d been gifted a bagful.
“Porcelain is like clay, but the
texture is finer so it’s more fragile
to handle. I’ve worked with clay
before, so I applied that technique,”
she says with a chuckle.
This 2005 Cultural Medallion
recipient is unfazed by the
unfamiliar. In 1970, she left her
full-time teaching job to embark
on a 15-year journey to study
art. After training in
Western painting
at the Nanyang
Academy of
Fine Arts,
she left
for London’s St Martin’s School
of Art.
In 1979, she graduated from the
United Kingdom’s Hull College of
Higher Education with first-class
honours in fine art before heading
to the United States where she
earned Masters degrees from New
Mexico State University (1983)
and the University of Iowa (1985),
majoring in printmaking.
Today, Chng remains one of
the most versatile visual artists in
Singapore. Her works range from
sculpture to ceramics,
as well as from
printmaking
and painting to
photography.
She has
also worked with an assortment of
materials, including clay, bronze
and wood.
But 1988 marked a turning
point in her life. An operation to
remove a brain abscess led to her
losing 90 per cent of her sight. For a
year, she lived in despair.
“Brother Joseph McNally
came to my home and asked me
to return to LASALLE to teach,”
she discloses. “I’m very grateful to
him. Because of him, I went back
to art.” The late Brother McNally
was a sculptor, artist as well as the
founder of LASALLE College of
the Arts.
Chng re-emerged with a
renewed sense of purpose and a
new approach to art. “When I relied
on my vision, I was very critical
of composition, lines and colour.
When I lost my sight, I was forced
to depend on my other senses,
on feeling.
“I can’t see details but I can still
see shapes,” she explains, adding
that a three-month American road
trip last year inspired her to create
a new series of sculptures. “I had
some coloured wire, so I started
making wire-sculptures of horses.
So far, I’ve made 30!”
Her resourcefulness and
tenacity to keep creating art and to
communicate social issues through
it is inspiring. Since 1977, she has
held 29 solo exhibitions and more
than 100 group exhibitions locally
and overseas.
“It’s not easy being a full-time
artist in Singapore, but I have
no regrets,” Chng declares. “I got
to see the world and experience
so much!” A
Chng’s works are currently showcased
in These Sacred Things, an exhibition
held at the Esplanade Jendela (Visual Arts
space) till 1 Mar.
PHOTO Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
CHNG SEOK
CHNG
SEOK TIN
TIN
JAPAN FOUNDATION
T
he Japan Foundation is a
special legal entity charged
with the dissemination of
Japanese culture internationally.
In Singapore, the Foundation,
which is recognised as being a
major patron of the arts, is most
notably associated with avantgarde theatre artist, Ong Keng
Sen, who is a fellow with the
Foundation. In 1997, the Japan
Foundation served as co-producer
with TheatreWorks for Ong’s Lear,
his renowned inter-cultural take
on King Lear that incorporated
elements of Asian performance
traditions such as Japanese noh
theatre. Lear premiered in Japan
and went on to tour in Europe.
The Foundation has also
Your Dictionary To The Arts
BY JOEL TAN
supported Singapore arts events,
such as the M1 Fringe Festival, and
organises several Asian art fairs,
exhibitions and conferences like
Omnilogue — a series of intercultural art exhibitions in Perth,
Delhi and Singapore, which was
held at the National University of
Singapore Museum in 2013. PHILIP JEYARETNAM
O
ne of a generation of
Singapore writers who
gained prominence in
the 1980s, Philip Jeyaretnam is a
Senior Counsel, novelist and public
intellectual. His early education
was divided between Singapore
and England, culminating in a Law
degree from Cambridge University.
In the ’80s and early ’90s, he
published a collection of
short stories, First Loves,
and novels Raffles
Place Ragtime and
Abraham’s Promise.
His work is deeply
engaged with
Singaporean social
mores: Raffles Place
Ragtime, for example,
is a cutting look at
the materialistic lives
of young, wealthy
Singaporeans. Both
First Loves and Raffles
Place Ragtime received
nominations for the
Commonwealth Writers
Prize. A staunch supporter
of the arts, Jeyaretnam
has chaired the Singapore
Writers Festival Steering
Committee since 2007 and
was recently appointed
board Chairman of the School
of the Arts.
KRISHEN JIT
W
idely-regarded as
one of the founding
figures of Malaysian
contemporary theatre, the late
Krishen Jit was an academic,
critic and theatre director.
Born in Kuala Lumpur in
1939, Krishen was involved in
Malaysian English-language
theatre in his early years. He
went on to pursue a Master’s
degree in History at the
University of California at
Berkeley. On his return from
the United States, he lectured
at the University of Malaya but
also threw himself into theatre,
evolving an approach that was
noted for its experimentation
and eclecticism. A founding
member of the Malaysian theatre
company, Five Arts Centre,
Krishen was a major bridge
between the theatre cultures
of Singapore and Malaysia.
He directed several plays by
Singaporean and Malaysian
playwrights alike, in both Kuala
Lumpur and Singapore. On our
shores, he most notably codirected, with Ong Keng Sen,
TheatreWorks’ 1992 production
of Leow Puay Tin’s Three
Children; a 2003 production
of Huzir Sulaiman’s Atomic
Jaya and the 1999 Wild Rice
production of Stella Kon’s Emily
of Emerald Hill. A
7
ILLUSTRATION Jimmy Lee PHOTO Five Arts Centre
J
ABC
Feature
PHOTO Kuang Jingkai
lab
report
DANCE
EVOLUTION
In the
mentorship/
exploration
initiative that
is RAW Moves,
young dancers
are allowed
to take their
ideas to the
absolute limit
— even if that
means taping
themselves to
doors — and try
them out in front
of audiences.
Experimental arts-lab programmes allow
audiences to play a role in crash-testing new
ideas and talents. TEXT BY JO TAN
WON’T TAKE IT
LYING DOWN
RAW Moves
dancers are
encouraged to
choreograph
and contribute
to works,
rather than just
passively taking
instructions.
E
ver watched a show
or exhibition and
wished you could be
a part of it? Well, you
are actively playing a
major role, at least at an increasing
number of arts-lab programmes
where the audience is a crucial part
of the creative process.
Explains Liu Xiaoyi, artistic
director and mentor of The Theatre
Practice’s (TTP) Actors Lab, as well
PHOTO Bernie Ng
8
as its Playwrights Lab and Directors
Lab, “These labs do live experiments
in the sense that we take developing
talents or scripts and stage a
showcase which audiences watch
and comment on. The audience is
part of our Research & Development,
which is more interesting and
important than if they were just
there to judge a finished product.”
Alvin Tan, artistic director of The
Necessary Stage (TNS), agrees on
the importance of arts labs. Like
TTP’s pay-as-you-like Lab showcases
— which are often staged in its
rehearsal halls — TNS is putting up
the free-with-registration The Orange
Playground (TOP) Showcase 1. Held
at the theatre company’s Black Box,
it gives an airing to ideas ranging
from classic to crazy by emerging and
established theatre folk.
“When most companies produce
art, they want to be safe and not
experiment too much,” says Tan.
“They don’t want to alienate
audiences. In New York, a lot
happens on the theatre fringes and
off-off-Broadway, where radical
ideas are produced that sometimes
Broadway sees and benefits from.
Our mainstream theatre is gaining
traction now, but that means we
also need to take more risks on
the fringe so that our art scene
doesn’t stagnate.”
Accordingly, while full-fledged
big-budget shows might be hesitant
to take a chance on them, new
talents and ideas are given a shot
to stretch their wings at initiatives
with free/affordable performance
components. Some of these initiatives
include the National University of
Singapore Museum’s Curating Lab,
the Singapore International Film
Festival’s Southeast Asian Film Lab
and Phunk Studio’s Transmission:
Lab. Then there’s Burn After Reading
(BAR) Singapore, the local chapter of
a community of young and emerging
poets founded in London. Other
than meeting to engage in writingand-reading exercises and offer
mutual critique and support, BAR
Singapore also organises free poetry
readings by participants.
“A reality of the literary scene is
that one of the most accessible ways
for a writer to reach out to his or
her audience is at readings. For this
reason, I believe all writers should
learn to be confident and effective
readers of their work,” says leading
local poet Pooja Nansi, who comentors the chapter with fellow poet
Joshua Ip.
“Having to deliver your work to an
audience boosts confidence and
forces you to build a relationship
of authenticity both with yourself
and with the audience, rather
than trying to please the audience
through hamming things up or
self-censorship. Real honesty will
always touch an audience. It takes
a mature reader or performer
to understand that, and it takes
exposure to become a mature reader
and performer.”
Meanwhile, Groove Works, a
mentoring programme for jazz
artists led by international maestro
Greg Lyons, also has its participants
play weekly at live entertainment
hotspot Blu Jaz as part of the course.
“Rehearsing and performing are
polar opposites and many things
can only be discovered in the act.
The principle behind Groove Works
is to grow into a band together,”
says Lyons. This, of course, involves
performing together in front of a live
audience.
“Singapore has the beginnings of a
jazz culture but will need to grow
a lot more first. Unlike many other
music genres, jazz is not written but
created spontaneously in a group.
So just being technically-skilled
or listening to and imitating the
music is not enough. Singapore
can be very outcome-oriented, so
all processes are guided towards
a desired effect. But this is not a
creative agenda, it’s a commercial
one. What we need, and aim to do
here, is to teach people to have
confidence in something they feel
really good about, so they can then
communicate it to the world around
them — not because they see it as
a cash cow, but because it really
means something.”
In these lab programmes that are
all about discovery, jazz musicians
aren’t the only artists who are
expected to become creators.
Observes Liu, “Very often in theatre,
I see that roles are very, very
clearly defined. Actors have their
actors’ techniques, directors have
directors’ techniques. They should
all learn to be artists and not be
part of a production line. Everybody
should want to create something
and want to have something to
say. Some among the pioneering
generation in the arts industry are
concerned there aren’t enough
people creating work among the
younger batch. What we want in
the lab programmes is to encourage
leadership, initiative and creativity.”
Sharing a similar philosophy
is TOP, which focuses on
devising performances through
collaboration between artists of
various backgrounds. “In general,
for theatre-makers, whatever your
role is, you still need to have a
knowledge of the overall so you
can understand how you fit into
the main performance and make
things better,” says Tan. “Several
participants were given a playwriting
workshop to help them express their
PHOTOS Pooja Nansi
GROUP TEXT
Budding writers
meet to share
and critique one
another’s works
in Burn After
Reading (above),
with guidance
from local literary
luminary Pooja
Nansi (left) as
well as Joshua Ip.
9
OUT OF THE
(BLACK) BOX
The smaller
‘black box’
spaces where
theatre-lab
showcases are
often held can
be transformed
with innovative
ideas.
ideas better. When working in little
groups, one of the actors involved,
Bright Ong, was directing quite a
bit. After a workshop, some people
might discover their latent talent
as playwrights or directors — you
never know, right?”
FROM SERIOUS TO SIAO!
The Orange Playground’s
almost no-holds-barred
exploration of participants’
ideas means that anything can
happen during the showcase.
Yusri Sapa
Adds Tan, “We have already used
ideas from TOP in our production
Gitanjali, and have seen so many
ideas we want to use in future
scripts and productions. Even as
mentors and facilitators, we are
learning so much from participants
and that’s why projects like these
are good for the arts scene in
general.” A
PH OTOS
Of course, not all lab experiments
are huge successes. Neither is it the
audience’s job to worry about how
to fix it or react in an artificially
positive way. “When people give
feedback, we want the artists, —
naked and vulnerable as they are
— to try and determine whether
the feedback is a personal thing
or a dramaturgical point to help
them structure their work. The
point of audiences in a lab is also to
develop the artists’ discernment,”
elaborates Tan.
ri
And once the audience has
spoken, rest assured the successful
experiment results will be put to
good use. Says Liu, “From the three
directors in our Directors Lab last
year, Isabella Chiam is assistant
directing TTP’s upcoming wushu
production Legends of the Southern
Arch. Ric Liu is assisting me to
direct a play in July while Felix
Hung is acting in both productions.
We always find ways to continue
complementing the lab programme
in developing new talents and ideas.”
PHOTOS Delvin Lee
10
PHOTO The Theatre Practice
Award-winning directorchoreographer Ricky Sim, who
mentors dancers from diverse
backgrounds ranging from Chinese
dance to hip-hop in his RAW
Moves programme, also gives his
squad of students the training and
opportunity to choreograph pieces
that are presented to audiences.
“It’s helpful to see things from the
perspective of a choreographer,
even if you don’t continue with
choreography. You relearn how
to express yourself, and how to
listen and feel.”
Profile
GENTLE BONES
GENTLE
BONES
“I’VE JUST COMPLETED
NATIONAL SERVICE AND
TURN 21 IN MARCH. Then
I go to Nanyang Technological
University’s Business School —
business because I want a general
degree. I don’t know yet what I
want to do in the future,” admits a
mild-mannered Joel Tan.
As he runs through the
generic checklist for a standard
Singapore son, it’s difficult to
reconcile Tan with his alter ego
Gentle Bones, the breakout star
with several chart-topping singles
on Singapore’s iTunes charts,
hundreds of thousands of YouTube
views from all over the world and,
the opening act for American pop
balladeer Christina Perri when she
performs in Singapore this month.
“I’m still surprised at what
I managed to achieve since
everything I do and create is on
an impulse. I started writing songs
when I picked up the guitar. I
recorded my single ‘Until We Die’
right after my ‘A’ Levels for the fun
of it. Then people started liking it,
local celebrities started sharing it
and giving me shout-outs. Things
just kept growing and I thought, ‘I
can’t stop now.’ ”
Today, Gentle Bones has grown
into an entity with merchandise,
singles, music videos, multiple social
media accounts... the whole showbiz
shebang. Even then, Tan maintains
this has nothing to do with any
career-development plan.
“I’m a music fanboy myself. I
latch on hard to artists I like, buying
their merchandise, attending their
concerts and following all their
accounts. So when I came into this
business I just followed what they
did,” he ventures.
Indeed, behind the burgeoning
brand that is Gentle Bones, the
unvarnished Joel Tan is still clearly
visible, without the expected glitz
or glamour getting in the way.
“I produce all the Gentle Bones
music videos myself with a friend
as video guy. All the people in it
are also my friends. It’s a very
low-budget kind of thing, but I
love the do-it-yourself concept,”
Tan beams. “I like that I can put
these underlying ideas into them,
that you can see people in helmets
and masks, and it’s about being
trapped and confined in society or
losing yourself in love. Yes, they
can be teen-angsty,” he laughs.
Ultimately, the appeal of
Gentle Bones may be that the
earnest Tan hasn’t seen the need
to become some manufactured
megastar. “I’ve always believed in
honesty, especially when it comes
to music. It’s being frank that
allows people to get to know you
and fully engross themselves in a
song’s message and theme.” A
Gentle Bones opens for Christina Perri’s
Head or Heart Tour at The Coliseum,
Hard Rock Hotel Singapore, Resorts
World Sentosa, on 27 Feb. See Listings
pg 18 for details.
AGENTLETOUCH
A regular boy-next-door
morphs into his alter ego,
the chart-topping crooner
known as Gentle Bones.
What’s his story? BY JO TAN
11
Oriental
Feature
CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE
In What Is Sex?
(left), Hong Kong
director Edward
Lam’s (below)
reimagining of
Chinese classic
Dream of the
Red Chamber,
wealthy female
socialites pay
attractive men
to reveal sordid,
sometimes
heartwrenching
secrets.
PHOTO Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
Odyssey
I
t may be named Huayi —
Chinese Festival of Arts (or
Huayi for short), but you
may be surprised by how
some of the programmes
in this year’s line-up veer away
from what may be considered
traditionally Chinese.
Savage Land — An Opera in
Concert by the Singapore Chinese
Orchestra is a Western-style opera,
complete with brassy baritones,
staged in Chinese. Directed by Goh
Boon Teck, this festival headliner
is adapted from The Wilderness, a
classic play by Chinese playwright
Cao Yu, that simmers and provokes
with tragedy and drama.
Innovative erhu musician George
Gao, together with his ensemble
Shaoqin Bang, show off their
prowess on an erhu variant,
“Chinese artists,
like most artists,
create works
by drawing
from their
experiences,
backgrounds
and influences.
People these
days are also
well-travelled,”
says Mimi Yee,
the Esplanade Co. Ltd producer who
has helmed the Huayi festival
since its inception in 2003.
“From these works, Huayi
chooses some of the
most dynamic artistic
expressions by Chinese
artists from Singapore
and beyond, whether
traditional or modern,
whether they employ
Chinese and/or Western
art forms.”
playing tunes from Michael
Jackson and other musical genres
ranging from blues and country to
rock. Hong Kong director Edward
Lam presents a play loosely based
on the classic Dream of the Red
Chamber, introducing a modern
take and brand-new title most
might consider pretty audacious to
Indeed, to Singaporeans,
who grow up with
a hodgepodge of
worldwide cultural
influences, it’s
harder to pin
down what being
‘Chinese’ means
beyond race and
PHOTO George Gao
Into its 13th year, the annual Huayi — Chinese
Festival of Arts continues to redefine its
boundaries and scope to offer multicultural
audiences a good time. TEXT BY JO TAN
PHOTO Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
12
PHOTO Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
be classically
Chinese: What
Is Sex?
It’s in support of Singapore’s
cosmopolitan outlook that this
year’s SG50 installment of Huayi
presents several commissions
partnering local artists with
contemporaries from elsewhere
in the Chinese diaspora. Shares
Yee, “The Esplanade believes
in providing collaborative
opportunities for local and
international talent. In
Huayi this year, we will see
Singapore’s Metropolitan
Festival Orchestra
paired with top-notch
composer/conductor
PLAY IT YOUR WAY The
diverse music acts on offer
at Huayi 2015 range from
orchestral tunes with strains
of the erhu and guzheng under
the baton of Tan Dun (above
and right), to the sounds of
wind, thunder and rustling
grain in dance masterpiece
Rice (top right), to mad
mechatronics at CouCou
on Mars (bottom right).
PHOTO Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
Naturally, the festival
recognises that not just
Huayi artists, but its
audience members, too, are
multicultural. “All our ticketed
performances have English
surtitles to make it accessible
to those who are non-Chinese as
Huayi is also enjoyed by audiences
from various races who are curious
about Chinese artists, or who
wish to expose their children to
Mandarin by watching our children’s
programmes, or who just like
the energy of the getai. Our free
programmes have become a staple
for many as part of their Chinese
New Year celebrations.”
concerts like CouCou on Mars
that involve sensor technology and
mechatronics.
Yee explains, “We have to keep
thinking about how to bring in new
audiences as well as keep existing
audiences returning to the festival
every year. Keeping the festival
relevant is another consideration.
The entire team brainstorms and
debates about what should go into
the festival each year. What is the
experience we wish to create for
audiences? We’ve come to accept
working over the Chinese New Year
holidays as part and parcel of the
job,” she says with a laugh.
Of course, there are the
quintessentially Oriental acts
among the programme picks, such
as crosstalk, Chinese calligraphy
and the mandatory lion dance,
presenting polar opposites to
PHOTO Liu Chen-Hsiang
universal sound, such as bilingual
belter Olivia Ong (inset) or Ling Kai
(above), who was invited to record
debut tracks in Australia. Even
in the free festival programmes,
you’ll get to hear everything from
getai and xinyao to local indie
compositions as part of the Chinese
tunes on tap.
Tan Dun to present his acclaimed
piece Nu Shu and other works.” In
a similar vein, the abovementioned
Savage Land — An Opera in
Concert will see local theatre
luminary Goh Boon Teck directing
vocalists from China and Singapore.
PHOTO Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
PHOTO Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
language. Talk about liking “Chinese
music” here and you would more
likely be talking about Jay Chou’s
blend of R&B than the works of
the Beijing Opera. Reflecting this
trend, the Singapore Chinese
singers featured in
the festival have
all scored regional
attention with their
There’s just about no task too tough
to stop Yee and her team from
making Huayi fabulous. “When
pulling together the beautiful opera
Peony Pavilion in the first Huayi
festival, we had to build a pond on
the Esplanade Theatre stage as part
of the set. We even had to go round
town hunting for livestock like koi,
Mandarin ducks and other birds to
fill the pond. It was fun tending to
the animals, keeping them warm
after the cold air-conditioning in the
theatre each evening, and sunning
them in the morning before they
returned to the theatre for their
next performance. Audiences were
charmed whenever they saw the set
and heard the birds singing serenely
even before the show began.”
Smiles Yee, “The satisfaction of
putting shows like that together and
knowing we’ve created a memorable
experience for audiences — that
makes the work truly memorable
for me.” A
The Huayi — Chinese Festival of the
Arts runs from 20 Feb – 1 Mar at various
venues in the Esplanade, with certain
activities held in Library@Chinatown.
See Listings pg 22 for details.
13
ARTS ABROAD
FROM THE ARTS SCENE
TEXT BY PAMELA
HO
Art-to-Heart Talk
14
T
welve paintings created by
12 key artists from Singapore
and Southeast Asia, chosen
by 12 local personalities who will
explain why these works resonated
with them.
This is the essence of
National Gallery Singapore’s
My Masterpiece series,
which seeks to foster real
connections between people
and art.
The chosen artworks,
which reflect key moments
in the region’s art histories, will
be featured in
the permanent
galleries when
the Gallery opens
its doors in
November.
One
ambassador will be
revealed each month: In January,
MediaCorp actress Joanne Peh
talked about Singapore realist
painter Chua Mia Tee’s Epic
Poem of Malaya (1955; left) while
February saw celebrity chef
Willin Low reflecting on Filipino
artist Fernando Amorsolo’s
Marketplace During the
Occupation (1942; below).
To find out why they chose
these paintings, go online
to view their full interviews
at www.a-list.sg/aplus!
PHOTOS National Gallery Singapore/Zhao Wei Films PAINTINGS National Heritage Board
Get to know the masterpieces of Singapore and
Southeast Asia through celebrity eyes.
A travelling showcase
of local creative
talents set to promote
Singapore.
F
rom April 2015, some of
Singapore’s contemporary
creative talents will be taking
on the international
stage as part of the
travelling showcase,
Singapore: Inside Out.
An initiative
of the Singapore
Tourism Board
(STB), this
showcase will tour
Beijing, London
and New York to
help broaden the
international community’s
perception of Singapore.
Over the course of five days, each
city will enjoy live performances,
film screenings and artists’ talks
— not just by the 20 featured
individuals and groups, but also by
Singaporean talents based in the
respective cosmopolitan hubs.
A diversity of genres will be
presented: from literary, visual and
performing arts to food and fashion.
The showcase will take place within
a 25m-by-30m scaffolding structure
(above), to be constructed at each
destination. A
To find out who the featured artists are,
visit www.singaporeinsideout.com.
STAY SOCIAL
& WIN!
We’re sending you to the biggest jazz event this year!
Held over four days, SINGJAZZ 2015 features Jessie J,
Chris Botti, Yuna, Chaka Khan, and many more! If you
want to win the tickets, swing over to our Instagram
and Facebook pages now.
Follow us for updates, news and other surprises!
Check out TheAListSG, AListSG and alistsg now.
la Ho
NEWS e
Latest
PHOT
O Pam
e
Z
LISTINGS
YOUR 14-DAY GUIDE TO WHAT’S AHEAD
20 FEB TO 05 MAR 2015
Let the
GOAT
times roll!
15
1
Mandarin Culture
PHOTO iStock
Enjoy a 10-day crash course in Chinese arts at Huayi Festival (p22)
2
3
Whoop it up
Walk the streets
Catch over 250 artistes at the
Singapore International
Jazz Festival (p19)
Take in the biggest Chingay
Parade ever, with 11,000
performers (p16)
+
DANCE
FAMILY
foundations? This performance will
show how it’s built on paper! See how
our sculpture, clothing, shelter, stories
and dreams are all closely connected to
the seemingly flimsy material.
VENUE ALIWAL ARTS CENTRE, MULTIPURPOSE HALL
ADMISSION PRICE $20, $35
DATE 26-28 Feb
TIME 8pm
WEBSITE jmdc-paper.peatix.com
Chingay Parade
Singapore 2015
PEOPLE’S ASSOCIATION
This annual eye-popping, float-filled
parade is one of the most massive
in Singapore. This year’s installment
promises to be the biggest of them all,
with 11,000 multicultural performers
presenting an array of assorted acts.
VENUE PROMENADE & F1 PIT BUILDING
ADMISSION PRICE $28.50, $40, $50, $60
DATE 27 & 28 Feb
Baka Vadha
Dance With Me
BHASKAR’S ARTS ACADEMY
MING POON
This hearty, humorous excerpt from the
Mahabharata tells of how a young
man defeats a carnivorous ogre.
Performed as a colourful dance drama
by the prodigious talents of Bhaskar’s
Arts Academy.
Be part of the art as you dream with this
dancer. Ming Poon invites strangers to
slow-dance with him in various public
spaces as part of his Dance With
Me project. Kicking-off in Berlin last
September, this rhythmic work is about
the search for physical closeness and
intimacy in the disconnected city.
VENUE GOODMAN ARTS CENTRE
ADMISSION PRICE $28
DATE 22 Feb
16
TIME 7pm
WEBSITE www.bhaskarsartsacademy.com
Paper!
JOHN MEAD DANCE COMPANY
Think modern civilisation has firm
TIME 8pm
WEBSITE www.sistic.com.sg
VENUE VARIOUS PUBLIC SPACES. PLEASE
CHECK LOCATIONS AT WWW.FACEBOOK.
COM/THESUBSTATION.
ADMISSION PRICE Free
DATE 22 Feb-7 Mar
TIME Various times
WEBSITE www.facebook.com/thesubstation
River Hongbao 2015
SINGAPORE FEDERATION OF CHINESE CLAN ASSOCIATIONS,
SINGAPORE PRESS HOLDINGS, SINGAPORE CHINESE
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY, SINGAPORE TOURISM
BOARD, PEOPLE’S ASSOCIATION
PHOTO Style-Revisited
Highlights of this 12-day event include
an aerial tightrope-walking act by the
Acrobatic Troupe of Xinjiang, China,
lantern displays, a singing marathon,
fireworks and more!
VENUE THE FLOAT @ MARINA BAY
ADMISSION PRICE Free
DATE Till 28 Feb
Unassuming Voices
DANCE ARTISTS OF PARAGRAPH
The driven young dancers of
Paragraph present their own starklychoreographed creation about the
constant need for improvement, the
endless rat race and how those left
behind get trampled on. Also featuring
TIME 2pm-11pm
the works of composer Aditya Permana
and visual artist Jaxton Su.
WEBSITE www.riverhongbao.sg
VENUE DRAMA CENTRE BLACK BOX
ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM
ADMISSION PRICE $18, $25
DATE 27 & 28 Feb
TIME Fri 8pm, Sat 3pm & 8pm
WEBSITE unassumingvoices.peatix.com
Saturdays@ACM
Watch and wonder at Asian performing
arts, listen to storytellers spinning Asian
tales or make your own masterpiece
after learning an Asian art-form at this
TEXT Joel Tan PHOTOS National Archives of Singapore
Walk in the Park
We cast a nostalgic look at Singapore’s glitzy amusement parks
that were the crown of our nightlife from the 1920s through to
the ’60s. Sadly, the only way to experience them again is through
films and theatre, like Great World Cabaret by Dream Academy,
which opens at Resorts World Sentosa on 19 Feb.
01
Aesop’s Fables
I THEATRE
02
Popular for their fun-fair rides
and Peking opera, Great World was home to
cinemas and restaurants well into the ’70s. In
its heyday, it served British servicemen and
members of the upper class. 02 HAPPY WORLD
Boasting entertainment options like traditional
Malay opera and wayangs, Happy World was
most noted for its 7,000-seater sporting
arena. Once hailed the greatest covered
stadium in all of Southeast Asia, it hosted
20-cents-per-entry boxing matches!
03 NEW WORLD The oldest of the three, New
World opened in 1923. In its prime, crowds
flocked there to catch its racy cabarets,
bands, shopping, food, open-air cinemas
and amusement-park games.
01 GREAT WORLD
03
Enjoy a selection of Aesop’s well-loved
tales as I Theatre mixes and matches
the legendary author’s favourite fables
into one fun, tot-friendly theatrical outing
with the help of masks, puppetry and
costumes.
VENUE JUBILEE HALL, RAFFLES HOTEL
ADMISSION PRICE $30, $32
DATE 26 Feb-21 Mar
TIME Tue-Fri 10am & 2.30pm, Sat & Sun
10.30am, 2.30pm, 5pm
WEBSITE www.sistic.com.sg
My School Is Cool —
A Story of Schools in
Jurong
NATIONAL HERITAGE BOARD
free, fun-for-the-family festival at one of
Singapore’s favourite museums.
VENUE ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM
ADMISSION PRICE Free
DATE 7 Mar
VENUE DRAMA THEATRE, SCHOOL OF
THE ARTS
ADMISSION PRICE $42, $52, $62
DATE Till 1 Mar
TIME Various times
WEBSITE www.sistic.com.sg
TIME 1pm-5pm
WEBSITE www.acm.org.sg
KidsFest! 2015
ABA PRODUCTIONS
This annual festival of children’s theatre
returns with acclaimed acts from
Australia and the United Kingdom.
Expect a line-up of fun page-to-stage
adaptations to get kids interested in
books. A must-see is the eye-popping
Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo, where incredibly
life-like dinosaur puppets take over the
theatre for kids to watch wide-eyed
from a distance. Or get up close — if
they dare!
Press Play
NATIONAL LIBRARY BOARD
Participate in a spectrum of free
activities such as Lomography, talks
about making your own music (by local
indie musicians like Esther Low) or even
workshops on leather craft and antique
lamp-making.
VENUE VARIOUS NATIONAL LIBRARY BOARD
LIBRARIES ISLANDWIDE
ADMISSION PRICE Free
DATE Till 14 Mar
TIME Various times
WEBSITE www.nlb.gov.sg/golibrary
Jurong may be known for its industrial
vibe, but it has
its arty side,
too. Visit Our
Museum@
Taman Jurong,
appropriately
assembled
out of three
container-like
structures, and
check out this exhibit of student
artworks and artefacts from schools in
Jurong — some dating back to as early
as the 1930s.
VENUE OUR MUSEUM@TAMAN JURONG,
1 YUNG SHENG ROAD
ADMISSION PRICE Free
DATE Till 31 May
TIME Mon-Fri 3pm to 9pm, Sat 10am9pm, Sun 10am–6pm. Closed on Public
Holidays.
WEBSITE www.facebook.com/OMATTJ
17
+
MUSIC
LITERARY
Christina Perri Head
or Heart Tour
MIDAS PROMOTIONS PTE LTD
Christina Perri, the voice and vision behind
such transcendent tunes as ‘Jar of Hearts’
and ‘A Thousand Years’, swings into town
to present music from her second album
Head or Heart. Listen out for hits like ‘Sea
of Lovers’, ‘Human’ and ‘I Believe’.
All In! Young Writers
Media Festival
NATIONAL BOOK DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL OF SINGAPORE
This annual festival helps set wouldbe authors aged 13-25 on the write
track, with major players in publishing,
broadcasting, blogging, creative
writing, screenwriting and journalism
coming to meet, mingle with and mentor
the festival attendees.
VENUE LIBRARY@ORCHARD
ADMISSION PRICE $20, $30, $40
DATE 28 Feb & 1 Mar
18
TIME Various times
WEBSITE all-in.bookcouncil.sg
VENUE THE COLISEUM, HARD ROCK HOTEL
SINGAPORE, RESORTS WORLD SENTOSA
ADMISSION PRICE $118, $138
DATE 27 Feb
TIME 8pm
WEBSITE www.sistic.com.sg
An Evening With
Arijit Singh
BAY ENTERTAINMENT PTE LTD
You’re familiar with the faces of
Bollywood movies, now here’s your
chance to meet the voice behind
them. Arijit Singh, awarded Best Male
Playback Singer in 2014 and the
male voice behind multiple Bollywood
blockbusters starring Shah Rukh Khan
no less, entertains Singapore audiences
with his stirring vocals.
VENUE THE STAR THEATRE
ADMISSION PRICE $48, $68, $88, $128, $158,
$198, $248, $298
DATE 28 Feb
TIME 7.30pm
WEBSITE www.sistic.com.sg
K and L Is for Kisses
and Love Part II
THE SING SONG CLUB
This second installment of the annual K
and L concert pays homage to great
composers from France. Hear tunes from
Gabriel Fauré, Maurice Ravel, Camille
Saint-Saëns, Ernest Chausson, Reynaldo
Hahn and Erik Satie. Other lesser- known
composers celebrated include Benjamin
Godard, André Jolivet and Max d’Ollone.
VENUE LIVING ROOM, THE ARTS HOUSE
ADMISSION PRICE $15, $20
DATE 28 Feb
TIME 7.30pm
WEBSITE bytes.sg
Spoken Word Poetry
With Kosal Khiev
THE ARTS HOUSE, WORLD LIT
If you want to hear incredible true tales,
performance poet Kosal Khiev has got
stories in spades. Also a tattoo artist and
survivor of the American prison system,
this charismatic character will share how
to reach into memories, feelings and
imagination to help transform poetry to
performance.
VENUE COUNCIL ROOM, THE ARTS HOUSE
ADMISSION PRICE $10, $15
DATE 5 Mar
TIME 7.30pm
WEBSITE www.theartshouse.sg
Mezzotono
THE A CAPPELLA SOCIETY, TAS CONCERT SERIES
Five singers recreate the sounds of
bands playing everything from mambo
and tango to classical music, using
nothing but their voices and Italian
ingenuity. Check out this internationally-
lauded a cappella group on their rare
visit to Singapore!
VENUE ALIWAL ARTS CENTRE, #03-03
ADMISSION PRICE $25, $30
DATE 28 Feb
TIME 7.30pm
WEBSITE peatix.com/event/69106
+
Soirée 2015 by NUS
Harmonica Orchestra
NUS CENTRE FOR THE ARTS
The harmonica may be a lightweight
instrument, but it can certainly do the
heavy lifting when it comes to orchestral
pieces. In this annual concert, catch
one of the island’s few harmonica
orchestras tackle complicated classical
arrangements. This installment sees the
musicians celebrate the coming of spring,
playing oriental as well as occidental
tunes themed round the season.
VENUE UNIVERSITY CULTURAL CENTRE
HALL, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
ADMISSION PRICE $16, $19
DATE 28 Feb
TIME 7.30pm
WEBSITE www.sistic.com.sg
Billboard
Belles
THE ESPLANADE CO. LTD, COFFEE
MORNING AFTERNOON TEA
Chinese Chamber
Music Virtuosic
Strings
Singapore
International Jazz
Festival 2015
THE ESPLANADE CO. LTD
SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL
Experience the full lyricism and
expressiveness of the erhu, a traditional
Chinese instrument, especially in the
hands of musicians Li Yuan, Qin Zi
Jing and Yuan Qi from the Singapore
Chinese Orchestra. The lovely ladies will
play a range of compositions from ‘On
the Grasslands’, a powerful depiction
of the Mongolian people, to Western
favourites like ‘Por Una Cabeza’.
Over 250 artists including GrammyAward winners, Billboard heroes and
heroines and regional icons come
together for the love of jazz. The sexy
tunes on tap include everything jazzinspired: from soul and R&B to pop
and, of course, mainstream and acid
jazz, performed by the likes of Snarky
Puppy and even Jessie J.
VENUE ESPLANADE RECITAL STUDIO
ADMISSION PRICE $28
DATE 4 Mar
TIME 7.30pm
WEBSITE www.sistic.com.sg
VENUE GRAND THEATRE & EVENT PLAZA,
MARINA BAY SANDS
ADMISSION PRICE $80, $130, $160, $180
DATE 5-8 Mar
TIME Thu 7.30pm, Fri-Sat 6pm, Sun 3pm
WEBSITE www.sistic.com.sg
VISUAL
Sway along to the hits
of the ‘60s and ‘70s
as local chanteuse
Wendy Chin and
her friends resurrect
tunes from Dionne
Warwick, Dusty
Springfield, Patsy
Cline, The Carpenters and more. Free
coffee or tea provided.
19
VENUE ESPLANADE RECITAL STUDIO
ADMISSION PRICE $12
DATE 2 Mar
TIME 10.30am & 3pm
WEBSITE www.sistic.com.sg
Lindsey Stirling
Shatter Me
MARINA BAY SANDS
In a world of celebrities blessed with
dubious talents, there’s no denying that
Lindsey Stirling is something special.
The classically-trained violinist plays
Celtic folk music and modern classical
with dub-step beats and electronica
influences, all coupled with her own
balletic dancing. The result? A mindblowing musical cocktail that has
impressed audiences the world over.
VENUE GRAND THEATRE, MARINA BAY SANDS
ADMISSION PRICE $88, $108, $128, $148,
$592 (VIP box for four seats)
DATE 3 Mar
TIME 8pm
WEBSITE www.sistic.com.sg
World Cinema
Series: The Films of
Nuri Bilge Ceylan
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SINGAPORE
The efficient Turkish director Nuri
Bilge Ceylan needed only seven
features and one short film to
establish himself as a world master
in contemporary cinema. Come
see why at this festival where you
can catch his various oeuvres, each
Peregrination
JOYOTEE RAY CHAUDHURY AND MAYA BHALLA
Let two locally-based, internationallyexhibited artists take you on a
journey through colours and genres
in arresting works that range from
traditional paint on canvas, image
transfers onto various media and
video installations to good-old
promenading the beautiful undulating
vistas and changing seasons of Turkey
as a reflection of humanity’s helplessness
and concerns.
VENUE GALLERY THEATRE, NATIONAL
MUSEUM OF SINGAPORE
ADMISSION PRICE $8
DATE Till 22 Feb
TIME Various times
WEBSITE www.sistic.com.sg
ceramics employed in a brand
new way.
VENUE THE VOLVO ART LOFT, VOLVO
SHOWROOM, 249 ALEXANDRA ROAD
ADMISSION PRICE Free
DATE Till 27 Feb
TIME 12pm-5pm
WEBSITE www.joyotee.com
Art for Autism:
Diversity
PATHLIGHT SCHOOL
PHOTO Autism Resource Centre & Pathlight School
See something really special at
this exhibition. Autistic students of
Pathlight School’s Artist Development
Programme have contributed these
personal and impressive works,
each demonstrating highly unique
perspectives, meticulous focus,
heightened attention to detail and
palpable passion about topics close to
their hearts. Expect amazingly-textured
and intricately-rendered images of
dinosaurs, building facades and
pachyderms, just to name a few.
VENUE EAST GARDEN FOYER GALLERY &
THE FULLERTON HERITAGE GALLERY,
THE FULLERTON HOTEL SINGAPORE
ADMISSION PRICE Free
DATE Till 2 Mar
TIME All day
WEBSITE www.pathlight.org.sg/
programmes/adp
VENUE SINGAPORE ART MUSEUM
ADMISSION PRICE Normal admission
charges of $5, $10; free for Singaporeans
& Permanent Residents, and for all on Fri
between 6pm-9pm.
DATE Till 15 Mar
TIME Sat-Thu 10am-7pm, Fri 10am-9pm
WEBSITE www.sistic.com.sg
Liu Kuo-Sung ‘The
Father of Modern
Ink Painting’ Solo
Exhibition
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS (MOCA@LOWEN)
Signature Art Prize
ASIA PACIFIC BREWERIES FOUNDATION
Set your sights on this triennial event
honouring the most outstanding
contemporary artworks from emerging
and established artists all over the AsiaPacific. Out of this year’s 105 entries,
only 15 finalists are presented to the
public in a special exhibition at the
Singapore Art Museum.
Roar Deal
As with signatures on a peace treaty, ink
can transform everything. See how the
modern brushstrokes of Liu Kuo-Sung have
created fantastic landscapes and how
this trail-blazer transformed the traditional
Oriental art forever, with influences felt as
far as Korea, Japan, China and Southeast
Asia since he revolutionised the genre five
decades ago.
VENUE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY
ARTS (MOCA@LOWEN), 27A LOEWEN ROAD
ADMISSION PRICE Free
DATE Till 1 Mar
TIME 10am-6pm
WEBSITE www.mocaloewen.sg
Turning the iconic Merlion into art.
20
rd
Mobile Film-O-Graphy
Nation
al L ibra
ry Boa
NATIONAL LIBRARY BOARD
O
PHOT
There is an unofficial ‘canon’
of Merlion poems written by
Singapore poets, the first and
most enduring being Edwin
Thumboo’s 1979 ‘Ulysses by the
Merlion’ currently displayed at
the waterfront Merlion Park.
At this workshop, you can learn the basics
of how videos are created, from start to
finish, before using a tablet to shoot and
edit a short trailer based on a storyline of
your choosing.
VENUE PROGRAMME ZONE, WOODLANDS
REGIONAL LIBRARY
ADMISSION PRICE Free (registration required)
DATE Till 1 Mar
TIME 11am-2pm
WEBSITE www.nlb.gov.sg/golibrary
Workmanship of
Certainty and Chance
TEXT Joel Tan
PHOTO Jerry Wong
MICHELLE LIM
The 2013 Singapore Biennale saw Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi creating a
boutique hotel room built around the Merlion, complete with its handsome mug
overlooking the bed.
Ceramics artist Michelle Lim probes
the performative nature of consumption
through experimenting with pottery
and popiah skins. Visitors are invited
to manipulate these materials along
with her.
VENUE THE SUBSTATION GALLERY
ADMISSION PRICE Free
DATE 5-8 Mar
TIME 12pm-9pm
WEBSITE www.substation.org
Da Vinci: Shaping the
Future
MARINA BAY SANDS PTE LTD
Leonardo da Vinci was a true genius,
making his mark on mathematics, natural
sciences, technology, architecture and
music. This epic exhibition displays
original pages of the Codex Atlanticus,
the legendary Italian’s largest notebook,
and a collection of some of his most
important drawings and writings.
Be captivated too by other Da Vinci
masterpieces hailing all the way
from Milan.
6th Singapore Short
Film Awards
THE SUBSTATION MOVING IMAGES
See the finest new Singapore-made
short films contending for awards such
as Best Director, Best Fiction Film and
VENUE ARTSCIENCE MUSEUM
Best Actor, in a week-long series of
screenings.
VENUE LASALLE COLLEGE OF THE ARTS
ADMISSION PRICE Entry by donation
DATE 2-7 Mar
TIME Various times
ADMISSION PRICE $10.50, $15, $17.50, $19,
$23, $25. Packages including entry to
other exhibitions are also available.
DATE Till May
TIME 10am-7pm
WEBSITE www.marinabaysands.com/
museum/ticketing.html
WEBSITE www.substation.org
Medium at Large
SINGAPORE ART MUSEUM
What makes art? The Singapore
Art Museum tackles the question
literally, and the answer is everything,
apparently. This intriguing collection
features artworks created from rattan,
human hair, whitening soap, live bullet
shells and traditional media like paint
as well as some derived from nothing
more than sound, language and text.
VENUE SINGAPORE ART MUSEUM
ADMISSION PRICE Free for Singapore
Citizens and Permanent Residents. Normal
museum admission charges of $5, $10 for
other visitors.
DATE Till May
TIME 10am-7pm. Open till 9pm on Fri.
WEBSITE www.singaporeartmuseum.sg
Mad Love
MAD MUSEUM OF ART & DESIGN
Artists from Europe and Asia plumb
the dark, dizzy depths of love, sex
and desire in this exciting exhibition
featuring works by legendary
Japanese photographer Daido
Moriyama; Hong Kong photographer
Wing Shya (known for his works
with film-maker Wong Kar Wai)
and Japanese street artist Madsaki,
dubbed ‘Japan’s Banksy’, just to name
a fabulous few.
VENUE MAD MUSEUM OF ART & DESIGN,
10 TANGLIN ROAD, #01-01/#02-01
ADMISSION PRICE Free
DATE Till 26 Apr
TIME 11am-8pm
WEBSITE www.madmuseumsingapore.com
Prudential Singapore
Eye Exhibition
PLAY @ National
Museum of Singapore
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SINGAPORE
Transform your iPad-obsessed child into
a mini museum-goer! PLAY @ National
Museum of Singapore, a dedicated
area for young children to take their first
steps towards museum-going, delights
with interactive exhibits and special
activities that encourage learning
through play. Watch little ones explore,
create and even perform.
VENUE LEVEL 3, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF
SINGAPORE
ADMISSION PRICE Free
DATE Daily till further notice
TIME 10am-6pm
WEBSITE www.nationalmuseum.sg
SINGAPORE ART WEEK
Get an eyeful of stellar Singaporean
contemporary artworks at the Prudential
Singapore Eye Exhibition — the largest
survey on Singapore contemporary art.
Check out the artists and get to say
you saw them first, before the stars of
the selection go onto an exhibition at
London’s Saatchi Gallery.
VENUE ARTSCIENCE MUSEUM,
MARINA BAY SANDS
ADMISSION PRICE Child $5.50
($8 non-resident), senior $8 ($12
non-resident), adult $9 ($13 nonresident). Family packages available.
DATE Till 28 Jun
TIME 10am-7pm
WEBSITE www.marinabaysands.com/
museum/ticketing.html
Ancient Religions
ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM
This new display at the Asian Civilisations
Museum traces a millennium of sculpture
demonstrating the spread of religions from
India to China, Sri Lanka and Southeast
Asia. Let the artworks depict how early
cults developed into international forms
of Hinduism and Buddhism.
VENUE ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM
ADMISSION PRICE Normal admission charges
of $4, $8. Free admission for all Singapore
Citizens, Permanent Residents and visitors
aged 6 and below.
DATE Till further notice
TIME Sat-Thu 10am-7pm, Fri 10am-9pm
WEBSITE www.acm.org.sg
21
THEATRE
New Year Celebration
With Night Market
2015
Hui Xuan and Aisyah Aziz perform as
’60s and ’70s nightlife legends Sakura
Teng, Rose Chan and Kartina Dahari
respectively, while comedians like Judee
Tan, Sebastian Tan, Mark Lee and
Hossan Leong take turns adding hilarity
to the proceedings.
BIZ TRENDS DEVELOPMENT PTE LTD
The term ‘night market’ may imply cheap
and cheerful, but not when you’re
talking about Taiwanese drama serial
Night Market Life, which boasts a bevy
of the country’s most glamorous TV stars.
Many of these screen favourites will
come to town in March to perform a
concert of the show’s theme songs. Also
included: a special skit.
VENUE SUNTEC SINGAPORE CONVENTION
& EXHIBITION CENTRE LEVEL 6, HALL
601-604
ADMISSION PRICE $38, $48, $58, $68, $78,
$88, $108
DATE 1 Mar
TIME 7.30pm
WEBSITE www.sistic.com.sg
Titoudao
22
TOY FACTORY PRODUCTIONS
Based on a true story about a local
street-opera performer, Madam Oon
Ah Chiam, this award-winning local
theatre classic gives a glimpse into her
evolution from kampung girl to TV star to
put-upon wife, and finally, to a woman
still performing Hokkien opera today
— if often in quiet temples for barely
any audience members except the
Gods. Written by her son, acclaimed
playwright/director Goh Boon Teck and
starring Audrey Luo.
VENUE DRAMA CENTRE THEATRE
ADMISSION PRICE $49, $59, $69
DATE 5-14 Mar
TIME Tue- Fri, 3pm & 8pm; Sat & Sun 3pm
WEBSITE www.sistic.com.sg
Great World Cabaret
— Let’s Bo Bo Cha Cha
RESORTS WORLD AT SENTOSA & DREAM ACADEMY
Time-travel with Singapore stage, screen
and singing stars to the charm (and
charmers) of old Singapore cabarets.
Local lovelies Joanna Dong, Seong
VENUE RESORTS WORLD THEATRE,
RESORTS WORLD SENTOSA
ADMISSION PRICE $48, $68, $88, $108, $128
DATE 19 Feb-17 Mar
TIME Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri, 8pm; Sat & Sun,
3pm & 8pm
WEBSITE www.sistic.com
Huayi — Chinese
Festival of Arts 2015
THE ESPLANADE CO. LTD
Launched in 2003,
this flourishing annual
festival highlights art of
all genres by artists from
almost everywhere in
the Chinese diaspora.
This year, headliners
include Savage
Land — An Opera
in Concert, an
audacious original
piece based on
Cao Yu’s celebrated play
The Wilderness and directed by local
luminary Goh Boon Teck. Another mustsee is Rice by Taiwan’s famous Cloud
Gate Dance Theatre, which parallels the
element-plagued rice fields to the cycle
of man’s own rebirth and resurrection,
complete with gorgeous video images
and Hakka folk tunes.
VENUE VARIOUS VENUES IN THE ESPLANADE
ADMISSION PRICE Various prices including free
programmes
DATE 20 Feb-1 Mar
TIME Various times
Teahouse
THE ESPLANADE CO. LTD
Watch empires rise and fall from the
comfort of a café — or its Chinese
equivalent — in Teahouse, a ravereviewed tour de force by Beijing
People’s Art Theatre. Weaving the lives
of over 70 characters in a 19th-century
Beijing teahouse, be immersed in their
WEBSITE www.huayifestival.com
struggle to weather the end of the Qing
dynasty, the Republican era and the
Japanese Occupation.
VENUE ESPLANADE THEATRE
ADMISSION PRICE $48, $68, $88, $108, $128
DATE 5-8 Mar
TIME Thu-Sat, 8pm, Sun 2.30pm
WEBSITE www.sistic.com.sg
HAVE AN ART AFFAIR YOU’D LIKE
TO INCLUDE IN OUR LISTINGS?
Simply send us details of the event at
least 6 weeks before it takes place, at
a-list.sg/submit-an-event. (Listings
are free but not guaranteed.) We’ll
help you get this arty started.
Coming
Attractions!
SA: The Pursuit
THE ESPLANADE CO. LTD
While other traditional Chinese
instrumentalists make music, SA
strings together soundscapes by
handling their instruments in weird
and wonderful ways: live looping
their playing and responding to their
environment, for example. Take a trip
with this celebrated young trio into the
possibilities of instrumentation when
paired with imagination.
VENUE ESPLANADE RECITAL STUDIO
ADMISSION PRICE $25
DATE 6 Mar
TIME 9.30pm
WEBSITE www.sistic.com.sg
Words Go Round
Open House
SINGAPORE WRITERS FESTIVAL
one-night-only concert.
SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
VENUE ESPLANADE CONCERT HALL
Stellar American violinist Sarah Chang
rejoins the Singapore Symphony
Orchestra to play Dvorak’s lyrical
‘Violin Concerto in A Minor’ in this
DATE 6 Mar
ADMISSION PRICE $30, $58, $78, $108,
$148, $188
TIME 7.30pm
WEBSITE www.sistic.com.sg
Sleeping Beauty
SINGAPORE DANCE THEATRE
VENUE THE ARTS HOUSE
Singapore Dance Theatre’s 2015
season is off to fairy-tale beginnings
with Sleeping Beauty, a richlycostumed, fantastically-lit and, of
course, ethereally-performed dance
version of the classic story, set to a
soaring score by Tchaikovsky.
VENUE ESPLANADE THEATRE
ADMISSION PRICE $30, $50, $70
DATE 12-15 Mar
TIME Thu & Fri 8pm, Sat 1pm & 8pm, Sun
1pm & 7pm
WEBSITE www.sistic.com.sg
Goldilocks and
the Three Bears
(Mandarin)
SINGAPORE REPERTORY THEATRE LITTLE COMPANY
Bad behaviour knows no language
The student-targeted literary initiative,
Words Go Round, might comprise
mainly of activities taking place in
schools, but their open house offers
courses for any young wannabe writer,
especially those aged 15 to 18. Hear
from the masters about creating graphic
novels with good narratives, or poetry
that is stirring instead of soppy, pore
over writings that have turned into
screen sensations, purchase books and
meet admired authors.
ADMISSION PRICE $20
DATE 7 Mar
TIME 9.30am-5.30pm
WEBSITE www.singaporewritersfestival.
com/wgr
barriers. See how the boorish blonde
Goldilocks of fairy-tale legend learns
to mend her ways in this theatrical
adaptation by West-End team Anthony
Drewe and George Stiles — this time,
in Mandarin.
VENUE DBS ARTS CENTRE
ADMISSION PRICE $22, $25, $32, $35, family
packages available
DATE 11-29 Mar
TIME Mon-Fri 10am, Sat & Sun, 11am & 2pm
WEBSITE www.sistic.com.sg
PHOTO National Arts Council
Gala: Sarah Chang
Live
23
EPILOGUE
BECAUSE ART IS LONG & LIFE IS SHORT
PHOTO ‘TAKEAWAY FISH’
BY KENG LYE
“
24
I love it when air
turns to water.
I am an awkward
fish, flailing
arms and legs, but
flying nonetheless
over my country.
”
— Excerpt from ‘Oneiros’ by Cyril Wong
Singapore-based artist Keng Lye is known for his meticulously-crafted and lifelike resin art (pictured).
Cyril Wong is a Singaporean poet who won the Singapore Literature Prize in 2006.
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