Talks
Performances
Exhibitions
Workshops
Films
A season of programmes in celebration of National Day
4–5, 10–12 Aug 2018 theartshouse.sg
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4–5, 10–12 Aug 2018 The Arts House theartshouse.sg In conjunction with National Day, the inaugural edition of LumiNation sets its sights on uncovering Singapore’s hidden stories. This season of programmes held in the month of August casts a deeper, fuller gaze at the ‘Singaporean Identity’, through the lens of written and spoken narratives. LumiNation invites audiences to rediscover and reconnect with the quieter parts of the Singaporean conversation, strengthening the belief that we are always more than just a little red dot.
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4 Aug 2018, Sat
Page
10am–10pm
Temporal States
Gallery II
14
2pm–4pm
走进战后 ( 1945-1965年）的新马社会 Aftermath: Reading Post-War Chinese Literature in Singapore
Blue Room
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Utter: SingLit Unearthed
Screening Room
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Living Room
15
Play Den
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by Jason Wee and Wong Jing Wei
by Lee Chuan Low
2.30pm– 4pm 4.30pm– 7.30pm
《河的故事》- 我摄我写文图创作坊
8.30pm– 9.30pm
Note for Note – #InvisibleInk
Riverside Tales: A Workshop in Photography and Writing
5 Aug 2018, Sun 10am–10pm
Temporal States
Gallery II
14
11am–1pm
Redacting Words
Council Room
15
3pm–4pm
Ordinary Lives of the Japanese Occupation
Blue Room
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沙城
Screening Room
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by Jason Wee and Wong Jing Wei
with Stephanie Dogfoot
by Paul Kratoska
4.30pm– 6.30pm
Sandcastle
10 Aug 2018, Fri 10am–10pm
Temporal States
Gallery II
14
11am–8pm
Booktique Pop-up Bookstore
Gallery I
16
8pm–9pm
Tropicopolitan Objects
Play Den
12
by Jason Wee and Wong Jing Wei
by Ho Rui An
Tickted Programmes Visit theartshouse.peatix.com to register for each sessions. Applicable to both free and ticketed programmes.
Page
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11 Aug 2018, Sat
14
10am–10pm
Temporal States
Gallery II
16
11am–8pm
Booktique Pop-up Bookstore
Gallery I
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2pm–3pm
The Chetti Melaka of Singapore
Living Room
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2.30pm–5pm
我们唱着的歌
Screening Room
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3pm–4pm
A New History of the Kristang Language in Singapore
Blue Room
by Jason Wee and Wong Jing Wei
by Peranakan Indian Association of Singapore
The Songs We Sang
by Kevin Martens Wong
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5pm–6.30pm
Pre-show Talk: Nanyang Poetry and Music
Blue Room
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5.30pm– 6.30pm
Fictionalising the Japanese Occupation
Living Room
7.30pm–9pm
从诗乐到南洋新诗乐-郭永秀的诗乐之旅
Chamber
Tony’s Long March
Screening Room
Tropicopolitan Objects
Play Den
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featuring Meira Chand, Cheah Sinann and Warren Kalasegaran
Nanyang Poetry and Music from Past to Present - One Man’s Musical Journey
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7.30pm –9pm 8pm–9pm
by Ho Rui An
12 Aug 2018, Sun 14
10am–10pm
Temporal States
Gallery II
16
11am–8pm
Booktique Pop-up Bookstore
Gallery I
7
3pm–5pm
Tu(r)ning Classics - Song Lyrics in Malay Films of the 50s and 60s
Play Den
7
5pm–6pm
Komesh Kristang (Kristang for Beginners)
Council Room
by Jason Wee and Wong Jing Wei
by Kodrah Kristang
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Explore lesser known Singaporean languages and literature through a series of fascinating interdisciplinary collaborations. Image credit Filmic Eye
Utter 2017: SingLit Unearthed 4 Aug, Sat 2.30pm–4pm Screening Room FILM SCREENING
2017 | 45min | In English, Tamil with English subtitles PG13 | Commissioned for Singapore Writers Festival
$9 per ticket $16 Bundle of 2 $28 Bundle of 4 $8 per film for Singapore
Film Society members
Watch the remarkable poetry and stories of four highly-distinguished local writers come to life in a series of filmic adaptations. Utter 2017: SingLit Unearthed draws from the oeuvre of JM Sali, Gregory Nalpon, Tan Swie Hian, and former deputy prime minister S. Rajaratnam. With nuance and sensitivity, veteran directors K. Rajagopal and Lee Thean-jeen adapt these stories and words into live-action short films, while animators Henry and Harry Zhuang, and Jerrold Chong deliver a series of animation shorts with boundless imagination. There will be a 30-minute post-show dialogue with animator Jerrold Chong and writer Jia Lee.
SUGGESTED B K PAIRINGS 1 The Wayang at Eight Milestone by Gregory Nalpon EPIGRAM BOOKS
2 The Short Stories and Radio Plays of S. Rajaratnam EPIGRAM BOOKS
Get your tickets at utterfilms.peatix.com
Edited by Irene Ng
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From left Amanda Chong, Cyril Wong, Marylyn Tan, Linying, Chong Li-Chuan and Marla Bendini Image credit Linying courtesy of Jovian Lim Marla Bendini courtesy of Kin Chui
Note for Note #InvisibleInk 4 Aug, Sat 8.30pm–9.30pm Play Den Rating TBA
PERFORMANCE
$10, tickets from
invisibleink.peatix.com
In this upcoming edition of Note for Note, poets and musicians are paired to explores the theme of #invisibleink. What happens to words that disappear into the margins of history or culture? Or to words that people don’t want to read or listen to? Join poet-musician duos Amanda Chong and Linying, Cyril Wong and Chong Li-Chuan, as well as Marylyn Tan and Marla Bendini, as they reveal some of the mysteries behind their hidden words. Produced by Marc Nair. As part of
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我们唱着的歌
The Songs We Sang 11 Aug, Sat 2.30pm–5pm Screening Room FILM SCREENING
2016 | 128mins | In Mandarin with English and Chinese subtitles | PG
Image credit Irene Films
Film Society members
Singaporean filmmaker Eva Tang offers a vivid look at the journey of Xinyao from its birth in The Songs We Sang. With attentive historical detail, this documentary captures the authentic spirit of a slice of Singaporean culture that has since become a significant part of a nation’s collective cultural heritage.
Get your tickets at songswesang.peatix.com
There will be a 15-minute post-show dialogue with director Eva Tang.
$9 per ticket $16 Bundle of 2 $28 Bundle of 4 $8 per film for Singapore
从诗乐到南洋新诗乐-郭永秀的诗乐之旅
Nanyang Poetry and Music from Past to Present - One Man’s Musical Journey 11 Aug, Sat 5pm–6.30pm Blue Room
With a new wave of interest in Shiyue (诗乐) amongst a younger generation, discover this fascinating genre of Chinese poetry pioneered by the final batches of Nantah ( 南大) students in the 1970s. Shiyue’s distinct musicality led to the birth of another local cultural phenomenon, Xinyao ( 新谣). This performance charts the musical journey of poet and music composer Quek Yong Siu, an instrumental figure in the revival of Shiyue in Singapore. Featuring around 18 of his original creations which pairs works by renowned Singapore poets to song, it shines a rare light into the history of Shiyue, the history, past and present forms and defining characteristics of Shiyue.
PERFORMANCE
Join Zhang Fan ( 张泛), a pioneer of Shiyue, in a pre-show lecture in Mandarin, as he shares insights into how the art form originated, its cultural significance and evolution through the decades.
Free with registration
Conducted in Mandarin.
PRE-SHOW LECTURE
7.30pm–9pm Chamber Rating TBA
From left Zhang Fan and Quek Yong Siu
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From left Dr. Azhar Ibrahim, Aidli Alin Mosbit and Sanif Olek
Tu(r)ning Classics – Song Lyrics in Malay Films of the 50s and 60s
by Dr. Azhar Ibrahim, Aidli Alin Mosbit and Aqmal N.
How do song lyrics open a window into the past? Tu(r)ning Classics is a performancebased forum showcasing a selection of elegant song lyrics from popular Malay movies such as Gurindam Jiwa (1965), Lanchang Kuning (1962) and Hang Tuah (1956).
12 Aug, Sun 3pm–5pm | Play Den
This performance is conducted predominantly in Malay, with English references and explanations.
Rating TBA
PERFORMANCE
Free with registration
Komesah Kristang (Kristang for Beginners) by Kodrah Kristang
12 Aug, Sun | 5pm–6pm Council Room WORKSHOP
Free with registration
Kristang is a critically endangered 500-yearold heritage language of the PortugueseEurasian community in Singapore, spoken f luently by less than 100 people in the country today. Be introduced to this beautiful language with Kevin Martens Wong and the Kodrah Kristang Core Team. Through fun and engaging games, they’ll guide you to have a go at speaking conversational Kristang. This workshop will also help you learn about the Kristang’s history, heritage and status today, leaving you with a broader appreciation of Singapore’s Eurasian community and our island’s diverse intangible cultural heritage.
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Shining the spotlight on minority communities and unknown personalities in Singapore. Image credit Photograph of the Bok family 1910s, Melaka, Malaysia | Paper On loan from Mr David Bok Courtesy of Indian Heritage Centre
The Chetti Melaka of Singapore
This talk by the President of the Peranakan Indian Association of Singapore, Mr Ponno Kalastree, offers a rare glimpse into the almost unknown but distinct community of Chetti Melakas in Singapore and Malaysia.
11 Aug, Sat | 2pm–3pm | Living Room
Often overshadowed by the larger, and more inf luential Peranakan Chinese, this talk shines a light into the history, customs, religion and culture of the Chetti Melakas.
by Peranakan Indian Association of Singapore
TA L K
Free with registration
A New History of the Kristang Language in Singapore
by Kevin Martens Wong
11 Aug, Sat | 3pm–4pm Blue Room TA L K
Free with registration
The session will be moderated by David Bok and Gerald Pillay.
In this fascinating talk, Kevin Martens Wong delves into a previously unknown but delightful part of Singapore history – a time when Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice and many other Shakespearean plays were performed to roaring crowds not in English, but in Kristang. As the leader of the Kodrah Kristang grassroots movement attempting to preserve Kristang in Singapore, Kevin will walk you through Kristang’s early beginnings in Portuguese and Dutch Melaka, and then through its hitherto hidden history in our island state.
SUGGESTED B K PAIRINGS The Shrimp People by Rex Shelley MARSHALL CAVENDISH
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Tony’s Long March 11 Aug, Sat 7.30pm–8.30pm Screening Room FILM SCREENING
2015 | 40min | In Malay, with English and Chinese subtitles | PG
$9 per ticket $16 Bundle of 2 $28 Bundle of 4 $8 per film for Singapore Film Society members
Get your tickets at tonyslongmarch.peatix.com
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A “has-been who never was”, the late Tony Yeow had an infamously illustrious career in Singapore’s film, television and theatre industries for 45 years. This documentary, an affectionate and moving portrait of Tony, tells the story of his role in a rich and complex time of Singapore’s cultural history. Co-directing and producing Ring of Fury, Singapore’s first and only kung fu film in the 1970s, Tony was a key crew member for Peter Bogdanovich’s Saint Jack in 1978, and inadvertently kick-started the revival of feature films in Singapore in the 1990s. Though all of his films were f lops or failures, Tony was always dreaming about his next movie. Tony’s Long March celebrates the extraordinary spirit that kept Tony Yeow going. There will be a 15 minute post-show dialogue with filmmakers Ben Slater and Sherman Ong.
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Come discover the stories that lie within the nooks and crannies of personal histories. From left Xia Bin, Lee Chuan Low, Xie Ke
走进战后 ( 1945-1965年） 的新马社会
Aftermath: Navigating post-war Singapore Society through Chinese Literature by Lee Chuan Low
4 Aug, Sat | 2pm–3.30pm Blue Room TA L K
Free with registration
Fresh off the press by Singaporean writer Lee Chuan Low, 《战后新马华文小说评论集》 offers an incisive literary critique of seminal short stories written in the post-war decades of 1945 to 1965 by 24 Chinese writers, many of whom have been forgotten by history. In this session based on his book, Lee, along with veteran writers Xie Ke and Xia Bin, discuss the rich literature produced in those tumultuous years of recovery and reconciliation, shedding light on their contemporary relevance. Conducted in Mandarin.
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Image credit Zhao Wei Films
DID YOU KNOW?
Awardwinning director Boo Junfeng is the creative director of this year’s National Day Parade.
沙城
Sandcastle 5 Aug, Sun 4.30pm–6.30pm Screening Room FILM SCREENING
2010 | 92mins | In Mandarin, English, Hokkien with English subtitles | NC16 Mature Theme and Sexual Scene
$9 per ticket $16 Bundle of 2 $28 Bundle of 4 $8 per film for Singapore Film Society members
Get your tickets at sandcastle.peatix.com
In this coming-of-age debut feature film by Boo Jun Feng, 18-year-old En’s mandatory enlistment into the Singaporean army is shaken by a series of events and disclosures that threaten to alter his world view forever. The taste of his first romance, the death of his grandfather, his grandmother’s worsening Alzheimer’s disease, his schoolteacher mother’s affair with an uptight military commander, and En’s newfound awareness of his late father’s student activist past all contribute to his decision to reevaluate the pieces of his life before they are erased by the tides of time. There will be a 15 minute post-show dialogue with director Boo Junfeng.
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Ordinary Lives of the Japanese Occupation by Paul Kratoska
5 Aug, Sun | 3pm–4pm | Blue Room TA L K
Free with registration What was life like in the three and half years of Singapore’s Japanese Occupation after the surrender of the British? Drawing on surviving administrative papers, oral records, intelligence reports and post-war recollections by Japanese officers, historian, writer and publishing director Paul Kratoska offers a sweeping account of the impact of the occupation on ordinary citizens during and after the war.
Image credit Eike Walkenhorst
Tropicopolitan Objects by Ho Rui An
10 & 11 Aug, Fri & Sat 8pm–9pm | Play Den PERFORMANCE
$10 via
theartshouse.peatix.com
In Tropicopolitan Objects, the tropes of Empire melt away in the sweltering heat of the tropics. Drawing upon Srinivas Aravamudan’s concept of the “tropicopolitan”, which reads the colonised subjects living in the tropics as both f leshy bodies in time and space and fictive tropes constructed by the colonial project, this lecture rewrites the history of European colonialism as an inventory of objects: from the instrument of “sun-writing” that is the heliograph to the allencompassing skirt of a certain Anna Leonowens.
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From left Meira Chand, Cheah Sinann and Warren Kalasegaran
SUGGESTED B K PAIRINGS
1 Sacred Waters & A Different Sky by Meira Chand MARSHALL
Fictionalising the Japanese Occupation featuring Meira Chand, Cheah Sinann and Warren Kalasegaran
11 Aug, Sat 5.30pm–6.30pm Living Room TA L K
Free with registration
How does fiction shape the construction of historical narratives? What role does fiction play in the ways history is understood (or misunderstood) by readers? What can alternative narratives and stories tell us about how history is experienced by individuals, as opposed to the experience of the collective consciousness? Join us for this special panel discussion with Meira Chand, Warren Kalasegaran and Cheah Sinann who offer insights into these issues in relation to their own fictional works that explore multiple facets of Singapore’s Japanese Occupation.
CAVENDISH & VINTAGE
2 Lieutenant Kurosawa’s Errand Boy by Warren Kalasegaran EPIGRAM BOOKS
3 The Bicycle by Cheah Sinnan EPIGRAM BOOKS
Moderated by Phan Ming Yen.
DID YOU KNOW? Meira Chand’s A Different Sky was on Oprah Winfrey’s recommended reading list, and was also long-listed for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 2012. Cheah Sinann is a former editorial cartoonist with The Straits Times, where he also produced the popular comic strip The House of Lim for eight years. Warren Kalasegaran’s debut novel, Lieutenant Kurosawa’s Errand Boy, was long-listed for the 2016 Epigram Books Fiction prize.
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Come rediscover spaces familiar and unfamiliar.
Queenstown Cinema by Wong Jing Wei
Temporal States by Jason Wee and Wong Jing Wei
1–26 Aug, Wed–Sun 10am–10pm | Gallery II EXHIBITION
Free admission
In this multi-disciplinary exhibition, writer and artist Jason Wee crafts a collection of f lash fiction and poetry as a literary response to photographer Wong Jing Wei’s series Temporary States. The images evoke Wong’s sense of detachment and loss as he documents sites of heritage and memory that have been erased in Singapore’s manic drive to redevelop and repurpose spaces.
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DID YOU KNOW? Lee Leng Kiong directed and produced close to 800 episodes of Chinese drama serials on Channel 8 in MediaCorp, including several awardwinning serials like Holland Village, The Legends of JiGong, Bukit Ho Swee, and Portrait of Home.
Photo credit Lee Leng Kiong
《河的故事》我摄我写文图创作坊
Riverside Tales: A Workshop in Photography and Writing 4 Aug, Sat | 4.30pm– 7.30pm | Living Room
Do you have a story you wish to tell visually and textually? Let your ideas f low in this engaging workshop conducted by veteran photographer and writer Lee Leng Kiong. Explore historic stretches of the Singapore River, starting from Sir Stamford Raff les’ iconic landing site. Pick up handy tips on capturing dynamic photos from Lee, as he guides you to pen your own responses to the sites you’ve photographed.
WORKSHOP
$10
Get your tickets at riversidetales.peatix.com
Conducted in Mandarin. Pre-requisites Participants are required to bring their own digital camera and card reader or USB cable. Alternatively, participants may also use a 4G mobile phone with an email account.
Redacting Words Workshop with Stephanie Dogfoot 5 Aug, Sun | 11am–1pm | Council Room WORKSHOP
$10
Get your tickets at redactingwords.peatix.com
What secret stories can you uncover and create from an existing piece of writing? What fresh perspectives might these new narratives add? In this eye-opening session, participants are invited to produce a new work by redacting extracts from books or newspapers, drawing directly from their own store of experiences to give the original text a whole-new meaning.
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THERS
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Booktique Pop-up Store
Old School Games
Come check out this specially curated bookstore by Booktique featuring many of the titles that are featured in the LumiNation progamme lineup, as well as a selection of books that explore different aspects of what it means to be Singaporean.
iPads and PlayStation® by participating in these vintage children’s games including hopscotch and zero-point.
7–23 Aug, Mon–Sun 11am–8pm | Gallery I
4, 5, 11 & 12 Aug, 10am–8pm | Porch & Gallery I
Booktique - Where Writers Shop is an independent bookshop founded in 2013 by freelance writer, Anthony Koh Waugh. Relive the days before
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About The Arts House
Occupying the almost 200-year-old building that was home to Singapore’s first parliament, The Arts House continues in the distinguished tradition of this gazetted national monument and now plays a key role in the country’s arts and creative scene. The Arts House at the Old Parliament, as it is affectionately referred to, promotes and presents multidisciplinary programmes and festivals within its elegant spaces. It focuses in particular on the literary arts, celebrating the works of written and spoken word artists from Singapore and beyond. 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 manages two key landmarks located in the heart of Singapore’s Civic District – The Arts House, a multi-disciplinary arts centre with a focus on literary programming, and the Victoria Theatre & Victoria Concert Hall, a heritage building that is home to the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. It also runs the Goodman Arts Centre and Aliwal Arts Centre, two creative enclaves for artists, arts groups and creative businesses, and performing arts space Drama Centre. AHL presents the Singapore International Festival of Arts, the annual pinnacle celebration of performance and interdisciplinary arts in Singapore commissioned by the National Arts Council. AHL was set up in 11 Dec 2002 as a company limited by guarantee (CLG) under the National Arts Council and was formerly known as The Old Parliament House Limited. It was officially renamed Arts House Limited on 19 Mar 2014.
Managed by
A ll information is correct at the time of print. Ever y reasonable care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of information within, hence, A rts House Limited (A HL) cannot accept responsibility for errors and/or omissions however caused. Ever y effort has been made to identify copyright holders. We deeply regret that if, despite our concerted efforts, any copyright holders have been overlooked or omitted. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily ref lect the views of the editor or the of ficial policy and position of A HL and their related corporations. A ny reproduction, retransmission, republication, or other use of all or part of this publication is expressly prohibited, unless prior written permission has been granted by A HL or the appropriate copyright owner. A HL reser ves the right to make changes and modifications to the programme without prior notice.