Festival Commission
MEPAAN
By Singapore Chinese Orchestra (Singapore) and Tuyang Initiative (Sarawak, Borneo – Malaysia) –
20 – 22 May, Fri – Sun 8pm Pasir Panjang Power Station 1h 15m, No Intermission Rating to be determined Recommended for audiences age 13 and above Helmed by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra in
Tickets: $58*
collaboration with Tuyang Initiative – a Sarawak-based
*Limited concessions available for students,
creative agency focused on Borneo indigenous cultural
NSFs and seniors
heritage – MEPAAN delves into dynamic new dimensions with astounding design interventions.
Also available on SIFA On Demand $15 per show $25 for bundle of 4 (U.P $60)
Local fashion designer Max Tan creates the costumes, weaving the ethereal with the earth connecting bodies in rapt musical and physical expression, with fabric and design that vertically connects the natural with the eternal.
From the Singapore Chinese Orchestra and Tuyang
Singaporean Sean Lee’s photography and Sarawak-based
Initiative comes a magnificent performance evoking the
indigenous film-maker Harry Frederick capture through
sublime rituals of Southeast Asia and its native people,
their unique individual lens and artistic approaches the
brought to life by an electrifying team of creatives.
anatomical landscape and cultural history embodied in indigenous bodies and lived spaces.
MEPAAN – meaning always in the Kayan language of the indigenous Kayan people of Borneo – is a sonic and visual
The imagination of set designer Wong Chee Wai and
trip into the wellspring of spiritual and cultural nuance
lighting designer Andy Lim collectively evoke the surreal
embedded in Southeast Asian native culture.
grandeur of the work set within the cavernous halls of Pasir Panjang Power Station, as multimedia artist
In a breathtaking performance, stirring strains of
Brian Gothong Tan takes the entire experience into
indigenous music and vocal tradition from Southeast
transcendence with his visual treatment.
Asia’s island nations are woven into a fabric of powerful orchestral compositions, evoking grand ritual
Directed by Natalie Hennedige, MEPAAN is set to
and ceremony to transport the mind into the pristine
thrill audiences in an arresting evening of music,
rainforests of Southeast Asia.
beauty and transcendence.
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