SWF POP #15: Screening of Between The Lines: Rant & Rave II, 18 Jan at The Projector
This is a screening of a recorded theatre production, Between The Lines: Rant & Rave II, a 2012 play by award-winning playwright Chong Tze Chien. Restaged at the Singapore Writers Festival 2016 featuring actors Serene Chen and Jean Ng, it’s a theatrical journey tracing the evolution of Singapore literature. This screening will be followed by a panel discussion between key members of the Singapore literary scene: Alfian Sa’at, Balli Kaur Jaswal, Kenny Chan and Annaliza Bakri. Sounds unmissable for anyone passionate about literature. More information.
RELEASE 6.0, 20- 21 Jan, 8pm at Goodman Arts Centre Blackbox
The sixth iteration of Maya Dance Theatre’s RELEASE features choreography from practitioners as far afield as Australia and Germany, as well as homegrown work. This edition also inaugurates a new choreographic platform In-Bloom, that promotes works-in-progress by dance artists from Southeast Asia. More information.
Agathi by Apsara Arts, 20 – 21 Jan, Esplanade
Blending poetry, music and the traditional Indian bharatanatyam, this dance production seeks to dialogue with pressing issues of our time such as prejudice, stigma, and the struggle of refugees. Drawn from artistic director Aravinth Kumarasamy’s own experiences being a refugee, it promises to be an intimate and sensitive depiction of the displaced among us, around the world.
The poetry featured come from renowned Tamil writers Kavimani Desiga Vinayagam Pillai, Maha Kavi Subramania Bharath, and Kaviarasu Kannadasan. Verses translated into Tamil by Niranjan Bharathi from A Book of Poems: Expressions from our Youth, published by the UN Refugee Agency, will also feature. More information.
State of Motion by Asian Film Archive, until 5 Feb.
Exhibition tours at select timings 20 – 22 Jan. The 2017 edition of the annual State of Motion event explores the aspect of Singapore cinema history that features the city as actor. The programme invites us on a tour of locations featured in several movies, primarily from Western perspectives before the 90’s. Apart from being fascinating films themselves, they are documentations of a maturing Singapore post-independence. At each film location stand artworks that responding to the respective movie as well as the space itself. Artists exhibiting include Hilmi Johandi, Ming Wong, Amanda Lee Koe, and Jeremy Sharma. More information.
Stalemate and EverLife by USP Productions, 20-22 Jan, 7pm, at Yale-NUS Blackbox
This theatrical double-bill by students of National University Singapore explores different ways young people cope with the tangles of love and the pain of mourning. Stalemate depicts the crossroads in a relationship between two 18-year-olds Benjamin and Lee, and Everlife explores the repercussions of using augmented-reality technologies as a coping mechanism for loss and grief.
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Album Launch: Compass by Bennett Bay at Esplanade Recital Studio, 20 Jan 8pm
Join Singapore singer-songwriter Bennett Bay at the launch of his debut full-length album Compass. With a combination of acoustic guitar, horns and strings, you can be sure to expect intricate, folksy tunes from the classically-trained School of the Arts graduate. Young as he may be, he’s already chalked up quite a few gigs in prominent venues – from the Esplanade Concourse to the SingJazz club, as well as the first Neon Lights Festival. More information.
Noise Art Mentorship Showcase: Proposals for Waterloo, until 31 Jan, Waterloo Centre
12 young artists run riot in and around Waterloo Centre, playing, teasing and transforming the architecture and the vicinity, to present new ideas for encountering space. These ideas came to fruition under the mentorship of six established artists: Robert Zhao Renhui, Speak Cryptic, Tan Peiling, Melissa Tan, Ong Kian Peng and Yong. Opening party is on 18 Jan. This event is part of Noise Singapore, a youth initiative of the National Arts Council, and was co-programmed by OH! Open House. It’s also supported by Jalan Besar Town Council, Bras Basah Residents’ Committee and Kampong Glam Community Arts & Culture Club. More information.