Spoiler Alert: If you’re planning to experience the mystery and suspense of Attempts: Singapore, read only after you’ve attended the performance. By Jocelyn Chng (518 words, 4-minute read) Most performances in Singapore keep the audience in their place, passively sitting and watching. Attempts: Singapore is an attempt at getting the audience up on their feet and […]
“Attempts: Singapore”: An Uncertain Attempt Read More »
Spoiler Alert: If you’re planning to experience the mystery and suspense of Attempts: Singapore, read only after you’ve attended the performance. By Sherlyn Goh Xue Ting (1295 words, 9-minute read) Entry 26,371: 25 January 2018, 2000hrs It has been a few days since the mysterious databank in J.O.A.N. appeared, and the system is overwhelmed by memories
Investigation Report for “Attempts: Singapore” Read More »
Spoiler Alert: If you’re planning to experience the mystery and suspense of Attempts: Singapore, read only after you’ve attended the performance. By Alicia Chong (700 words, 5-minute read) Attempts: Singapore by Rei Poh – presented as part of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2018 – creates a theatrical performance that immerses its audience in an ‘escape
“Attempts: Singapore”: Fluid Fragments and Fragile Illusions Read More »
By Isaac Lim (468 words, 4 minute read) A woman’s place is in the kitchen. Or is it? Israeli theatre-maker Emanuella Amichai’s The Neighbor’s Grief is Greener attempts to quell all notions of the ideal woman we know from 1950s American pop culture. It all gets pretty bloody. Set in a pristine home, a Stepford
“The Neighbor’s Grief is Greener”: Past Imperfect Read More »
By Richard Chung (700 words, 5-minute read) A peek inside the macabrely funny world of The Neighbor’s Grief Is Greener, set in a 1950s American suburban kitchen. In 1940s America, men went off to war, leaving the running of the country to women. Many wives and daughters stepped foot into factories and worked for the
“The Neighbor’s Grief is Greener”: Exquisite Macabre meets Slapstick Comedy Read More »
By Patricia Tobin (538 words, 5-minute read) From Stepford Wives to The Real Housewives, the idealised American woman is always found in the kitchen. But is she happy? In The Feminine Mystique (1963), Betty Friedan found that most housewives of this era were unfulfilled within the domestic space. Creator-director Emanuella Amichai addresses this in The
“The Neighbor’s Grief is Greener”: There Will be Blood Read More »
By Teo Dawn (700 words, 5-minute read) 2018 has only just begun, but the women’s rights movement is already making its voice heard with #MeToo dominating social media, and the Time’s Up campaign started by Hollywood celebrities. Sexual violence against women is in the spotlight. Now, Larry Nassar (disgraced former Team USA gymnastics doctor) has
Is “The Neighbor’s Grief” really greener, or are we all the same? Read More »
By Ezekiel Oliveira (565 words 4-minute read) A dreamy, perfect 1950’s housewife stands in the middle of a kitchen, cracking eggs and stirring flour into her bowl. But she isn’t making your regular American casserole; she’s cooking up a far bloodier dish. She dashes the pot on the ground, flooding the kitchen with blood. Emanuella Amichai’s
“The Neighbor’s Grief is Greener”: A Dark Domesticity Read More »
There’s something inherently sneaky about Thailand’s annual music festival Wonderfruit. The fest, which is fast becoming one of the best in Southeast Asia, is about so much more than music. Sure, those festival memories may have started in the Quarry, but the daylight side of the fest is so packed with informative discussions about sustainability, sexuality,
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Riau, Jakarta, Bandung and Yogyakarta from 22 – 28 January 2018 RIAU Festival Musik Rimbang Baling, 22-28 January 2018, Koto Lamo, Kampar Kiri Hulu, Kampar, Riau. Immerse yourself in nature and come to this unique music festival while supporting nature conservation efforts! Presented with a theme “Menyemai
22 – 28 January 2018: Indonesia Read More »
Duration: 19 mins We’ve just begun 2018 and already our arts calendar is bursting with events, especially with the sixth edition of the annual Singapore Art Week around the corner. Among the slew of Art Week programmes is ArtWalk Little India, a multidisciplinary festival spanning the precinct of Little India. The ArtWalk, in its fourth
Podcast 32: ArtWalk Little India Read More »
Acts of Voicing Artist Panel, Parkview Museum Singapore, 19 Jan, 3pm Moderated by Dr. Michelle Lim, Acts of Voicing is a dialogue session which presents the experiences of Singapore artists negotiating fields of artistic production and concept of the ‘international’. The practices and approaches of the shortlisted artists focus on revealing perspectives about society, narratives
15 – 21 January 2018: Singapore Read More »
In the middle of the black box studio of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre there is a white rectangle placed on the floor. Above it, a rectangular box is mounted, casting fluorescent light diffused through a white screen. At the periphery of the studio, there are rows of slender pillars attached with fluorescent tubes.
Rantau Reviews: “Co/exist” & “Private Conversation” in Bangkok Read More »
“Boating along a serene stretch of the Mekong River near the UNESCO World Heritage town of Luang Prabang, some passengers were overcome with emotion. “I screamed,” said Xaisongkham Induangchanty. “We all screamed.” Tears poured down Siege Ledesma’s face. “I cried ugly,” she confided. “Really ugly.” Their tears were an expression of joy, unrelated to the
Laos film festival nurtures big screen dreams Read More »
The Bangkok Theatre Festival takes place at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, a handsome 9-storey rotunda building right beside the Siam Square shopping district. Instantly recognisable by its white, curved exterior, it houses a library, malls and galleries (the upper floors consist of a spiral ramp a la the Guggenheim Museum). In terms of
Rantau Reviews: 3 Plays at the Bangkok Theatre Festival Read More »
2017 was an eventful year for the arts in Singapore, full of the promising and the problematic. While there were the good, such as new projects and plans to develop the cultural landscape in exciting ways, there were also the not so good: controversies or conflicts that have spawned endless debates and infinite scrolling through
Ten Newsmakers of the Year in the Arts Read More »
Bold and unrelenting, Shuttle Life 《分贝人生》is an emotionally-charged social drama about Malaysia’s urban poor, offering a poignant insight into privilege and powerlessness in modern Kuala Lumpur. Featuring strong performances and gritty cinematography, the film marks an award-winning feature debut for director Tang Seng Kiat, clinching Best Film, Best Actor and Best Cinematography in the Asian
“Shuttle Life 《分贝人生》”: Grief and Powerlessness in Modern Malaysia Read More »
By Ezekiel Oliveira (573 words, 5-minute read) Subtle lighting can enhance any dance piece, but the gloom that pervades this triple bill too often leaves the fine choreography lurking in the shadows. The decision must have had an artistic impetus, but the result often leaves everyone – performers and audience – dancing in the
Three Kin, T.H.E Dance Company Read More »
By Akanksha Raja (840 words, 8-minute read) “Language is born from imagination, and imagination is what makes language real. Without language, we have no memory: therefore, literacy (the mastery of language) is important. Our sense of language is the most intimate access to what is real, and our literature is our people’s memory; through language,
Same same but different: ASEAN 50 at the Singapore Writers Festival 2017 Read More »
In March, it was announced that Gaurav Kripalani, the Artistic Director of the Singapore Repertory Theatre, would succeed Theatreworks Artistic Director Ong Keng Sen as Festival Director of Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA). This changing of guard foretells a significant shift in approach to programming and presentation choices: Ong is known to favour presenting
SIFA Changing of Guard Read More »
Kirsten Tan’s debut feature film POP AYE, became the first Singaporean film to win the prestigious Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Screenwriting in January. The film is a road trip tale about the bond between an aging architect and an elephant, set in Thailand. Her victory was lauded by Prime
In late 2016, anonymous attacks on the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2017 program surfaced online. The IMDA subsequently refused to issue ratings to M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2017’s performance-lecture Naked Ladies by Thea Fitz-James and Ming Poon’s Undressing Room, unless elements of the works be modified. The Fringe organisers pulled these shows out of the
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta and Yogyakarta from 27 November – 3 December 2017 JAKARTA Enam Belas Film Festival, Now – 10 December 2017, various venues, Jakarta Enam Belas Film Festival (16FF) is a 16-day film festival to raise awareness and campaign against violence towards women. As part of this festival,
27 November – 3 December 2017: Indonesia Read More »
By Meta Setiawan Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) returns this year from 23 November to 3 December 2017, presenting an exciting array of films from Singapore, the region and all other corners of the world. ArtsEquator.com is excited to see the range of films from the region at SGIFF this year. Our Indonesian correspondent, Meta Setiawan,
ArtsEquator’s Picks: Southeast Asian films at SGIFF 2017 Read More »
“There’s K-pop, J-pop, Cantopop, and even Pinoy pop. But do we know what kind of music our ASEAN neighbors are producing? The dominance of Western music notwithstanding, ASEAN Music Festival organizer Annie Luis of the National Commision for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) wanted to put the spotlight on music from ASEAN member states, this
ASEAN Music Festival: After K-pop and J-pop, what about ASEAN-pop? [Philippines] Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta, Padang, Yogyakarta, and Bali from 13 – 19 November 2017 JAKARTA Lukisan Tanpa Teori, Now – 23 November 2017, Galeri Cipta III, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta. A painting essentially is made up of brushes of paints on a canvas. Is there really a need for theory
13 – 19 November 2017: Indonesia Read More »
Dreamseeds Arts Fest by Club Rainbow, 18 – 25 Nov, *SCAPE An initiative by Club Rainbow (Singapore), Dreamseeds Arts Fest 2017 is a multi-experiential arts festival headlined by the non-profit organisation’s beneficiaries. Dreamseeds Arts Fest is an open-to-public inclusive arts platform that offers beneficiaries the opportunity to realise their creative potential and connect with a
13 – 19 Nov 2017: Singapore Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta and Makassar from 6 – 12 November 2017 JAKARTA Jiwa – Jakarta Biennale 2017, 4 November – 10 December 2017, various locations, Jakarta Jakarta’s biannual international contemporary art exhibition is back with a theme of Jiwa. Jiwa or soul is the spirit or energy that drives
6 – 12 November 2017: Indonesia Read More »
Pichet Klunchun was invited to create an outdoor performance at Minami Ikebukuro Park, a popular hang-out place for families and young people in Tokyo, by the Festival Tokyo 2017. It was an ‘odd’ commission given that Pichet Klunchun is known internationally, as a choreographer and dancer, for his deconstruction of classical Thai dance, the khon,
Tikam-Tikam Japan: Site-Specific Monkeys by Pichet Klunchun Read More »
For Esplanade’s da:ns festival 2017, LASALLE College of the Arts and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) come together for The Next Generation to present 70 minutes of well choreographed works that offer an insight into what we can come to expect from the next wave of dancers anticipating to enter the industry. LASALLE College
“The Next Generation”: LASALLE and NAFA at da:ns festival 2017 Read More »
