“All music, any organization of sounds is then a tool for the creation or consolidation of a community, of a totality.” – Jacques Attali “Gua jahat ada hajat boy” – Akeem Jahat Tuning In The title of this article references a song by the Indonesian band Project Pop, Dangdut Is The […]
What is the music of my country? Race, harmony and diversity in Singapore Read More »
ArtsEquator’s Southeast Asia Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. Here’s a round-up of content from this week, scoured and sifted from a range
Weekly Southeast Asia Radar: Skateboarding in Myanmar; ARTJOG Read More »
By Akanksha Raja (1,500 words, 6-minute read) It’s a party … It’s unbridled and free and outrageous. It demands a full-body, full-mind engagement. That’s how New York-based director Ed Sylvanus Iskandar describes Caught, Singapore Repertory Theatre’s latest production, a socially immersive experience at Miaja Gallery taking place from 10 September onwards. It’s an unusual and
Uncovering the Enigma of Lin Bo: “Caught” by SRT Read More »
By Nabilah Said (1,100 words, 6-minute read) “The best seats are on the sides.” A friend’s advice guided my decision when I went to review First Fleet by Nine Years Theatre. Mindful of spoilers, she had not said why, but the reason became obvious as soon as I stepped into the auditorium of the cavernous
Looking away for clarity: “First Fleet” by Nine Years Theatre Read More »
ArtsEquator Southeast Asia Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. Here’s a round-up of content from this week, scoured and sifted from a range
Weekly Southeast Asia Radar: Malaysia mulls on Jawi calligraphy; racism in Singapore Read More »
The year is 2049: two hundred years since the Pontianak first appeared in writing, marked insignificantly in Hikayat Abdullah as residues of superstitious and foolish beliefs of the Chinese and Malays that have persisted with time. I guess the only parts that Munsyi Abdullah was right about are the Pontianak’s timelessness and persistence. She is
Celebrating the monstrous other: “Anak Pontianak” and “Nobody” at LumiNation Read More »
In this video, indie-electronic duo .gif, made up of Nurudin Sadali and Chew Wei Shan or Weish, are interviewed by LASALLE students Narrel Wisaksono and Aqid Aiman. They talk about their sound, the nature of cross-disciplinary collaborations and wearing chicken suits onstage. This video can also be viewed on YouTube. Between February to April 2019,
The working processes of artists: .gif Read More »
We asked our readers what they would put in a time capsule. The answers were heartwarming, quirky and intriguing – through each of them, there was a consideration of what deserves preservation, and an imagination of our futures. In Tan Pin Pin’s documentary, In Time To Come (2017), one time capsule is opened, while another is
“In Time To Come” at LumiNation 2019 Read More »
Editor’s note: This is a transcript of a podcast recording which cannot be shared due to poor audio quality. It has been lightly edited for clarity. ArtsEquator (AE): Hello everyone. Welcome to the ArtsEquator podcast. My name is Nabilah Said, I am the editor of ArtsEquator and this is my first time hosting our podcast. I’m
“MAT” at Objectifs: Pluralisms, perceptions and podcast failings Read More »
ArtsEquator Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. Here’s a round-up of content from this week, scoured and sifted from a range of regional
By Nabilah Said (1,000 words, 6-minute read) My friends that have visited Singapore in recent times have been given the following non-food recommendations by me: I point them to Haw Par Villa for its wonderfully macabre dreamscapes of punitive Asian values, and then suggest they drop by National Gallery Singapore for the art contained within
Staying woke: “Awakenings” at National Gallery Singapore Read More »
By Shahril Salleh (932 words, 5-minute read) ONE chamber choir has a formidable reputation. It is one of Singapore’s premier community choir – one that made waves and built bridges for our nation in the international choral music scene. Its recent concert, 10toONE, held on 14 July 2019, not only showcased the choir’s high standards
Hitting the right (heart) notes: 10toONE by ONE Chamber Choir Read More »
ArtsEquator Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. Here’s a round-up of content from this week, scoured and sifted from a range of regional
Duration: 47 min Podcast host Amin Farid alongside fellow dance scholars Elizabeth Chan and Aparna Nambiar discuss their respective fields of study within traditional dance. They share their thoughts on current particularities and problematics within the Malay, Chinese and Indian traditional dance scenes in Singapore, as well as what has led them down the academic
Podcast 62: Unpacking the Contemporary in Traditional Dance Read More »
By Patricia Tobin ( 700 words, 5-minute read) It starts with a song. Faiq Syazwan Kuhiri strums the ukulele and gently sings about hope and the future. For a lecture-performance, A Notional History, a work in progress by Five Arts Centre, is filled with pockets of tender moments like these. Together with journalist Rahmah Pauzi and filmmaker-activist
Tender notes on violence in “A Notional History” by Five Arts Centre Read More »
By Patricia Tobin ( 700 words, 5-minute read) “GE14 will be the arts festival to outdo all arts festivals,” said performer-politician Fahmi Fadzil. He is referring to the live spectacle: from theatre productions to political speeches, performativity is a constant. All the world’s a stage, as the production of GE14 shows, from the car parks
Fahmi Fadzil’s “GE14”: The sound and fury signifying everything Read More »
ArtsEquator Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. Here’s a round-up of content from this week, scoured and sifted from a range of regional
Duration: 20 min In our latest podcast, Thai theatre critic Amitha Amranand gives a comprehensive overview of the media landscape in Thailand, discussing the impact of the political and legal system on the arts and the paradoxical freedom that arts journalists have in the country. This presentation was part of a series of Country Media
Podcast 61: The Media Landscape in Thailand Read More »
ArtsEquator Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. Here’s a round-up of content from this week, scoured and sifted from a range of regional
The 4.7m concertina artists book: A Guide to the Interior of a Salt Water Crocodile by Zachary Chan and Lucy Davis with photographs by Kee Ya Ting, June 2019. Photos: Kee Ya Ting
Migrant Ecologies Project: A Grain of Wheat Inside a Salt Water Crocodile Read More »
Another Chinese tradition, which probably has no connection with the previous one is that the Butterworth cannon belonged to ‘Panglima’ (Warrior) Ah Chong a bravo of the Inter-Chinese wars which took place in the Larut tin fields in 1862, and lasted sporadically for ten years. “This warrior turned into a crocodile on his death and this crocodile is now the biggest stuffed crocodile in Raffles
Migrant Ecologies Project: A Grain of Wheat Inside a Salt Water Crocodile Read More »
Wheat Grain World Dreams, the centre section from the artist’s book contains a map that includes some of our research questions around, for example, histories of 19th century cash crops and the crimes of the British India Company; and the extension of China’s Belt and Road journey West.
Migrant Ecologies Project: A Grain of Wheat Inside a Salt Water Crocodile Read More »
This is our box and our seed in its current resting place inside Mine 3 Platåberget Svalbard, Arctic Circle.
Migrant Ecologies Project: A Grain of Wheat Inside a Salt Water Crocodile Read More »
After what seemed like a long walk in silence and darkness into the mountain we came to an almost mythological-looking door with the words ‘Fröhall’ – seed room – written upon it. This was the door of the original seed bank chamber, which was an initiative of the Nordic Genebank. Photo: Anna Laurent.
Migrant Ecologies Project: A Grain of Wheat Inside a Salt Water Crocodile Read More »
Inside the mine with the Migrant Ecologies Project box, with project conceptualiser Dr. Fern Wickson (right) and other artists. Photo: Anna Laurent
Migrant Ecologies Project: A Grain of Wheat Inside a Salt Water Crocodile Read More »
The artists outside Mine 3 of Platåberget Mountain, in a moment of silence with their boxes in the goodbye ceremony to the exhibition. Lucy Davis & Zachary Chan (Migrant Ecologies Project), Maggie Puckett (Seeds in Service), Sergey Jivetin, Anna Laurent, Ivan Juarez, Paul Chartrand.
Migrant Ecologies Project: A Grain of Wheat Inside a Salt Water Crocodile Read More »
Our neighbour, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, was under reconstruction during our time in Norway in order to make the vault more resilient against melting glaciers and water leakage. This is the view from the mine next door in which the boxes were buried. Photo: Maggie Puckett
Migrant Ecologies Project: A Grain of Wheat Inside a Salt Water Crocodile Read More »
Part of a letter from Stephane Rennesson. We are still trying to find an appropriate format to honour the tremendous care and consideration that went into these letters and artworks.
Migrant Ecologies Project: A Grain of Wheat Inside a Salt Water Crocodile Read More »
Letter from Harriet Rabe Von Froelich. We are still trying to find an appropriate format to honour the tremendous care and consideration that went into these letters and artworks.
Migrant Ecologies Project: A Grain of Wheat Inside a Salt Water Crocodile Read More »
Artist letters, clockwise from top left: Letters from Mari Keski Korsu, Marietta Radomska, Lee Weng Choy and Filippa Ramos.
Migrant Ecologies Project: A Grain of Wheat Inside a Salt Water Crocodile Read More »
