Can the arts solve community issues in the region? The SEA*5 think so.
Can the creative society in Southeast Asia support each other in finding solutions to problems in our communities, powered by compassion and empathy? That’s one of the questions at the heart of the existence of Project SEA*5. The group comprises…
Pelesits And Where To Find Them: A conversation with NADA and Teater Ekamatra
By ila Many of us grew up with ghost stories. For some of us, it’s very much part of our belief system that we share the world with other presences. (If you’re interested, I wrote a speculative text about the…
Aliwal Tracks: Mr Gelam and the potential of virtual worldbuilding
Walk around Kampong Gelam today and it’s easy to forget how much of a rich historical site it used to be. Historical markers abound, and yet, grab any young person hanging out in its many hip dining establishments and they…
The top ArtsEquator articles of 2020
Below is a list of the top 10 ArtsEquator articles in 2020, in random order: An Elder Millennial’s Guide to Classic Singapore TV & Movies by Joel Tan Published on: 20 Aug 2020 “Purists are undecided on when exactly…
Podcast 84: Traditional Arts: Dikir Barat, Kavadi Attam and Nanyin
ArtsEquator speaks to Lyn Lee, Nirmala Seshadri and Soultari Amin Farid about Nanyin, Kavadi Attam and Dikir Barat and the study and practice of traditional arts in Singapore. This is a follow-up on ArtsEquator’s series of animated videos “10 Things“,…
ArtsEquator, Deadline Now
by Kathy Rowland ArtsEquator sometimes feels like a mythical creature. Looking back over the past 4 years, it takes the shape of a unicorn, a joyful improbability. With Covid-19, it can weigh like an albatross, cash flow statements instead of…
The working processes of artists: Chong Li-Chuan
Sonic artist and composer Chong Li-Chuan shares how he uses sound and music to complement and elevate performances, from theatre to site-specific works, dance and movement. This video is conceptualised and directed by LASALLE students Kim Juwon, Nadiah Syahirah and…
Let’s get digital: 12 online efforts by Southeast Asian artists and creatives
1. Sharul Channa’s Am I Old? Virtual Edition What: A comedy monologue by Singaporean comedian Sharul Channa, Am I Old? will introduce you to 68-year-old retired teacher, Savitri. Listen to her hilarious stories of love, life and ageing. This…
A house is not a home: Centre 42 and Arts Resource Hub
By Nabilah Said and Kathy Rowland The fate of a certain house is a matter of contention amongst a group of people in Singapore. In this case, the house – a bright blue, pre-war bungalow located on 42 Waterloo Street…
The Beauty of Time and Image: “ST/LL” at SIFA 2019
Seamlessly blending the digital image, live dance and a richly evocative music score, ST/LL is startlingly beautiful treat for the eyes and the ears. This production celebrates the performance collaboration of composer Ryuichi Sakamoto and visual and multimedia artist Shiro Takatani. (Sakamoto’s concert Fragments, with visuals…
ArtsEquator’s Top 10 Picks at the Performing Arts Meeting 2019
Established in 1995, the Tokyo Performing Arts Market (TPAM) was created to be a platform to network Japanese artists with producers and funders. 24 years later, TPAM has expanded in scope and purpose, to include live performance, panel discussions and…
8 Questions with Alan Oei
By Alfonse Chiu (1600 words, five-minute read) As part of ArtsEquator’s interview series profiling artistic directors across the region, we spoke with Alan Oei, AD of The Substation and co-founder and executive director of OH! Open House, on his hopes,…
AExGTF Chats: The Griffith Creative Arts Room at George Town Festival
The opening weekend of the George Town Festival 2018 also saw the opening of the Griffith Creative Arts Room at Wisma Yeap Chor Ee, Penang: a room dedicated to presenting the works of creative arts from the students and faculty…
The Art and Consequence of Collaboration: Interview with Vicki Sowry and Jonathan Parsons
Presented by the National Arts Council Singapore, The Art and Consequence of Collaboration with the Australian Network for Art & Technology (ANAT) and Experimenta is a series of presentations that give an insight into the art/technology and art/science sectors in Australia,…
Rainforest Fringe Festival 2018: Top 8 Picks
By Nur Athirah Abdullah The Rainforest Fringe Festival 2018 (RFF 2018) is less than a month away! Not to be mistaken for the Rainforest World Music Festival, one of the region’s best world music festivals, the Fringe is a cool…
Art That Moves: Marc Nair
Art that Moves is an occasional series where we ask artists and other creative workers to reflect on artworks, performances or events that were personally important to them. Marc Nair, poet and photographer, is producer of Note for Note: #Skintones, an…
SIFA 2018: Walking death’s footsteps in Zelda Tatiana Ng’s “0600”
0600 is named for the time that executions are carried out. What makes an artist take on the polarising topic of the death penalty in Singapore? Zelda Tatiana Ng has been a fixture in the Singapore performing arts scene for…
“Out of Print”: classic Singaporean texts get a contemporary makeover
By Corrie Tan (1,300 words, eight-minute read) We’ve all met the gaze of this pair of narrow, red-pupilled eyes – whether with a torchlight under the bedcovers, or in school, snuck into class beneath a desk. The predatory stare on…
Meta Moeng: a bridge-builder in Cambodia’s art world
By Ben Valentine (1,600 words, 10 minute read) Meta Moeng was the first person I met from Cambodia’s arts scene. This was in 2014, and I was eager to learn more about the country’s arts ecology. She was then the…
Ten Newsmakers of the Year in the Arts
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…
Regional Forum on Creative Hubs: Connecting Creative Communities
By Akanksha Raja (900 words, 8-minute read) The Regional Forum on Creative Hubs and Cities, organised by the British Council, took place at the Thailand Creative & Design Center (TCDC) on 10 October 2017. It was an extension of a…
All Aboard: Artists and Locals Come Together at Penang’s Hin Bus Depot
Penangites of a certain age still have fond memories of the Blue Bus that ran up and down the island until the 1980s. The company’s garage, built in 1947, sported a sleek Art Deco façade, still visible today. But years…
“Professional Obligations” in the Artworld
By Alan Oei and Lee Weng Choy (1330 words, 14-minute read) Lee Weng Choy (a former artistic co-director of The Substation) and Alan Oei (the current artistic director of The Substation and also director of OH! Open House) have known…
ANCER Research Camp 2016: Collective Creative Practices in Southeast Asia
By Akanksha Raja and Kathy Rowland (1010 words, 15-minute read) There was a distinct absence of PowerPoint presentations at the Asia Pacific Network for Cultural Education and Research (ANCER) 2016 Research Camp, held at LASALLE College of the Arts from…
Changing Notions: On the Back of a Raging Bull
by Pawit Mahasarinan (1045 words, 12-minute read) Asian works were part of the main programme in this 50-year-old festival From 24 September to 2 October 2016, the jubilee edition of the Belgrade International Theatre Festival (BITEF) with the subtitle “On…
You Must Like Chocolate: An Essay on Taste
By Lee Weng Choy (1130 words, 17-minute read) Do you like chocolate? I like chocolate. Who doesn’t like chocolate? Although, come to think of it, I do know of some people who don’t like chocolate — at least, I remember…