Diasporic Dispatches: “The Cardboard Kitchen Project” by FK Co-Lab
By Rebecca Goh (977 words, 6-minute read) We step into the dimly-lit theatre of The Lion & Unicorn, a soft, almost dream-like blue wash over the noticeable emptiness of the stage – save for a skeletal cardboard cut-out resembling a…
Siapa Nama Kamu? – Questions to Answer a Friend
By Syed Muhammad Hafiz (1,823 words, 7-minute read) Recently I was asked by a friend, “How come I don’t see any local Malay artists in the current show at National Gallery Singapore (NGS)?”. My immediate response was, of course, that…
Podcast 65: M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival (Part 1)
Duration: 20 min Podcast host Chan Sze-Wei and guest Melissa Quek discuss works they saw at the recent M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival, specifically at the platforms DiverCity, Off Stage and M1 Open Stage. These include H A S E…
Weekly Southeast Asia Radar: Protests over Marcos-sponsored play; the Spaniard in Singapore films
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…
Conversations in a small room: “Dialogues And Reflections”
By Shahril Salleh (1,000 words, 6-minute read) New music is the epitome of unfamiliar territory. Even as someone who read music at university, often I find myself unprepared (and even dreading) to watch new music concerts. Part of my own…
The working processes of artists: ScRach MarcS
In this video, LASALLE students Heng Wei Ting and Syarifuddin Bin Sahari speak to dancers Rachel Lee and Marcus Tan, also known as ScRach MarcS, on the intricacies of street dance in Singapore, including its acceptance as an art form,…
Love me tender: “Eat Duck” by Checkpoint Theatre
By Nabilah Said (1,119 words, 6-minute read) There is a Malay proverb: “sedangkan lidah lagi tergigit”, that roughly translates as “even the tongue can get bitten”. It applies to groups of people, such as a husband and wife, or siblings,…
Weekly Southeast Asia Radar: New Filipina superhero; capturing seniors of Saigon; refugee kids in Penang musical
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…
Full Hungarian splendour: Treble Voices Festival 2019
By Shahril Salleh (1,200 words, 6-minute read) Choral music festivals are gaining traction in Singapore. In my opinion, this is a good thing for both the choral music scene as well as the arts ecosystem. From a place-making perspective, not…
Podcast 64: The Orange Production 2019
Duration: 37 min In this latest podcast, ArtsEquator editor Nabilah Said and theatre reviewer Naeem Kapadia discuss the productions We Were So Hopeful Then (written by Ellison Tan and directed by Alvin Tan) and Acting Mad (with texts by Haresh…
Instructions for reheating: “Forked” by The Finger Players
By Nabilah Said (820 words, 5-minute read) In the pre-show for Forked, playwright and performer Jo Tan is warming up, prepping her body. We see her assume the plank position, a fractured toe from rehearsals armoured in a padded thermoplastic…
Weekly Southeast Asia Radar: Burmese hip hop, and queer Vietnamese singer Tuimi
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…
“Medium Rare”, “God or Dog” and the makings of a Singaporean monster
By Alfonse Chiu (1,700 words, 7-minute read) Content warning: References to violent or disturbing behaviour In late January 1981, the body of a young girl was discovered in a brown PVC bag about a metre high by a young…
Podcast 63: Rei Poh and Attempts
Duration: 30 min In this latest episode of our Fresh Blood podcast, Nabilah Said speaks to Singaporean theatremaker Rei Poh on the new collective Attempts, which focuses on creating theatrical experiences based on the principles of participatory theatre and gameplay….
The working processes of artists: Nam Hwa Opera
In this video, LASALLE students Cherie Tan Yan Zhen and Lee Jia Jing speak to opera performer Chen Yu Zhi from Nam Hwa Opera, a Singapore-based Teochew opera troupe founded in 1963. They discuss what makes traditional and contemporary Teochew…
Crashing realities: “Acting Mad” by The Necessary Stage
By Nabilah Said (747 words, 5-minute read) Content warning: References to self-harm and sexual assault Someone cried. Someone squeezed my hand. Someone felt seen. Someone drank tea. — The Necessary Stage’s latest offering, Acting Mad, pulls no punches. It…
Weekly Southeast Asia Radar: The relevance of “Soi Cowboy”; Malaysia’s Zen Cho wins Hugo Award
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…
Open Call and Opportunities: Aug 2019 (Singapore/SEA)
ArtsEquator Lobang is a list of available open calls, job postings and other opportunities open to people from Singapore and Southeast Asia. “Lobang”, a Malay word for “hole”, is used in Singlish as a shorthand for an opportunity, valuable contact…
An exercise of privilege: “The Class Room” at M1 Peer Pleasure 2019
By Adeeb Fazah (1,400 words, 6-minute read) When I signed up for The Class Room, a participatory theatre piece created and facilitated by veteran theatre practitioners Li Xie, Kok Heng Leun and Jean Ng, I was expecting a thought-provoking experience,…
What is the music of my country? Race, harmony and diversity in Singapore
By Bani Haykal (2,600 words, 10-minute read) “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…
Weekly Southeast Asia Radar: Skateboarding in Myanmar; ARTJOG
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…
Uncovering the Enigma of Lin Bo: “Caught” by SRT
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…
Looking away for clarity: “First Fleet” by Nine Years Theatre
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…
Weekly Southeast Asia Radar: Malaysia mulls on Jawi calligraphy; racism in Singapore
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…
Celebrating the monstrous other: “Anak Pontianak” and “Nobody” at LumiNation
By ila (1,100 words, 6-minute read) 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…
The working processes of artists: .gif
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…
“In Time To Come” at LumiNation 2019
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…
“MAT” at Objectifs: Pluralisms, perceptions and podcast failings
(3,747 words, 12-minute read) 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…
Weekly S.E.A. Radar: ARTJOG as art festival; Rich Brian; Thai dissident band hiding out in Laos
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…
Staying woke: “Awakenings” at National Gallery Singapore
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…