Between Ground and Sky

Between Ground and Sky is an interdisciplinary production exploring the poetic world of renowned Malaysian-American poet Shirley Geok-lin Lim through contemporary art song and corporeal theatre. Born to a Peranakan mother and a Chinese father, Lim grew up in British Malaya with Malay and Hokkien as her first languages. She later pursued her graduate studies in the U.S. and is currently a Professor Emerita at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her poetry is marked by her life of crossings and travel, and traverses scenes, dreams, and histories that are intensely personal yet relatable; local and yet transnational. Inspired by the cultural in-betweenness of her work, the production seeks to inspire deeper reflection on the taut, yet complex and intersectional nature of Lim’s poetics.

The eponymous song cycle of five songs by Tan Tiag Yi will be performed by soprano Wong Yong En and pianist Koh Kai Jie, alongside corporeal theatre work by contemporary theatre practitioners Ang Gey Pin and Ranice Tay, assisted by producer Wu Chin Ying. The poetry performed in this production is predominantly from Lim’s recent poetry collections Ars Poetica for the Day and Do You Live In?, both published by Ethos Books in 2015. Her other poems and writings have also been excerpted where relevant. The two collections will be available for purchase at the live performances, courtesy of Ethos Books.

This performance is kindly supported by the National Arts Council, the Tote Board Arts Fund, and the National Youth Council Young ChangeMakers Grant.

Movement artists: Ang Gey Pin, Ranice Tay

Soprano: Wong Yong En

Piano: Koh Kai Jie

Composer: Tan Tiag Yi

Curators: Tan Tiag Yi, Wu Chin Ying

Producer: Wu Chin Ying