Dorsett Hospitality International is delighted to be bringing The Way We Dance, an Augmented Reality (AR) digital art performance piece, to Affordable Art Fair.
Returning as the Exclusive Hotel Partner for Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong, Melbourne, London Battersea Autumn and Singapore for 2022, Dorsett Hospitality International has always believed in the power of art and technology to bring people together.
With a footprint of 54 hotels in 25 cities, Dorsett Hospitality International has supported the fight against Covid-19 from the very beginning looking after over half a million quarantine guests, medical workers and refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine.
As a hotel group, we’ve been inspired by how our guests, colleagues, front liners and people from all walks of life have danced through the rain, through all challenges together, and come out stronger on the other side.
This is what led us to partner with digital art and creative studio The Collective to create The Way We Dance – choreographed by Yuh Egami (with kind permission from the Hong Kong Ballet) and performed by students Jennie Chou and Lee Kok Liang from the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts.
Combining visual art, virtual space and technology, the dances “Awake” and Progress” have been brought to life via motion capture with each virtual dancer designed through the lens of artists from all over the world; each representing their own unique experiences of the pandemic.
Instagram-activated artwork: House of Joy and House of Dreams
When one door closes, another door opens. Dorsett Hospitality International’s booth, will also showcase House of Joy by Katrina Chuang and House of Dreams by Sunny Sun – two physical artworks on canvas which come to life through an AR Instagram Filter.
Prints of these two art pieces will also be available for visitors to take home to colour and draw their own dreams before activating their own art piece using the Instagram filter!
A charity sale of artworks is being held at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. Thirty-six paintings are on display, waiting to be sold to interested buyers, with profits being used to hold Music in the Park concerts in Bangkok all year long.
Dr Sugree Charoensuk came up with the idea of free concerts as a way of helping Thai musicians suffering hardship due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He told The Nation in an interview that “
When I agreed to hold music events in parks, the main help came from the BMA [City Hall], who provided space and equipment to do so. Secondly, musicians are out of jobs. With no work available, these talented artists have not been able to perform for several years after Covid made things difficult, and the most important thing was where to find income. The BMA has no money, and music is a difficult way to earn income. One of the ways I thought of to help was by inviting my friend to create art. I’ve worked with Dr Suchart for 30-40 years, travelled everywhere with him, and seen his potential for artistic excellence. When he listens to music, he can paint pictures, creating unique value by recording the history of each place, each city, locality, as well as the Bangkok way of life. So, I thought that these paintings could be displayed to the public for sale. After selling them, we will use the money to hold Music in the Park concerts and pay the musicians.”
Masterminding the exhibition of artwork for sale is Dr Suchart Vongthong, an internationally known artist who picked out his favourite painting from the 36 he created.
“My favourite painting is of Chadchart. The Bangkok governor’s portrait is important because I wanted to capture his goodness as a person. It is harmonious with a power expressed through the colours as well as his face, his smile and expression in the picture. I tried to give it an expressionistic style.”
The portrait of Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt playing the euphonium is signed by the governor and priced at 10 million baht.
Dr Suchat quipped that if someone buys Chadchart’s portrait at the asking price, he would be able to hold Music in the Park concerts for another year, meaning that musicians left stranded and jobless by Covid-19 could feed their families while Bangkokians could enjoy live melodies in green and pleasant surroundings.
For What Theatre’s daring work is making a highly anticipated Thailand premiere after last year’s European tour
The fact that For What Theatre’s 2021 work “Four Days in September (The Missing Comrade)” is co-produced by Europe’s leading festivals like Kunstenfestivaldesarts (Brussels), Festival d’Automne a Paris and Wiener Festwochen (Vienna) in addition to 2 other theatres in Oslo and Bobigny is a reason for our celebration. The fact that it took more than a year after the world premiere in the EU capital for the work to have its Thailand premiere this week may remind some Thai people of the fact that our best durians and jasmine rice are exported and not for domestic consumption.
As this was the first contemporary Thai theatre experience for many European theatregoers, it’s actually the so-called soft power without spending a single satang of Thai taxpayers’ money. But again, one, or many, may wonder why none of Thai cultural bodies gave support to the tour of this work, the same way their foreign counterparts are doing. Without having to support the whole production as foreign partners were already on board, this would have been an opportunity to show that Thailand is a democratic country, truly not supposedly, which respects freedom of speech and artists’ political commentary as strong as this still receive government support. Instead, our culture ministry chose to spend our tax money by presenting a Nora master on a gondola as part of the opening of the Thailand pavilion at the Biennale Arte 2022 in Venice, which would, a few months. later hold both Biennale Teatro and Biennale Danza.
In this “Amazing Thailand,” we all know why.
Frequent laughter made by the audience attending the press preview this Tuesday at Bangkok CityCity the performance area of which is filled with penguin and yellow duck dolls and other colorful floats—so many that we think we’re either vacationing at a beach or joining a political demonstration—also explains why.
Thanks to my farsightedness due to my age, I spot a mat at stage centre filled with newspaper clippings which were later projected live onto the scrims showing significant political incidents.
This subtle contrast in set, lighting and technical design by Duck Unit is also in line with the overall tone of “Four Days in September” deftly controlled by director Wichaya Artamat. Tracing the history of contemporary Thai politics in four scenes from 1990 to 2032—the last scene takes place 10 years from now—, the content is dead serious, the tone is sanuk (fun) and sabai sabai (chillax)—in other words, appropriately very Thai. Credit here is due also for Wichaya’s co-writer and dramaturg Ratchapoom Boonbanchachoke.
Five friends—effortlessly performed with their real nicknames by Jaturachai Srichanwanpen, Nualpanod Nat Khianpukdee, Saifah Tanthana, Suranya Poonyaphitak and Witwisit Hiranyawongkul—get together and sings Chit Phumisak’s “Saengdao haeng sattha” at the beginning. They discuss many issues including the mysteriously disappeared Blue Diamond and the roles of two Siam-made canons in the Storming of the Bastille, and more than once reiterate, “If I remember it correctly, then it’s true.” Later when one friend is missing after a gunshot the rest is alarmed but then their search for him is distracted by other matters. In another scene, when they are talking about joining a major demonstration at Sanam Luang on September 19, 2020, they are in fact following it on social media. Then, when these friends are laying the new People’s Party memorial peg, it turns out to be Ouija. One wonders here if Thai people are forgetful or playful, or both.
Throughout the 85-minute performance, their actions are monitored, and sometimes manipulated, by a silent character in black attire and mask nonchalantly performed by Sarut Komalittipong. Another major character without any dialogue is an old-style three-blade ceiling fan the birthday of which is celebrated by other characters who repeat that it should be fixed and not replaced. I would rather not elaborate here what it actually represents to make sure that my newspaper would be running my next article next week but instead recommend you watch and enjoy this satirical highlight by yourself.
Driving home that evening, I was thinking of many international theatre critic colleagues who have been frequently inquiring about Thailand’s politics and how it inspires Thai theatre makers.
I was also recalling the 2015 production of B-Floor Theatre’s “Bang Lamerd” all performances of which were monitored by army officers. Although stage performance is viewed by only a few hundred audiences at a time unlike movies, YouTube, or TikTok, it is important that artists are allowed openly and actively discuss their political views with the audience who may agree or disagree with them. That’s how democracy and contemporary arts function although we need to heavily rely on allusions here to make sure we can get away with it here in Thailand.
“Four Days in September (The Missing Comrade),” in Thai with English surtitles, continues at Bangkok CityCity Gallery in Soi Sathorn 1 (10 minute-walk from MRT Lumphini) until Sunday. Weekdays at 7:30pm and weekend at 4pm. Tickets are Bt 700 (Bt 650 for a group of five or more and Bt 450 for students), available at www.facebook.com/theatreforwhat or email forwhattheatre@gmail.com.
From August 19 to October 22, For What Theatre’s another production “This Song Father Used to Sing” will be presented in 8 cities in 4 European countries, including Noorderson Performing Arts Festival in Groningen and Festival d’Automne a Paris, giving theatregoers another glimpse into contemporary Thai theatre.
By Pawit Mahasarinand Photo: Anna Van Waeg/Kunstenfestivaldesarts
No joke: the manga about the Joker as a single dad raising Batman is seriously good!
Have you heard about One Operation Joker? If you’re a manga fan active on Japanese Twitter, you might know all about it. It’s a Japanese manga about DC’s Joker serialized in the weekly manga anthology magazine Morning that had a moment in the Japanese social media spotlight when it went viral not too long ago. It’s written by Satoshi Miyakawa and illustrated by Keisuke Gotoh, and has even been officially approved by DC Comics in the U.S.!
In Japanese, the term “wanope” (one operation) refers to a single parent taking on all child-rearing responsibilities. Operation Joker, which currently has two manga volumes out, is a story about the DC villain and superhero, the Joker and Batman. Through an accident, Batman is transformed into a baby, and in a strange turn of events, the Joker decides to raise Baby Bruce into a hero of justice all by himself.
If you’re a Batman fan or know anything about the Joker, you’re probably thinking, “What the heck?” but that’s the actual story of the manga. Against the backdrop of a super high-crime Gotham City, the Joker struggles with everyday parenting issues like accidentally buying the wrong diaper size, trying to figure out how to put a sleeping baby down without waking it up, and flipping out when they get hurt at daycare.
That the Joker, Batman’s most notorious enemy, would succumb to the everyday troubles of parenthood is ridiculous. Still, that gap between the Joker we’re familiar with and Dad Joker is what makes this manga so funny. In fact, it was thanks to the manga’s realistic and fresh depiction of parenting that this manga went viral on social media. It probably also got a lot of attention because the first chapter is available to read for free online in Japanese.
Volume 1 depicts the Joker’s struggles with being a parent; as he stumbles about trying to learn how to take care of a baby, he also jokes around and doesn’t take it too seriously. By Volume 2, however, he’s gotten the hang of being a single dad, and that’s where we really get to see his fatherly side (yes, even the Joker has a fatherly side!).
And as the Joker becomes more parent-like, so too does Baby Bruce grow. In Volume 1, Baby Bruce plays more of a supporting role, a character used to draw out the conflicts for the Joker. But as the story progresses, Baby Batman transforms from being just a side character into a Super Justice Baby.
In the second volume Baby Bruce has grown from an infant to a toddler. He’s walking and going to daycare, and though he can’t speak yet, he’s developed his own method of communication, like how he puffs out his cheeks when he’s happy. The bond he develops with the Joker as he grows up is also extremely touching.
In conclusion, One Operation Joker is a comedy manga that anyone can enjoy, even if you have no interest in or knowledge of Batman or the Joker.
Sadly, it looks like it doesn’t have an English-language translation yet, you might have to wait a bit before it comes out.
European premiere of Batsheva Dance Company’s “2019” proves why we still need live performance
In the spring of 2006, as I was walking towards the BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) building in New York, a man offered me USD 200 in cash in exchange of my ticket for Israeli contemporary dance company Batsheva’s “Mamootot”. Although I could recall paying USD 36 for that ticket, my mom was a math teacher and I had never heard of Batsheva before, I politely declined that offer and instead rushed upstairs to the Hillman Studio and found myself a seat next to a reserved one which was later used by a dancer. That was also my first experience, and an unforgettable one, watching contemporary dance in the theatre-in-the-round configuration.
In the years that followed, I have watched Batsheva’s other works in Melbourne, Singapore as well as at their home base namely Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theatre in Tel Aviv. Back home, I was only able to watch “Gaga”, a documentary film that explains the unique dance language and philosophy developed by the company’s choreographer and former artistic director Ohad Naharin–thanks to the screening by the Israeli embassy here.
As I was entering a large theatre complex Le Corum in Montpellier last month, I saw a woman holding a sign. My French is as bad as my Japanese but I could guess that she wanted to buy a ticket for Batsheva’s “2019”, the most sought-after ticket in this 42nd annual edition of Montpellier Danse, a co-producer of this work. I did the same as 16 years ago as my excitement rose.
To the audience’s surprise, although the work was staged at the 1,800-seat Opéra Berlioz, our tickets were marked “placement libre” and we could take either the left or right entrance without having to check if our seat number was odd or even. Once inside, we saw that all audience seats were empty and instead we’re led onto the stage area that was set up with a long and narrow platform, a white curtain and an audience stand with only five rows. Thanks to my nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, I choose one on the front row.
After a male dancer in stilettos made a pre-show announcement in multiple languages asking us to turn off our mobile phones came another surprise when we found that we’re in a traverse stage configuration and there’s another audience stand opposite to ours.
In more than 70 minutes that followed, Naharin discussed many issues of Israel and the world through his unpredictable choreography and masterly use of the traverse stage which was not frequently used in either dance or theatre and required high mobility. This stage configuration also meant that each member of the audience had a different view of the performance, the same way we do many other things in life, and those on the front row, of course, needed to turn their heads to the left and right more often than others. Also, from any seat we couldn’t see the performance without seeing our fellow audiences.
Accordingly, his 18 dancers lived up to this special task in which the audience’s gaze came from all angles. A diverse ensemble including two Japanese and one Korean dancers, they were arresting both individually and collectively and didn’t show any sign of exhaustion as they’re putting on two performances of “2019” in an evening.
In a scene the pace and tone of which highly contrasted with the remainder, a dancer sang “You, Me and the Next War” as others walked into both audience stands, put on their masks, unrolled duvets they kept under our seats and then rested on our laps. Then, a magical moment that was never repeatable occurred. After turning my head around to see what’s happening at different corners of this temporary theatre, my eyes then fixed on five seats away on my row. An elderly woman was gently stroking the hair of a young male dancer in her lap as if he were her grandson. Without understanding a word of Hebrew in the song, my tears poured down my cheeks covered with a mask. A lot has happened in our lives over the past two years and the world is not the same as we knew it and yet, as Yeats wrote, “There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t yet met.”
An Israeli dance critic colleague and poet Anat Zecharia later emailed me the English translation of this song by Hanoch Levin and Maxim Waratt, the first stanza of which was “When we walk along, we are three, You, Me and the Next War. When we sleep, we are three, You, Me and the Next War.”
Notwithstanding all the efforts during the pandemic to bring live performing arts to our personal screens, “2019” proves that there remain many works that need to be seen in the presence of other audience members and performers and that multiple audience perspectives cannot be captured even by VR technology. Despite all political issues of their home country, Batsheva Dance Company remains her unyielding cultural ambassador. Given their long history at and frequent visits to Montpellier Danse, they can be expected on this shore of the Mediterranean for decades to come.
Nation Group will organize the screening of the 15th World Film Festival of Bangkok in December after selecting a new director to replace the late Victor Kriengsak Silakong.
Donsaron Kovitvanitcha, who has selected programmes for several domestic and international film festivals, has been appointed as the new director of the World Film Festival. Donsaron is also an award-winning independent film producer.
As per tradition, the festival will be hosted by Nation Group’s 51-year-old founding media outlet, The Nation.
Kriengsak Silakong Thai and international filmmakers had called on The Nation to go ahead with the festival after its long-time director Victor died suddenly on March 27 while preparing for the latest edition.
Victor directed the first 14 editions of the World Film Festival, securing its reputation as an outstanding international showcase for independent films over the past two decades. Victor had been appointed to reboot the festival for the post-Covid era when he died of a heart attack in March, 2022.
Donsaron pledged to do his best to honour Victor’s legacy.
“We’ll try to continue what The Nation and Khun Victor have been doing all along – both in terms of the [festival’s] philosophy of the festival and well-established organisation,” Donsaron said.
He underlined the festival’s commitment to the full cinematic experience in the “Netflix era” of home viewing, saying world-acclaimed movies are designed to be seen on the big screen.
“And I want to see this festival showcase the Thai movie industry and Thai independent films,” he added.
World Film Festivals of Bangkok had introduced Thais to fascinating cinematic experiences, said Donsaron, but after a hiatus of several years due to Covid-19 it will return with fanfare and grandeur.
The World Film Festival of Bangkok is Thailand’s largest continuous international film festival. In the previous 14 editions, a selection of films and documentaries from thirty nations on each continent were screened, providing a range of 70–80 film titles annually.
Adisak Limparungpattanakij, Nation Group deputy chairman, met for talks on the festival with BMA deputy governor Sanon Wangsangboon and Chadchart’s chief adviser Torsak Chotimongkol last month.
Sanon supervises the cultural, tourism, and sports affairs of the BMA.
During the meeting in the middle of June, Sanon and Torsak affirmed that BMA is willing to support various film festivals.
The two noted that the BMA cooperated with the Thai Film Directors Association and the Open-Air Movie Screening Association to organise Bangkok Open Air Movie festival to screen 25 movies on weekends throughout July. The two pledged support for the 15th World Film Festival of Bangkok as well.
Adisak noted The Nation launched the film festival in Thailand in 1998 as a forum for the international independent film industry. The World Film Festival has supported members of independent film industries from around the world to be able to meet and exchange views in Bangkok.
“The Nation wants to continue the World Film Festival of Bangkok after it was halted in 2017 because of the unsuitable situation and then the pandemic in 2020 and 2021,” Adisak said.
“This time, we have received support from the Thai movie industries and the full backing from the BMA.”
He said SF Cinema, the venue for previous editions, had also pledged support by providing theatres for screenings over the 10 days of the festival.
The 15th World Film Festival of Bangkok will be held from December 2 to 11, 2022 at SF Cinema CentralWorld, which was the venue for the 14th film festival in 2017.
The embassy of the republic of Korea (Ambassador: H.E. Mr. Moon Seoung-Hyun) and the Korean Cultural Center in Thailand held the ‘Tuk Tuk’ donation ceremony at the center on 27th June at 11 AM.
The ASEAN Cultural House (ACH) in Korea asked ‘Tuk Tuk’ donation to H.E. Mr. Moon, to promote Thai culture. As Ms. Marisa Chearavanont, CP Group’s special advisor to senior chairman, accepted H.E. Mr. Moon’s suggestion for donation, Tuk Tuk finally goes to Korea. On the ceremony, Thai-Korean original dance performance on the basis of both countries’ traditional dance showed to express Thai-Korean soft power exchange: the bride, ‘Tuk Tuk’ marry the Korean groom.
The ceremony started with ‘Samulnori’, Korean traditional percussion music by four musical instruments, playing by 12 students from the Korean International School in Bangkok. Then, Acting Sub Lt. Saksom Panthong and Ms. Kasama Thongaram, official performance artists from the Ministry of Culture, performed ‘Taepyeongmu’, which is the Korean dance wishing peace and prosperity, and ‘Ram Thai’. Saksom learnt the Korean dance during the five months when he stayed in Korea in 2018 as the CPI (Cultural Partnership Initiative), supported by the ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, and he perfomed ‘Taepyeongmu’ and ‘Khon’ together last May in the center.
The plot of the performance was Saksom, the Korean groom, meet the Thai bride and marry her, with the help of his father (H.E. Mr. Moon) and bride’s mother (Ms. Marisa).
H.E. Mr. Moon said “Today’s event was hosted as Ms. Marisa gladly accepted the donation request of Tuk Tuk, which is a symbol of Thailand to Korea. I hope that many Koreans watching this Tuk Tuk at ACH in Busan, recall good memories in Thailand or get to know about Thailand. As recently Thailand seek to promote its own soft power, this event will be one of the soft power cooperation cases between Korea and Thailand.”
Ms. Marisa said, “By this opportunity, I wish the relationship between Thailand and Korea strengthen and it will be the milestone of both countries’ exchange. As a Thai businessman, I would like to give help to Korean companies which has interest or expand their business to Thailand.”
ACH, opened in 2017 in Busan, promote various culture of 10 ASEAN countries including Thailand. Especially, Thailand and Korea have the great human exchange. For example, before Covid-19, almost 1.9 million Korean visited Thailand and 0.5 million Thai travelled Korea. The donated ‘Tuk Tuk’ will be the symbol of the friendship and recovery of the human exchange between Thailand and Korea and promote Thailand in ACH in Korea.
Two very different immersive theatre productions this month
The never-ending pandemic has greatly affected performing arts. A charm of it is the fact that the artists and audiences share the space and time but the physical distancing means that theatre venues, where strangers sat closely together for a certain period of time, needed to shut their doors.
Here in Thailand, over the past few months the number of theatre performances has started to pick up but it’s still far from what it was pre-pandemic. Plus, we still haven’t heard when large playhouses like Rachadalai Theatre and Siam Pic-Ganesha Center of Performing Arts will welcome audiences again.
And now that the audience has an option of watching theatre, either pre-recorded or live, anywhere anytime, on their communication devices which has satisfied many theatregoers, do we still want to go to theatre venues to be part of that temporary community, to feel that vibe of liveness?
Immersive theatre makes full use of the audience’s physical presence and offers them experiences they will never get from online theatre.
Trance Studio’s “Me and My Little Prince” described itself as “multisensory immersive musical theatre experience” and was based on one of the most beloved novels of all time “Le petit prince”. Seated in front of screens at a studio in Warehouse 30, the masked audience saw projected images through a specially designed eyeglasses that was claimed to filter certain hues while listening to pre-recorded play with some musical numbers which did not provide a new interpretation to the all-familiar story. That’s why the show could be presented four times a day and that’s where the audience wondered, given the ticket price and the ‘theatre’ label, why the actors’ performance was not live.
As two members of the production team were seen hurrying into the studio with two sprayers before the show, there were later occasional rain and heat that we could feel inside. “Here we go again: the first one isn’t dry yet!,” complained an audience member behind me who didn’t seem to feel that she was magically transported to the Sahara.
Earlier, another staff member suggested we close our eyes from time to time to exercise our imagination. An obedient theatregoer myself, I followed her advice but then realized that it was like me sitting outdoors in my home lawn listening to a sound clip of the show sent to be by the production team. Mother Nature could make it immersive with desert-like temperature and occasional rain too.
Meanwhile, at Chang Chui, a creative park now celebrating its fifth anniversary with more local-friendly atmosphere than before, STUDIO11206 and Throw BKK collaborated in “2046: The Greater Exodus.” Billed as “Bangkok’s first immersive theatre dining experience,” the show took audiences, and diners, on a trip to Utopia on board the plane-turned-fine-dining-restaurant Na-Oh Bangkok. It’s a storyline that fit the décor of this unique restaurant, to begin with, and the team of costume, set, sound and lighting designers deftly enhanced the atmosphere to make it even more theatrical.
On board, we were allowed to go mask-free while enjoying delectable food and drinks served by masked wait staff at our table in designated section in accordance with the ticket price. Seasoned stage actors, also mask-free, portraying charactersfrom many professions running for the upcoming electionstopped by to explain why we should vote for them and not the others. In the meantime, a singer, a pianist and a mime also delighted all passengers. Some of us also received special invitations to meet other characters in the cockpit and cargo hold. In other words, each audience would not get the same experience.
In short, it’s a rather busy few hours and sometimes we didn’t even know what to focus on—the food or the performance. As we were about to order another drink, our waiter hurriedly arrived with the bill and we found out later that this was to clear the aisles for the last scene in which
Then, all characters roamed the spacecraft with a musical number and shortly after the chef, masked and apparently not portraying a character, skillfully showed us how to make a dessert. Invited to join the final walking parade in celebration of this journey, some diners declined and chose to stay at their tables enjoying more drinks and conversation with peers, and taking photos on their phones.
With two immersive experiences in the span of few days, I couldn’t help compare it with Punchdrunk’s “A Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable” and Look Left and Right’s “You Once Said Yes” and realized that both of these works by UK artists allowed each audience to fully immerse themselves into not only the performance but also the environment—solo, almost at will, on foot and mobile-phone free.
“Me and My Little Prince” finished its run last Sunday (June 19), but the offstage drama beyond our imagination is on. A Facebook group has been set up by some audience members who felt that they were ripped off by this work whose ticket costs Bt 1,800 (or equal to 4 4DX movie tickets) and are planning to file a complaint to the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB), probably the first time in the history of Thai theatre. Visit www.facebook.com/TranceStudio.co
After last weekend’s cancellation due to COVID cases among the production crew, “2046: The Greater Exodus” continues from Friday (June 24) to Sunday (June 26), 7pm at Na-Oh Bangkok, Chang Chui, 10-minute walk from Bang Bamru station (SRT Red Line). Tickets (dinner included) are from Bt 2,750 to 6,380. The performance is in Thai but some actors are willing to talk to you in English, if you can’t speak Thai. For more details, www.facebook.com/2046TheGreaterExodus
Memorable work provided a truly immersive and collective experience, democratic as well
In my dozens of trips to pre-pandemic Singapore, I could not recall seeing a stray dog or cat. And so when three wild boars, natural inhabitants of Palau Ubin just off the northeastern shore of Singapore, made a cameo performance to 40 audiences of Drama Box’s ubin—intentionally in lower cases— at around 8pm, it’s a shock for an old city boy and the phrase “Unseen Singapore” flashed in my mind.
This work was commissioned by Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) 2022, organized by Arts House Limited, commissioned by National Arts Council and supported by Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth—in short, it’s run by taxpayers’ money. Under the helm of new festival director Nathalie Hennedige, this year’s theme is “The Anatomy of Performance—Ritual” and SIFA attempts to rid works of genre tags as they discuss contemporary issues with the audience.
Prior to that so-called magical moment—unrepeatable in live arts which we dearly missed during the pandemic—, we had been given a bottle of medicated oil for insect bite relief before taking a bumboat ride during which we saw flights landing at Changi Airport. Later on the island, we were walking in four groups and mask-free—at a much slower pace than our normal one in this bustling city-state—to different sites on this serene natural habitat, quite the opposite to the much more famous Sentosa.
Most of the time, we were listening, through earpieces, pre-recorded interviews with island inhabitants in Malay, Hindi and Chinese languages, with English translation. They told us the past and present of the island and, with the rising number of local tourists and its uncertain future among other issues, voiced their concerns. I was suddenly reminded of partially torn signs that read “Use your head: Wear a helmet” on rusty doors of a shop next to rows of rental bicycles on my way to the village centre.
These interviews were edited, for time and content, of course by the playwright and director of the first act of ubin, former member of parliament and Drama Box founder Kok Heng Luen. Still, they sounded unscripted and it’s as if we were listening to them in a town meeting.
Short contemporary dance performances, the subject matter of which was in correspondence to that specific site like the ground of the former Chinese school, were also staged: good moments for walking audiences to take a physical break to fully take in the environment and exercise our imagination. One performance next to the Pekan Quarry deftly took advantage of the natural light when dusk slowly turned into dark.
The walking tour only covered about one-tenth of the island although we had heard aplenty and before our tiredness kicked in, we were led back to the village center, almost empty as the last regularly scheduled boat had left at 6pm. At an open-air restaurant, we engaged in lively discussion among our group members on the possible future of Palau Ubin. Active facilitators who might have had training in acting made sure that each and every audience member had their say and a 3D map of the island on the table was much more than a stage prop but what we could actually work on.
I was in the same group as a young couple, a mathematician, a physicist and an environmentalist and the diverse discussion was like that of an integrated force assigned to tackle a major issue, a democratic experience. Before our group’s conclusion was presented to the large group at the end, we’re told that our suggestions would also be presented to relevant government and private agencies.
Evidently, ubin made sure that this collective experience was not merely voyeurism or immersive performance. It took advantage of the audience’s presence to the fullest and reminded us that arts could, and should, be a two-way communication, in which the artists also listen to our thoughts, and have aesthetic merits as well as social and even political functions. In fact, this second act was not repeatable too as a new group of audiences with different backgrounds and opinions arrived the following evening.
Back at the Changi Ferry Terminal after four hours of ubin experience, the last surprise was that all of us needed to put our bags through a scanner, like that in the airport, to make sure that we hadn’t picked any fruits from Palau Ubin trees, an illegal act. An exception, bags of jackfruits given to ubin audiences by Palau Ubin locals as souvenirs on our way back were allowed if they had not already been enjoyed on the boat.
No surprise they say a festival is that special time when you get to experience what you usually don’t at other times of the year yet are relevant to your daily life. A festival is not when a UFO lands with aliens who have nothing to do with our everyday, no matter how talented they are, and who leave shortly after our excitement fades.
On-site works of SIFA 2022 have finished, but now that the pandemic has taught us to explore new options in almost everything, we can still enjoy filmed performances of four SIFA works anywhere, with their house programs and education kits online, until July 10 at www.sifa.sg/vod
By Pawit Mahasarinand Singapore
The writer’s trip was supported by Arts House Limited and Tate Anzur. Special thanks to Eileen Chua and Hilary Tan.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is showing off the city’s allure with a virtual tour of museums and stores in West Kowloon, recently developed as a cultural hub.
Authorities launched the tourism push as authorities seek to restore an image left battered by democracy crackdowns and some of the world’s harshest Covid-19 restrictions.
Press from around were invited to sample the sights on Monday via “Arts in Hong Kong”.
The virtual tour started with the M+ museum, one of the largest showcases of modern and contemporary visual culture displaying 1,500 works across 33 exhibition halls and other spaces.
Virtual visitors were then guided to Tung Nam Lou, a heritage building converted into a boutique art hotel in Yau Ma Tei. This Hong Kong landmark was a neighbourhood seafood restaurant and office building before being transformed into a hotel celebrating arts and local culture.
Next stop was Sindart, a family-owned shop where people have bought traditional embroidered shoes since 1958. Third-generation owner Miru Wong inherited the delicate skills of embroidery from her grandfather and continues to add new spins to these silk-brocade slippers.
The cultural tour moved on to Biu Kee Mah-Jong, where “Uncle King” has been offering his carved mahjong tiles for over five decades. He also makes custom tiles bearing anything from names to cartoon characters.
HKTB’s executive director Dane Cheng also gave a simple lesson on how to play mahjong, which is traditionally played at family gatherings and during big festivals like Chinese New Year.
The virtual tour ended at the Hong Kong Palace Museum, which aspires to become one of the world’s leading cultural institutions.
The museum is dedicated to the promotion, appreciation and study of Chinese art and culture. It combines a Hong Kong perspective with a global vision, according to the tour.
Kriengsak Silakong
SootinClaimon.Com 