Singapour Festivarts To Kick Off In France
Singapour Festivarts to showcase Singapore’s arts and cultural heritage in France.
The inaugural Singapour Festivarts will be held in France from 5 October 2010 to 30 January 2011.
Platform to showcase Singapore’s heritage and artists
Singapour Festivarts aims to present an exciting line-up of arts and cultural events in Paris to showcase Singapore’s rich and vibrant culture and heritage.
Besides portraying Singapore as a dynamic global city with a unique arts and cultural heritage that has evolved from a diversity of cultures drawn from some of the world’s oldest and greatest civilisations, the Festivarts also offers a unique platform for Singapore and her artists to reach out to one of the most culturally vibrant countries in Europe and forge relationships through cultural diplomacy.
The genesis of the Singapour Festivarts was a framework agreement on cultural cooperation established between France and Singapore in January 2009.
This was followed by a memorandum of understanding between Singapore’s National Heritage Board and France’s Réunion des Musées Nationaux.
These agreements marked an important milestone in our bilateral relationship with France and signified a commitment and determination on the part of both countries to intensify arts and cultural cooperation.
Insight to Singapore’s diverse arts and cultural heritage.
The centrepiece of this cultural festival is the Baba Bling: The Chinese Peranakans of Singapore exhibition at the world-renowned Musée du Quai Branly.
Visitors can expect to be charmed and thrilled while exploring the multi-cultural delights of the Peranakan community – a fusion of Malay, Chinese and European elements – which is unique to Southeast Asia.
Other highlights include nine days of colourful, family-friendly Peranakan programmes titled Semaine Peranakan. Visitors will get to experience and learn about the rich and hybrid nature of Peranakan culture through performances, demonstrations and interactive activities.
The Festivarts will also showcase performances by some of Singapore’s best performing arts groups like the Singapore Chinese Orchestra Ensemble and T.H.E Dance Company.
Notable local films HERE by Ho Tzu Nyen, which premiered at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, 881 by Royston Tan and The Blue Mansion by Glen Goei will also be screened to give audiences insights into Singaporean customs, lifestyles and humour. The directors will also be present during the screening to share more insights about their films. (See Annex A for more information on the programme line-up.)
Staging the Baba Bling exhibition and other Festivarts programmes at a major museum like Musée du Quai Branly is a rare opportunity to showcase a wider range of Singapore’s hybrid cultures and art forms in one of the world’s leading cultural hubs.
Besides sharing Singapore’s unique heritage, our artists and arts professionals will also receive greater international exposure and opportunities for interaction and learning in France.
The Singapour Festivarts is presented by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, together with the following agencies: Asian Civilisations Museum, National Arts Council, Media Development Authority and Singapore Tourism Board.
The Singapore partners for this festival are:
- Singapore Airlines (Official Airline)
- The Ascott Group (Official Accommodation Partner)
- Hong Leong Foundation
- WingTai Asia
- SATS
- Keppel Corporation
PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION
Baba Bling: The Chinese Peranakans of Singapore (5 Oct 2010 to 30 Jan 2011)
Under the patronage of: President of France, Mr Nicolas Sarkozy, and Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Hsien Loong
The Baba Bling exhibition is the key attraction of the Singapour Festivarts and it will showcase the unique fusion culture of the Chinese Peranakan community. Featuring the collection of the Asian Civilisations Museum, visitors can feast their eyes on exquisite artefacts that portray the Peranakan lifestyle of the early 20th century through themes like hospitality, food, wedding, and dressing. The exhibition ends with photographs by Chris Yap who, by choosing a Peranakan theme, invites us to reflect on how culture and identity are constructed in an increasingly globalised world.
Singapore Chinese Orchestra Ensemble (8 & 9 Oct)
The Singapore Chinese Orchestra is one that is fast establishing itself among similar counterparts in the world and is the only professional Chinese orchestra in Singapore. Touted for its high performing standards, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra has performed at many major occasions, including the Budapest Spring Festival in 2005 and the Beijing Music Festival in 2007.
Andrew Lum and New Asia (10 Oct)
Andrew Lum and New Asia offers a distinctive sound that speaks of synergy between Western music grooves and the exotic nuances of traditional Asian instruments. At the Singapour Festivarts, audiences can expect original compositions of ethnic Asian music by award-winning composer and producer, Andrew Lum, with flavours of pop, jazz, lounge and soul.
Semaine Peranakan (Peranakan Week) (23 to 31 Oct 2010)
The Semaine Peranakan will provide visitors with the unique opportunity to experience and learn about Peranakan culture through performances, demonstrations and interactive activities. The activity highlights include demonstrations of traditional Peranakan handicrafts, cooking workshops, interesting craft activities for children, storytelling sessions in the galleries and a “live” enactment of a Peranakan wedding procession with choir in full dress and splendour.
Film Screenings (29 to 31 Oct)
The Singapour Festivarts will also feature screenings of several films by local filmmakers at the Musée du Quai Branly. HERE by Ho Tzu Nyen, 881 by Royston Tanand The Blue Mansion by Glen Goeiwill provide European audiences, who appreciate diversity in themes, cultural backdrops and world views, the opportunity to experience Singaporean customs, lifestyles and humour through film.
T.H.E Dance Company (18 & 19 Nov)
Led by artistic director/choreographer Kuik Swee Boon, T.H.E Dance Company will present O Sounds at the Singapour Festivarts, which consists of a rich composite of modern city sounds, endangered dialects, folk songs and Dance on Screen. This multimedia dance work explores modern man’s profound and intimate relationship with the gradual loss of tradition and the incessant changes in the environment.
The Finger Players (20 & 21 Nov)
The Finger Players’ Puppets! Puppets! Puppets! comprises several 5 to 10 minute long skits presented by 3 actors. A non-verbal performance, it reaches out to an international audience and engages those young and old alike. The Finger Players will also hold an interactive puppetry workshop for families and children during the Singapour Festivarts.
Mark Chan & Musicians (25 & 26 Nov)
Mark Chan, a celebrated Singaporean composer, together with his musicians will present Little Toys, a silent film scored with specially commissioned “live” music. Returning to early film’s style of live music accompaniment, Little Toys delivers a unique artistic retrospective and breathes new life into the silent movie genre. The film was one of the representative works of the historic Chinese film actress Ruan Lingyu, and is also a masterpiece of the Chinese silent film era.
Ramesh Meyyappan (27 & 28 Nov)
As a deaf performer, Ramesh Meyyappan, has developed his work using a range of visual and physical styles, ensuring accessibility to both deaf and hearing audiences. For the Singapour Festivarts, he will present a show entitled Gin & Tonic & Visual Trains, which tells a visual and comedic tale of one man who has too much time on his hands and questions how to fill it.
Topics: artists, Arts, Asia, China, Chinese, cultural events, cultural heritage, diversity, EU, Europe, European Union, France, global city, govenrment, Governance, heritage, Malay, moniter, monitor, Musée du Quai Branly, news, Pacific, Paris, Peranakan community, Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Singapore, Singapore Chinese Orchestra Ensemble, Singapore National Heritage Board, Singapore Tourism Board, Singapour Festivarts, Southeast Asia, T.H.E Dance Company
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