BEFORE GOING TO SINGAPORE ARTS FESTIVAL

I have never been to Singapore Arts Festival before and knowing that I am going there in a week time, I felt excited about it. I could hardly wait till next week because I’ve already browsed through the programmes that the event offers in the Singapore Arts Festival website. Also, I’ve watched some of the videos of the programmes that interest me. For example, FLUX and The Wind Up Bird Chronicle. I’m looking forward most to FLUX because I’ve never seen horses being featured in any performance. Furthermore, I would be able to have a close up view with the horse without paying any money LOL !

Anyway, before the Singapore Arts Festival officially starts, I actually went there for training. I volunteered myself to be the ambassador of Singapore Arts Festival 2012. I will be helping out at the Kids Arts Village as a time-keeper. During the training, I was told to ring the bell every 10 minutes, so that the group leaders can bring the groups around the 3 locations. Although this is a simple job, but I will still be looking forward to help out on these two days (1&2 June).  

SINGAPORE ARTS FESTIVAL 2012

Singapore Arts Festival 2012 will be held over 16 days from 18 May – 2 June at the Esplanade Park.

The festival will highlight the presence of puppetry. This is considered one of the most important mediums in the region because stories, legends, teachings, folklore and myths were once communicated using puppets.

Unique about this festival is that there are real horses seen in the festival. The horses are featured in the performance, FLUX. It is the first time a centaur is present right in Singapore.

Another unique about this festival is the Bridge Café Project. In Japan, there is a special café that is similar to Bridge Café Project where middle-aged men were recruited not only serve as café waiters but also performed and danced to entertain customers. However, in Singapore, it is abit different because youth generation will also join to perform and dance. 

THEME

For the Singapore Arts Festival, there is a theme for every year. This year’s theme completes the trilogy of themes that were set two years ago. In 2010, the theme was ‘You and Me’ and in 2011, the theme was ‘I Want to Remember’. This year, 2012, the theme is called ‘Our Lost Poems’.

Our Lost Poems looks at myths, legends, wandering thoughts, reflections, lost riddles and hidden stories. It is a discovery of tales and aspirations that need to be told and retold. Stories that inspire us, legends that have deep cultural roots, and riddles that reveal the secrets of the world. This coming Festival finds us at a crossroad, waiting to reaffirm our sense of place in time as we uncover refreshing facets of ourselves:

Something ancient.

Something lost.

Something hidden.

Something new.

Reference:

http://www.singaporeartsfest.com/2012-festival/

BACKGROUND

Singapore Arts Festival first started in 1977 as a national showcase celebrating the local arts of Singapore's diverse communities. For the past 30 years, the Singapore Arts Festival has played a symbiotic catalytic role in development of the artistic and cultural life of Singapore. It has helped to transform the city's cultural landscape, turning it into one of Asia's major cultural capitals today. In addition, it has influenced the work of artists and increased a growing public demand for the arts, spawning new capital platforms, events and movements that help underpin the lively cultural scene in present day Singapore. In 2010, Singapore Arts Festival saw its turning point under the leadership of Lee Kee Hong, the general manager of Singapore Arts Festival. Today, Singapore Arts Festival has become an international showcase of ideas, art and discourse with a distinctive Asian flavour, known for its bold and innovative discussions between vernacular and contemporary art. 


Singapore Arts Festival is an arts festival held annually in Singapore. Organised by the National Arts Council, it is one of the most significance events in the regional arts scene. Singapore Arts Festival usually held in mid-year for a stretch of one month, incorporates theatre arts, dance, music and visual arts, among other possibilities. The participants for the events include both local and international artists. However, approximately 70% of the events are put by international artists. 


Reference: 
http://www.singaporeartsfest.com/about-singapore-arts-festival/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Arts_Festival