Showing posts with label performance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label performance. Show all posts
Monday, September 1, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
RESERVOIR_28-30AUG_2008
"Deep in the heart of MacRitchie Reservoir lie the ruins of the
Syonan Jinja, a Shinto shrine built during the Japanese
Occupation of Singapore. Envisioned first as a spiritual and
recreational centre for the future empire, then built by
Australian POWs and Japanese craftsmen, today it exists
only as stone relics and fragments, swallowed up by the
thick tropical rainforest.
As young artists, we have embarked on a journey of
discovery to reclaim this forgotten monument. Its very
existence is intriguing– a beautiful artefact of civilisation
from an age of blood and destruction. Its architects made
outlandish promises: that the site would be the greatest in
the world after the Meiji Shrine, that the area might be a
future host for the Olympic Games.
Perhaps most provoking is the love-hate relationship
between Singapore and the shrine. Historians and tourism
promoters want it preserved, even rebuilt to commemorate
our national heritage. Ordinary citizens, however, have
violently objected to any celebration of former Japanese
rule– even as they happily consume Japanese commercial
and cultural products.
Led by director Choy Ka Fai, we are an ensemble of creative
people from Singapore and Japan with roots in poetry,
dance, drama, architecture, sports and multimedia. We have
made pilgrimages to the jungle, probed the site scientifically,
studied archival documents, drawings and oral histories,
and processed our own collective memories to recreate and
re-imagine the shrine as a sacred site.
Our performance, a tapestry of images, sound and
movement, will be a drama of recollection, an attempt to
capture the Syonan Jinja's sleeping spirit.
“Egypt has its pyramids, China its tomb of Shi Huang Ti,
England its Stonehenge and Indonesia its Borobudur.
Why not Syonan Jinja for Singapore?
It has its fair share of history, mystery and romance.”
Report on Syonan Jinja Surveys September 1988.
Records of Singapore Tourism Promotion Board.National Archive of Singapore.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Jazzy Jazz and the Razzmatazz!
The first production by Paradise Alley (Cake Theatrical Productions), directed by our performer Rizman Putra. Free at East Coast Park this Saturday afternoon.
Sharon Tang from Cake Theatrical Productions says:
Come and join us this Saturday 23 August [5.00pm & 6.30pm] at Marine Cove [East Coast Parkway] for Jazzy Jazz and The Razzmatazz, directed by our Associate Artist Rizman Putra!
Involving Contortionists, Bhangra Dancers, Dhol Players, Zapin Dancers, Rock & Roll band, Breakdancers, Beatboxer and contemporary performers, Jazzy Jazz and The Razzmatazz is a super wacky super bizarre super musical theatrical spectacle set to challenge any parade of dreams on this planet or in outer space!
Presented by Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation, Jazzy Jazz and The Razzmatazz is the first performance under our latest division Paradise Alley which was set up this year. It is also Rizman’s directorial debut and we are really excited about it! Paradise Alley is a free annual outdoor performance presented by Cake. Fusing experimental theatre with visual spectacle, Paradise Alley takes to the streets, bringing theatre into common spaces to capture, enthral and uplift the spirit and imagination of audiences in a diverse and electrifying gathering.
And there will be free popcorn if you say the password 'Paradise Alley'! Come and have a day out at the beach with us!
Hope to see you at Jazzy Jazz and The Razzmatazz!
Thanks!
Sharon Tang from Cake Theatrical Productions says:
Come and join us this Saturday 23 August [5.00pm & 6.30pm] at Marine Cove [East Coast Parkway] for Jazzy Jazz and The Razzmatazz, directed by our Associate Artist Rizman Putra!
Involving Contortionists, Bhangra Dancers, Dhol Players, Zapin Dancers, Rock & Roll band, Breakdancers, Beatboxer and contemporary performers, Jazzy Jazz and The Razzmatazz is a super wacky super bizarre super musical theatrical spectacle set to challenge any parade of dreams on this planet or in outer space!
Presented by Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation, Jazzy Jazz and The Razzmatazz is the first performance under our latest division Paradise Alley which was set up this year. It is also Rizman’s directorial debut and we are really excited about it! Paradise Alley is a free annual outdoor performance presented by Cake. Fusing experimental theatre with visual spectacle, Paradise Alley takes to the streets, bringing theatre into common spaces to capture, enthral and uplift the spirit and imagination of audiences in a diverse and electrifying gathering.
And there will be free popcorn if you say the password 'Paradise Alley'! Come and have a day out at the beach with us!
Hope to see you at Jazzy Jazz and The Razzmatazz!
Thanks!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
RESIDUE: da photos
Popped down to the SMU Li Ka Shing Library from the Velvet Underground Poetry Slam.
Closing performances started 1/2 an hour late. After Venzha...
... the crowd started to stretch its legs.
Just when our boy Ka5 came on with the National Archives Oral History recording.
"It was a beauuutiful place..."
To give you an idea of the breadth of the space:
It was around this time that Ka5 was experimenting with his toy theremin/electric guitar. It created some crazy discordance.
Was wondering why he never faced the audience to show off his gadget. Turned out that he wanted to play with his back to the audience as a homage/imitation of his idol Zai Kuning.
Insert the sequence from Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors where the little indigenous animals are singing the Japanese syllabary.
And of course, the ISEA crowd was rapt:
No lah, they're always this chatty after the first half hour of a performance session. Saw them at SPEKTR and it was the same.
Then handover to Zulkifle Mahmod, with his analogue performance.
Now to business!
Closing performances started 1/2 an hour late. After Venzha...
... the crowd started to stretch its legs.
Just when our boy Ka5 came on with the National Archives Oral History recording.
"It was a beauuutiful place..."
To give you an idea of the breadth of the space:
It was around this time that Ka5 was experimenting with his toy theremin/electric guitar. It created some crazy discordance.
Was wondering why he never faced the audience to show off his gadget. Turned out that he wanted to play with his back to the audience as a homage/imitation of his idol Zai Kuning.
Insert the sequence from Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors where the little indigenous animals are singing the Japanese syllabary.
And of course, the ISEA crowd was rapt:
No lah, they're always this chatty after the first half hour of a performance session. Saw them at SPEKTR and it was the same.
Then handover to Zulkifle Mahmod, with his analogue performance.
Now to business!
Monday, July 28, 2008
RESIDUE by Choy Ka Fai / TheatreWorks
It's a preview, being performed tomorrow at ISEA2008!
RESIDUE investigates the ruins of the Syonan Jinja Shinto Shrine buried in the heart of MacRitchie Reservoir in Singapore, built by the Japanese during World War II. The physical remains and the surrounding forests are explored using multi-media. Data from sound waves, electromagnetic signals and radio frequencies are also collected and transformed into audio-visual content. Mapping the forgotten inhabitants of nature and reflecting on the silent subsistence of the Syonan Jinja.
Choy Ka Fai (Singapore) is a video artist and Associate Artistic Director of Theatreworks. RESIDUE is a collation of the on-going research for RESERVOIR, a Theatreworks’ production to be staged in their space 72-13 in August 2008.
Theatreworks is an independent, non-profit Singaporean theatre company that develops and nurtures professional arts skills. It supports Singapore artists, and articulates the Singapore arts through its various productions and developmental programmes.
www.ka5.info
www.theatreworks.org.sg
www.72-13.com
RESIDUE investigates the ruins of the Syonan Jinja Shinto Shrine buried in the heart of MacRitchie Reservoir in Singapore, built by the Japanese during World War II. The physical remains and the surrounding forests are explored using multi-media. Data from sound waves, electromagnetic signals and radio frequencies are also collected and transformed into audio-visual content. Mapping the forgotten inhabitants of nature and reflecting on the silent subsistence of the Syonan Jinja.
Choy Ka Fai (Singapore) is a video artist and Associate Artistic Director of Theatreworks. RESIDUE is a collation of the on-going research for RESERVOIR, a Theatreworks’ production to be staged in their space 72-13 in August 2008.
Theatreworks is an independent, non-profit Singaporean theatre company that develops and nurtures professional arts skills. It supports Singapore artists, and articulates the Singapore arts through its various productions and developmental programmes.
www.ka5.info
www.theatreworks.org.sg
www.72-13.com
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