The Singapore Biennale 2008 is the follow up to the highly successful inaugural event in 2006. This biannual event is organised by the National Arts Council of Singapore to nuture the appreciation of art amoung Singaporeans and to promote the country as an international visual arts hub. The Singapore Biennale 2008 showcases the works of 50 to 65 international and local artists and is experienced across the pictureseque cityscape of Singapore.
To let you have a feel of the event, we (editors of heartinsg) took a trip down to the Singapore Biennale to give you a full report of the event.
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BIENNALE SINGAPORE 2008
Our first stop to the Biennale starts at this historical building, the “ Old Supreme Court” . This classical architecture facing Padang grounds was built between 1930s-1940s and was design by Frank Dorrington Ward of the Public Works Department! The building on its own is already history and is now being preserve to become a place for the arts, culture and heritage.
Joan, me and dina having a fair share of the spotlight.
The first art piece we saw was quite shocking. They were maggots figurines individually made by a Vietnamese artist
The 2nd art piece was done up by a Korean artist which mold a root vegetable (gourd) into faces. All of us felt that it was a little scary except for Joan who thought it was a brilliant piece of artwork and she even wanted it in her room!
The walk up the staircase showcased a large art painting which is made up of squeezed paint! Imagine the number of paint used!
Moving on to a bigger room in the Old Supreme Court. The flooring of this spacious room is a large satellite print of Singapore! Little square " post its" were given to us and the novelty of being part of an art piece thrilled us all. We spent the longest time in this place looking for our houses and school, we even got a glimpse of Temasek Polytechnic. Other fellow Temasek students have also stick their mark and declared themselves as "patriotic students of Temasek Poly".
Yes, you won't miss the infamous ERP road sign!
Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) is a structure that charge vehicles entering the business and crowded districts to manage traffic.
Almost every Singaporean nightmare!
Merging islands use to form the faces of this exceptional art piece, it is also one of dina's favourite!
presenting our model, DINA(:
Our last stop in the Supreme Court is an art piece made in video form. We watched in silence for close to 5 minutes, the artist indeed made his stand about solitude.
The next stop is at the South Beach Development place where many abstract art was on display. Just like the Old Supreme Court building, it is also a place of history and has been use recently for many art displays.
For the better part of 20th century, the site (previously known as Beach Road Camp) had been used as the headquarters of Singapore’s volunteer defence forces. In February 2000, Beach Road Camp closed its doors and was given conservation status on 9 October 2002.
The white erected wall shows the words " one hundred years of solitude"
it was a very fresh experience for me. i'm in love with a hundred years of solitude sign! i am freaked out by joan's scary picture (THE RING) in front of the fluorescent lights. wish i had taken more pictures, but overall i still enjoyed myself and will be back for the next Biennale (:
Thought the displays on south beach road was partly abstract and mostly deep, not recommended for superficial art lovers. There were quite a number of thought provoking videos on display, and although they were not well liked by my group members, I kind of enjoyed thinking what message those videos and art displays were trying to get across. So, if you like thinking, Biennale is a place to visit!
I think the idea of having the biennale in the our former supreme court is a very good idea and it gives a very nostalgic feeling. It gives people a chance to go in to visit this old infrastructure. I feel that the Biennale is a very successful event and I would definitely go again in 2010. :)
WHAT WILL THE NEXT BIENNALE BRING?
Come back for the next Biennale and experience a whole lot more of exciting ARTS/CULTURE & HERITAGE in the vibrant bustling city of Singapore!
trip narrator:
CHARLOTTE
The Chingay Parade is an annual street parade celebration held in Singapore as part of Chinese New Year festivities. Like street parades from all over the world, Chingay is a very exciting and up-beat parade. However, the only difference is it includes participants of different races and cultures. So, you must be thinking and asking yourself what does the word 'Chingay' means. The term Chingay originated in Penang, Malaysia, which is directly translated from the chinese words "妆艺" which means "a decorated miniature stage" or float. Today, the parade has evolved into a massive multi-cultural and international event telecast live on television every year during the Chinese New Year.The Chingay Parade started as a float decorating competition held in Penang in 1905. This practice of float decoration was spread to the rest of Malaya by the 1960s, and eventually became associated with the celebration of Chinese New Year.
On 4th February 1973, the first Chingay parade was held in Singapore. It started partly as a result of the ban on firecrackers a year earlier in 1972 as a result of fire hazards. This ban was viewed unfavourably despite the safety issues involved because the Chinese community thought that playing with firecrackers during the Chinese New Year is a traddition and some people felt that the ban would result in a much dampened festival mood during the celebration. To address this issue, the People's Association and the Singapore National Pugilistic Association jointly organised a street parade from Jalan Besar to Outram Park featuring the signature floats, acrobatic acts, lion and dragon dances, stilt walkers, and the like, to bring back some cheer to the general public.
Over the past decades, the Chingay Parade has evolved from a largely Chinese parade to a multi-cultural one with participants from the Malay, Indian & Eurasian communities. Other than participants from the local communities of Singapore, the People's Association also invites cultural groups from countries such as Japan to perform in the Parade.
The choreographer of Chingay 2009!
Can't wait to see the Parade for yourself?
Log on to http://www.chingay.org.sg/ for ticketing information!
Posted by Bow
The Singapore Arts Festival is an annual event held in Singapore. The event is organised by the National Arts Council of Singapore and it is one of the more significant event in the regional arts scene. The festival usually lasts for about a month and it includes theatre arts, dance, music and visual arts. In this event, participants do not only include local artists from Singapore but is also made up of up to 70% of international artists from more than 20 countries.
The Singapore Arts Festival first began life in 1977 as a national arts festival celebrating local arts activity of Singapore's diverse communities. Over the last few decades, this festival played an important role in the growth and development of the arts and cultural scene of Singapore. It does not only provide a platform for artists to showcase their talents but it also creates and increases public awareness and demand for the arts in Singapore.
The Arts Festival 2008 was held between 23rd May - 22 June this year. If you are interested to come for this annual arts festival in Singapore, you can visit http://www.singaporeartsfest.com/ or http://www.nac.gov.sg/ to find out when the festival will be held each year. On their website, you will also be able to find the introduction of various artists and their works.
"Over recent years, The Singapore Arts Festival consistently brings together a find mix of loacl, regional and international works, often on the cutting edge and in a city ideal for an embracing frstival"
RealTime
Posted by Bow
