Singapore Biennale 2006
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Saturday, May 11, 2002
New Criteria X
The Substation Gallery
The 10th season of New Criteria X presents Lasalle-SIA College of the Arts graduate, Yvonne Lam. She will present her collection of digital photos of objects and fashion models recycled into new images. This platform aims is to curate and commission new art works from visual artists. 16-30 May at The Substation Gallery.
Call 6337-7800.
Friday, May 10, 2002
FUNdaMENTAL will be staging "Midpoint", a collaboration between three
artists, Chew Tze Chuan, Nick Ng and Suzaki Misumi. Please find the
performance details below. Do come and watch the performance...quite
serious...but nothing too serious... just come and enjoy the evening.
Nick Ng
Artistic Director
FUNdaMENTAL MULTI-DISCIPLINARY
M I D P O I N T
an old tree growing along tanjong pagar road
a mosque built next to a church.
a retrenched manager working in mcdonalds
a singer singing along orchard underpass
an artist performing in a ktv lounge
an actor trying to dance
a dancer learning to act
audience trying to find presence in a performance space
negotiation; compromise; mediation; reconciliation,
all trying to find a space of their own;
trying to find midpoint
a unique performance
conceptualised by theatre director, nick ng;
dancer, suzaki misumi and film-maker chew tze chuan
Date: May 15-18, 2002
Time: 8 p.m. (May 15-18); 10 p.m. (May 17); 3 p.m. (May 18)
Venue:
Sculpture Square
155 Middle Road
Singapore 188977
(junction of Middle Road and Waterloo Street)
Price: $20, $15 (concession)
tickets are available at Ticketcharge*
Ticketing Hotline: 62962929
Online Ticketing: www.ticketcharge.com.sg
*Ticketcharge outlets: Marina Square, Tanglin Mall, Centrepoint, Funan the
IT Mall, Great World City, Forum the Shopping Mall, West Mall, Planet
Hollywood, CHIJMES Service Centre, YMS @Waterloo St, Tourism Court, Jurong
Point, NTUC Downtown East, Century Square, Lot 1 Shopping Mall (w.e.f. 1 May
2002), Hougang Mall (w.e.f. 1 May 2002), Bishan Junction 8 (w.e.f. 1 May
2002), Amara Shopping Centre (w.e.f. 1 May 2002).
Enquiries:
90220074 (Tel)
64893273 (Fax)
www.fun-da-mental.org (website)
fmd@post.com (e-mail)
FUNdaMENTAL MULTI-DISCIPLINARY
Hougang Central Post Office P.O. Box 90
Singapore 915303
a b o u t
M I D P O I N T
A dance theatre performance, exploring the various conflicts and compromises
that are present in a country like singapore. New, old; People who are rich,
people who are very poor; leaders, followers; old tree, budding flower all
co-exist in a small island. Midpoint is a piece of work that aims to be
abstract, consisting of many visual images, constructed by means of dance,
text, video and animation.
What is interesting about Midpoint is collaboration. The interaction,
negotiation, dialogue and compromise between three artists. Nick Ng, a
trained art teacher practicing theatre as an extension to art. Misumi, born
and breed in Japan, is a trained dancer both in classical ballet and modern
dances. Chew Tze Chuan, a film-maker, who's training lies in the camera. All
three decides to come together and address differences and processses of
settling differences.
Midpoint will be a unique presentation that is abstract, powerful, mind
blowing and beautiful, with three person dancing, acting, operating and
performing at the same time.
a b o u t
the Artists
Suzaki Misumi (dancer)
Borned in 1975, Japan, Misumi learnt ballet at the age of 6. She joined the
Japan's Women Physical Education College in 1993, majoring in Dance.
Learned the Martha Graham Technique under the Kono Jun Dance Troupe and a
few other contemporary dance groups.
Invited to join the Metabolic Theatre Laboratory (Singapore) in 1997 as lead
performer. Performed under Artistic Director and Founder, Zai Kuning until
1999.
Misumi starts to create and perform solo works since 1998 both in Japan and
Singapore. She explores the idea and concept of improvisation in solo and
collaboration pieces. She also showed interest in vocalisation through body
and space interaction.
Chew Tze Chuan (film maker)
Chew received his early training in History & Styles of Western Theatrical
writing from Ms Yu Yun (writer of Kuo Pao Kun's TCS produced TV movie "Ah
Kong Bah Kut Teh") in Practice Performing Arts School. Under her
supervision Tze Chuan completed writing his 'multi-genre' stage-play titled,
"Blood is Red; Red is Sin" in the year 1992.
He continued his theatrical education in LaSalle-SIA School of Drama,
completing his Foundation Year, exposed to the acting techniques of
Stanislavski, ensemble improvisational work, physical movement (i.e. Laban
technique and etc.), basic classical ballet, modern dance, singing and vocal
techniques. Apart from performing in semester projects, he also created
short pieces of studio-works whereby he experimented and questioned the
dramaturgy he had learnt. After which he decided to enter the second phase
of his evolution as a working artist.
He left Singapore for a series of film immersions and workshop in New York
City late1993. He returned to Singapore with a series of 16mm short films
in 1994. His student short film titled, "Loving Sappho" was a finalist
entry in the Singapore International Film Festival's Silver Screen Award -
Local Short Film category.
His theatrical directorial debut "La Mer" was a collaborative effort with
his LaSalle senior and filmmaking associates in 1994. In this work, Tze
Chuan fused the visual elements of cinematic story telling style with the
immediacy, simplicity, and economy of theatre space described as 'The
Immediate Theatre' described by Peter Brook.
In early 1995, he worked as co-producer and second-unit cameraman for
Jonathan Foo's "Wasteland". It became a finalist Singapore short film for
1996's Silver Screen Award.
Between 1993 and 1997, Tze Chuan was also the video-camera-lighting-man and
editor for various theatre productions. He shot video-documentary,
promotional trailers, and multimedia interludes for groups like the Practice
Theatre Ensemble, Toy Factory Theatre Ensemble and The Necessary Stage.
The foresight of Tze Chuan's artistic vision became evident in the
collaboration with his filmmaking associate Abdul Nizam's 16mm short film,
"Datura". It was the Best Singapore Short Film in the Silver Screen Award
1999. Tze Chuan was the Director-of-Photography and Co-Editor. They went
on to make cutting edge films like (part of the three stories in
Eric Khoo's production of first Singaporean digital feature film About Love>) and TV-adaptations of Alfian Sa'at's award winning short
stories collection .
Nick Ng (theatre director)
Nick Ng is the main founder and artistic director of FUNdaMENTAL
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY. His contributions are synonymous with works of
outstanding visual sophistication and substance.
A trained visual artist, Nick was awarded the Certificate of Distinction
(UOB Painting of the Year Competition) in 1992. Since 1996, Nick has been a
heavy weight in the local English theatrical scene, with his post-modern
minimalist delivery of black humour that is at once boldly personal and
dynamic. Nick affords to his audience a true experience of art that is
experimental, communicative and provocative.
Nick is tireless in his pursuit of the deeper questions of our personal
heritage and tastefully presents to his audience through his multi-media
manipulations of monologues and ensemble productions, his criticisms and
reflections of controversial issues of politics and current affairs.
Central to Nick productions is his belief in self-exploration and
"people-power" in the social and political fabric of our society. Through
the influence of Nick, FUNdaMENTAL seeks to revolutionalise our identity as
Singaporeans both as individuals and as a nation.
Among his notable productions are Re-R, Hamletmachine-Trail of Wei Jing
Sheng, Lefthand, When Will I See Sky, Nevermind and Whiteoveralls-Initial
Processing-Producing Identicals, in which real issues of life, politics and
society are torn apart and boldly revealed in non-linear and non-textual
drama.
As a former teacher of fine arts, Nick remains committed to the nurturing of
young minds and this can be seen from his involvement as director and/or
performer in a series of Arts Education Programme and Theatre productions
for the years 2000 and 2001. Nick Ng has been recognised as an exceptionally
talented young director determined to remain as individualistic as he is
skillful. Nick Ng has only just begun.
a b o u t
FUNdaMENTAL MULTI-DISCIPLINARY
FUNdaMENTAL MULTI-DISCIPLINARY is a bilingual artistic society dedicated to
the complete exploration and expression of art at its ultimate through the
eyes and the works of notably, Nick Ng, its artistic director.
Formed on 2 January 2001, FUNdaMENTAL undertakes to promote and nurture
greater awareness in the local theatre of the artistic potential of our
social and political scene. Through its main seasons and fringe events,
FUNdaMENTAL promises to be intellectually provocative, skillful and
experimental in its multi-faceted productions, art exhibitions and
workshops, refined and delivered mainly through post-modern art.
Under the leadership of Nick who is a trained visual artist and an
experienced creator-director, FUNdaMENTAL will seek to further define
post-modern theatre and establish itself as an advanced platform for the
engagement of visual, textural as well as non-textural multi-disciplinary
art forms such as collaborating dance with theatrical works.
Motivated to inspire local talents, FUNdaMENTAL believes that the arts is
for all who seeks. In its efforts to "open" theatre to the general populace,
FUNdaMENTAL will extend its forum to free- lancers and aspiring artists as
an avenue for the manifestation of their works.
Central to the mission of FUNdaMENTAL is also the cultivation of young
artists. To this end, FUNdaMENTAL has in place its Arts Education Programme
and Theatre for Young People, which it hopes to introduce to more schools
and institutions.
With the greatest of confidence, FUNdaMENTAL warmly invites you to
participate in its artistic journey and indulge in a whole new experience of
multi-disciplinary art.
"The more controlled, limited, and tormented art is, the freer it is."
Igor Stravinsky, Poetics of Music, 1948
Wednesday, May 08, 2002
Feature Artist
Matthew Ngui
Matthew Ngui's practice hinges on the investigation of the production of meaning, testing modes of representation to problematise monocular perceptions of the real and to surface the relativity of subjective experience. Much of his works are sited on installation and performative strategies, where real and virtual spaces become the playground for interactive dialogue between artist/artwork and viewer. A representational device most persistent in his recent works is the anamorphic image (such as Chair, 1997), captured by means of the single lens camera and produced via video projection elsewhere. Ngui confounds viewers with insensible distortions before surprising them through recognition of the anamorphic image revealed. Ironically, this diachronic experience of image/representation and the real, is used to return focus on the composite elements that make an image. The formal sensibilities of each mark or sculptural form are retrieved in the mien of modernist aesthetics. The
anamophic image is for Ngui a metaphorical device to surface the 'false and incorrect' in monocular representation of meaning. His latest work to be featured in the Venice Biennale is undertaken with the sensibilities and craft of an illusionist to underpin his interest in interrogating the dynamics of representation and cognition within visual and linguistic communication. The work does not deny the potential for miscommunication of meaning inherent in dialogic representation. It surfaces directly and patently its potential for loss and misconception. Perhaps in confessing itself as such, it obviates the illusory falsehood of monocular representation by offering the immediacy of direct testing and result.
Sunday, May 05, 2002
Feature Artist
Salleh Japar
Salleh Japar's works may be defined by a broad interest in the problem of knowledge and the limitation of rationalist inquiry. While the theme of science affords him the discursive platform to negotiate the precarious nature of rationalist positions, the artist also identifies and locates the problematic project of history in his latest work in the Venice Biennale. For the Venice Biennale, Salleh will create a series of three spaces that are sequential and experiential. The audience will first encounter a large metal-clad wall. The wall connects the two other spaces; one dominated by the presence and smell of spices, and the other, salt. For Salleh, these series of materials provide a metaphor of engagements between colonial powers and the colonised. The references to the history of Venetian and European trade, the rise of West and its colonisation of the East, and the West's conception of its history and achievements, are some of the conceptual issues being addressed by Salleh. Salleh seeks to address the West's assumption of its own history, as well as its ownership over that history. He dislocates and dislodges historical fragments so that they can be opened to multiple inquiries. Salleh also identifies fragments - marginalised or forgotten texts, materials and experiences - that can provide broader and richer meanings to an otherwise static and stable picture.
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