Singapore Creative Network

Project 636 in action at the CI Fair this Sunday, 24th July 4pm

2011-07-18T13:25:00.006+01:00

Venue:
Marina Square Atrium, Sunday 24 July, 4pm

This year's event has a special addition - JUDGES & AWARDS

Our Judging Panel:

Nicholas Chee, Founder of Sinema

Jesvin Yeo, Assistant Professor from NTU School of Art & Design

Zullikhan Abdullah, Founder of Ideas Empire & Kalkitos.

Who will walked away with these awards?

The Spark Award: Loppa Light sponsored by Foundry for
the presenter that sparks off the most ideas.

The Legs Award: $250 voucher from Leftfoot for
the idea that’s most able to go the distance.

The Drive Award: 2 hour wakeboarding session worth $240 by Edge Wakeboarding School for the most driven presenter.

Audience Choice: $200 Voucher from Basheer Graphic Books
So who do YOU like?

Audience Vote: $200 Relish Vouchers

Each participant will also receive a $200 Marina Square voucher.

Special host for this event is Jon Yong Fook, young entrepreneur who founded Open Source Food and director of International Product at COOKPAD.

PROJECT 636 is a collaboration between Singapore Creative Network, WDA and Six Degrees.

Singapore Creative Network is a fully independent organization focusing on connecting Singaporeans in the creative industry with the rest of the world.

The Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) collaborates with employers, industry associations, the Union and training organisations, to develop and strengthen the Continuing Education and Training system that is skills-based, open and accessible, as a mainstream pathway for all workers - young and older, from rank and file to professionals and executives - to upgrade and advance in their careers and lives.

Six Degrees is a community of independent professionals and businesses from across the arts and creative industries. By signing up as members on www.sixdegrees.asia, freelancers and businesses will be able to share experiences and resources, and articulate their needs and concerns within a community that respects and understands artistic work, and values freedom, independence and creativity.

Project 636 at Creative Industry Fair 2011 - 24 July 2011‏

2011-06-20T12:39:00.009+01:00

First held at Emily Hill in 2010, Project 636 is inspired by the Pecha Kucha nights in Tokyo. On Project 636 evenings, young creatives meet, network and pitch their work in 6 minutes and 36 seconds.

Watch it unfold, LIVE

Watch 10 very talented creatives pitch and share their projects live on the second day of the fair (Sunday, 24 July 2011, 4.00p.m. to 6.00p.m.) at the Marina Square atrium. Each will have 6 mins and 36 secs to charm, convince and ultimately walk away with the top prize.

Approach the participants freely after the presentations – for collaborations, or just to whisper feedback.

Call for Entries

Entries will come from CI WSQ graduates and trainees.

10 projects will be shortlisted by representatives from WDA, Six Degrees and Singapore Creative Network.

To be truly egalitarian, a People's Choice Award will be given out for the entry with the most public/ online votes.

Important Dates

Closing date for entries: 15 June 2011
Online voting (for the People's Choice Award): dates will be announced via Twitter.

About Creative Industries CI Fair

The annual Creative Industries (CI) Fair, organised by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency is back! This year Six Degrees has put together the programme, and it's themed around 'Fuel Up’ this year. Take it to mean your daily cuppa, or any other pick-me-up. This two-day fair is definitely something you'll want to pick up on if you're interested in the creative industries. It'll showcase numerous training opportunities to either enter the industries or to sharpen your skills and advance your career.

For more information about the fair, visit www.fuelupciwsq.sg

SYNAESTHESIA - 8th - 17th April The Substation Gallery

2011-04-11T04:37:00.003+01:00

Synaesthesia is a collaborative project by 17 pairs of artists and writers who were exploring the boundaries between the written word and the image.

This exhibition is held at The Substation Gallery from the 8th - 17th April 2011 from 10am to 9pm daily. Admission is FREE.

More detail of the collaborators can be found at:

www.projectsynaesthesia.com

Change by Design by Tim Brown, 10 Nov

2010-10-29T09:59:00.005+01:00

Tim Brown is CEO and president of IDEO. He frequently speaks about the value of design thinking and innovation to business people and designers around the world. He participates in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and his talks “Serious Play” and “Change By Design” appear on TED.com.

An industrial designer by training, Tim has earned numerous design awards and has exhibited work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Axis Gallery in Tokyo, and the Design Museum in London. He takes special interest in the convergence of technology and the arts, as well as the ways in which design can be used to promote the well being of people living in emerging economies.

Tim advises senior executives and boards of Fortune 100 companies and has led strategic client relationships with such organizations as the Mayo Clinic, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and Steelcase. He is a board member of the Mayo Innovation Advisory Council and the Advisory Council of Acumen Fund, a not-for-profit global venture fund focused on improving the lives of the poor. Additionally, he writes extensively, with articles in the Harvard Business Review, The Economist, and other prominent publications. His book on how design thinking transforms organizations, Change By Design, was released by HarperBusiness in September 2009. Tim maintains a blog on the subject of design thinking.

Get your tickets now with Sistic: www.sistic.com.sg

PROJECT 636 is here again!

2010-10-29T09:57:00.001+01:00

YOLO & SCN collaborates with Designersblock at LDF 2010

2010-09-07T13:57:00.002+01:00

YOLO is making its mark in London, so can YOU!

Just get down to the Bardgehouse at OXO Tower.

Here is what you can do:

1 Dot it, mark it, draw, doodle or jot on it.
2 Snap a picture of yourself holding your masterpiece
3 Email us at hello@yolo.sg by 23 October 2010

All entries will receive a limited edition YOLO tee (while stocks last) and will also be showcased on our website.

Alternatively, if you love to scribble your thoughts online, log on to http://pencil.yolo.sg and make your mark.

This project is proudly sponsored by Singapore International Foundation

23 - 26 September

Opening times:
Thursday: 10am - 8pm
Friday: 10am - 6pm
Saturday: 10am - 7pm
Sunday: 10am - 6pm

Bargehouse
Oxo Tower Wharf
Bargehouse Street
South Bank
London SE1 9PH

Tickets £5 Free entry with online registration by 22nd September on www.verydesignersblock.com

50 major design shows in 13 Cities, in 10 Countries with over 2000 Exhibitors from 33 Nations.

'Designersblock is the original and best' Icon Magazine.

2010-05-25T07:41:00.004+01:00

Maha Moggallana大孝目犍连

(May 28 and 29 Singapore Expo Hall 2)

A Buddhist fable starring Emma Yong, directed by Goh Boon Teck designed by fellow member Teck Leong Chua Christopher, will be performed on 28 May in the Singapore expo hall 2. The performance runs May 28 and 29, 8pm with a 3pm matinee on May 29, at Singapore Expo Hall 2. Tickets at S$30,S$40, and... S$50 from Sistic:

http://www.sistic.com.sg/portal/dt?dt.isPortletRequest=true&dt.action=process&dt.provider=PortletWindowProcessChannel&dt.windowProvider.targetPortletChannel=JSPTabContainer%2FsEventsCalendar%2FEvent&dt.containerName=JSPTabContainer%2FsEventsCalendar&dt.windowProvider.currentChannelMode=VIEW&dt.window.portletAction=RENDER&contentCode=piety0510

Also see Channelnesasia review:

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainmentfeatures/view/1058149/1/.html

Ming Wong, Life Of Imitation

2010-04-22T04:12:00.003+01:00

22 April 2010 to 22 August 2010

Singapore Art Museum

In Life of Imitation, Ming Wong re-visits the context of the Golden Age of Singapore cinema in the 1950s and 60s; an era of nation building, economic struggle and rapid modernisation.

Inspired by the rich legacy, Wong re-reads “national cinema” constructed through language, role-playing and identity, by re-interpreting films that are familiar to audiences spanning two generations, and which engage with performative notions of mis-casting and parroting. The first is a compendium of works by P. Ramlee, the wunderkind of Malay cinema. The second is the Hollywood melodrama Imitation of Life (1959) by Douglas Sirk about a black mother and her “white” daughter. The third is Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love (2000) with actress Maggie Cheung rehearsing a scene where she confronts her spouse‘s infidelity.

Through these video interventions, the viewer is presented with questions relating to roots, hybrid and the politics of becoming. The exhibition also unveils cinema posters by Singapore’s last surviving billboard painter; rare screen memorabilia of a private collector; and documentaries by film-maker Sherman Ong. The Singapore Art Museum re-stages this award-winning exhibition with a new design and additional exhibits.

This exhibition was first presented at the Singapore Pavilion, 53rd Venice Biennale 2009. It won the Biennale’s Special Jury Mention award. Tang Fu Kuen is the guest curator of this exhibition.

For more details, check out: www.singart.com

18th Raindance Film Fest (29 Sep – 10 Oct 2010)

2010-04-18T22:46:00.004+01:00

Raindance is Britain’s largest independent film festival. Situated right in the heart of London's West End, Raindance screens at the Apollo West End Cinema. Each year it selects a jury of industry professionals who choose winners for the Raindance Festival Awards, which include: Best UK Feature, Best International Feature, Best Debut Feature and numerous other awards.

Submission Deadline: 7^th May. Final deadline: 4^th June.

For more details: http://bit.ly/c4oVBF

London Design Festival 18-26 Sep & London Fashion Week 17-21 Sep 2010

2010-04-18T22:44:00.003+01:00

If you missed London Design Festival 09 and London Fashion Week 10, a few design events have confirmed their participation this year and are calling for submission.

Fashion Diversity 2010 invites students and designers to showcase their S/S 2011 collections at Museum of London from 16th -18th September in conjunctions with the London Fashion Week.
Submission Deadline: 25th June. For more details: http://bit.ly/cQ0hbT

See list of other exhibitions for LDF 2010: http://bit.ly/9i8MG0

mAAN*Y Singapore 2010 Call For Submission

2010-04-18T22:42:00.003+01:00

Modern Asian Architect Network welcomes young architects to participate in this first biennial modern art architecture event for innovative ideas in the advancement of modern Asian architecture. The competition is opened for submission till 31 May.
For competition details: http://bit.ly/9EQx5E

The event also comprises of a 11 day workshop from 19th-30th July and a 4 day conference from 1st -4th August.

2010-04-15T00:39:00.004+01:00

Chillax cocktail session this Friday 16/04 19:00 TheBar Courthouse Hotel W1F 7HS. See more event details @ SCN Facebook: http://bit.ly/a2s3Xp
See you!

PROJECT 636 - Pitch your ideas!

2010-02-02T01:46:00.010Z

PROJECT 636 invites 10 creative

talents to pitch their projects,

ideas and portfolios to an audience

of industry players, peers and you!

Inspired by the spirit of Pecha Kucha nights in Tokyo, Project 636 is an event for young designers to meet, network, and pitch their work in 6 minutes and 36 seconds.

Be bold. Be inspired.
Come and network with the up-and-coming of
Singapore’s creative talents on Friday 26 February 2010,
from 7 to 9pm at Emily Hill, White House Level 2 for our first creative evening.

Click here for venue location map.

This is a FREE event.
Registration starts at 6.36 pm.
Extended Happy Hours at Wild Oats till 10pm for guests and participants.

Write to Tamara Emir at tamara@sixdegrees.asia to reserve your place.

This event is organised by Singapore Creative Network.

In partnership with Six Degrees and Emily Hill.

'The Yunnan Project' New Cinema Series Group @ London's Coronet Cinema 30 Nov 2009

2009-11-25T01:21:00.007Z

“The Yunnan Project” New Cinema Series Group will arrive in London on 30 November 2009 to hold the Finding Shangri-La cultural exchange event at 18:00 in London’s Coronet cinema, a 400-seat traditional
British movie theatre.

This programme will include the London premiere of "Finding Shangri-La", a film directed by one of the new generation of female directors, Ismene Ding from Taiwan; the Shangri-La Photo Exhibition; and live music from some of the top musicians in Yunnan Province.

Guests from the Chinese and British film industries press, governments, business and cultural associations will be invited to witness the
year’s most special showing of the mysterious and beautiful local culture that comes from China’s Yunnan Province.

Images could be downloaded through http://picasaweb.google.com/FilmingEast/ShangriLa#

Dimsum has 4 double passes for our readers to the screening of "Finding Shangri-La" on 30th November 2009.

To get one, send your emails to kevin@dimsum.co.uk; with subject "Finding Shangri-La" and your full name.

First come, first served!

Beyond Typography by Jesvin Yeo - Singapore Pangram

2009-11-08T06:04:00.003Z

Following her successful exhibition in Beijing this summer, artist Jesvin Yeo will be exhibiting her new work that explores the language of fellow Singaporeans.

The artist has created 26 pangrams using the vocabulary of Singlish. Pangram is a sentence that uses all the 26 alphabets of Roman language. This exhibition illustrates how the language is part of Singaporean culture, describing the fusion of Singapore’s different races, their influences and how that culminates into the present culture. The artworks are characterized by perforated with elaborate tiny holes. Viewers have to use mini LED touch to filter light through these tiny holes to view the pangram. Intentionally, the works at once confound and elucidate, challenging the viewer’s perceptions by confronting the very nature of stereotypes, seeing and the symbiotic relationship between typography, the artist and the viewer in a process of discovery.

Nanyang Technological University
www.ntu.edu.sg

Exhibition
20 Nov –30 Nov 2009
10:00am–7:00pm daily
Free admission
The City Hall, Level 4, Courtroom 21

Ghetto Biennale in Haiti this December

2009-10-26T09:18:00.005Z

"What happens when “first-world” art rubs up against “third-world” art? Does it bleed?"

This is the working title of this year's Ghetto Biennale in Haiti.

For the past 10 years, a community of artists living in a downtown slum of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, has been producing sculptures depicting
Haiti’s dystopian society, culture and religion with collages of engine manifolds, computer entrails, TV sets, medical debris, skulls …

Today, these sculptures stand as deranged, post-apocalyptic totems towering a fragmented and failing economy.

The Grand Rue Sculptors namely, Jean Herard Celeur, Andre Eugene and Guyodo are among the core artists of this revolutionary art movement, producing powerful sculptural works that add a new dimension to the Vodou-inspired arts of Haiti.

For more information about the artists, please visit:

http://www.yoonsoo.com/ghetto

Preview: Singapore Creative Network & [+O] at Designersblock London 2009

2009-08-28T13:33:00.036+01:00

Strangers and seemingly insignificant used objects are brought together in this project called Rooming My World, which explores the level of routine sub consciousness and creativity in different cities.

The installation is a room made out of exhibits created by various designers aka Object Translators. Each exhibit is called Strange•R - a term derived from the word “stranger” and R referring to “Re-live, Re-born, Re-use, Re-think and Re-create”. Strange•Rs are discarded or used objects that were transformed through a game-like process that re-interprets the experiences from strangers met in a city.

These re-interpretations by designers invited by [+O] and members of Singapore Creative Network will see the transformation of these objects into Strange•Rs, giving them a second life to tell the stories of their cities and inhabitants.

Object Translators for this exhibition are Chu Yin Hua, Ernest Goh, Foo Kwee Horng, Jesvin Yeo Puay Hwa and Yu Yah Leng.

Strange•R: The milk carton who wants to be a cow...

Passport from Traveller Aurélie

A journey in a day of a stranger aka a traveller, taken down in the Passport being translated by an Object Translator, will give life to a used object. And we shall call it Strange•R...

Passport-Japanese

The Passport contains instructions and guides to be filled in with notes from an everyday of a stranger known as the Traveller.

In the process, s/he will engage with strangers, come face to face with his feelings and dreams… and may for a moment return to the consciousness of the everyday.

Passport-Chinese

The Passport contains instructions and guides to be filled in with notes from an everyday of a stranger known as the Traveller. In the process, s/he will engage with strangers, come face to face with his feelings and dreams… and may for a moment return to the consciousness of the everyday.

Passport-English

The Passport contains instructions and guides to be filled in with notes from an everyday of a stranger known as the Traveller.

In the process, s/he will engage with strangers, come face to face with his feelings and dreams… and may for a moment return to the consciousness of the everyday.

Strange•R: The cabinet who wants to dress up

A Strange•R is conceived when an Object Translator gives life to an abandon object by translating a set of information from a day’s journey belonging to a stranger in a city.

Strange•R: the rug who wants to sit.

As this is an ongoing project, visitors are invited to participate in this project during the exhibition at 100%Design+Designersblock, Earl’s Court from 24^thto 27^th of September 2009.

Designersblock London 2009 takes place during the London Design Festival over 5000 square meters of space alongside 100% Design in Earls Court One.

Opening times:
Thursday 24 September 10.00 - 21.00 Friday 25 September 10.00 - 19.00 Saturday 26 September 10.00 - 18.00 Sunday 27 September 11.00 - 17.00

About [+O]
[+O] is a multi-disciplinary collective and a platform for people of different background to explore, create and share thoughts together. More projects by [+O] can be found on http://www.plus-zero.net

To contact [+O], please email to: playing@plus-zero.net

For more information about Singapore Creative Network and press, please contact Che Yok Céré at +65-90615854 or scnuk_info@yahoo.co.uk.

This installation is sponsored by DesignSingapore Council.

Blackout event: Something About Elyn Wong...

2009-07-31T04:11:00.015+01:00

Elyn Wong Yinyin

33 years old, female Singaporean and relatively nice person.

Currently working as Head Of Art in Ogilvy & Mather, RedCard, Singapore.

Elyn does not like writing in the third person. Hence, this has been written by someone else. Hence, it may not entirely be true. Apparently, she has worked in advertising since the dawn of the new millennium. However, amongst 34 different jobs, she has also spent times as a D-grade model, estate agent, door to door Christmas Card salesperson, fashion show backstage dresser. And undresser. She preferred the latter.

She is a big fan of trees. Foliage in general, in fact. She has her own fashion and accessories label, very honestly named Stolen.

She likes to eat and travel as often as possible. Occasionally at the same time.

She was found in a grassy thicket as a newborn, adopted by wolves and can therefore hunt her prey in the dark.

SCNUK: What is the inspiration behind your work 'Insecurity'?
EWY: I wanted to do something that's honest and genuine. And something that I really feel for. So I started searching within myself. Insecurity is my biggest issue. So I thought it'll be a great area to explore for my art. 
I feel that insecurity is something that everyone can resonate with as well.
Everyone is insecure to a certain extend, whether they want to admit to it or not.
To most people, insecurity might sound like a negative thing, but if you see it from a diffrent perspective, alot of possessions, achievements, satisfaction, accomplishments in this world stems from insecurities. We do well because we want to prove our worth, we work hard because we want to show provide for our loved ones to demonstarte our love, we want to earn more to own things that makes us feel and look better. We just need to keep our insecurities in check and not allowing it to overwhelm us.


SCNUK: What were the challenges you faced when you work on this title?
EWY: Digging up real bare truths within myself and coming to terms with them. Also making sure that the work does not come across cliche because the theme of insecurity has been explored many times in the past.

SCNUK: Some of your work requires the audience to interact with the pieces, did you come across any difficulties in getting the audience to participate? And what was their response to your artwork?
EWY: Surprisingly not. I don't have any problem engaging the audience for participation. In fact, the response was overwhelming mainly because they were interactive. Locally there isnt many installation art show, not to mention art pieces that people can physically interact with. Thus this is still very refreshing to a lot of local audience and they love it.
But on the other hand, we need to be smart about our execution. For one of my art piece- Eggs, audience are requested to step on what looks like a tray of 1200 eggs on the floor. This piece is insecurity due to our conditioned mind. Audience were to challenge their own insecuity by walking on egg shells. Even after they were told they were not real eggs, many were still very resistant and weary. It was highly amusing watching the different responses from people. Not everyone walked on the eggs, but even when they chose not to walk on the eggs (which they were encouraged to), the audience was already interacting and participating in the idea of my work. They were VERY insecure. It makes people think... I think is the most important interaction that an artist would hope for from the audience.


SCNUK: This is your first art exhibition, could you tell us what makes you decide to exhibit?
EWY: Making installation art has been on my mind for many years. But as all creative minds, I was too unsure and insecure about what to put up. Never thought of myself as an artist. I could never imagine having a real personal art show! Years later with encouragments from other artists and a great unconventional art show space available, I finally pulled the courage to make this dream happen. To share my thoughts to the world and face my own insecurity. It proved to be a pleasant surprise for myself. To be able to share my insecure bare naked truths to the world...suddenly I realised I might not be as insecure as I thought!



SCNUK: Where (i.e. country, place or space) would you like to see your work being exhibited? And why?
EWY: I would love for it to be anywhere in the world really. Having them in places like London, New York, Japan will be exciting for the fact that installation art scene is very robust mature. To have my work exhibited amongst artist in those region will be a great honour. I believe it will be a highly enriching experience for me as a brand new artist.

On the other hand, space and location could play a very important role in many artforms. Especially so for installation art. I am very keen to explore the more unconventional countries and spaces. May it be rough streets of Cuba or palaces in India or on tress in Bhutan. Installation art in itself is impermanant and defies definition. In many cases it explores the notion of space and time. Therefore, to have them in interesting, unexplored locations could largely contribute to the ideas of the pieces. When an installation space is taken over, the artist could allow audience to experience the space in a completely different manner.


SCNUK: Will you be working on another art project soon?
EWY: Yes. I will be. I will continue doing this on a regular basis. Maybe once or twice a year. Not too often though because I would like to have more conceptualizing time for each project. And I'm doing this on top of my full time job and my fashion label STOLEN. I would like to have time to read a book in the park too.

SCNUK Creative Hunters

Calling for ‘OBJECT TRANSLATOR’s to come into play this time to contribute to the 'Room'

2009-07-16T06:57:00.010+01:00

[+0] is presenting at the London Design Festival 2009 with Singapore Creative Network UK!

Are you an Object Translator in the world of Strange•R?
If you are a student, a designer, an inventor or someone who simply likes to create beyond your own preconception and ego, you can become an Object Translator in the world of Strange•R.

The Object Translator can choose to create more than one Strange•R and is subjected to approval by the project team.

The role and task of an Object Translator
The task of an Object Translator is to give life to an abandon object by translating a set of information from a day’s journey belonging to a stranger in a city (known as the Traveller). These Journeys of different participating strangers in the city are recorded in booklets as ‘Passports to Strange•R world’ that were collected in another part of this creative process.

More information on these passports and details on how to participate can be found at: http://strange-r.plus-zero.net/archives/1090

How to submit
Email your ideas in 2 to 3 A4 pages in PDF format.

• Please state the sentence that determines the character, and

the Strange•R(s) which you are proposing to create .

• Illustrating your approach in no more than 300 words

with supported drawings.

Send it to strange-r@plus-zero.net no later than 31 July 2009.

We look forward to seeing your creations at London Design Festival 2009!

SCNUK Team

Burma VJ in Singapore and London

2009-07-04T10:31:00.005+01:00

Details for Burma VJ, a moving and inspiring film surrounding reportage of 2007's 'Saffron Revolution':

Screening in Singapore
Date: 16 July, Thursday
Time: 7.30pm (Seating begins at 7pm)
Venue: Jubilee Hall Raffles Hotel 3rd Level facing North Bridge Mcdonalds
Free admission.
For more details

Screening in London
Date: 19 July, Sunday (Burma’s National Martyrs’ Day)
Time: 11.45am
Venue: ICA
Ticket charge: £8
For more details

Read the synopsis on The Online Citizen.

- Z.

Skin - Movie premiere

2009-07-01T23:24:00.007+01:00

One look at Sandra Laing and you would have thought she's a black lady. Amazingly, her immediate family members are all white. Apparently, she must have had an ancestor whose DNA laid dormant for generations, and chose to appear only in Laing.

Sandra with her mother (Source: Mail Online)

This anomaly morphed into a huge tragedy for Laing was living in the apartheid-era of South Africa. Her family had to fight against discrimination in the neighbourhood because of that. Ironically, her parents were members of the Nationalist Party and supported the apartheid regime.

Only found about Laing when Karen emailed about the movie SKIN, which was based on Laing's story.

Karen, who is from the design company Pearlfisher and sits on FilmAid board, dashed out some short answers:

1. What do you like most about the film?

it's a true story

2. What do you do at FilmAid?

contribute to raising funds through all sorts of events (film-related) and contribute to making a difference in the refugee camps

3. Any memorable quote from the film?

need to see it again but think it was 'you made your choice' when her dad had abandoned her and was trying to reconcile

4. What other NGOs/ NPOs are you involved in?

GOSH

5. What other exciting FilmAid projects should we look out for?

burmese VJ at BAFTA 14 July and screening in September 15 at BAFTA

The film premieres 2 July at Odeon West End, and features a Q&A session with the director and cast.

The Design Society

2009-06-16T21:34:00.002+01:00

Just found an email from Asylum in the recesses of my inbox: The Design Society: Join us.

Interesting. Chris and the other big boys in design have set up The Design Society to raise the standard of design in Singapore, and to expand its international reach.

Intrigued by one line from their list of objectives: we believe sufficient content can be amassed to start a proper Museum of Modern Design.

Anyone knows what's going on?

- Z.

Singapore Day

2009-06-12T01:53:00.007+01:00

If there can 'happy belated birthday', why not 'belated Singapore Day'? C was asking for some pics of me gorging on mee goreng while she enjoys the real thing back home...

It was held in Hampton Court, which looked remarkably like a wonderland of Hershey's Kisses.

It not only looks exactly like the real gantry, it even beeps. And with all the flashing LED lights (in broad daylight), I'm sure this is the centrepiece of the venue set-up. I have this large image so you guys can relish every detail of how our taxes are used.

This cracked me up 'cos I've never seen anyone throw rubbish into a bin in London (except A (who's from Finland)).

Dim Sum Dollies larger than life!

All of us got freebies - balloons for her, satay sauce and a cap from the Army for me.

The empire of Hackney

2009-06-12T01:27:00.008+01:00

now consists of Pete Doherty's blood (not too sure about this) and other works by Armando Seijo.

You can see the Spanish painter dashing about with a carton of beer here:

I caught a man in one of his drawings staring forlornly out of the window.

Was with Em (from Sister Mary and the Choir Boys) who's another die-hard East Londoner, and we left for an indie folk gig in a pub near Hackney Central.

Was rather entranced by

the singers

(Singer Cal (from DC) making a weird face)

and
this beautiful woman

(I think her name is Polly)

and
a man who wanted to pay me 50 quid to strangle him with his bicycle chain

Whitechapel Art Gallery reopens

2009-06-12T00:51:00.008+01:00

Trust A, my best angmoh friend in London, to show me all the goodies. To me, Whitechapel used to be The End of Petticoat Lane Market, The Other Side of Brick Lane and What Is A Gorgeous Mosque Like You Doing In A Place Like This- kind of place, but from now I will bury myself within the Whitechapel Art Gallery's belly, most probably snuggled up against the tomes in its very seductive bookshop.

It reopened in April after a whopping 13.5 million pound-refurbishment and look at the grand dame now!

But since I don't know how it looked like before, I shan't go down this route.

The Nature of the Beast by Polish artist Goshka Macuga (shortlisted for last year's Turner Prize) sits right in front of a monochrome tapestry version of Picasso's Guernica. This version of Guernica has its usual home outside the UN Security Council but we might have it here since people would every now and then cover it up to make speeches.

Guernica on tapestry

A secret snap I made at The Whitechapel Boys before the very bored librarian jumped to her feet to tell me off. I think she just wanted to get to know me. The things I risk for this blog.

Caught an interesting film, Lunch in Fur, with that hint of Breton/ Dali-ness before going to see some s*** painting at Great Early Buys from the British Council Collection. I'm not being rude! There WAS elephant dung on a painting made of dung sheets.

SCNUK + Designerblock collaborates for London Design Festival

2009-06-04T05:24:00.002+01:00

About London Design Festival

Since 2003 the London Design Festival has been recognized as one of the most important events on the global design agenda and attracts world class design talent to showcase their latest designs.

The Festival provides a platform for global design talent to interact with the public, explore ideas and do business.

Facts of London Design Festival 2008:

· 300,000 visitors from 45 countries;
· Contribution from over 150 organizations;
· 200 public projects and events alongside 152 launch events and private viewings; and
· 576 separate pieces of media coverage in the UK inclusive of printed press, valued at over £2m

Festival Past and Present Projects/Exhibitions:

'Size + Matter' was first commissioned in 2007 and has shown each year since. Its aim is to challenge the usage of materials, design boundaries and the scale of production;

‘Prototile’, 2007

'Sclera' by David Adjaye, 2008
(http://dev.trellon.org/ldf/project/size-matter )

Jaime Hayón (http://dev.trellon.org/ldf/project/tournament )

'Wasted' - a seating stratum using reclaimed materials (http://dev.trellon.org/ldf/project/wasted-seating-stratum-using-reclaimed-materials )

SCNUK + Designersblock SCNUK has previously worked with the Designersblock event during the London Design Festival. We are teaming up with the Designblock again this year and we invite you to be part of this exciting design event.

More about Designersblock at: http://www.verydesignersblock.com/2009/past/.

Designersblock Venue Information

Designersblock London ‘09 will offer space at 100% Design, Earls Court (we expect to confirm a central London venue in the next 2 weeks). Venues can accommodate large scale structures and installations for any ideas that you might have.

We Are Calling For Submissions For London Design Festival 2009

Objective: To create a high quality product design, installation design or graphic design of your current project or area of interest.

You need to articulate your ideas, i.e.: explain how your design is an embodiment of that idea. Your design should demonstrate functionality, ideology and a vision that we can relate in our everyday life.

Submission method: Please submit your proposal in the form of a short write up detailing the aforementioned information in no more than 500 words by 19 June 2009.

Send your proposal via email to: scnuk_info@yahoo.co.uk.

For further details please contact: Tina Johnson (tinajohnson6691@gmail.com) or Vivian Chan (chvivian@hotmail.com)

Funding: SCNUK will act as an intermediary and assist you in applying to organizations for partial funding (i.e. grants from Design Singapore). However, there is no guarantee that the grant will be approved and participants (individuals or organizations) will be expected to pay for the cost of exhibition (i.e. cost of venue rentals, marketing and publicity fee).

Please submit the following details along with your 500 words write up:
a curriculum vitae (including details of educational and professional history, past awards, exhibitions, shows and publications, and features in local and international online and print media e.g. newspapers and publications.

If you have any enquiries concerning the funding of your exhibit, please contact Tina Johnson (tinajohnson6691@gmail.com) or Vivian Chan (chvivian@hotmail.com).

Re-birth art exhibition

2009-04-29T22:32:00.024+01:00

Date: 17 April - 15 May 2009
Venue: Islington Arts Factory, 2 Parkhurst Road, London
Telephone: +44 (0) 207 6070 561
Email: IAF@islingtonartsfactory.fsnet.co.uk

Attended Siti's art exhibition a couple of weeks back but too much Hainanese chicken rice and Dim Sum Dollies at Singapore Day delayed this post till now (how convinced were you by my excuses??).
Islington Arts Factory was a shade gloomy, which makes it suitable for all things artistic, innit?

Virginie Litzler and her photography 'Plans articulés'

Siti's (of course the one on extreme left lah) been in London for several years and is now working with sculptor Zadok Ben-David. I've visited the studio before and was glad to see all the staff getting together to collaborate on an exhibition. Zadok's usual jetlagged self (just returned from an exhibition in LA) was clad in all black but was still rather smiley and jokey.

Edward Parkinson's painting

The exhibition's theme was:

Re-birth: A New Lease of Life
Re-birth is an association with forms of repetition in that it expresses a fresh beginning, a commencement, and its on-going transformation through repetition
(the same again, seen differently).
The artists in this show have acknowledged something that both connects and separates them all: a shared experience (they met working for an established artist) and the differences of their own experiences. This then induces a learning, which suggests a transformation. The daily routine of working engenders a development. It is both true that the artists in this exhibition are the same as they were and have been irreparably changed by the experience of spending time together. Their work is a conversation that is expected and is yet a complete surprise.
A return to the (un)known.

Stella Orkoupolou's installation

Francisco Ortega's installation drew quite a bit of crowd. His work was a mishmash of large pipes, car engine pipes, secondhand television sets painted black and whose paint is scratched out; his work depicts the water cycle.

A hyper Fran explaining his work

By Bruno Jamaica
A peaceful Zenlike piece by Oona Culley

Guests standing in front of an Edward Parkinson

Network Committee 2009

2009-03-16T03:30:00.007Z

2009 SCNUK Team

Fontine Lee
Core Network PR & Events Manager
fontine@gmail.com

Edward Goh
Core Network Creative Manager
edwardgohzx@gmail.com

Vivian Chan
Network Mentor
chvivian@hotmail.com

Tina Johnson
Network PR & Events Advisor
tinajohnson6691@googlemail.com

Winnie Lee
Network Creative Advisor
euphoreia@yahoo.com

Christopher Lee
Network Arts & Culture Advisor
christopher_chua77@hotmail.com

Malaysia Film Festival 2009

2009-03-16T02:31:00.007Z

Malaysians have discovered a strong voice through film and they are expressing this at a film screening in London.

The Freedom Film Fest Retrospective (2004-2008) will be held on the 28th of March 2009, at The Garden Court Chambers, London.

The event features documentaries by past Freedom Film Fest(FFF) competition winners and films made by local Activists who use the FFF to draw attention to Human Rights issues in Malaysia. The film fest has also been used by Singaporean film-makers - Martyn See and Seelan Palay - to screen their documentaries Speakers Cornered(2006) and One Nation Under Lee(2008) after the films
were banned in Singapore.

Visit the event website at:
http://freedomfilmfestlondon.blogspot.com/

Singapore Animated! next Saturday

2008-10-16T17:37:00.004+01:00

SCNUK is proud to present the first public screening of some of the best animations from Singapore.

We have award-winning director in the Singapore International Film Festival, Gavin Lim, to curate the animations which will be screened at an audience capacity of 185 at the Institute of Contemporary Art.

The following are the synopsis of the featured animations:

3 Feet Apart by Jason Lai
6 mins, 2002

Set in the near future, this is a charming tale about Han, a boy who is born with a phone inside his head. He is in love with Pepper, a girl who is born with two small speakers inside her head and a small TV inside her right palm. Han and Pepper are a pair of star crossed lovers – for they always have to be three feet apart from each other.

Crocodile Journals by Yeo Lee Nah
6:30 mins, 2004

A crocodile disguises himself as a human being, to live in the human world. Although no one knows about his true identity, they sense that he is different. One day, he gets an invitation to a
masquerade party and his true identity is revealed.

SuperDONG by Pok Yue Weng
4 mins, 2007 (PG – Parental Guidance)

What happens to toilet graffiti when we're not looking?

The Mole by Victric Tang
12 mins, 2007

Little Molly Parker fell sick one autumn. Her worried parents quickly summoned the family doctor, Mr Anderson, to attend to her. The first visit from the doctorwas such a titillating experience that Molly secretly hopes for his next visit. Herdark desire leads to an unexpected turn in her life. The Mole is a whimsical taleabout longing and pining.

Overhead Clouds by Yeo Lee Nah
5 mins, 2005

Unable to find employment, a man finds himself in an unusual situation when a dark cloud begins to hang over his head feeding off his energy…

Subject by Davier Yoon
2.40 mins, 2008

A test subject in an experimental facility finds a way to escape, but it soon becomes apparent that escape is not what he is after.

White by Tan Wei Keong
2 mins, 2007

A man decides to give up his head for a fanciful one in the name of self-improvement.

Elephant OK by Srinivas Bhakta
6 mins, 2007

Entering a forest where everyone is approved as elephants, a real elephant finds it difficult to prove himself an elephant.

Bloom by Srinivas Bhakta
5 mins, 2005

Inspired by a folk tale from India, this animated short narrates and explores a dream like relationship between a young lady and a tree.

Nothing We’re Just Talking by FromPamm
5 mins, 2008

A make believe transit of pretend conversations over scenes that have grown to be insignificant; drawing a parallel to the theory of an anti-social society.

Tickets are on sale at ICA box office: 020 79303647
The event will start at 10.30 am at the ICA, Institute of Contemporary Art, The Mall, SW1Y 5AH

This event is proudly sponsored by
Void Deck Films & Objectifs Films

Asia House presents Indonesian Inspired

2008-10-16T17:36:00.000+01:00

• INDONESIA Inspired

During October 2008 - as part of the annual Connecting Cultures Series - Asia House presents Indonesia Inspired, a festival showcasing some of the most influential and exciting contemporary arts of Indonesia. This is the first event of its kind in the UK and the biggest Indonesian contemporary festival for many years.

Indonesia Inspired showcases a dynamic and fresh face of Indonesia and its people today. Through popular themes from food to film, fashion to design, these events will reflect a modern face of Indonesia with its dynamic society and the ability of its people to transform. For more information, visit Asia House

Singapore Playhouse London

2008-10-16T15:41:00.000+01:00

Its time once again to get involved with the hippest theatre group in london at the moment - Singapore Playhouse London. Following last year's successful staging of Invitation to Treat, they are back this year with another exciting, explosive project that will stretch your artistic wit and challenge your creative boundaries. Singapore Playhouse London has consistently been staging Singaporean work in London and exhibiting it to rave reviews in London, and hence, this year, they have in store a series of theatre improvisation and writing workshops that are guaranteed to not only provide a avenue for your artistic expressions, but will also develop you as an actor, director, writer, or whatever you fancy within the theatre world.

To get involved, simply drop Singapore Playhouse London a mail by the end of the week with your name, contact number, institution (and year) of study, as well as a whole bunch of information which you think might be useful to them. They will then contact you with further details regarding auditions and such.

Action now!

D&AD President's Lectures Autumn 2008

2008-10-08T09:26:00.001+01:00

Dont miss the Autumn lectures featuring:

Kyle Cooper
15 October
Peacock Theatre, London

Matt Pyke, Universal Everything
23 October
St George's Hall, Liverpool

Michael Peters
6 November
Logan Hall, London

Sanky, AllofUs
27 November 2008
Logan Hall, London

Click here to buy tickets

Typhoon 5

2008-10-01T10:06:00.007+01:00

Yellow Earth is delighted to present its fifth international playreading festival. Typhoon is a unique and vital event in British theatre diversity, promoting the best of contemporary East Asian drama and showcasing quality British talent: East Asian writers, actors and directors. T5 sees the exciting world premieres of our first Yellow Voices initiative, during which Yellow Earth mentored three writers over one year, in partnership with Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Soho Theatre and the Young Vic. T5 also includes work from Japan, Singapore and the USA, and one of these six new plays will tour next year.

Previous Typhoon writers have come from eight East Asian countries and two diasporas, and they welcome submissions for T6 in 2010, particularly from unrepresented East Asian countries and diasporas. Their Literary Associate, Philippe Cherbonnier, has done a sterling job coordinating the festival. The growing confidence of this sector, buoyed by the rise of China and the success of the Beijing Olympics, has set the theme for this year’s seminar.

Many British East Asian (BEA) artists have benefited from their Professional Development schemes, and several new companies have been set up as a result. This is the first time that the Typhoon festival has featured majority BEA directors.

Yellow Earth Theatre
Yellow Earth was founded by five BEA performers in 1995. The company produces work that explores universal themes from an East Asian perspective, celebrating cultural diversity through an integration of theatre skills from the East and the West. The range of work covers new writing, devising and the reinterpretation of classics, with an emphasis on exploring the links between contemporary experience and multicultural heritage. The company also runs educational workshops, residencies and community projects as part of its outreach programme.

Monday 3^rd - Saturday 8^th November 2008

Soho Theatre 21 Dean St London W1

Tickets: £5 (£3 concessions)

Box Office: 020 7478 0100 or www.sohotheatre.com

Typhoon Festival Offer

Book for all six readings and get 50% off. Call the box office and quote ‘Typhoon Festival Offer’.

Please note that all tickets must be booked together.

Programmes:

Boom by Jean Tay (Singapore)

Director: Philippe Cherbonnier
Tuesday 4^th November, 7pm
The living and the dead jostle for space as the economy booms and development runs riot. An old woman who refuses to move battles her estate agent son, while a psychic civil servant has problems persuading a stubborn corpse to relocate.

A Dream of Red Pavilions adapted by Jeremy Tiang (Yellow Voices, UK)
Director: Jonathan Man
Monday 3^rd November, 7pm

Based upon Cao Xueqin's classic 18^th century Chinese novel about the rise and fall of the aristocratic Jia family, this is the tragic love story of two beings from the spirit world born to experience the fullness of life.

wAve by Sung Rno (USA)
Director: Kwong Loke
Thursday 6^th November, 7pm
Loosely inspired by the Medea myth, this dysfunctional love story veers from madcap farce to tragedy as one isolated Korean immigrant collides with the illusions of the American dream.

Pathological Happiness by Kazuko Hohki (Yellow Voices, UK)
Director: Adjjima Na Patalung
Friday 7^th November, 7pm
Alone in her lab, a Japanese pathologist Maiko encounters a talking cell which declares its love for her. A naked man, cloned from the same cell, steps out from the incubator and an unusual love triangle begins.

Keeping up with the Wongs by Andy Cheung (Yellow Voices, UK)

Director: David TSE Ka-Shing
Saturday 8^th November, 7pmIn Walthamstow, the British Wongs hatch a desperate plan to outdo their new neighbours from mainland China, but will success prove to be their ultimate downfall? A contemporary social satire of one-upmanship where nobody wins.

Visit Yellow Earth Theatre website for more

Join their mailing list at www.yellowearth.org/mailinglist

One Night Stand

2008-09-19T16:23:00.000+01:00

Curated by Shawnz Neo, in collaboration with EMMAUS Greenwich, 'One Night Stand' is an opportunity to view some of Britain's forefront creative talent utilise some of London's filthiest furniture during the London Design Festival 2008.

With: Bethan Laura-Wood, Daryl Clifton, Zeel Design, Michele Edwards, Gemma Gore, Vincenzo Di Maria,Kieren Jones, Sanitas Pradittasnee + Visuallyod

Open Rehearsal in London

2008-09-17T10:16:00.001+01:00

Have you ever wondered what happens backstage at the National Theatre? Or do you long to take part in a singing workshop with the BBC? Perhaps you'd like to get your film screened, or have some ideas for a musical?

Get closer to London's exciting cultural scene as the city's top venues open their doors, spaces, backstage areas and more, and invite you to take part in Open Rehearsal. For one weekend in September, London's Open Rehearsal festival lets you do all these things and more.

Highlights of this year's Open Rehearsal season include a world-first as The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House together hold open rehearsals for the first time in the companies' long histories. In addition, there are events at both the Young Vic and the Old Vic, the Barbican, the National Gallery and more.

What are you waiting for? London's doors are open! Start planning your Open Rehearsal weekend now...

Click here to find out more

Diminishing Memories I & II

2008-09-16T12:08:00.001+01:00

The Substation and the Asian Film Archive are glad to share with you a Singapore film that will open at The Arts House next week - Dimishing Memories I & II by Eng Yee Peng.

Diminishing Memories is an intimate and thought-provoking documentary about what Lim Chu Kang and kampongs mean to younger generation of Singaporeans like the filmmaker. If you have not caught it at the Singapore International Film Festival yet, you may want to check it out.

If you have already seen it and enjoyed it much like I do, I am sure the filmmaker would appreciate if you can help to get your friends to come watch it too. Eng Yee Peng, the director of Dimishing Memories I & II will also be graciously donating her proceeds from the premiere to The Substation and the Asian Film Archive.

Thirty-one-year-old filmmaker Eng Yee Peng is a former resident of Lim Chu Kang before this rural community was uprooted to give way to redevelopment. Gone are the good, old kampong days; and her childhood memories, once fresh, are fading. Diminishing Memories I & II are two thought-provoking and intimate documentaries, a tribute to Yee Peng's indelible memories of Lim Chu Kang. Follow Yee Peng's personal journey in her attempt to re-capture her lost childhood and her struggle in letting her beloved kampong go. Both films are narrated in Mandarin and subtitled in English, with interviews conducted in Mandarin, English and the Teochew dialect.

Synopsis
Diminishing Memories I (50mins)
takes you on a personal journey with Eng Yee Peng, the filmmaker, to recollect her childhood memories of living in Lim Chu Kang, a village that has already died and its spirit dispersed. Find out more about the former Lim Chu Kang community and landscape; with the use of archival photographs, old 16-mm film footage, interviews of former residents, and an animation that will piece together memories of kampong life that is almost unheard of today.

Diminishing Memories II (49mins)
Prompted by the Singapore government's recent announcement of a plan to turn Lim Chu Kang into an agriculture-cum-entertainment attraction, Yee Peng sets out to revisit vestiges of her haunting childhood for the second time. A new film with fresh content on interviews with the new investors and current tenants of Lim Chu Kang, Yee Peng is forced to face the deepest fear in her heart. Find out how she learns to accept the much-changed Lim Chu Kang community and how the evolving times have also altered its spirit.

Click here for Trailers & Reviews of the films

Film Screenings:
Fridays (19th September & 3rd October)- 7:30pm
Saturdays (20th September & 4th October)- 4pm, 7:30pm

Screenings will be followed by the director's Q&A sessions

Venue:
The Arts House, Screening Room
1 Old Parliament Lane, Singapore 179429
(Nearest MRT- Raffles Place)

Ticket Prices:
S$8.50 Full S$6.50
Concession (Students & Senior Citizens)

Tickets are available at The Arts House Box Office Only 75 tickets per screening, book early to avoid disappointment!

Ticket Bookings: The Arts House
Ticketing Hotline: 6332 6919 or email tickets@toph.com.sg
Bulk Bookings: 6332 6912 or email martini@toph.com.sg
Click here for The Arts House Website

Symposium on Singapore Cinema

2008-09-11T10:55:00.001+01:00

The Asian Film Archive would like to invite people to their Symposium on Singapore Cinema.

The Asian Film Archive Presents Symposium series serves as an intellectual and practical nexus between filmmakers from the region, industry professionals, film scholars, and students interested in films and its industry. This year, the Symposium shines a spotlight on Singapore Cinema. The outstanding work of participants vying for the awards of Best Film Paper and Best Cineodeon Team will be showcased. Additionally, a panel session on Singapore Cinema will feature Sun Koh (Executive Producer, Lucky 7), Kenneth Tan (Director, Singapore Film Commission) and Dr Kenneth Paul Tan (Author, Cinema and Television in Singapore: Resistance in One Dimension). The Symposium on Singapore Cinema will culminate in the inaugural Asian Film Archive Young Jury Awards. These awards are voted by a panel of Young Jury members, as part of our Moving Minds Lab programme. The youths will honour film professionals in Singapore with prizes including the Best Film, Best Director, Best Performance, Best Cinematography, amongst others. The Symposium will be held at the Singapore Management University (SMU) Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium.

Date: 20 September 2008 (Saturday)
Time: 9:00am – 6:00pm
Venue: Singapore Management University,
Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium
60 Stamford Road, Singapore 178900
(located in the School of Accountancy/Law, situated beside the National Museum of Singapore)

More information on the programme and speakers can be found on the Symposium website:
http://www.asianfilmarchive.org/Cineodeon2008/AboutSymposium.aspx

To register, please contact them with the following details by 12 September 2008:
1. Full name
2. Institution
3. Email
4. Contact number

Contact Person: Jean Hair
Email: info@asianfilmarchive.org
Fax: 6543 1643
Tel: 6777 3243

An acknowledgement email will be sent upon receipt of registration. Lunch and teas will be catered. They look forward to seeing you at the Symposium!

Ming Wong - mononoaware

2008-09-10T16:44:00.002+01:00

There are many foreign language words that are difficult to translate adequately, such as the Japanese term ‘mono no aware’ (‘the pathos of things’) and the German word ‘Sehnsucht’ (‘longing’).

Despite the disparity of their origins, both these words can well be used to describe the work of Singapore-born artist Ming Wong, which traces his efforts to adopt foreign languages, cultures and identities by re-creating his own ‘world cinema’.

‘Angst Essen / Eat Fear’ (2008), developed during his residency at Kunstlerhaus Bethanien in Kreuzberg, Berlin, is a tribute to German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s ‘Angst Essen Seele Auf’ (‘Ali: Fear Eats the Soul’) (1973).
In his remake, Ming plays the German cleaning lady Emmi and her husband Ali, a Moroccan guestworker, along with other peripheral characters who fuel the crisis in the couple’s relationship with their xenophobic prejudices. The race, gender, age, status, nationality of individual characters become irrelevant as a 30-something-year-old foreign amateur actor of Chinese descent portrays all of the characters in a world of prejudice.

‘Four Malay Stories’ (2005) consists of re-enactments of four 'classic' films of the pioneering film industry in Singapore that flourished in the late 50s and early 60s. The producers were Chinese, who hired filmmakers from India to direct Malay Muslim actors in films that referenced Hollywood, Bollywood, European, Japanese and Chinese cinema.
On four adjacent monitors, the artist plays a total of 16 characters, male and female, young and old, repeating his lines in the Malay language, along with a transcription of the dialogue and a literal translation in English – as in a foreign language learning video, although the content is deliberately melodramatic and out-dated.

Also on display is ‘Filem-Filem-Filem’ (2008), a series of medium format Polaroid photographs of old cinemas that the artist found in Malaysia and Singapore.

Opening: Friday 05.09.2008, 18.00 h
Exhibition: 05.09. – 18.10.2008

MKgalerie – Berlin
Rudi-Dutschke Strasse 26 (former Kochstrasse 60), 10969 Berlin
Tel +49 (0)30 80618947
mk@mkgalerie.de
www.mkgalerie.de
Wed – Sat 11.00-18.00 h

MING WONG, born 1971 in Singapore, graduated from the Slade School of Art in London in 1999, currently lives and works in Berlin. Ming took part in the Künstlerhaus Bethanien’s International Studio Programme 2007/08.

This is Ming's first gallery solo exhibition in Berlin.

Exhibitions in 2008 include:
Vertraut oder Verdaut, ZKM Center for Art & Media, Karlsruhe, curated by Ludwig Seyfarth with Chantal Blatzheim; Das Piraterieproblem, Brandenburgischer Kunstverein, Potsdam, curated by Astrid Mania & Gerrit Gohlke; Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Wendt + Friedmann Galerie, Berlin, curated by Marc Wellmann & David Keating; Kunstinvasion, Blumengroßmart Berlin, curated by Initiative Berliner Kunsthalle;
Film Programm, Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Düsseldorf, selected by Annette Hans; Damn! I Wish I’d Done That!!, 176 Project Space, Zabludowicz Art Projects, London, curated by Harold Offeh.

www.mingwong.org

SETCAST

2008-09-03T14:38:00.001+01:00

The SETCAST collection is the result of a close collaboration between Voon Wong & Benson Saw and one of China's most distinguished manufacturers of bone china, Asianera, based in Tangshan, the porcelain capital of northern China. Together, the companies have developed a collection that makes the best use of bone china's excellent light-reflective properties and also moves away from traditional decorative tableware to focus on striking new typologies that make a bold statement.

The preciousness of the material has been combined with sculptural and architectural forms to create a series of exceptional objects intended to be used at the table. These objects are for everyday use but in themselves are small works of art. The collection comprises 7 new families of tableware items that reflect a more informal approach to dining: including trivets, candlesticks, condiment bowls and hors d'oeuvre dishes.

Setcast by Voon Wong & Benson Saw will be available at the Sunday&Rex - first Pop-Up gallery in London's East End from 30th August – 14th September @ TENT London.

For more information, visit
http://www.voon-benson.com/newsletter/rex.html
http://www.tentlondon.co.uk/

OSU Invitation

2008-08-29T10:34:00.001+01:00

AN INVITATION

The Overseas Singaporean Unit (OSU) is pleased to invite you to attend a reception hosted by Senior Minister of State (Information, Communications and the Arts) RADM (NS) Lui Tuck Yew. The reception is for Singaporeans from the creative industries in the United Kingdom, and will be held on Friday, 12 September 2008 at the Royal Garden Hotel.

SMS Lui Tuck Yew will be accompanied by a delegation from the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts comprising Mr Chan Yeng Kit (Permanent Secretary), Mr Lock Wai Han (Deputy Secretary for Industry & the Arts), and Dr Milton Tan (Director, DesignSingapore Council). Singapore High Commissioner in London, Mr Michael Teo, will also be present.

Details of the reception are:

Date: Friday, 12 September 2008

Time: Registration starts at 7 pm, and reception at 7.30 pm. Kindly
arrive early.

Venue: Royal Garden Hotel, Function Room - York Suite
2-24 Kensington High St, London W8 4PT

Dress Code: Lounge Suit

Kindly RSVP by 1st September 2008 to karolyn_poon@pmo.gov.sg

Asia House

2008-08-28T12:42:00.010+01:00

Check out these exciting upcoming events at Asia House!

• Asia House Festival of Asian Film 2008

Photo from www.zhaowei.com

Dont miss the UK Film Premiere of 881, Singapore’s official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the 2008 Academy Awards and a local, record breaking box office sensation. 881 is a magical, heart-wrenching musical extravaganza from director Royston Tan, the winner of over fifty international and local awards and hotly touted as one of Asia’s most promising breakout talents.

Friday 22 August at The Renoir Cinema at 6.30pm.

The festival also features many UK premieres of films from Asian directors such as Shin-Yeon Won, Daniel Lee, Nan Achnas and Kiumars Pourahmad. For more information, visit Asia House

• INDONESIA Inspired

• Hong Kong Design - Lecture by Douglas Young

G.O.D. (Goods of Desire) is a one-stop Hong Kong lifestyle store, selling home accessories, furniture and fashion to the style-conscious denizens of the city. Most items of furniture are created by in-house designers and cater specifically for those living in a densely-populated city, while maintaining a healthy appetite for local flavour. The designs imbue traditional oriental techniques and materials with fresh ideas. Shunting freely between the old and the new, East and West, these bear witness to the adaptability and pragmatism of Hong Kong's people.

Douglas Young, founder of G.O.D., will talk about his quest to define a Hong Kong/Chinese style through product, lifestyle and fashion design. Born in Hong Kong in 1965, Douglas Young trained as an architect at Sheffield University and The Architectural Association, London. Since 1991, Young has worked on Hong Kong projects ranging from residential to retail interiors. In 1996, Young founded G.O.D together with partner Benjamin Lau. The majority of the merchandise is
self-branded and designed in-house by a multi-disciplinary design team led by Young.

This event is presented in association with the Hong Kong Society.

Thursday 18 Sep, 2008 at Asia House from 6:45 PM to 7:45 PM. Doors open at 6.30pm. Asia House Friends, Hong Kong Society Members & Concs £5, Others £8. For more information, visit Asia House

Tan Pin Pin’s Moving House, Singapore Gaga, Invisible City

2008-08-20T11:30:00.001+01:00

Look out for the official release of one of Singapore's top documentary filmmaker's works in a special edition DVD boxed set. Tan Pin Pin's works have won acclaim internationally and can now be enjoyed collectively on your small screen. Meet the director, Tan Pin Pin, who will be sharing her inspirations and challenges in making these films.

Date : 29.08.2008 Fri 07.30pm till 29.08.2008
Venue : BooksActually. No. 5 Ann Siang Road

Getai girls rule again

2008-08-13T11:18:00.001+01:00

Photo: ALPHONSUS CHERN

HOW do you follow up a mainstream breakthrough that was also a runaway homegrown pop phenomenon as well as Singapore's official entry for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film?

Director Royston Tan's answer: Give the crowd what they want.

So his new film 12 Lotus, which opens tomorrow, returns to the familiar stomping ground covered by his getai flick 881.

Inspired by the hard-luck song 12 Lotus, it tells the melodramatic story of Lian Hua (the Lotus of the title played by 881 alum Mindee Ong), a talented singer who is made use of by the men in her life.

The stakes are higher this time round. After all, 881 beat even reigning box-office champion director Jack Neo's Just Follow Law to the No. 1 spot last year with a gross of $3.5 million.

It also spawned two Hokkien-heavy hit soundtracks, tuned hipsters into the entertainment value of getai and proved that Tan, the enfant terrible of Singapore independent film, had what it takes to make a commercial film.

Call for entries! DMY ASIA TOUR 2008

2008-08-13T10:54:00.003+01:00

DMY - daily, monthly, yearly ...is always and everywhere!
Following its ending in May, the DMY International Design Festival 2008 has garnered a highly positive response from the media, exhibitors and visitors alike.

This year, the DMY has enjoyed a successful expansion, introducing itself for the first time as a city-spanning design festival. Designers can now apply for their overseas projects, of which of the brief description below.

DMY - Asia Exhibition Tour 2008
In Autumn 2008, they will concentrate on their activities on Asias creative and economic key markets - Japan, Korea and Taiwan. They plan to take part in following design fairs and festivals:

•Taiwan
Design Expo, Tainan (October 4 - 19, 2008)
International Culture & Creative Industries Exhibition, Taipei (October 23 - 26 2008)

•Japan
Tokyo Designers Week (October 30 - November 3, 2008) - TBC

•Korea
Seoul Design Festival (December 3 - 7, 2008)

Call for Entries
DMY Berlin invites designers residing or working in Berlin to apply for its "DMY - Asia Exhibition Tour ".

The following types of objects can be handed in:
Products, soon-to-be serialized prototypes, limited editions and single items from the fields of industrial and product design.

The selected works of approx. 10 - 15 designers or design studios will be presented in a joint fair stand within a homogenous exhibition design. Participants will be nominated by DMY Berlin on the basis of their applications.

Application deadline: August 1st, 2008

Application:
Upon recepton of a duly completed application form, accompanied by a description of the submitted objects and images (low-res) via fax of e-mail.

The application form and call for entries may be downloaded here

Additional 2008 DMY Berlin Projects Abroad
Additionally, DMY Berlin takes part in following events with an array of projects and exhibitions in Autumn 2008: Tent London (September 18 - 21), Vienna Design Week (October 2 - 12), Designblok Prague (October 7 - 12), St.Etienne - International Design Biennial (November 15 - 30).

For more information, visit DMY Berlin

Mad About English!

2008-08-11T10:13:00.005+01:00

THE ONLY MOVIE TO SEE THIS OLYMPICS!

Don't miss MAD ABOUT ENGLISH! A hilarious and heartwarming film about the people of China and their mad, mad rush to learn English before the Olympics begins. Featuring real-life characters, shot on actual locations across China and including never-before-seen, uncensored footages of the world's most bizarre way of mastering English, MAD ABOUT ENGLISH! is the must-see film of the year!

Click here now to see the movie trailer the whole world is talking about!

(More than 120,000 hits in less than a month!)

A cinematic milestone by a Singaporean filmmaker

The Globe & Mail in Canada says MAD ABOUT ENGLISH! tells its amazing story with "gusto and wacky charm".

Realscreen in Cannes says the film is "hilarious and heartwaming".

Award-winning Singaporean fillmmaker and former CNN anchor PEK SIOK LIAN (Sayonara Changi, Born Again Buddhists) has created a film that's filled with so many laugh-out-loud moments, stunning visuals and beautifully layered pathos.

Watch MAD ABOUT ENGLISH! and you'll never look at China the same way again.

And the next time you speak English, you'll think of the characters in the film...

How they inspire you, make you laugh and warm your heart.

Catch MAD ABOUT ENGLISH! at Lido, Orchard Cineleisure, GV Plaza in Singapore from Thu 7 August 2008!

Discounted tickets at S$6 each are available for group and school bookings of 50 tickets & above.

Please contact Wei Ling at Tel +65 6235-2077 or email weiling.cheok@shaw.com.sg

Media enquiries: Please contact Journey Pictures in Singapore at email@journeypictures.com.sg or Tel +65 6884-4840, Mobile +65 9488-2696

Singapore 2010 logo design competition

2008-08-08T09:54:00.000+01:00

Photo credit : http://en.beijing2008.cn/

While all eyes are on the Beijing Olympics 2008 opening in a few hours, you can too, make history by designing the very first logo for the Youth Olympic Games taking place in Singapore 2010.

Singapore will host the Youth Olympic Games in 2010 and some 3,500 youth athletes from all over the world will arrive on our shores to compete in the spirit of Excellence, Friendship, and Respect.

The Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee are inviting everyone to submit a design for the Singapore 2010 logo! This competition is open to anyone, regardless of nationality or design experience. So don't hesitate, have your say in the logo for the first Youth Olympic Games!

The closing date for submission is 29 August 2008

For more information, please click here

Singapore Biennale 2008

2008-08-07T10:24:00.002+01:00

Singapore Biennale, the city’s largest international contemporary visual arts exhibition, returns on 11 September.

As the anchor arts event to the Singapore GP Season held in September, this mega art exhibition would continue to impress and draw wide global attention as it extends excellent opportunities for local and international art communities, arts businesses as well as diverse art audiences to interact, collaborate and be engaged in the world of contemporary art.

Please visit the official site for more information.

Powerbrokers International Leadership Placements

2008-08-07T10:06:00.005+01:00

Powerbrokers International Leadership Placements are aimed at BME creative as well as those in managerial areas of the sectors.It is encouraging 'learning through doing' with some of the industry's most respected leaders and organisations.

The third round of placements offering awards up to £15,000 are:

• The Beijing Modern Dance Company, China
Associate Producer
(November 2008 - February 2009)
China's leading professional modern dance company

• 501 Contemporary Art Centre, Chongqing City, China
Marketing and Development Associate
(November 2008 - February 2009)
A dynamic and exciting not-for-profit new art centre

• Theatreworks, Singapore
Business Development Associate
(November 2008 - February 2009)
A leading inter-disciplinary performance company respondisible for ground breaking work regionally and internationally

• National Museum of Singapore
Associate Curator
(November 2008 - February 2009)
A cultural leader in making learning pleasurable, intellectual and serious

Please click here for further information

Summer Drinks tomorrow!

2008-07-18T10:32:00.000+01:00

Dear all,

Due to the wet weather forecast we are getting for tomorrow, we have decided to change out picnic plans and switch our venue to Graphic Bar. It's a great venue, well-priced drinks, and we have reserved a table for all of us. It's located just off Golden Square, 2 mins walk from Picadilly Circus tube station.

So do come down tomorrow from 1-4pm for a drink and a long overdue catch-up! Will be great to see everyone down!

Graphic Bar
4 Golden Square
London
W1F 9HT
tel: 020 7287 9241
www.graphicbar.co.uk
Graphic Bar review

Summer Play - Betrayal

2008-07-17T12:47:00.000+01:00

Betrayal

Told largely in reverse-chronological order, Harold Pinter's devastating masterpiece unravels the lies and manipulations that slowly poison the relationships between Jerry, Emma and Robert. A timeless study of marital infidelity revealed in all its intimate and destructive glory.

For more information, click here.

LONDON FESTIVAL OF ARCHITECTURE

2008-07-17T12:42:00.001+01:00

LONDON FESTIVAL OF ARCHITECTURE
Student Festival: Goldsmiths College14 July - 20 July
Hungerford BridgeLondon, SE1 8XX

Collaborative practice Group A, from the Goldsmiths College MA inContemporary Art Theory, have produced a fanzine entitled Exchange &Arch for the London Festival of Architecture. "Smuggled" into the gentrified context of the South Bank, Exchange &Arch intends to provide an informal and wilfully amateur platform, fora range of different perspectives about the South Bank area to bearticulated. Enthusiastically asserting themselves as "fans" of the builtenvironment of the South Bank, Group A have facilitated thecontributions of a disparate range of users of the site, withoutmaking any claims to representing them. The purpose is to present amultitude of voices outside of the established mechanisms for thecreation and maintenance of architectural discourse. It is hoped thatthe production of this knowledge about the South Bank, will encourageits users to view the area from a fresh perspective.

Copies of Exchange & Arch are available in the afternoon between the14 - 20th July.
However, be prepared to offer an object or storyrelating to the South Bank in exchange, as part of the on going generation of dialogue about the area.

Click here for more information.

Viktor & Rolf

2008-07-17T12:15:00.001+01:00

The House of Viktor & Rolf
Dutch fashion design arrives at the Barbican
18 June 2008 - 21 September 2008Barbican Art Gallery

For more details, visit:
http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=7272

Summer Picnic @ Green Park

2008-07-06T23:35:00.001+01:00

Date : Saturday 19 July 2008
Time: 1 – 4pm
Venue: Green Park, Piccadilly
For more information, contact David @ 07721633907, Che Yok @ 07977098825 or Brian @ 07930378922

Summer is here! Come join us for an afternoon in the park. It has been a while since we all met up, so do make yourself free on Saturday 19 July from 1pm to 4pm for an afternoon of sun, food, games, and loads of fun!

Please bring your own picnic. Please click on attached picture below for location.

PROJECT:slingSHORT 08

2008-05-14T11:46:00.000+01:00

PROJECT:slingSHORT had its sophomore showcase amidst a packed audience at the Singapore High Commission on the 26th April 2008. Curated by Victric Thng, PROJECT:slingSHORT featured 7 short films by Eva Tang, Chai Wee Wei, Green Zeng, Gözde + Russel Zehnder, Ghazi Alqudcy, Elgin Ho and Benjamin Tan. Bee Thiam from the Asian Film Archive, our adopted organisation for this event, also made a surprise appearance and gave us a brief insight to the archive, its mission and activities. SCNUK is delighted to have raised £315 for the Asian Film Archive in support for all the work they have put in for Asian cinema. Let the pictures do the talking! The full set of pictures can be found here.

Feet Unbound

2008-04-26T07:43:00.002+01:00

FEET UNBOUND, the feature-length documentary about the unknown story of China's Long March will open at Cathay's The Picturehouse in Singapore on Thursday 17 April for a limited season.

It is an all-Singaporean independent effort featuring music performed by the T'ang Quartet. Shot in remote locations across China, including the Chinese Himalayas, the Gobi Desert, and the highland marshes of western Sichuan, the film takes you on a 5,000 km journey in search of history and identity. It is a virtually unknown story that needs to be told.

Without any advertising and promotion budget to speak of, small independent films can, however, be just as successfully publicised via grassroot means such as this. The film has already been seen by audiences in 20 different film festivals around the world including Amsterdam, Hawaii, Montreal, Sydney, Seoul, Greece, Adelaide, Mannheim-Heidelberg, Leeds, Mexico City and many others. For more information visit tickets.cathay.com.sg or
www.feetunbound.com