*Updated 26 Mar 2020
In line with MOH’s advisory on Tighter Measures to Minimise Further Spread of COVID-19 issued on 24 March 2020, kindly note the following cancellations for Arts in Your Neighbourhood programmes:
- A Collection of Things, all Sat 28 March and Sun 29 March shows
- Podscape Pop-up & Fringe Activities: 9am—12pm, 28 March; Installation will also be removed
- BOUND, 5pm, 28 March show
- Rolling On, 4.30pm–5.20pm, 28 & 29 March Performance & Parade
- The Mighty Mousedeer of the Forest, 4pm & 6pm, 29 March shows
- Melodic Flowers, 5pm, 29 March show
- Kembara Kelana, 6pm, 29 March show
- The Outer Space*’s Pag-Ahon + Meningkat artwork at the open space outside Holland/Bukit Panjang Town Council
- Character Clash art installation
- Floral Trails: Reading the Garden City installation
- Poems on Air exhibition
This upcoming school holiday, the Arts in Your Neighbourhood (AYN) programme, brings you and your family enriching arts experiences right at your doorstep!
Organised by the National Arts Council, AYN will take place over three weekends from 12 to 29 March 2020.
Families can look forward to immersive and engaging arts events by established artists and arts groups held at various spaces across Singapore. This year, close to half of the activities are inspired by the focus town of vibrant Bukit Panjang – its landscape as well as stories of the town and its people. These include recorded sounds from residents crafted into podcasts, as well as site-specific performances, which foster a greater sense of community and belonging through the arts.
AYN’s programmes will take place in eight locations around Bukit Panjang, including lesser-known spots in the neighbourhood such as the Pang Sua Pond and Bukit Panjang Khek Community Guild Building. With some of the events and activities taking place at unconventional locations, residents and the wider public are encouraged to rediscover Bukit Panjang through the arts and form shared memories and social bonds rooted in their neighbourhood.
AYN also hopes to attract new arts audiences and cater to more people of different ages and backgrounds with its diverse line-up of multi-genre and multi-cultural arts experiences.
Here are some of the highlights in the AYN March 2020 programme to look out for:
1. The Outer Space
Locations: 139 Petir Road | 257 Bangkit Road | 133A Cashew Road (Ramps) | 139 Petir Road (Void Deck) | Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council (Playground/Open Space outside)
Date: 12 to 29 Mar
Admission: Free
Photo Credit: Zul Othman / ZERO
The Outer Space is a street art trail programme around Bukit Panjang, curated by homegrown street artist and 2013 National Arts Council’s Young Artist Award recipient Zul Othman (ZERO), featuring 4 distinct outdoor works ((consisting of murals and site-specific street art installations) by SPAZ (in collaboration with The Super System), SYCO, TraseOne and Atomick, as well as the residents of Bukit Panjang.
In this current age, public outdoor spaces and play areas are no longer as bustling as before as people spend more time in comfort of their own homes, consumed by digital spaces. In an attempt to view and embrace the unknown as a form of play and exploration, the artists engage with the community in Bukit Panjang through various activities, discovering interesting narratives unique to the neighbourhood!
A commission for Arts in Your Neighbourhood.
2. Back of the Bus
Meeting Point: Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre and Market
Date/Hour: 14, 15, 21 & 22 Mar, 9.30am & 11.30am | 19 & 20 Mar, 5pm & 7pm
Admission: Fees apply (Limited audience capacity)
Age Range: Suitable for ages 5 and above
Photo Credit: Java Dance Theatre
Take a bus ride like no other through the streets of Bukit Panjang with contemporary dancers from Java Dance Theatre (New Zealand) and local dance artists (Adele Goh, Sabrina Sng and Syafiqah ‘Adha) performing in a bus.
Expect physical comedy, pure kinetic energy and outrageous scenarios combine to create a magical mystery tour of the unexpected. First performed in 2008, this unique dance theatre show will make its debut in Singapore following sell-out sessions at over 17 arts festivals around the world, including the renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Tickets are available for $5 each and are available here: https://backofthebusayn.peatix.com/
This programme is supported by Creative New Zealand.
3. A Collection of Things
Locations: Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council (Playground/Open Space outside)
Date: 29 Mar, 10am & 11.30am
Admission: Free
Photo Credit: Issy x Cher
Bukit Panjang has always had a strong community spirit and a rich history. But how much do we really know about it?
On one of his last few days as a karung guni, Uncle Teong shares his fondest memories of Bukit Panjang and shows off some of the objects that he’s collected over the years.
Guiding us through this personal trip down memory lane, A Collection of Things is an interactive performance that only you, the audience, can help complete. Join in creating another special memory in Bukit Panjang that you won’t forget!
To register your interest to attend the show, click here: https://acollectionofthingsayn.peatix.com/
- Please note that all shows on 28 March and the 1.30pm show on Sun 29 March have been cancelled in view of the evolving COVID-19 situation, and being mindful of the challenges of crowd control in some open areas.
- Audiences affected by the cancellation of the Sat 28 March shows and the 1.30pm show on Sun 29 March may still redeem their AYN tote bag by showing the registration email.
- Actor Hang Qian Chou has replaced actor Julius Foo, and will play Beng Chye, son of a karang guni man. He will share his fondest memories of Bukit Panjang as he recalls stories shared by his father, affectionately known by many as Uncle Teong. Beng Chye will show off some of the objects that Uncle Teong collected over the years, as he guides us through this personal trip down memory lane.
A commission for Arts in Your Neighbourhood.
4. Rolling On
Locations: Pang Sua Pond Boardwalk & Outdoor Amphitheatre
Date: 28 & 29 Mar, 4.30pm – 6pm
Admission: Free
Age Range: Suitable for ages 5-12
Photo Credit: Rolypoly Family x The Kueh Tutus
Rolling On raises awareness of Earth Hour through a dance performance and parade. The performance is made from movements co-created between children and artists. In finding cyclical patterns in their bodies and in nature, they create specific dance moves to be performed together with audience-participants and animate the values behind the expression - “what goes around, comes around”.
To register for the parade and craft activities, click here: https://rollingonayn.peatix.com/
5. Podscape
Photo Credit: Shophouse & Co
Contribute personal stories with your friends and families at this pop-up recording and broadcasting booth. The recorded stories of residents will be overlaid with soundscapes from the neighbourhood and released as podcast episodes.
5. Character Clash
Photo Credit: Band of Doodlers
Cheer on budding artists and illustration enthusiasts as they battle it out in a live drawing competition and exhibition. Youth participants are mentored by established illustrators and given the opportunity to showcase their character design skills.
To check out the rest of the programmes, click here: https://artsforall.sg/events.aspx or, download the programme booklet here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ax8a2kootee7xaq/AYNMar20_Programme%20Booklet.pdf?dl=0
