Three performances to see at The OPEN
Gwen Pew gets three participating artists of The OPEN – the 19-day pre-festival to the Singapore International Festival of Arts – to share their thoughts on this year’s theme, ‘Post-Empires’
See the The OPEN website for more events.
Performance
Navtej Johar, dancer and choreographer:
‘The Empire forced us to define ourselves. And we’re still reeling from the propensity and weight of those definitions. For the longest time, it became almost impossible to do dance in India that didn’t address such definitions. It’s heartening to see Indian dance step into autonomy, relying upon tradition but neither endorsing nor reacting to these definitions.’
When Johar and his fellow dancer Lokesh Bharadwaj explore the relationship between love and hate in Frenemies. Jul 2-4. 8pm. 72-13.
Music
Louis Quek (aka Intriguant), sound artist:
‘The fall of an establishment depicts the beginning of a new development; these progressions build notions for the future. As human beings, we have the ability to adapt to changes even if they shift to either side of the equation. Furthermore, this allows the mind to explore and discover something unexpected – very much like my music-making process.’
When Intriguant showcases tracks from his debut release, Ellipse. Jun 26. 8pm. Barber Shop, Timbre.
Visual Art
Noorlinah Mohamed, actress and director of The OPEN:
‘“Post-Empires” is about knowing what came before you, yet going beyond that, finding alternatives, daring to find new and perhaps, one could say, improved ways of doing things.’
When Noorlinah’s project, 15 Stations, is an augmented reality tour that enables participants to ‘meet’ people whose lives were entwined with the old Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. Jun 18-Jul 4. Tue-Sat noon-10pm; Sun noon-6pm. Tanjong Pagar Railway Station.
