SIFA 2021 unveils Festival House lineup focusing on healing & humanity

Singapore, 13 April 2020 — As previously announced, Festival House - the epicentre of the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA), will explore in depth the ideas of compassion and healing for the duration of the festival from 14 to 30 May 2020. Curated in response to the isolation due to the pandemic, the lineup will see The Arts House at the Old Parliament House transform into a space for discussions, workshops and immersive installations with topics ranging from mental health and wellbeing to sustainable living and climate change.

Festival Director Gaurav Kripalani shares, “Having lived through a time of isolation, I believe the Arts can play a powerful role in bringing communities together. I’ve also spent time thinking about how the arts can help heal. The programmes at Festival House have been curated around self-care, care for one another and care for our planet and I’m excited to present artists who have risen to the challenge of creating work with these in mind.” 

Climate Consciousness for the Future

Designed specifically for stakeholders in the arts industry, Can or Cannot? Making Sustainable Art Events the Norm led by Singapore-based social enterprise Green Nudge, is a mapping workshop to diagnose problems and obstacles and propose solutions towards becoming more sustainable in art-making and art-consumption. For the general public, Toolkits for Climate Change: The Role of Art in Climate Advocacy will bring audiences on a contemplative journey through storytelling and visual archives to explore personal stakes in climate breakdown.

Resonating across the room – spoken and unspoken interactions

Discover how changes in rituals of communication have the power to change the future with Impossible Conversations by Dutch artist collective Building Conversation. Through engaging with topical talking points such as Care, Risk, Obedience and Trust, participants are invited to deconstruct their lived experiences in group conversations and positively shape their personal lives with others. To Gathering: Laying the Table Bare facilitated by BRACK uses food as a medium for communication to get participants to open up about the underlying stories behind the collective act of gathering for a meal.

Healing and mindful living with the Arts 

Explore creative practices that promote healing, mental health, and coping with change and trauma from some of the leading practitioners in Singapore.

Healing collective Unapologetic Yoga will present two sessions: the first uses meditation, yoga and journaling to stay connected and mindful, while the second, which also features art by radha, encourages participants to stir their imagination and unleash their creative energies to create intuitive art. Enter a deep state of relaxation with a Therapeutic Sound Bath led by Christina Shiu of The Singing Bowl Gallery, or get a better understanding of our body and special awareness with a guided facilitation session in Dancing Landscapes by movement artist Chole Chotrani. Join movement coach and veteran dancer Hafeez Hassan in The Brothers Circle as he confronts male vulnerability and masculinity today with breathwork meditation and movement.

Theatre and dance artists Chong Gua Khee and Bernice Lee present Tactility Studies: Hold to Reset. This long-term performance project invites audiences to open up their bodies as sites and spaces for performance. For this iteration during SIFA 2021, Hold to Reset will be presented in three-parts: mini-workshops, durational performances, and an experiential installation with a reminder weaving through these parts - where there is tension, there can be release. 

Asian Arts Media Roundtable in partnership with ArtsEquator

After a successful run in 2019, the Asian Arts Media Roundtable (AAMR@SIFA2021) returns in 2021, bringing together international arts writers, critics and journalists to learn, share and converse. Presented in partnership with ArtsEquator and running from 15 May - 12 June 2021, this programme will look at the evolving work of a critic as performances and festivals are reimagined for the future.

From discussions and presentations by master technical theatre practitioners, to critics-led post-show discussions known as Critics Live! participants will explore the role of criticism in emerging hybrid performance spaces. The programme is open to arts writers, critics, and arts journalists, who will be selected for AAMR@SIFA2021 through an open call. All programmes will be held in English, with possibilities for translation support. For more information and to apply, visit: www.artsequator.com/aamr.

SIFA On Demand: Reaching out to audiences, at home and abroad

To overcome the reduced capacity for theatres in Singapore, as well as to reach out to audiences from abroad who were unable to catch the Festival Commissions and films during the festival period, audiences can tune in to their recordings and screenings with SIFA On Demand from 31 May to 12 June 2021. Selected films from the Singular Screens 2021 lineup will be available for Singapore-based audiences from 31 May to 6 June 2021, while all eight Festival Commissions and selected performances from SIFA v2.020 will be available to audiences worldwide from 5 to 12 June 2021.

Tickets for Festival House start from $5, with selected programmes free with registration via sifa.sg. SIFA on Demand: Singular Screens tickets are at $8 per film, and $35 for a bundle of 7 films. SIFA on Demand: Festival Commissions are $15 per show, or $60 for a bundle of 12 shows.

For more ticketing details and concessions, please visit sifa.sg.

For full programme information, high-res images, please click here.

For more information on SIFA 2021 Festival Partners, click here.

For more information, please contact:

Follow #SIFA2021 on:

Website: sifa.sg

Facebook: facebook.com/sifa.sg

Twitter: twitter.com/sifa_sg

Instagram: instagram.com/sifa_sg

***

About the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA)

As Singapore’s annual pinnacle performing arts festival, the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) presents captivating and diverse works across theatre, music, dance, film and visual arts. First launched as the Singapore Festival of Arts in 1977, the festival has gone through several evolutions and inspired generations of arts lovers and practitioners. Today, the highly anticipated festival is a high point on Singapore’s arts and cultural calendar. SIFA continues its festival mission to champion the creation and presentation of Singaporean and international works.

About Arts House Limited (AHL) 

Arts House Limited (AHL) is a not-for-profit organisation committed to enriching lives through the arts. AHL manages two key landmarks located in the heart of Singapore’s Civic District – The Arts House, a multi-disciplinary arts centre with a focus on literary programming, and the Victoria Theatre & Victoria Concert Hall, a heritage building that is home to the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. It also runs the Goodman Arts Centre and Aliwal Arts Centre, two creative enclaves for artists, arts groups and creative businesses, and performing arts space Drama Centre. AHL presents the Singapore International Festival of Arts, the annual pinnacle celebration of performance and interdisciplinary arts in Singapore commissioned by the National Arts Council.

AHL was set up in 11 December 2002 as a company limited by guarantee (CLG) under the National Arts Council and was formerly known as The Old Parliament House Limited. It was officially renamed Arts House Limited on 19 March 2014. In 2020, AHL was appointed cultural place manager of the Civic District.

About National Arts Council (NAC) 

The National Arts Council champions the arts in Singapore. By nurturing creative excellence and supporting broad audience engagement, our diverse and distinctive arts inspire our people, connect communities and profile Singapore internationally. We preserve our rich cultural traditions as we cultivate accomplished artists and vibrant companies for the future. Our support for the arts is comprehensive – from grants and partnerships to industry facilitation and arts housing. The Council welcomes greater private and corporate giving to and through the arts, so that together we can make the arts an integral part of everyone’s lives. For more information on the Council’s mission and plans, please visit www.nac.gov.sg.