This 26 and 27 August 2022, soak in the festivities and enjoy the charm and richness of Singapore's ethnic arts at Stamford Arts Centre (SAC).
Photo Credit: Stamford Arts Centre
Venue: Various venues at Stamford Arts Centre
Date: 26 to 27 Aug 2022
Time: 7pm to 10.30pm
Fee: Free
Organised for the first time by Arts House Limited (AHL) and in conjunction with the Singapore Night Festival (SNF), festival patrons can look forward to two delightful evenings of over 20 interactive traditional arts programmes at SAC.
Here's a closer look at some of the activities that you and your family can take part in:
All-Night Activities
Chinese Calligraphy by Chinese Calligraphy Society of Singapore
Photo Credit: Chinese Calligraphy Society of Singapore
Venue: Stamford Arts Centre, #01-01
Date: 26 to 27 Aug 2022
Time: 7pm to 10.30pm
Fee: Free
Come experience the rich culture and art of Chinese calligraphy, the stylised artistic writing of Chinese characters which is appreciated as a unique visual art form today.
Learn about the ‘scholar’s four jewels’ and see how they come together to create pieces of masterful works. From displays to demonstrations of practised calligraphy works, you are invited to immerse into an enriching Chinese calligraphy appreciation experience with the oldest calligraphy society in the nation.
This activity is conducted in Mandarin and English.
Make A Good Impression! Stamp Printing Workshop by Artefakts Art • Craft • Design
Photo Credit: Artefakts Art • Craft • Design
Venue: Stamford Arts Centre, #01-04
Date: 26 to 27 Aug 2022
Time: 7pm to 10.30pm
Fee: Free
This fun and easy activity is a perfect introduction to basic printmaking. Pre-carved rubber printing blocks in a variety of cultural-inspired motifs will be provided.
Participants will be guided on how to ink the blocks with different colour stamp pads and print the designs on blank cards. They can mix and match the motifs as they please.
This activity is suitable for all ages.
Singa Rangoli by Singa Rangoli
Photo Credit: National Arts Council
Venue: Stamford Arts Centre, #01-05
Date: 26 to 27 Aug 2022
Time: 7pm to 10.30pm
Fee: Free
Join Singa Rangoli to collaboratively create a vibrant larger-than-life rangoli on the floor of Stamford Arts Centre in this creative participatory activity.
Singa Rangoli means Singapore-Rangoli. In this activity, new materials will be used, other than the usual colour powder. Experience and learn about rangoli, of which the designs are usually inspired by nature, and contribute your share to a growing piece of rangoli art.
An Evening with Shadows by Paper Monkey Theatre
Photo Credit: Paper Monkey Theatre
Venue: Stamford Arts Centre, #02-05
Date: 26 to 27 Aug 2022
Time: 7pm to 10.30pm
Fee: Free
Experience and appreciate the different ways of playing shadow puppetry, with a special display of traditional shadow puppets including Sun Wukong, the Monkey King from Chinese classic “Journey to the West”, and Prince Rama from Indian epic “Ramayana”, and more!
This activity is suitable for all ages.
Adult supervision is required for participants aged 12 years and below.
Sulam Circle by Heath Yeo
Photo Credit: Heath Yeo
Venue: Stamford Arts Centre, #03-04
Date: 26 to 27 Aug 2022
Time: 7pm to 10.30pm
Fee: Free
A needle, a thread, a stitch. Together we sew and mend, giving life to fragments of materials making it whole and adding touches of colours of life.
The stitches of sulam circle are about forging bonds with one another among family, friends or sewers, relishing the rich traditions of hand sewn embroidery motifs of the Peranakan kebayas.
Come pop by to learn more about embroidery, see the demonstration of fine machine work and join us in the sulam circle for some stitching fun!
This activity will be conducted in English and Mandarin.
Adult supervision is required for participants aged 13 years and below.
Ark Music Live Session by The Ark 木船
Photo Credit: The Ark
Venue: Stamford Arts Centre, #01-06
Date: 26 to 27 Aug 2022
Time: 7pm to 10.30pm
Fee: Free
Over the years, The Ark has transformed from physical live performances to virtual live performances at Stamford Arts Centre. As part of A Date with Tradition, The Ark’s in-house singers will present, through live streaming, 3 hours of non-stop Mandarin pop songs, from xinyao (Singapore songs) to the latest hits. Come and see how live streaming of an acoustic performance is like behind the scenes, or simply enjoy The Ark’s live music on their Facebook, YouTube and TikTok channels.
This programme is conducted in Mandarin.
Get-To-Know
A Close-up Session with Century Old Puppet Troupe by San Chun Long Hainanese Puppet Troupe
Photo Credit: San Chun Long
Venue: Stamford Arts Centre, #03-02
Date: 26 Aug 2022
Time: 7.30om to 8pm & 8.30pm to 9pm
Fee: Free
This is a rare chance to get up close with Singapore’s century old Hainanese puppet troupe San Chun Long, as the troupe members share their journey of performing rod puppetry shows in various countries over the years, and how the traditional art form has been passed from generation to generation. You will also get to see the delicate movements of the puppets skilfully executed by the puppeteers.
This programme is conducted in Mandarin and English.
Open Studio: Century Old Hainanese Rod Puppets by San Chun Long Hainanese Puppet Troupe
Photo Credit: San Chun Long
Venue: Stamford Arts Centre, #03-02
Date: 26 Aug 2022
Time: 7pm to 10.30pm
Fee: Free
Be mesmerised by the antique rod puppets belonging to Singapore’s oldest Hainanese puppet troupe, San Chun Long. These puppets have withstood the test of time as they travelled to various parts of Nanyang (present Southeast Asia) for the past hundred years. Come over to interact with the friendly puppeteers and you may stand a chance to go up close with these unique rod puppets!
The Charm of Chinese Opera by Traditional Arts Centre (Singapore)
Photo Credit: Traditional Arts Centre (Singapore)
Venue: Stamford Arts Centre, #03-05
Date: 26 to 27 Aug 2022
Time: 7.30pm to 8pm | 8.30pm to 9pm | 9.30pm to 10pm
Fee: Free
Through the appreciation of traditional Chinese operas, the public will gain a better understanding of the performance characteristics and experience its artistic charm. With fun and lively interactions, the public will acquire knowledge of traditional arts and have a deeper understanding of traditional Chinese cultural and educational values. This will in turn promote the inheritance and dissemination of traditional arts in Singapore.
Presented by: Cai Bixia
Demonstration by: Zhang Manxi
This programme will be conducted in Mandarin with English interpretation.
The Art of Sulam by Heath Yeo
Photo Credit: Heath Yeo
Venue: Stamford Arts Centre, #03-04
Date: 26 to 27 Aug 2022
Time: 7.30pm to 7.50pm | 8.30pm to 8.50pm
Fee: Free
Heath Yeo will share and demonstrate the process of creating sulam designs using the manual treadle sewing machine. This unique way of embroidering is typically created by the embroiderer manually paddling the sewing machine with his or her feet while skilfully manoeuvring a tightly hooped fabric under the needle to create a design. Since the sewing machine has only one needle, the embroiderer often pauses to re-thread the machine manually for every colour that is used in a multi-coloured design such as a phoenix or a flower.
Open Studio: Head, Hand & Heart – The Everyday Art of Traditional Crafts by Chee Sau Fen
Photo Credit: Chee Sau Fen
Venue: Stamford Arts Centre, #02-02
Date: 26 to 27 Aug 2022
Time: 7pm to 10.30pm
Fee: Free
An early interest in making things by hand, a career in visual arts industry, a love for fashion as wearable art and a decade of fieldwork explorations in regional indigenous crafts - all these have evolved to the current creative work seen in Sau Fen’s studio today.
Take a peek into the studio and learn how her journey of wanting to make hats as artworks led to a humbling journey into the worlds of traditional crafts artisans. The Open Studio would showcase a unique setup of tools from various craft traditions, a diverse collection of materials, works-in-progress and finished creations.
Performances
Percussive Rhythms by Ding Yi Music Company
Photo Credit: Ding Yi Music Company
Venue: Stamford Arts Centre, #02-06
Date: 26 Aug 2022
Time: 7.30pm to 8pm | 8.30pm to 9pm | 9.30p to 10pm
Fee: Free
Ding Yi Music Company will present a variety of repertoires in different styles and instrumentation, featuring the versatility of percussion instruments from east to west. Led by percussion musicians Low Yik Hang, Cheong Kah Yiong and sheng musician Soh Swee Kiat, you will get a chance to play percussion together with them and create rhythmic grooves in this energetic and engaging session.
Indian Rainbow by Shantha Ratii Initiatives
Photo Credit: Shantha Ratii Initiatives
Venue: Stamford Arts Centre, #02-01
Date: 26 to 27 Aug 2022
Time: 7.30pm to 8pm | 8.30pm to 9pm
Fee: Free
This brief presentation is a cursory glimpse into the vast Indian Rainbow of Performing Arts, where we hope to ignite the imagination of our audience through lucid explanations with full bodied performances and also for the audience to have an opportunity to tell a story purely through hand gestures, in an interactive session at the end.
We begin with a dance on the elephant-headed God Ganesha, believed to be the remover of all obstacles. Hence performed at the beginning of a programme to ensure its success.
One of the other colours of the spectrum is about a 13th Century Queen, who not only brought prosperity to her kingdom, but was a great patron of the arts. Her reign involved numerous wars she had to fight to protect her people.
Illuminate by Li Ruimin
Photo Credit: Li Ruimin
Venue: Stamford Arts Centre, #02-01
Date: 26 to 27 Aug 2022
Time: 9.30pm to 10pm
Fee: Free
This programme will share the basic forms of Chinese dance and bring you into the intricacies of Chinese classical and ethnic folk dance. Come and immerse yourself in a lively and melodious atmosphere that will tug at your heartstrings!
Folk Sounds! by Nanyang Collective
Photo Credit: Nanyang Collective
Venue: Stamford Arts Centre, Black Box, #02-04
Date: 26 Aug 2022
Time: 8pm to 8.30pm | 9pm to 9.30pm | 10pm to 10.30pm
Fee: Free
Join the Nanyang Collective in a night where we bring you through a journey of our different ethnic folk songs and tunes. Our musicians will introduce to you their amazing instruments and mesmerise you with their music. Led by Producer Sherman Lee and conducted by Wong De Li Dedric.
Registration on-site required.
Singapore Rhapsodies by SwaRhythm Ensemble
Photo Credit: SwaRhythm Ensemble
Venue: Stamford Arts Centre, Black Box, #02-04
Date: 27 Aug 2022
Time: 8pm to 8.30pm | 9pm to 9.30pm | 10pm to 10.30pm
Fee: Free
SwaRhythm Ensemble will present five pieces of music inspired by our rich cultures.
The first piece, ‘Dance of Nature’, is a celebration of how nature moves with music and music comes from nature. We then move to ‘Flame of the Mystic’, a tribute to the Sufi compositions of Amir Khusrau and Baba Hazrat with the oud, a traditional Malay instrument, taking the lead.
‘Dancing Dragon, Rising Phoenix’ takes us to China as the band explores the synergies between Indian ragas and traditional Chinese melodies of the erhu. ‘Singapore Rain’ is then played in raag Malhar, or the rain raag, as a tribute to the monsoons.
We conclude with ‘Swarhythm Blues’, a composition heavily influenced by jazz and blues and is set to raag Jhog.
All in all, this programme is about how all the cultures on our island come together in celebration of music, nature, and the things that unite us.
Note: Not all pieces will be performed at each session.
Registration on-site required.
Mass Delay by P7:1SMA
Photo Credit: Sarah Goh
Venue: Stamford Arts Centre, #03-01
Date & Time:
26 Aug 2022
Show 1: 8pm to 8.30pm (with Cheryl Ong)
Show 2: 9pm to 9.30pm (with Luqman Hakim)
27 Aug 2022
Show 3: 8pm to 8.30pm (with Tini Aliman)
Show 4: 9pm to 9.30pm (with Andy Yang)
Fee: Free
Mass Delay is a reimagined performance from Norhaizad Adam’s solo work “Delay”. In these four iterations, performers will be accessing and negotiating the strength of Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives (PSA) accompanied by real-time sonic responses from four different sound artists.
This work is a journey of self-assessment. It takes the form of Tumpang Lalu (Excuse me), the shrinking of the body that Malay folks execute to walk in front of someone. It is also about un-body the self, an apologetic self-consciousness of the space one takes up in the world.
Tumpang Lalu is a prominent gesture that guides Malay dancers across the performance space as they encounter one another, inscribing Malay dance as a codified system of social protocols. As a model for the community, the Malay dancer is conditioned by the value of Budi which is central to Malay culture and philosophy. Budi refers to rationality, intelligence and courtesy.
Art Installations
Culture and Harmony by Leo Hee Tong
Photo Credit: Leo Hee Tong
Venue: Entrance of Stamford Arts Centre
Fee: Free
The design symbolises the importance of Stamford Arts Centre’s mission in supporting Singapore’s multi-ethnic cultural heritage through performing arts. Mounted on the low fence wall of the historical building, the design emphasises and preserves traditional culture and heritage in a form that would reach out to future generations. The vibrant blue represents the spirit of dynamism that strengthens new visions and innovations in performing arts, and marks Stamford Arts Centre as a landmark with its striking presence and motif.
“Culture and Harmony” is commissioned by the Public Art Trust with the support of Mr Tsai Eng Rung.
Celebration of Life+Style by Justin Lee
Venue: Frangipani garden beside Stamford Arts Centre
Fee: Free
“Celebration of Life+Style” is a sculptural installation presented as a metaphor to investigate the prevailing social and cultural norms in Singapore, and is inspired by Stamford Arts Centre, a multidisciplinary arts centre with a focus on Traditional Arts. By juxtaposing traditional eastern characters with modern elements, the motifs are a tongue-in-cheek representation of how we manoeuvre within our modern-day relationships in different arenas, such as the arts, sports, entertainment, social media and the digital realm, inviting viewers to reflect on the impact of technology on our daily lives.
Digital/Online Programmes
Explore Bras Basah.Bugis (BBB)
Photo Credit: Stamford Arts Centre
Venue: Online
Fee: Free
From as far back as the 19th century, the Bras Basah.Bugis (BBB) precinct has been marked by diversity and eclecticism. Bras Basah, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Singapore, was one of the ethnically-diverse of its time – with Jews, Europeans, Eurasian, Malays, Indians, Armenians, and Chinese living alongside one another. Bugis was a bustling place of trade, entertainment, and small businesses.
Charmed with a unique mix of the rich heritage of Singapore's past and the modernity of art and architecture, BBB is a living representation of a modern city that thrives on its vibrant and energetic creative communities while also treasuring the heritage that our forefathers have laid.
Embark on our series of thematic self-guided experiences to rediscover this historical neighbourhood!
INTERMISSIONS
Photo Credit: Stamford Arts Centre
Venue: SAC Website | Youtube
Fee: Free
INTERMISSIONS is a video series that goes into the artists’ studios at the Stamford Arts Centre, an enclave for traditional arts. Each of the 4 episodes offers a glimpse behind the scenes as artists share more about the traditional arts and its relevance to contemporary Singapore, and present what they are all about through performance.
Featuring: Ding Yi Music Company Ltd, Shantha Ratii Initiatives (SRI) Ltd, P7:1SMA Ltd and Traditional Arts Centre (Singapore) Ltd
Artist’s Block: Stamford Arts Centre
Photo Credit: Tuckys Photography
Created by: Artwave
First produced by: The Entity
Venue: Audio-Guided Trail
Date: 19 Aug 2022 onwards
Fee: Free
Artist’s Block is a 20-minute audio-guided trail, leading you into Singapore’s traditional arts enclave, right at the heart of Waterloo Street.
Created in collaboration with four arts groups residing in Stamford Arts Centre, the trail guides you to discover their spaces and get a glimpse into the daily lives of these artists as you hear their stories. This programme is organised by Arts House Limited and held at Stamford Arts Centre.
Participating Arts Groups (in order of visit):
Traditional Arts Centre (Singapore) (Singapore)
Shantha Ratii Initiatives
P7:1SMA
Ding Yi Music Company
Ark Music Live Session by The Ark 木船
(Facebook Live of ‘Live’ Session at Stamford Arts Centre)
Venue: Facebook | Youtube
Date: 26 & 27 Aug 2022
Time: 7.30pm to 10.30pm
Fee: Free
Over the years, The Ark has transformed from physical live performances to virtual live performances at Stamford Arts Centre. As part of A Date with Tradition, The Ark’s in-house singers will present, through live streaming, 3 hours of non-stop Mandarin pop songs, from xinyao (Singapore songs) to the latest hits.
This programme is conducted in Mandarin.
All activities as part of A Date with Tradition are free of charge.
Food & Beverage
Stack
Venue: Stamford Arts Centre, #01-07
Date: 26 & 27 Aug 2022
Time: till 10.30pm
Stack will be extending its hours to 10.30pm, with a special pop-up bar for Night Festival with treats from Stack and Tipo Pizzeria!
Like a restless child full of curiosity for the world - Stack strives to continuously play and experiment with its food.
A sando bar with waffles and soft serve ice cream, the core concept at Stack remains constant – to create layers of deliciousness and produce irresistible food where every mouthful is a satisfying bite. Its signature style being distinctive with bold and daring local ingredients, Stack’s robust menu means there is always something new to try for each visit, whether it's a sweet or savoury treat for you.
Tipo Pizzeria e Trattoria
Venue: Stamford Arts Centre, #01-08
Date: 26 & 27 Aug 2022
Time: till 10.30pm
TIPO will be extending its hours to 10.30pm, with a special pop-up bar for Night Festival with treats from Stack and Tipo
Pizzeria!
While fresh and customisable pasta was fine and dandy with Pasta Bar and Strada, a similar notion for pizzas was constantly cooking at the back of our minds. We made sure to tick all the right boxes with the location, decor and concept; topped off with a beast of an oven delivered directly from Italy before embarking on Tipo Pizzeria e Trattoria. Not settling on just pies, we wanted a wholesome dining experience at Stamford Arts Centre with fresh pasta, delectable mains, and crafted coolers suited for many an occasion.
Stamford Arts Centre National Day Light Up
Photo Credit: Stamford Arts Centre
Venue: Stamford Arts House
Date: now till 19 Aug 2022
Time: 7.30 pm to 12am
Fee: Free
As part of the National Day Light Up in the Civic District, National Gallery Singapore, Asian Civilisations Museum, Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, The Arts House, and Victoria Theatre & Victoria Concert Hall have come aglow in red and white from now till 19 August.
Civic District 57th National Day Social Media Filter
Photo Credit: Arts House Limited
For those who love social media filters, go to Facebook and Instagram to use the custom Civic District filters in celebration of the nation’s 57th birthday. Deck your feed in red and white and share these photos with your friends and family while tagging @civicdistrictsg and #CivicDistrict!
