More art activities islandwide to engage children, families at PAssionArts Festival
Young families coming together to paint various wood cuts of animals such as otters, lions and giraffes. The Animal Plank Art Series is one of the visual arts highlights of the PAssionArts Festival this year.
SINGAPORE — A giant outdoor installation of a child’s bedroom that is open to all in Toa Payoh, colourful boarded planks of lions, giraffes and otters perched around Choa Chu Kang Park, and painted egg sculptures standing in fields around Punggol — these are just some of the artwork co-created by Singapore residents and artists that will go on display when this year’s PAssionArts Festival kicks off on June 30.
In a bid to get children, families and communities to bond through art, the annual event — billed as the largest ever by organiser People’s Association (PA) — will see 52 “festival villages” pop up islandwide, which is four more than last year. Some 500 art programmes and other fringe activities are lined up until Aug 25.
At Toa Payoh Central outside Courts electronics store, there will be an interactive installation of a child’s bedroom featuring a massive patchwork blanket stitched together by 1,000 residents, with upcycled furniture decorated by residents. Children are invited to sit on the giant bed during storytelling sessions happening from 15 to 21 July, 9am to noon.
Animal “plank art” cut in the shape of lions, giraffes and otters, and painted by different individuals, will be put up around housing estates and at prominent locations within constituencies to celebrate the 53rd National Day. These are done by 15,000 residents and facilitated by artists or art groups.
Apart from visual art displays and “live” music and dance performances, there will be opportunities for participants to design and paint their own kompang (Malay drum), create simple batik designs on paper umbrellas, and make their own T-shirt or tote bag, among many other hands-on activities scheduled at various locations around the island.
The activities partly came from an open call exercise that took place from January to April this year, which attracted more than 100 arts proposals from budding artists and art groups. About half of these were taken up for the festival.
Around 30,000 residents are involved as art co-creators, including 5,000 young families. PA is also extending the art programmes to 1,000 residents from the less-advantaged groups and 80 volunteer welfare organisations.
The public can, for example, get a glimpse into the everyday practices of artists with disabilities, such as by making art in the dark in collaboration with the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped. The initiative will be held at Limbang Park in Chua Chu Kang on 28 July.
At Our Tampines Hub, there will be an installation suspended in midair featuring 1,000 batik-design umbrellas created by residents. Patrons may also paint on paper umbrellas and help make contributions to needy families and households through this activity.
For the first time this year, Wisma Geylang Serai — the new integrated hub showcasing the Malay heritage of the Geylang Serai neighbourhood — will be part of the festival. Visitors will get to see a 4m-tall batik wau (traditional Malay kite) done up by residents there.
They may also take home their own handpainted gasing (Malay spinning top), learn how a hantaran (traditional Malay wedding gift) is made, create their own traditional kueh clay art piece, or make “flowers” from pandan leaves.
Over at Pasir Ris Beach, there will be an arts event on July 27 and 28, where parents and children may attend a dikir barat (Malay percussion) workshop or a dance workshop, engage with artists and check out specially curated art spaces. Eighteen colourful tippies or tent-like structures, with the largest measuring up to 3m in height, will also be set up at the beach.
For the full event listing, go to https://www.pa.gov.sg/docs/default-source/others-documents/our-programmes-doc/community-arts/passionarts-festival-guide-2018.pdf
