Rediscover Singapore and reminisce nostalgic moments at LumiNation 2019, which returns Aug 15-18 at The Arts House for its second edition. While last year’s inaugural event saw the exploration of Singapore’s history and heritage, this year’s theme of “Building Identity” spotlights local narratives that often go unnoticed.
Curated by film and education initiative The Filmic Eye, catch film screenings which showcases local movies by Singaporean filmmakers, all of whom will be present for post-show dialogues; so film buffs, mark your calendars for engaging discussions to come.
Among the many screenings is A Land Imagined by Yei Siew Hua (Aug 18), an award-winning film about a police investigator who uncovers the truth about Singapore’s past following the disappearance of a migrant worker and a documentary about the survival of Singapore’s first Chinese catholic mission girl’s school, From Victoria Street to Ang Mo Kio by Eva Tang (Aug 15). Horror fans will also be interested to find Ramon A. Estella’s Anak Pontianak (Aug 17) in the mix too.
Those who relish the spoken and written word should check out Lyrical Poetry: A Father & Son Collaboration (Aug 16 & 17), which features a father-son duo; poet A. Samad Said will be sharing stories about life in 1950s Singapore, while his son Az Samad will provide the musical accompaniment. You’ll also be in for a visual treat, as present at The Arts House will be a series of crowdsourced photographs of Haw Par Villa between 1965 to 1985, as well as restaged ones by local photographer Deanna Ng. At The Collective Memory: Haw Par Villa (Aug 3-25), examine the many stories behind the pictures, and how we remember time and places according to memory and images.
Also, take a walk with poet Harini V and theatre practitioner Sivakumar Palakrishnan at A Tamil Creative Writing Workshop (Aug 17), to explore historical sites reinvented to be modern artistic hotspots—like The Arts House’s Chamber and Central Fire Station—through prose and poetry. The tour which incorporates aspects of writing (while getting you on your feet) will explore the spaces where many of Singapore’s undiscovered stories and myths lie.
Look out for other LumiNation 2019 activities such as a pop-up bookstore by Booktique, as well as old school games like Hopscotch and Zero-point for the young-at-heart.
LumiNation 2019 runs from Aug 15-18. More information here.
