Mr Chaly Mah, Chairman of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Mr Lionel Yeo, Chief Executive of STB with Singapore and Japanese creative talents at the official opening of Singapore: Inside Out Tokyo.
Singapore, 25 August 2017 – Singapore: Inside Out, a creative showcase featuring works by some of Singapore's leading contemporary creative talents, opened in Tokyo today at BANK Gallery, Omotesando district, and will be on display till 27 August. Themed "HyperCity", the showcase focused on the coming together of creatives from Singapore and Japan in joint exploration of the cultural trends arising from the shifts towards a digital urban age.
Mr Lionel Yeo, Chief Executive of the Singapore Tourism Board said, "We are excited to continue sharing the stories and passions of our Singapore creative talents with our friends in one of the world's creative cities, Tokyo. Singapore: Inside Out first started in 2015 as part of Singapore's 50th anniversary celebrations and has successfully showcased to close to 67,000 people globally in Beijing, London and New York before returning home to Singapore. We are very glad that the showcase received a similarly warm reception in Tokyo, particularly on the Merlion Daruma workshops which garnered quite an interest from the Japanese audience. Through the showcase, we want to refresh perceptions of Singapore by showcasing its vibrant creative scene, and to catalyse collaborations and opportunities for our talents."
The event was officially launched by Mr Chaly Mah, Chairman of Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Mr Lionel Yeo, Chief Executive of STB, in conjunction with the launch of Singapore's new destination brand – Passion Made Possible - in Tokyo. Joining them were more than 200 key members of the creative, trade and media communities.
Dr Masa Inakage, Dean and Professor, Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University said, "It is a wonderful collaboration between Japan and Singapore's artists and culture. I see many great pieces and I am really impressed. Singapore is well-known for great food and tourism and now we begin to understand that Singapore is also pushing its artists and its creative scene."
Curated by Ms Clara Yee, an award-winning multi-disciplinary designer and co-founder of in the wild, the showcase featured collaborative artworks created by 13 creative talents from Singapore and Japan. The artworks offered a glimpse into the creative movement that has taken root in Singapore across various disciplines including design, music, fashion, sound, performing and visual arts.
Over the three days, an exciting line-up of live programmes featuring collaborations between Singapore and Japanese talents will also add local flavour to the showcase. These include the panel discussion between Takashi Kudo from renowned Japan art collective, teamLab, and Honor Harger, a curator, artist and the Executive Director from Singapore's Art Science Museum, artists sharing sessions among Singaporean and Japanese artists and hands-on workshops on designing a Merlion Daruma.
Partner events in Tokyo further shine the spotlight on Singapore's creative scene and talents, who joined hands with renowned Japanese establishments to deliver arts, dining and retail experiences. These include:
Arts
· STPI Presents: Pop-up Art Exhibition by Teppei Kaneuji and Tabaimo (26 August to 1 September 2017)
Dining
· Corner House Pop-up at La Rochelle Minami-Aoyama (24 to 25 August 2017)
· Dominique Ansel Bakery x Candlenut (25 August 2017 to 10 September 2017)
· Flavours of Singapore by Janice Wong (25 to 31 August 2017)
· IPPUDO x Chatterbox (25 to 27 August 2017)
· Tendon Tenya x Wee Nam Kee (25 to 27 August 2017)
· Ramen Keisuke (1 to 30 September 2017)
Retail
· Singapore Designers' Showcase (25 August to 3 September 2017)
Please refer to Annex A for a more detailed programme on Singapore: Inside Out Tokyo.
Singapore: Inside Out Sydney (3-5 November 2017)
Following the Tokyo showcase, Singapore: Inside Out in Sydney will take place from 3 to 5 November. The showcase will be located at various locations, including the Old Clare Hotel, along Kensington Street, within the Chippendale Creative Precinct.
Themed "Movement", Singapore: Inside Out Sydney aims to reflect on the creative process which is made up of different movements, as well as Singapore's multi-cultural society which has inspired diverse practices and is constantly challenging one's perception of what is generally assumed to be Singaporean.
The showcase will feature artworks and collaborations by twenty Singaporean and Australian creative talents from disciplines such as the visual and performing arts, photography, design, music, and F&B. One example is the site-specific[1] installation, At The Angle of Repose by Grace Tan, a President's Design Award recipient in 2012. The artwork is an assembly of more than two million clothes tag pins to form visually-stunning plant-like proliferations and highlights the element of instability and things in constant flux.
Another collaborative artwork, Video Car: VJ Co-op, encourages audiences to take on the role of a video jockey using equipment installed within a functional car, with the windscreen as the display for moving images and the boot being transformed into a VJ console. The video works presented are the result of a collaboration between Singaporean artist Urich Lau, who has presented works internationally including at the recent Pyeongchang Biennale (2017), and Australian performance artist Stelarc, who recently presented his works at the Human+: The Future of Our Species exhibition at the ArtScience Museum.
To create greater buzz and catalyse longer-term partnerships amongst the local and overseas creative talents, the showcase will also feature a stellar line-up of partner events that offer audiences additional insights into our wider creative scene and growing pool of talents. Some of the exciting partner events for Sydney include a music showcase by The Music Society, Singapore (SGMUSO), a design collaboration between Singapore scarf label Binary Style and architect-turned-shoe-designer label, Extraordinary Ordinary Day from Sydney, and a star-studded dessert collaboration by a powerhouse trio comprising Sydney's dessert prodigy Reynold Poernomo, Asia's Best Pastry Chef 2016 Cheryl Koh and chef-owner of the world's first and only Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant, Malcolm Lee.
For more information, please refer to the reference materials:
· Annex A: Programme for Singapore: Inside Out Tokyo
· Annex B: Information on creative talents participating in Singapore: Inside Out Sydney
· Annex C: Artwork descriptions for Singapore: Inside Out Sydney
· Annex D: Information on partner events for Singapore: Inside Out Sydney
To download images of Singapore: Inside Out Tokyo and Sydney, please click on this link: Photo Library - Singapore Inside Out 2017
Please visit www.visitsingapore.com/singapore-inside-out.html for more information and a full listing of events.
Follow Singapore: Inside Out on:
#SGInsideOut
[1] Site-specific art is artwork created to exist in a certain place and takes the location into account while planning and creating the artwork
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About Singapore: Inside Out
Singapore: Inside Out is an international and experiential showcase that recognises Singapore's top creative talents from a spectrum of disciplines and serves as a platform for multi-disciplinary and cross-national collaborations. Inaugurated in 2015 as a travelling showcase to Beijing, London, New York city before a homecoming, the 2017 edition will continue to shine the spotlight on local creative talents on an international stage – this time in Tokyo and Sydney.
About Singapore Tourism Board
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is the lead development agency for tourism, one of Singapore's key economic sectors. Together with industry partners and the community, we shape a dynamic Singapore tourism landscape. We bring the Passion Made Possible brand to life by differentiating Singapore as a vibrant destination that inspires people to share and deepen their passions.
For more information, visit www.stb.gov.sg or www.visitsingapore.com