First Take
By The Substation Moving Images
Monday 3 June 2013, 8pm
The Substation Theatre
Admission: Free, donations are welcome

First Take is a popular monthly screening of new local short films, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers. A platform for new filmmakers and anyone who is interested in filmmaking to meet, exchange ideas and show their work. Everyone can participate! To learn more about sending in your films to Moving Images, click here. Click on below for details of this month’s line up.

ARTIFICIAL MELODRAMA / GIOVANNI FANTONI TODENA / 18 MIN / 2012 / PG13

A young actress has just arrived in Singapore and already wants to leave it. The taxi driver who is bringing her away will show her how beautiful Singapore can be.

Giovanni Fantoni Modena was born in Milan in 1984. He took his Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy with a thesis on the anthropologist Rene’ Girard. His first short film, Olympus, was screened in the official selection of the Slamdance Film Festival 2010 and in the Milan Film Festival 2009. He has just graduated from NYU Tisch Asia.

CRANE / MELISSA TAN / 5 MIN / 2012 / PG

An encounter is an unexpected experience. In this short, a boy is curious about a girl, who seems unappreciative of his efforts. However, we leave the audience as a third person to judge.

Melissa Tan is an independent filmmaker who enjoys doing it at her own time. She has made shorts for competitions, such as Ah Ma, which was submitted for ciNE65 in 2011.

STANDSTILL / GAYATHIRI CHANDRAMOHAN / 10 MIN / 2012 / PG

Standstill addresses a young man coming to grips with his harsh childhood. Wei Ming, is in denial and depression after the death of his parents. He compensates for his loss and loneliness with projections of their memories. Unfortunately, reality always has the tendency to rear its ugly head.

Gayathiri Chandramohan picked up a camera in 2010 and it became all she had ever wanted to do: To tell stories in rich, vivid ways beyond the viewer’s imagination. She feels that she still has much to learn and miles to go before she can make the mark but she is confident that she will eventually get there.

WONDERWALL / NOR AZMAN BIN MOHAMMED ROHMAN / 3 MIN / 2012 / PG

Experiencing a writer’s block, a music composer goes on a mind trip.

The concept of a narrative has been an integral part of Nor Azman Bin Mohammed Rohman’s imagination since he was young. Since then, every personal creative pursuit of his is driven by an inner tendency to imbue some form of a story. He describes himself as an eternal student of the moving image, hoping that his audience will experience and ponder on his stories.

DOUBLE HAPPINESS / WU LIN FENG / 18 MIN / 2012 / NC16

Chuchu, a Chinese girl who was adopted by when she was 3, comes to Singapore to look for her biological mother. After getting fired by her racist boss, she goes to a funeral and discovers that her biological mother is a funeral crier. At the same time, she receives news that her foster mother has passed away in China.

Wu Linfeng was born in Hunan, China, Chairman Mao’s hometown. As the only child in her atypical single parent Chinese family, she had an opportunity to study in the United States. After winning a student category film festival in Germany, Linfeng realised that her unique Chinese background was the force exerting her desire to make film. While in the Puttnam School of Film, LASALLE in Singapore, she learnt about filmmaking and realized her stories. Linfeng completed her internship in an Advertising Agency in Beijing, China, as an editor, assistant director, and assistant Producer. She aspires to become to be an art-house filmmaker.

We are closed on Friday 24 May, and reopen on Saturday 25 May 2013.

R.I.T.E.S. – June 2013
Thursday, 20 June 2013, 7:30pm
The Substation Theatre
Admission: Entry by donation

R.I.T.E.S. is an artists-initiative organised as a non-profit event to platform new ideas and artists in sonic art, time-based and performance art-related practices. Its objectives are to present an eclectic mix of performances that is informed by visual aesthetics, technological integration and conceptual integrity involving art making and the social and cultural contexts that are related to performances. It explores art activities that are spatial, the way in which performance is linked to cultural, ethnic and geographical elements of the body, and at the same time exploring how all these elements can be bounded to the global, technological, cultural and economic shifts in our daily life.

Click on for more details on the artists performing in this month’s session.

Arif Ayab

Arif Ayab (Reef) is a Singaporean Malay artist of who has been active in both the local and regional arts scenes for the past decade. He graduated from the University of Bradford (MDIS) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Management and holds a Diploma in Mass Communication from the University of Oklahoma (MDIS). His immersion in the arts scene spans a range of genres, media, and causes. Reef is now the Programme Manager for The Artists Village’s Pulau Ubin Residency Program funded by the National Arts Council. Reef is a present member of The Artist Village.

Shaun Sankaran

Shaun Sankaran (b. 1983, Singapore) has presented his brand of experimental sounds across the globe under his various incarnations with several album releases, and collaborations under his belt, having graduated from Middlesex University with a B.A. in Recording Arts. While mostly based in Singapore, he has also performed internationally at the Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao), Europe (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom) as well as neighbouring Asian countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia.

Mohamad Riduan

Mohamad Riduan has presented in The Esplanade, Furor Space, The Substation, World Event Young Artist in Nottingham, England and ICA Gallery, LASALLE College Of The Arts.

He build sound structures/ contraptions and material tinkering for sound with the interest that revolve around acoustic exploration. His work are within sculpture and performance that invlove audience interaction, improvisation and time based.

Riduan is also a member of a collective group called OFFCUFF, a multi-disciplinary performance collective focusing on structured improvisation incorporating dual visual projections and dual sound components.

Wilem Christiawan

Wilem Christiawan lives and works in Bandung, Indonesia. He completed his post-graduate studies in Indonesian Literature at the University of Indonesia, Jakarta in 2002. He graduated from the theatre department at the Indonesia Art Institute, Yogyakarta in 1991. Since then, he has been a lecturer for  theatre studies at Indonesian Art College, Bandung. He is also the Artistic Director of Asbestos Art Space founded in 2002. He has participated in various performance art festivals, which includes Undisclosed Territory, Solo, Indonesia (2010), The Art of Encountering, Hilsende, Germany – Basel, Switzerland (2009), 1st South East Asia Performance Art Symposium (2005), 6th Asiatopia International Festival Bangkok, Thailand (2005), Performance Studies International #10, Singapore (2004), 5th Asiatopia International Performance Art Festival, Bangkok, Thailand (2003).

www.wchristiawan.blogspot.sg

More info – www.rootedintheephemeralspeak.com
Facebook – www.facebook.com/rootedintheephemeralspeak

Just A Bad Day
By AWARE
Saturday 22 June 2013, 3pm and 8pm
The Substation Theatre
Admission: $5 from the box office, contact Mish’aal 6337 7800 / boxoffice@substation.org, or buy tickets online here.

This forum theatre piece was created by a team of volunteers from all walks of life in Singapore. They came forward to share their stories of violence, oppression and vulnerability.  In a powerful workshop led by theatre practitioner Li Xie, the volunteers molded compelling characters who mirrored their struggles, their society. Your society.

They are everyday people with ordinary lives. You’ve seen them. They’re your neighbours, your colleagues, your mahjong kakis. Their problems are nothing new. But now, they’re asking you to step in.

Three women are faced with different threats – at home, in the office, and at a party. When familiar environments turn hostile and seemingly harmless situations escalate, what choices are they left with?

Just A Bad Day promises to be a stimulating encounter. Through this intimate performance, we hope to provoke thought and discussion on the less tangible forms of violence against women that continue to be a reality in Singapore. Come and listen to these experiences, share your perspectives and reconsider your assumptions about gender roles, norms and violence against women. And maybe you will discover possibilities, areas you where you can make change in your own life.

Presented by AWARE, produced by Drama Box, supported by The Substation.

The Artists Village Presents

By The Artists Village

Saturday 11 May 2013, 4pm – 9pm

Sunday 12 May 2013, 12pm – 8pm

The Substation Gallery

Admission: Free

The Artists Village Presents is an exhibition that revolves around the idea of earlier society and the appropriation of the works of the founding members of The Artists Village by the current members, as a tribute and a celebration of the 70th birthday of the founder Tang Da Wu this year.

Reflecting on current situations where the direction and focus of art have led to commercially-driven agendas or art as one of the usual key performance indicators, The Artists Village Presents is based on the beliefs stated in our manifesto, “The Artists Village is dedicated to the promotion and encouragement of experimental and alternative arts in Singapore. It endeavors to establish an open space for artists to mature at their own pace, and to provide an environment conducive for artists to experiment, experience and exchange ideas.”

The exhibition seeks to reinstate the society’s position towards looking at contemporary art, critically re-looking and examining existing assumptions, values and concepts of art making in Singapore”, and returning to the notion on how The Artists Village was started – To make art with a heart.

The Substation will be closed on Wednesday 1 May 2013 for the Labour Day public holiday. We reopen on Thursday 2 May 2013.

First Take
By The Substation Moving Images
Monday 6 May 2013, 8pm
The Substation Theatre
Admission: Free, donations are welcome

First Take, is a popular monthly screening of new local short films, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers. A platform for new filmmakers and anyone who is interested in filmmaking to meet, exchange ideas and show their work. Everyone can participate! To learn more about sending in your films to Moving Images, click here.

1. THE PERFECT MISS / JEDIDAH NEO / 3 MIN / 2012 / PG

Jack loves Batman. Rose loves Batman. Jack loves Comics. Rose loves Comics. What could go wrong? A film about how love apears where you least expect.

Jedidah Neo is a 19 year old writer and major film buff. She directed this short as a third year student in Singapore Polytechnic’s Diploma in Creative Writing for TV and New Media. She loves seeing her vision come to life.

2. THERAPEUTIC BEHAVIOUR / SHAWN SIGGLER / 7 MIN / 2012 / PG

An unstable woman tries to strengthen her relationship with her girlfriend by bringing her to the place where she attempted suicide. This last straw pushes Dara to end the relationship.

Here in Singapore, Shawn Siggler has made 3 films, including Therapeutic Behavior. He also assisted with several thesis films, including Ersatz Asia. In NYC, Shawn edited for The Police, Genesis and worked on several short films.

3. ROZIE / VARELLA CHANG, CASSANDRE KELLY / 3 MIN / 2012 / NC16

Born and raised in a small fishing village in Sarawak, Malaysia, Rozie stood out amongst his seven brothers. This is a film about family and acceptance for transgender in a conservative community.

This film was co-directed by students from the Diploma in Creative Writing for TV and New Media (DTVM), Singapore Polytechnic, as part of their year-3 module, On-Location Production.

4. MORPHINE / A. J YZELMAN / 9 MIN / 2012 / PG

Whilst napping, Jill experiences sleep paralysis, trapped between the worlds of sleep and wakefulness. She meets Dark Man and tries to escape her semi-conscious dream state. The Dark Man overpowers her, which breaks her from her subconscious state.

A graduate of Edith Cowan University’s Bachelor of Arts-Social Sciences programme, A.J. Yzelman has always held a strong interest in the arts. In the past she has participated in various writing competitions, until recently, when she turned to filmmaking. She has directed two short films, co-directed an experimental video, and even put together a music video. She draws most of her ideas from real life experiences, music, films and photographs, taken by her or by acquaintances.

5. HIDE AND SEEK / MOHAMED HUSSAIN KHAN / 5 MIN / 2012 / PG

Hide and Seek is a short film inspired by urban legend stories. A girl staying in a house wakes up in the mid-hours of the night. She discovers that she is being watched and is not alone.’

Mohamed Hussein Khan is a Game Art Designer by profession, working on AAA Titles Games as 3D Artist. Hide and Seek was a learning experience, which took him 2 months to shoot, direct and edit. His second short film, The Room is in the final stages and will be out end October 2012.

6. BOMBS AWAY / KENNETH CHEN / 3 MIN / 2012 / PG

An army commander takes up painting, seeking solace from the ravages of war. Little does he know that this simple and blissful activity is about to take an ironic turn.

Kenneth Chen is a student at The School of Arts, Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University. Bombs Away is his final year project.

7. FAIRLY-A-TALE / KOH CHONG WU / 20 MIN / 2012 / PG

Peter has always believed that Fairies exist. When a piece of land that he has proclaimed has ‘Fairyground’ is due for redevelopment, what can he do to stop authorities from destroying habitat of Fairies?

Koh Chong Wu started his training and practice as a filmmaker after entering Nanyang Technological University, School of Art, Design (NTU ADM) and Media in 2009. Having played various key roles in an array of film productions, Chong Wu has trained to be an all-rounded filmmaker.

Tribal Gathering of Tongue Tasters
Featuring Sa Trio + Darren Moore
Saturday 11 May 2013, 8pm
The Substation Theatre
Admission: $15 / $10 (concession) from the box office, contact Mish’aal 6337 7800 / boxoffice@substation.org
Residency period: 26 April to 10 May 2013. For 26 to 30 April 2013, residency will run from 2pm – 9pm, Random Room.

Come (what) May, the second installment of this year’s Tribal Gathering of Tongue Tasters invites you to explore the sonic caverns and stories of Sa Trio, coupled with the dexterous aural assaults of Darren Moore.

These two performers will be in residency at The Substation for two weeks prior to the gig, where they will be collaborating and developing their material. everyone is welcome to come by the Random Room during the residency period to observe or have a chat to the performers. This series is curated by Bani Haykal, an Associate Artist of The Substation.

Sa Trio

Sa (仨), which means ‘three of us’ in Northern Chinese dialect, depicts the coming together of three musicians united by their passion for music and breaking new grounds. Though the instrumental trio is predominantly Chinese in nature, with versatile musicians Andy C. on the Dizi (Chinese flute), Natalie Alexandra on the Guzheng (Chinese zither) and Cheryl Ong on drums and percussion, their music creatively infuses musical elements inspired by Chinese, and South-East Asian cultures along with modern and pop elements.

The trio hopes to share their interpretations of traditional roots with you without losing touch of current times, bringing you on their journey of self-discovery through music.

Darren Moore

Darren Moore is a drummer, sound artist, composer and educator.  He performs regularly as a drummer playing various styles of music including jazz, pop, fusion, free jazz and freely improvised music and also performs using analogue synthesizer, electronics and laptop.

Darren is currently based in Singapore where he is a lecturer in Popular Music at Lasalle College of the Arts. He is the curator of the CHOPPA experimental music festival and series in Singapore and is very active on the jazz and experimental music scenes. Darren is also pursuing a doctoral degree at Griffith University in Brisbane Australia looking at the adaptation of Carnatic Indian rhythms to drum set.

Residency schedule:

Penantian: A Doublebill
By Our Kampong
Friday 3 May 2013, 8pm
Saturday 4 May 2013, 3pm and 8pm
The Substation Theatre
Admission: $20 from the box office, contact Mish’aal 6337 7800 / boxoffice@substation.org

Penantian (The Wait), is a double bill of two plays, Puteri Laila, performed by Haryani Othman and Junainah, and Pilihlah, performed by Farah Ong. These are the stories of three women who struggle constantly to balance their personal life with the external world. As they move through the world and meet other people, they go in search of deeper meaning, in love, in life. Why do we wait? What are we really waiting for?

This work is in Malay with English subtitles. Written and directed by Molizah Mohd Mohter and Nur Khairiyah Bte Ramli.

Panoramic Imprint
By the Printmaking Society Singapore
The Substation Gallery
Saturday 27 April to Sunday 5 May 2013, 12pm – 9pm

Opening Reception: Friday 26 April 2013, 7pm

Panoramic Imprint is an exhibition of artworks that deal with the horizontal narrative; an extended scope of peripheral vision- a gathering of perspectives and of imprinted diversity. Comprised of sixteen members of the Printmaking Society Singapore, as well as selected guest artists from multidisciplinary backgrounds, the exhibition aims to be a platform for the sharing and showcasing of unique contextual and material sensibilities that print media allows. The diversity of the Singapore-based artists involved in Panoramic Imprint makes the scope of the exhibition appropriately panoramic in itself. It is also an occasion to provoke awareness of print art in Singapore, and its continuing relevance in the face of its scarcity.