|
Stoked to know that our latest bird postcards have flown into the hands (and hearts) of nearly 500 guest workers from India! Since May 2020, my faith community has been reaching out to the brothers in two dormitories in Kranji, in partnership with Hope Initiative Alliance. On a rainy afternoon last week my friends and I handwrote greetings to them on the bird postcards, and I tagged along when the goody bags (toiletries, snacks, masks and sanitizers, along with the greeting cards) were handed over. I mentioned that I had painted one bird a day during the circuit breaker period, and that these birds represent my feeling of wanting to fly freely but not being able to. One of the brothers, receiving the card, somberly said, "all of us, too". We encouraged them to keep up their spirits and that we looked forward to be able to hang out with them one day, soon. -Namiko Will you join us in setting these Freedom Birds free, to bring hope from Singapore around the world? Details in the Google form https://forms.gle/rr2pccERKCbodt4y7 #freedombirdshope #sgart 
0 Comments
Aloha ! We're inviting you to participate in 'FREEDOM BIRDS HOPE' - a collaborative art project 2020 will go down in history as the year that put a hold on daily life around the world. Lock-downs, social distancing and the closure of borders repressed our natural wanderlust and restlessness. Our collective experience this year is like a cage full of birds -- grounded and earth-bound. Laniakea Culture Collective conceived this art project for us to break out of our enforced isolation and disconnections, and to uplift others by sharing positivity and the hope that 2021 will be better. In these digital times, we also want to recover the vanishing tradition of physical correspondence, bearing personal expressions of love and affection across oceans. This 8-week special postcards project needs up to 1,000 participants in Singapore, those with loved ones living far away (and especially if you have not been in touch with them recently). We warmly welcome you to find out more about the project and how you can be involved. Namiko and Aaron will happily tally and track the postcard destinations and share timely updates on our FB page Laniakea Culture Collective. Let us give wings to these "freedom birds" to take flight from our little island to every far-flung corner of the globe. Let's go! xoxo, The Laniakea Culture Collective Click here to fill up our google form and for details, payment and participation instructions https://forms.gle/SAEuswA3tFYXafJ88 #freedombirdshope #artandpoetry #coastlands FINAL re-print. Help me to help the kids in Banago Slum Bacolod Philippines have a great Christmas. All proceeds from sale minus printing cost goes to them through Fishes and Loaves ministry. Get them soon coz they disappear fast ! Sale on only until end-Nov. -Namiko Posted @withregram • @sputnikfaithart We're back!! Join us on Saturday 7th November 2-3pm GMT for Industry Notes #4, a deep dive into the world of fine art with an astounding international panel. Award-winning artists Namiko Chan Takahashi (Singapore), Duncan Stewart (South Africa) and Jon Doran (UK) will be sharing their experiences and answering YOUR questions.. so bring your best ones! Details and tickets available at Eventbrite! Book Launch of "Love and Life at the Gallery" (online) Featuring poems in all of Singapore’s national languages about artworks at the National Gallery Singapore, this anthology offers a multigenerational and multicultural exploration of the dimensions of love and life. Showcasing the works of over 30 Singapore poets, including both new and established voices, "Love and Life at the Gallery" presents the rich imaginative possibilities that emerge when art and poetry are paired. The launch will feature an interview with the editors as well as readings by contributing poets. 30 Aug 2020 (Sun), 4:30-5.30 PM Link to Peatix RSVP to the book launch event online (free of charge!): https://bit.ly/pfs2020live PFS YouTube live-streaming link will be sent to registered attendees nearer to the 30 August book launch event. Details about the launch are also available on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/706943069862964 Catch video readings by selected poets on the PFS YouTube channel from Friday 28 August 2020 onwards @ https://bit.ly/lovelifereadings Link to purchase the book: https://lovelifepoems.peatix.com #LLATG #poetryfestival #ngs #laniakeaculture  Very honoured to give a guest lecture at my alma mater BGST once again, on "Literature, Poetry and the Imagination". My key thesis is that literature is critical to shaping culture, and Christians would do well to engage with it. I uphold the Holy Bible as both humanities text and revelation -- it is the Book of books which tells the story of One God, one Plan and one Story. I also shared with the class what poetry means to me, and my posture regarding the vocation of the Christian writer. I gave several exams of powerfully told stories and meta-narratives. We then had a most edifying Q & A. I'm grateful for the opportunity to engage such thoughtful, Word-centred learners and kingdom leaders. Thank you Dr Kwa Kiem Kiok and BGST for having me. -Aaron
"We were treated to a feast for the soul with our week on the arts, with forays into poetry, the visual arts and dance. Special thanks to Aaron Lee and Namiko Chan for making this topic come alive for us and showing us what it means to be missional artists in God’s kingdom!" - Sterling Campus, co-organiser of FYP 2020 "In Note For Note, The Arts House attempts to present poetry in a new form, with past editions having brought together poetry and music. This time however, in its 5th edition, curator Marc Nair has collaborated with theatre director Cherilyn Woo to bring poetry to life via theatre. Bringing together young actors Victoria Chen, Tia Guttensohn, Krish Natarajan and Vignesh Singh, Stop, Look and Listen takes 16 poems and adapts them into a dramatic form, with sound artist Bani Haykal having crafted a sonic landscape that blends city sounds with music mixed live. Using a metronome to set the tone and timing for each piece, the actors quickly got into the rhythm of each poem. Capturing the essence of living life in Singapore, the performance brought us on a journey down the quiet parts of an otherwise bustling city, stopping to peer down alleyways or less familiar roads.
Poems included Aaron Lee’s ‘The Way Things Are’, Jasmine Goh’s ‘Becoming Again’, Samuel Lee’s ‘First World Grocery Shopping’, Deborah Emmanuel’s ‘Anti-Establishment Poem’ and Crispin Rodrigues’ ‘Pasar Malam’, among others. Most delightful of all was Stephanie Chan’s ‘When The World Ends You Will Be Eating Hokkien Mee’, where the entire collective came together and everyone was given a part to play – even Krish ended up eating real Hokkien Mee, making this an especially fun piece. A refreshing way of experiencing poetry, Note for Note continues to make the literary form less daunting and more accessible to the masses, exposing young audiences to local poets and their fine writing." -review by Bakchormeeboy, 21 January 2020 |
