[9 January 2009]
Larger SMU Arts Festival 2009 sees deeper collaborations between Singapore artists and SMU students

Singapore, 9 January 2009 – The Singapore Management University (SMU) opens the sixth SMU Arts Festival this evening. More than 30 events ranging from the performing, visual, film and literary arts as well as a fashion show, will be staged throughout the SMU city campus and other theatres from 9 to 24 January 2008. Themed RE:PRESENT, works presented during the two-week Festival will examine the influence and impact time has on the arts, artistic intent, originality, familiar favourites or even common social and cultural norms.

The Festival has grown in scale and matured in depth, through a unique model led by SMU students in close collaboration with the university's Office of Student Life and Singapore's arts community. Over 500 undergraduates from across SMU's six Schools have come together as performers, organising committee members, administrators and backstage and production crew. This is double the number of students involved in the Festival last year. The Festival also enjoys the participation of some 30 full-time artists and arts groups, a number of whom are closely collaborating with SMU undergraduates to jointly present new works. Renowned comedian Sebastian Tan marks his directorial debut with an all-SMU cast for the Festival Closing Gala production Honk! The Musical. The production also sees actress Margaret Chan, who is Practice Assistant Professor of Theatre/Performance Studies with the School of Social Sciences in SMU, return to the stage in a guest role. Music director Elaine Chan conducts an SMU music band, while Filomar C Tariao is the choreographer. The visual arts component sees new works by emerging artists and our students presented together in a single exhibition Welcome to the Real World by curator Ong Puay Khim. The exhibition includes three new works jointly created by members of The Artists' Village and SMU students.

Other artists and arts groups presenting works for the Festival include Selena Tan, Fireflys and Satya, pianist Victor Khor, choreographers Dan Kwoh, Albert Tiong, Ryan Tan and Dr Stephanie Burridge, an adjunct faculty at SMU, the Singapore Lyric Opera, Jazz Inc and LA Dance Connection, Bhaskar's Arts Academy, the Teng Ensemble, The Finger Players and Gamelan Asmaradana. The Festival will also include a fashion show produced by SMU students under the helm of Lionel Roudaut of LASALLE College of the Arts' Fashion Design programme, and a 3-day film festival of local films, presented with advice from Singapore International Film Festival veterans Philip Cheah and Teo Swee Ling. The Festival will also include many other shows by SMU student groups, including ticketed productions by contemporary dance club InDanCity, string ensemble Obligato, piano ensemble Ivory Keys, and latin dance group Caderas Latinas, as well as a poetry slam event by new literary group SMU Literati.

The guest-of-honour for the opening of the Festival is Mr Loh Lik Peng, the former lawyer and owner of boutique hotels Hotel 1929 and New Majestic Hotel. With his unique approach to business and successful use of his business as platforms to profile local artists, it is envisioned for SMU students to be inspired and learn from him on maintaining an interest and support for the arts even as they advance in their future careers.

Since 2003, the SMU Arts Festival has been the key platform for the creative expressions of its students. “SMU has always encouraged our student, staff and faculty, to engage actively in the arts in order to gain alternative perspectives that will widen horizons, deepen critical thinking abilities and cultivate an appreciation for activities that combine intellectual thought with aesthetics. Each year, the Festival is also an opportunity for the university to work closely with its neighbouring arts and cultural organisations and institutions to enliven the district and open our campus to the public to enjoy the arts,” said Professor Howard Hunter, President of SMU.

Annex – SMU Arts Festival 2009 - RE:PRESENT

About SMU Arts Initiatives

In the short history of SMU, the creativity of student life on campus is making its mark, with over 20 co-curricular arts groups in dance, theatre, music, literary and visual arts, and media broadcasting and publishing. A number of them are award-winning or actively participate in national and international events. Creative thinking is included as a core subject in its undergraduate curriculum, where students can choose to adopt installation or performance art practices to convey ideas. Since moving to Bras Basah in 2005, SMU has collaborated with institutions, artists and arts groups in its vicinity and supported national arts events such as the inaugural Singapore Biennale in 2006 and the Singapore Arts Show in 2005 and 2007. SMU launched its Visual Arts Initiative in 2006 to showcase and build a collection of Southeast Asian art, which includes donations by the late Chua Ek Kay, Indonesian artists Entang Wiharso and Nasirun, as well as loans by Museum Oei Hong Djien and the Pacita Abad Foundation. For its contributions and support of the arts, SMU became the first autonomous university in Singapore to receive the Friend of the Arts award in 2007 and 2008 from the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts.