• Biggest showcase of SMU’s artistic expressions at the annual Festival
• 2016 installment marked a series of firsts
• Wider community engagement with expanded accessibility and offerings

In colourful homage to the arts, the Singapore Management University (SMU) presented its biggest line-up of creative showcases ever at its annual SMU Arts Festival on 2 to 16 September 2016 on its campus and in several venues in the heart of the city.

Over 14 days, close to 700 SMU students and alumni from over 20 SMU arts co-curricular activity clubs presented over 30 events, stage performances and showcases spanning a spectrum of artistic forms. The celebration of creative flair of students featured songs, dances, music, visual art installations and interpretations that engaged over 6,000 attendees from the general public and the SMU community. 

Themed FRESH! this year, the two-week Festival experimented boldly in various aspects, inviting the audience to “Think Different, Feel FRESH!” and immerse in SMU’s interpretation of the arts. It explored the unconventional, crossed artistic boundaries for new experiences, and deconstructed and redefined art forms in uniquely-curated artistic presentations.

[Photo: SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer at SMU Artdicted & SMU Literati's Voice VIII visual art exhibition at the opening of the SMU Arts Festival.]

The SMU Arts Festival 2016 opened with a bang on 2 September with ‘Ignite’, a high-energy dance production by SMU Funk Movement (SMU’s street-style dance club) at the new Festival Stage@ SMU U-Square. Further igniting the thrill was live music from SMU Voix and SMU Music Interactive Club, and guest performances by SMU Eurhythmix (Breakers).They not only performed but educated the audience with a better understanding of the art form’s variety of ‘popping’ and ‘locking’ movements from the dance styles choreographed to funk music.

[Photo: SMU Funk Movement’s ‘Ignite’ street-dance showcase at the opening was an explosion of energy.]

At the SMU T-Junction, the opening also featured a “live” doodling session by student artists together with external arts group, the Band of Doodlers, where guests also penned thoughts in speech bubbles and doodled on canvases. SMU Artdicted’s annual visual arts exhibition, “VOICE”, presented FRESH! interpretations of raw emotions captured through poetry. This year, it embarked on an unprecedented collaboration with SMU Literati – all the art pieces created by SMU Artdicted’s artists were in response to poems written by SMU Literati’s writers. “VOICE VII” was curated by multi-disciplinary, award-winning artist Mr Ezzam Rahman.

[Photo: The Band of Doodlers and Professor De Meyer at the doodling session during the opening.]

Guests also passed through the “Passage of Evolution”, a photography exhibition of dance poses depicting different stages of growth, frozen in time, and further developed with poignant poetry. This is the first cross-genre collaboration combining talents from SMUSAIC, SMU INDANCITY and SMU Literati.

[Photo: SMU INDANCITY, Literati & SMUSAIC's Passage of Evolution photography exhibition.]

The closing finale saw acts from SMU Eurhythmix, SMU Music Interactive Club, SMU Samba Masala, and SMU Stereometa.

[Photo: SMU Chamber Choir & SMU Symphonia presented In the Heart of the Musical.]

This year’s SMU Arts Festival marked a series of firsts. It is the first to present at the new Festival Stage @ SMU U-Square, where performances to the community and public enjoyed greater visibility. There were several cross club and genre collaborations, leading to interesting fusions such as a fusion of jazz played on Chinese instruments, choral serenades with a symphonic twist, and the metamorphoses from dance to poetry, and  theatre.

A wider array of engagement activities were planned. Examples were the creative hands-on workshops at the Activity Hub held on weekends, catered especially for young adults, families and the general public to engage in, particularly over the weekends that coincided with the school and public holidays. There were also well-attended dance workshops, as well as contests, promotions and perks such as the Design-A-Cup Contest and beverage deals.

[Photo: Students making their own terrariums and crafts at the Activity Hub.]

And for the first time, the Festival worked with an official ticketing agent for ticketed events, in addition to free performances. The automated online ticketing offering was aimed at encouraging greater patronage and enabling more enticing bundling deals and discounts to be offered. Through several free programmes, having almost two-thirds of the Festival held on campus, and a bigger offering in other arts venues in town, the 2016 Festival increased its overall accessibility to a wider community.

The Festival organised by the SMU Office of Student Life and SMU Arts & Cultural Fraternity also received more support this year, with partners on board such as Mum’s Kitchen and 7KickStart Café.

[Featured photo: SMU Funk Movement’s ‘Ignite’ was part of the opening highlights.]

For more information about the SMU Arts Festival, please visit http://www.smuartsfestival.com/

Please see more photos of the SMU Arts Festival 2016 below.

[Photo: INDANCITY's Beyond 2016 – Identity]

[Photo: SMU Ivory Keys' Klaviesta 2016]

[Photos: SMU Voix's Do You A Capella 2016 - (R)evolution]

[Photo: SMU Broadcast & Entertainment’s Voice Personality Hunt]

[Photo: SMU Komunitas Indonesia’s Kultur]