NUS Museum Newsletter - National University of Singapore

NUS MUSEUM
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE:
STILL
FRAMES
& MOVING
PICTURES
1
MEET OUR
DOCENTS
2
BABA HOUSE
2
RAISING THE
ROOF
3
ARTS AT UCC
4
SEE YOU AT...
5
SNAP SHOTS
6-7
WERE YOU
AT…?
8-9
ADVISOR
Christine KHOR
EDITOR
LIM Woon Boon
CONTRIBUTORS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tara BEH
M T CHITRA
FOO Su Ling
Rex Ian Garcia SAYSON
Jonathan TAN
TAN Kia Meng
Timothy TAN
Phillip TAY
Michele THOMPSON
Avery WEE
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3
NEWSLETTER
JULY—SEPTEMBER 2006
Still & moving pictures
frames
by Michele Thompson
But it was definitely worth it and
by the end of the movie, people
could be heard sniffling. ♣
“Still Frames & Moving Pictures” is a new NUS Museum
programming platform that
presents the visual art of film
and photography.
On 9 Aug, National Day, acclaimed Singaporean director,
Eric Khoo, and executive producer, Freddie Yeo, shared their
Be With Me story. Eric’s latest
feature film, Be With Me, was
chosen for the Festival de
Cannes Directors' Fortnight
2005. The film also competed
and was shown at many international film festivals.
blind lady who provided the
missing inspiration in his film.
There were also several signs
and dreams that warned Eric, if
he did not make
the movie soon,
he would not direct ever again.
Lucky for us, Eric
finally did make
Be With Me.
Eric Khoo almost did not make
Be With Me. He told the audience how he procrastinated
making the film and how he
and writer, Wong Kim Hoh, explored several stories which did
not turn out right.
A significant part
of Be With Me is
silent – no dialogue, no background music, only the sounds
of everyday noise. For moviegoers who are used to snazzy
special effects and music to
manipulate the senses, Be With
Me is challenging to sit through.
Finally, at a wedding dinner that
he was not going to attend, Eric
met Theresa Chan, a deaf and
Other collaborations under the
“Still Frames & Moving Pictures” platform included two
photography exhibitions by student groups. This provided
them with a space to present
and explore their art:
Eric Khoo (left) and Freddie Yeo.
Montage 2006: Behind the Seen
by NUS Photographic Society
6–13 Aug 2006
Exuberance 6: Video & Photographic Competition by NUSSU
Video and Photographic Committee
21–26 Aug 2006
NUS Museum, University Cultural Centre, National University of Singapore, 50 Kent Ridge Crescent,
Singapore 119279.
Tel : 65 -65164617/6; Email : [email protected] ; URL : http://www.nus.edu.sg/museums/
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3
Page 2
MEET OUR DOCENTS
TAN KIA MENG
The University Cultural Centre is an
imposing landmark ‘invitation’ into
the university grounds, greeting you
immediately after Clementi Road.
There is no better frontage for a
cheery “Volunteers wanted!” poster!
I started fortuitously in 2002 . Looking only at how I could take part in
the then ‘National Volunteering’
campaign going on far, far away at Kia Meng telling a group of TKGS girls the NUS Story.
the National Volunteer Centre (NVC)
in town, I wandered near the NUS Musedetails—that I had been recruited.
ums recruiting station. A staff pounced –
and of course, I realized nothing until they But, truth be told, I have no regrets except
got my name and other ‘compromising’
for that tiny detail of distance from home.
A scurry of activities greeted the morning.
People were in a frenzy looking for paper
plates, sorting out different kinds of fruits
and cakes. At the centre of command was
an old Buddhist nun. She is frail and
small, pointing about with scrawny fingers, speaking very softly, but who
seemed extraordinarily calm amidst all
the noise.
BABA HOUSE
Being fundamentally the ‘rationally afflicted’ type (I am an accountant currently
studying economics as a second degree),
the very different world presented by the
Museum appeals to me – it has effectively broken my habitual mould. Then
again, the interesting training programmes helped. But that is a different
story.
Now let me confess: I look forward fondly
to you, dear readers, giving a thought to
VOLUNTEERING at NUS Museum! Why?
Because if I , of all people, can do it AND at
the same time, enjoy it, then surely, even
more so can you! ♣
BREAKS GROUND
by Timothy Tan
that the Jade Emperor dictates the
lives of all living
beings, so many
Chinese rituals
generally start with
an offering to him.
At the time
when alJoss Sticks were
most all the
Head of CFA MarCom
also offered to the
offerings
Timothy Tan and Honor- Guardians of the
are ready,
ary Curator Peter Lee.
Door. There are
the nun
many sources for this Chinese belief but
personally
one of it can be traced back to the Tang
set up the ritual altar. She took out of a
Dynasty when Emperor Li Shi Min had
brocade box a statue of Guan Yin made of
trouble sleeping at night because of the
porcelain. It is believed that Guan Yin
strange sounds he would hear. Hence he
listens to any cries of suffering and grants
ordered two of his best generals to be on
blessings in response to these sufferings.
guard so that he could sleep well.
She is one of the most popular deities
amongst the Chinese.
Last but not least, offerings were made to
the great compassionate one - Guan Yin The reason for all the activities was a
to beseech blessings that the work that is
groundbreaking ceremony for a grand old
to be carried out will be smooth. Offerings
dame: the Baba house at 157 Neil Road
were also placed on the floor for the deity
would undergo an extreme makeover so
that guards the ground and permission
that it can be restored to its former glory.
must be sought from him before any work
The prayers were a mix of Taoist and Budbegan.
dhist rites. The nun first started with an
offering to the Jade Emperor. It is believed To signify the start of work, some shovel-
ling of sand
was done.
Rites for that
day ended
with a feast of
fruits and fried
bee hoon,
which led one
to wonder if
rituals had
been first conceptualized as
an excuse for Museum staff Philip Tay, Peter
man to have a and G T Lye at the ritual.
feast. ♣
From left: Honorary Curator Peter Lee; former
owner of Baba House Wee Lin; the nun; Chan Kok
Yin from NUS Office of Estate & Development and
restoration consultant, A/Prof Chan Yew Lih from
NUS Dept of Architecture.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3
R
Page 3
AISING THE ROOF
CONVERSATION WITH JAVANESE COURT
DANCER GARRETT KAM
The Mardawa Budaya and Pamulangan
Beksa Ngayogyakarta schools of court
dance in Yogyakarta were destroyed in the
27 May 2006 earthquake. In aid of rebuilding efforts, NUS Centre For the Arts
(CFA) presented the above performance
on 3 September 2006 featuring two star
dancers from the schools – Hawaiian-born
Garrett Kam and Japanese Neomi Ogo.
In the midst of preparing for the exhibition
‘Ritual, Heritage and Power in Contemporary Java’, I heard of Garrett’s intent to
hold a series of performances featuring
dances of the Yogyakarta court. Our team
was exploring options for public programmes in conjunction with the exhibition and this performance fitted like a
glove. It was also a worthy cause which
would facilitate cultural preservation and
exchange; hence the team’s proposal to
have CFA present the performance was
promptly endorsed.
Garrett uses the title ‘Raising the Roof’ as
it succinctly describes the purpose of
these performances – to help rebuild the
schools so that staff and students will
once again have a roof over their heads.
In Singapore, Neomi joined Garrett in the
fund raising effort. Having learnt at the
schools almost two decades apart, did
they notice variations in each other’s
dance styles?
Garrett observed that the hand movements and postures remain the same but
the dynamics have changed over the
years. What did he think caused these
changes?
He contemplated a bit, probably visualising the dance movements in his head,
before replying “Maybe it’s because the
teachers have changed. I was taught by
Rama Sas, the founder of the schools. His
by Foo Su Ling
dance style
was graceful
and fluid but
dynamic at
the same
time. Even
when instructing ladies in
the female
warrior movements, he
emphasised
the importance of dynamically
responding to
the situation
Garrett and Neomi raised
and surroundnearly S$4000 for a worthy
ings. In concause.
trast, the female students in recent years learn mostly
from lady teachers who may prefer a more
feminine emphasis.”
The two dancers met for the first time a
week before the performance when Garret
flew in from Bali. Despite the short time
for practising together, the partnership
went well. An indication of a successful
duet is how well each dancer is able to
‘cover’ the mistakes of the other. So, were
there missed steps or wrong turns on 3
Sept? “Yes, there was one
and Neomi covered for me
perfectly”. Did anyone notice?
need to be very familiar with playing for
dancers so that when variations occur,
they can respond accordingly. For a performance of this nature, Garrett estimates
that dancers and the musicians need to
practise together intensively for at least
two weeks.
Garrett and Neomi are scheduled to continue with this ‘Raising the Roof’ project in
Bangkok on 19 September 2006. ♣
Afternote: The Bangkok coup started during
the performance but the audience only knew
when the show was over and had to rush home
before the curfew.
Garrett teaching the audience how to
appreciate Javanese Court Dance.
How different is it when these
dances are performed in their
traditional environment? The
live gamelan plays a big part,
it seems. It provides a sensesurround effect and heightens the experience, both for
the performer and the audience. However, the musicians Garrett and Neomi portraying the female and strong male style,
as opposed to the female and refined male style.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3
ARTS AT UCC
Page 4
WOMAD COMES TO NUS
by Rex Ian Garcia Sayson
WOMAD 2006 saw a record 20,000 people enjoying the rhythms of the world on
Fort Canning Park from 25 to 27 August.
NUS Centre For the Arts was on-site, providing demonstrations and showing off the
talents of CFA’s student groups.
As Festival Fringe Partner, CFA also welcomed WOMAD to NUS.
On 23 August, the UCC Theatre was transformed into a nightclub complete with
mirror ball and drinks for Puerto Rican
band Radio Mundial’s performance, also
the Opening Show for ExxonMobil Campus
Concerts (EMCC)2006/2007.
The show was a big hit, with everyone
from students to senior NUS management
such as Deputy President (Admin) Jo
NUS Chinese Orchestra’s Dai Da charms the crowd at
Fort Canning with his erhu.
Risenga Makondo lays out rhythms for
the crowd during an African percussion
workshop at UCC.
Mullinix taking the floor to salsa.
The next night saw a repeat of the phenomenon, when Indian group Musafir
Gypsies of Rajasthan and African percussionist Risenga Makondo had the theatre
bursting at the seams with revelers from
all over the world – a world of music, arts,
dance and happiness. ♣
EMCC Opening Show host Eunice Olsen (right)
danced to Radio Mundial music. She ably
helmed CFA Group Electronic Music Lab when
studying in NUS.
THE CHAPEL CHOIR OF GIRTON COLLEGE,
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSIT Y
sion was Guest of Honour Kwa Geok Choo,
an NUS and Girton alumna herself.
Dressed in her signature mandarin collared outfit, she enjoyed the music of her
No time to jet-lag for the Chapel Choir of
Girton College
Guests of NUS Centre For the Arts including Girton and NUS alums were dressed in
their best while attending the highly anticipated choral concert by the acclaimed
Chapel Choir of Girton College from Cambridge on 29 August at the packed University Cultural Centre Hall. Gracing the occa-
by Tara Beh
student days in Girton, ranging from Loch
Lomond to Bach, and greeted friends
among the dons.
Here in Singapore en route to an Australia
performing tour, the 28 Girton College students led by
conductor Dr Martin Ennis
rehearsed tirelessly despite
feeling the effects of jet lag
from their afternoon arrival in
Singapore on 28 August.
Having performed a mix of
sacred music and English
folksongs , they changed into
street clothes and hopped
into cabs to Holland Village
Girton alums Minister-of-State For Finance & Transport Mrs Lim
for a richly deserved pint of
Hwee Hua and GOH Mdm Kwa Geok Choo and CFA Director, Ms
ale, in true English style. ♣
Christine Khor.
BACK AT THE
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3
MUSEUM…
Page 5
SEE YOU AT….
Seminar Series
Exhibition
Exhibition
THE IMPONDERABLES OF
From Zush to Evru
Responding to the Divide
~ David Kwo, the Artist
WAR
NUS Museum collaborates with the Department of History to bring you a seminar
series that comprises 8 lectures, each
held on the last Wednesday of every
month, from 27 Sept 2006 to 30 May
2007.
The series explores factors other than
power that can have a pervasive effect on
the outcomes of war. Synopsis of the lectures can be found at http://
www.nus.edu.sg/museums/landing.html.
Event details:
Time
: 7:00 pm
Venue
: NUS Museum
Cost
: $10 per session (student $5)
Registration :
[email protected] or 65164616/7
Wine served at all eight lectures is sponsored by Top Wines.
27 SEPT 06
Topic : “Why the Inevitability Factor is
Overdone in Wars?”
Speaker : A/P Malcolm Murfett, Dept of
History, National University of Singapore
25 OCT 06
Topic : “The Madness of General George:
Patton, the Troubled Genius at War”
Speaker : Dr Dan Crosswell, Dept of History, National University of Singapore
29 NOV 06
Topic : “The Unknown and the Unknowable, Then and Now: The Mystery of the
Loss HMAS Sydney in 1941”
Speaker : Prof Peter Dennis, Australian
Defence Force Academy, University of
New South Wales
Brought to you by NUS Museum, Embassy
of Spain in Singapore and the Singapore
Art Museum, this exhibition features Albert Porta, one of the most important
Spanish artists of his generation.
Evru developed his work through the creation of two alternative identities, Zush,
(1968-2000), a psychomanualdigital artist and Evru, (2000-present), an artsciemyst (artist , scientist and mystic).
The show is made up of retrospective
selection of some of the most emblematic
of the artist’s works and lays out an overview of his career.
Venue : NX Gallery
From landscapes and figures to flowers
and birds, David Kwo painted a variety of
subjects interpreted through traditional
Chinese brush techniques and Western
styles. He is most famous for his portrayal
of small animals, especially cats and dogs
that became his hallmark.
Out of the 105 paintings donated to the
Museum, more than 50 of the late artist’s
work will be displayed at this exhibition.
This exhibition is sponsored by the Lee
Foundation.
Venue : Lee Kong Chian Art Gallery
14 NOV 06 - 30 NOV 07
13 OCT 06 - 1 DEC 06
Public Programme
Exhibition
Fun with Art!
Highlights from the
Discover the Human Body
Southeast Asian Collection
An opportunity to view around 100 paintings and woodcut prints of Singapore and
Malayan artists. Selected from the Museum’s permanent collection, the exhibition features renowned artists such as
Chen Wen Hsi, Chen Chong Swee, Lai
Foong Moi, Liu Kang and others.
The NUS Museum’s kids’ art camp for 612 year-olds aims to provide children an
introduction to Singaporean sculptor, Ng
Eng Teng. The program will be an interactive one. Children will use their sense of
touch and sight to study the human body.
Sign your kids up for our fun-filled and
creative Kids Art Camp now!
Cost : $20 per child per session (inclusive
of materials)
A smaller gallery presented as a resource
area showcases the late artist Ng Eng
Teng’s art oeuvre from a range of drawings, paintings and sculptures.
Visit http://www.nus.edu.sg/museums for
more information.
Venue : SSEA & Ng Eng Teng Galleries
Registration:
[email protected] or 6516-4617/6
1 NOV 06 - 31 DEC 07
1 or 2 DEC 06
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3
Page 6
SNAP SHOTS
5 September
LKY Distinguished Visitor, Prof Wu Tai Tsun
of Harvard , recounting university anecdotes to Mr Bernard Toh, Director of NUS
Corporate Relations and Ms Foo Su Ling,
Manager at NUS Museum, as he viewed the
Vice-Chancellors’ pictures at The NUS Story
- 100 Years of Heritage exhibition.
15 August
Museum hosted Puan Noor Aishah, wife of late NUS Chancellor Yusof Ishak, when she was at NUS to view the Chancellor’s
portrait.
Puan Noor is seen here with Office of Corporate Relations’ Ms
Janice Sim and Ms Mabel Wong, CFA Deputy Director, Ms
Yeow Ju Li; Museum’s Encik Wahid and Ms Karen Lim.
23 August
CFA Director, Ms Christine Khor,
shows Ambassador of Israel, HE Ilan
Ben-Dov and Director of Arts & Literature Dept (Division of Cultural & Scientific Affair) of Israeli Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Ms Irit Lillian, the collection at
the Lee Kong Chian Art Museum.
22 September
NUS alum Mr Zainul Abideen Rashid, Mayor of Northeast CDC and Senior Minister-of-State for Foreign Affairs, visited the Ritual, Heritage and
Power in Contemporary Java on the last day of exhibition.
With him were Masters students of Southeast Asian Studies Programme, Museum staff Foo Su Ling and Keris collector Shahrial Bin
Tahar (third from the left) .
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3
Page 7
SNAP SHOTS
29 August
Crew from China Guangxi
Television came to film The
NUS Story and Ng Eng Teng
sculptures.
26 July
NUS Business School hosted
lunch for their alumni at the Museum.
Guests dined in view of rare Chinese ceramics and Japanese
calligraphy at the S T Lee Atrium.
5 - 7 September
NUS Chinese Studies Department
conducted 7 classes of tutorials,
“Introduction to Chinese Studies”, at
the Celadon Room, including a tour
of Ways of Seeing Chinese Art.
14 July
Students of Zhejiang Ronghuai Private School enjoying a break at the
Massage chairs, sponsored by
OSIM during The NUS Story season.
24 August
About 100 secondary school
students visited the Museum
after attending the National Arts
Council’s Arts Education Awards
Ceremony held at the UCC.
They visited the Museum and
were given tours by our docents,
in an arts-filled outing.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3
Page 8
WERE YOU AT…?
25 July
Ritual, Power and Heritage in Contemporary Java
- Opening of Exhibition
The sounding of the Gamelan gong by Provost Prof
Tan Chorh Chuan, GOH, heralded two months of
focus on Javanese culture.
The official launch was a rewarding moment in the
thrilling process of bringing to you the first exhibition of the Paper-to-Gallery series. The greater joy,
however, was in seeing visitors enjoy the show and
its related programmes throughout the season. ♣
Neomi presents Provost with a
token from the Museum.
Guest performer, Neomi Ogo,
a Javanese Court Dancer.
To our supporters and visitors, including NHB
Chairman, Prof Tommy Koh and his distinguished
IMF/World Bank friends,
Thank You!
Watch out for next year's Paper-to-Gallery exhibition!
NUS Museum wishes to acknowledge Mr Kwa Chong
Guan who brought to our attention the potential of such
a project. It was also Mr Kwa who alerted us about
Garrett Kam's 'Raising the Roof' project.
Guests await eagerly for the ceremony to begin.
30 August
Museum staff,
Michele Thompson, briefing visitors on the house
rules before touring the exhibition.
Ritual, Power and Heritage in
Contemporary Java
- LunchTime Special
The NUS Museum relaunched its popular
LunchTime Special on 31 August to warm
response.
The LunchTime Special series aims to engages the NUS Community in NUS Museum’s programmes through our favourite
pastime - eating!
Aromatic gourmet coffee
sponsored by Peaberry.
Many were delighted with the sumptuous spread of
exotic, colourful dishes.
Museum docent, Rohaya, gave a tour of
exhibition “Ritual, Heritage and Power in
Contemporary Java” to participants before
they were treated to delicious Javanese
food and gourmet coffee by Peaberry at the
S T Lee Atrium. ♣
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3
Page 9
WERE YOU AT…?
After Garrett and Neomi’s performance, Surya explained to visitors
some of the Javanese royal rituals at the NX Gallery.
3 - 5 September
Raising the Roof: Dances from
the Royal Courts of Yogyakarta
Performance
&
Masterclasses
The crowd browsing through Indonesian merchandise and enjoying a cuppa at Nicole, a
new café at UCC, during intermission.
Approximately 200 people attended Neomi Ogo
and Garrett Kam’s performance of Javanese
Court Dances on Sunday, 5 September. The 90minute programme featured female and male
styles, a fight duet and movements in mask and
rod-puppet style. Garrett also spoke on the intricacies of Javanese Court Dance.
The next day, at the UCC Dance Studio, a group
of 26 dance enthusiasts tried out the movements and techniques of the Court Dance under Garrett’s guidance. A similar class was conducted for students at Overseas Family School
on 5 September.
The Dance and masterclasses were part of a
fundraising effort for the court dance schools at
Yogyakarta (see p.3 for details).
Neomi getting ready for the performance.
CFA wishes the dance schools well in their
journey to rebuild dance tradition. ♣
Prior to the performance, a young
visitor slipped into the Museum to
explore the CRISP section displayed at The NUS Story - 100
Years of Heritage.
Garrett showing participants the
moves at the Masterclass.
NHB Chairman, Prof Tommy Koh,
Mrs Koh and their friends were
guests. Prof Koh is with CFA
Director, Christine Khor.