Penang & Johor Bahru, Malaysia - CausewayEXchange (CEX), a joint arts and culture initiative between Singapore and Malaysia is celebrating Singapore’s 50th Anniversary and 50 years of bilateral relations by staging in two Malaysian states, Penang and Johor Bahru, for the first time. While CEX will return to Penang from the 1st to 31st of August for the second year as part of the George Town Festival, it will be visiting Johor Bahru from the 10th of August to 11th September for the first time in conjunction with the JB Arts Festival.
Since its inception, CEX has played a pivotal role in increasing the support and expanding the audience base for arts and culture in both countries by introducing the two countries to each other’s diverse and multicultural arts scenes and facilitating greater opportunities and awareness for cultural exchange programmes between them through artistic and social activities.
Says Shawn Lourdusamy, Founder & Festival Director of CEX, “It is the continuous positive feedback from artistes who have performed at CEX that keeps us going. Artistes have reported to us that they have benefited from this exchange, even more so when we showcase collaborative works across disciplines and genres, which will be seen in our line-up this year.”
This year, CEX will be staging a variety of literary, visual and performance arts events in Penang and Johor Bahru. The highlights are as follows:
For the full itinerary of CEX activities please visit: causewayexchange.com
www.facebook.com/CausewayEXchange
In Penang
Where The Heart Is showcases works by the renowned artist Sandra Lee. Although a Malaysian by birth, Sandra has lived a nomadic existence for many years and currently lives in Singapore. This will be her first ever exhibition in her homeland Malaysia. Her detailed reimaginings of Western fairy tales for Asian audiences depict three panda bears peering down at a sleeping girl, a spoon running away with a Chinese bowl and an old lady living in a lotus shoe.
Date: 1 – 31 August 2015 | Time: 10am – 10pm | Venue: China House, Gallery, 153, Lebuh Pantai
Islands In Between is a video instillation by Sherman Ong which uses the documentary/ethnographic film genre to tell stories of migration, trans-border identities, myths and memories in the islands of Southeast Asia. The histories and contemporary stories of the region are explored through the nine individuals featured in the video vignettes. Sherman is an internationally celebrated filmmaker, photographer and visual artist whose works have appeared in festivals around the world.
Date: 1 – 31 August 2015 | Time: 11am – 7pm | Venue: Singapore House, 179 Victoria Street
The Siong Leng Musical Association’s performance features Nanyin music, also known as xianguan or nanguan. Originating with the Minnan people in southern Fujian Province more than a millennia ago it has a rich repertoire of songs and scores that preserve ancient folk songs and poems. These have influenced opera, puppet theatre and other performing art traditions. The music form spread to Southeast Asia in the 19th century, leaving footprints in the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Date: 29 August 2015 | Time: 6.00pm & 8.00pm | Venue: Cheah Kongsi, 8, Gat Lebuh Armenian
In Johor Bahru
Nadi Singapura is a Singaporean drum ensemble with more than 25 members that uses the traditional drums of the Malay Archipelago such as the kompang, rebana, jidur, and gendang in their performances. Inspired by theatrical drumming and percussion groups such Drum Tao from Japan, the UK’s Stomp and the Brazilian group Monobloco, Nadi’s performances are high energy and guaranteed to get the audiences’ feet tapping.
Date: 19 September 2015 | Time: 8.00pm | Venue: Festival Village, Puteri Harbour
The Singapore Literary Panel: The Impact of the 1965 Separation on Malaysian and Singaporean Literature is a multilingual panel of more than a dozen shortlisted Singapore authors from the 2014 Singapore Literature Prize (SLP). The SLP is unique in that it awards prizes in three categories - Poetry, Fiction and Non-Fiction - in Singapore’s four official languages: English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil. As well as reading excerpts from their works, the panel will be discussing the impact of the 1965 separation on the literature of both countries.
Date: 12 September 2015 | Time: TBC | Venue: Festival Village, Puteri Harbour
Heritage Films showcases six of the winning films from the Singapore Heritage Short Film Competition. The competition aims to encourage young film makers to reconnect with their heritage by documenting aspects of Singapore’s heritage and culture in film to preserve them for future generations. The films include views of the surviving Hakka and Peranakan Culture in Singapore, explorations of the city’s old kampongs and the revival of lion dancing among Singapore’s youth.
Date: 24 September 2015 | Time: 8.00pm | Venue: Festival Village, Puteri Harbour
For more information, please contact:
Nanny Eliana
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Bridges M&C Pte Ltd
D +65 6348 2215 F +65 6440 8145
M +65 9450 0599 E nan@bridges-comms.com
John Battersby
PR Consultant
Bridges M&C Pte Ltd
D +65 6348 2215 F +65 6440 8145
M +65 9754 1092 E john@bridges-comms.com
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