Theatre review: Ways Of Wandering | 4/5

SINGAPORE — There has been a long-standing debate over the universality of art and whether it still is an abstruse elitist form.

Thankfully, our current arts-oriented programmes seem to have debunked that idea. One such example is the Ways of Wandering (WOW) Exhibition, a week-long a public engagement initiative from July 7 to 12 that’s part of The O.P.E.N., the pre-event that segues into this year’s Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA).

I was drawn to two of the six performances at MacRitchie Reservoir. Using a team of “wanderers”, the promenade-style performance entertained the audience.

The first, a segment organised by Jeremiah Choy, explored personal legacies of these wanderers, using their clothes as backdrop for their intriguing dramatic-cultural narrative of their lives, such as the elderly lady with her elaborate black curls pinned back into a ’50s vintage do, gesturing enthusiastically, clutching a Singapore Airlines stewardess uniform in the other.

“Shortly after my 21st birthday, my girlfriend gave me a call and told me that Singapore Airlines was having a vacancy, and I should apply for it,” she announced in a powerful voice that belied her 62 years.

Another notable performance was Jason Wee’s reinterpretation of the memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew. Blindfolded wanderers walked around haphazardly in a circle, quoting sections of the memoirs, while guided by a seeing, but mute, wanderer, solemnly gesturing what was spoken. Wee explained that, like any art form, the matter was subjective, advising his audience to “read into that what they will”. It was disturbing but provocative and engaging too.

The use of the human form as moving canvases, with some playing the role of walking quote capsules or narrative reflectors, was flawless, albeit a little short, in my opinion. The open-air experience was like no other, devoted and yet disparate. People I’ve spoken to have said they used to be “intimidated” by the art programmes in Singapore, but this one obviously indicates yet another way that the scene is changing the public perception of arts and the arts scene.

And like the MacRitchie Reservoir venue that this edition was held in — it’s a breath of fresh air. Laetitia Wong