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Free public art walking tours with theatrical touch

SINGAPORE – For the first time, theatre practitioners will help enliven several public art walking tours around the city.

The new monthly series Public Art Trust Tours in the civic district are guided by actors from ACT 3 International, injecting drama into the artistic experience. Photo: NAC

The new monthly series Public Art Trust Tours in the civic district are guided by actors from ACT 3 International, injecting drama into the artistic experience. Photo: NAC

SINGAPORE – For the first time, theatre practitioners will help enliven several public art walking tours around the city.

Starting this weekend, actors from homegrown theatre companies The Finger Players and Act 3 International will lead the Art ‘Alive’! tour at Gillman Barracks on Saturday (24 June) and the Public Art Walking Tours in the civic district on Sunday (June 25) respectively.

The monthly Public Art Walking Tours, comprising of three curated trails in the civic district and central business district, will cover a wide range of works of different forms – spanning contemporary abstract works to realistic bronze sculptures.

The tour will be guided by specially trained actors from ACT 3 International, providing the “opportunity to inject drama into an already rich and textured experience”, said Ruby Lim-Yang, Artistic Director, ACT 3 International.

“Through the use of some theatre and imagination, we have created three pairs of characters to lead, inform and entertain audiences,” she added.

For audiences more interested in art for its visually attractive forms and colours, there will be a trail titled Form, Shape, Colour & Line led by characters Lilah and Bi Bi, abstract artists with insights and perspectives to stretch the imagination on the tour.

Meanwhile, the trail titled Art in the Civic District will highlight key art works relating to life in Singapore from the early days to recent years and be led by the character Peter Tan, an amateur historian.

The characters Mrs Lee, an art teacher and her student Gina, will lead the trail Made in Singapore for audiences who are interested to learn about Singaporean artists. The trail will introduce prominent local artists such as Cultural Medallion winners Han Sai Por, Chong Fah Cheong, and Ng Eng Teng and their art works.

“All these will be done with character work, dramatic banter, and a roving style of theatre that will add colour to make the trails different and interesting, hopefully to garner public support and appreciation for the importance of Public Art in our day-to-day living,” said Lim-Yang.

According to the National Arts Council’s (NAC) Assistant Chief Executive (Sector Development) Low Eng Teong, this is the first time the Public Art Trust (PAT) and Gillman Barracks Programme Office (GBPO) are working with theatre companies to organise interactive art tours.

Low said: “Many interesting public art works can be found all around Singapore where we work and play, but many of us may not have noticed them as we go about our daily lives,” said Low.

“We think it will be interesting to highlight the diverse works around the Civic District, Singapore River and Marina Bay areas in these three curated trails. NAC believes the three trails will collectively help deepen visual literacy among Singaporeans,” he added.

The Public Art Trust is an initiative launched in 2014 by the National Arts Council to encourage Singaporeans to embrace art around their urban environment, by commissioning and displaying impactful and meaningful art in public places.

Over at Gillman Barracks, the Art ‘Alive’! tour is organised as part of the School Holiday Edition of its Art Day Out! open house. Stories on this tour will be narrated by actors from The Finger Players and include Lock Route, a public art showcase which was commissioned as part of Singapore Art Week earlier this year.

Lock Route includes large-scale, site-specific installations, outdoor sculptures and murals placed all over the barracks, such as mirror installations spread across a grassy field titled Basha by Singapore artist Gerald Leow; and Tip Me Over And Pour Me Out, a bright pink plinth with a cord running through it by Singapore artist Stephanie J Burt, located outside Supermama and Playeum, reflecting the artist’s fascination with entrances and gateways.

Visitors will be able to better understand these works through the theatrical story-telling by The Finger Players. These tours “will bring art closer to the public and enable them to re-engage with these public art works,” said Low.

According to the NAC, response for the Public Art Walking tours has been positive with the first series of tours on 25 June almost full, and they are expecting more sign-ups for future tours in the upcoming months.

 

The Public Art Trust tours run every last Sunday of the month, till March 2018. More details on https://www.publicarttrust.sg/

Art ‘Alive’! tour runs on June 24. More details on https://www.gillmanbarracks.com/others/gillman-barracks/1637

All tours are free.

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