Sunday, August 30, 2015

Accidental Tourist of Singapore - 2015- - Lao Sai Tao Yuan Teochew Opera Performance of 六国封相 at Pulau Ubin 28 August 2015

Lao Sai Tao Yuan Teochew Opera Shoot at Pulau Ubin 28 August 2015

I did something totally out of the norm for a 'leave-hungry city-gal' - I took leave and went with a few photography friends of Singapore Shutterjourney to Pulau Ubin to capture an Opera show. Not just any Opera show, it is performed by Lao Sai Tao Yuan, the oldest surviving Teochew Opera troupe in Singapore having been around since 19th century.  Through modern Facebook, I managed to keep track of their performance dates and this performance in particular, caught my eye as it is held at far flung Pulau Ubin. For those unfamiliar with Pulau Ubin, some 10mins by bumboat from mainland Singapore, it is best described as what one would expect from Singapore in the early 1950s-1960s. Peppered with traditional houses and roaming dogs, the island eludes a rustic authentic vibe no long felt in my urbanised and modern city. 

After a hearty breakfast at Changi Village, we hopped on a bumboat at Changi Jetty for S$2.50 to Ubin. The troupe members were already there and in the midst of getting ready. This is my first morning shoot of an opera show. Growing up, I am more familiar with opera shows done in the evenings. It slowly became clear that opera is not only a showcase of Chinese culture and traditional, it was also an art form requiring loads of teamwork and coordination.... all the way from the make-up to dressing and costume changes in-between.  

Kudos to the performers, many belong to the pioneer generation all of whom have a wealth of experience both in terms of skill, expertise and precision in executing the opera moves while burdened with heavy costumes....all with poise and grace of true professionals under tropical 35 degree Celsius heat.

What warmed me was that all the troupe members of Lao Sai Tao Yuan were not only patient but also welcoming to us photographers. 八爷(班主) and Carine took time off their busyness to speak with us and were extremely accommodating to us taking photos of them throughout the whole morning all the way from makeup, costumes dressing to disrobing. It was truly an experience that I will not forget for the rest of my life.

I hope you enjoy looking at these photos as much as I did taking the photos.




I have also done a slideshow of selected photos taken of that day...uploaded on YouTube


My other blog post of an earlier visit involving Chinese Opera (with another troupe) are:

Till the next time, onto the world and beyond!  

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Accidental Tourist - 2015 - Singapore Art Museum - 'After Utopia' exhibition

Singapore Art Museum - 'After Utopia' exhibition till 18 Oct 2015

I am not an art person least of all, avant garde art. Not cultured enough I think but I saw some interesting exhibits at the Singapore Art Museum when I wandered onto the 'After Utopia' exhibition by chance. 

What caught my eye for the 'After Utopia' exhibition was the exhibit by Svay Sareth for which he videoed himself walking from his home in Siem Reap to Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, dragging a 8kg sphere. When I first saw the video, the first thing that came to my mind was "Boh liao (Singlish for no sense) video of man dragging a silver ball." But as I stood there watching the video, which has no accompanying music or narration, I was somehow drawn to it. Only after reading the explanation did I realize that the artist was doing this to come to terms with a painful past. I like the exhibit for making me want to find out more about the art piece. 

The next exhibit is done by Thai artist, Kamin Lertchaiprasert called Sitting. This installation consists of 366 papier mâché figures seated in meditative style, their number representing the days in a leap year. Kamin Lertchaiprasert’s works are interesting as each artwork is unique. 

Here are a collection of my photos taken at the 'After Utopia' Exhibition

Till the next time, onto the world and beyond!

Monday, August 17, 2015

Accidental Tourist - 2015 - Asian Civilizations Museum exhibition: Buddhist treasures from the oldest museum in Asia - Indian museum of Kolkata (Calcutta) 亚洲文明博物馆

Asian Civilizations Museum (ACM) of Singapore: Exhibition: Buddhist treasures from Asia's oldest museum - the Indian museum of Kolkata (Calcutta)
亚洲文明博物馆 最新的展: 佛教珍品从亚洲最古老的博物馆-尔各答印度博物 (尔各答)
This museum has been named the top museum in Singapore and ranked 9th in Asia by TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice awards for Museums released in Sept 16 2014.
这个博物馆在 2014 年 9 月 16 日定名为新加坡的顶级博物馆排名第 9 TripAdvisor 的旅客选择亚洲奖博物馆发布
I was fortunate enough to spend an hour walking amongst the Buddhist treasures on loan to ACM from Kolkata Museum, Asia's oldest museum on 13 August 2015. I chanced upon this last guided tour expertly managed by the ACM's volunteer guide and was transported to lands far away in India across centuries of Buddhist art that spans some 2200 years from Gandhara (2nd century), Mathura (1st to 3rd century), Gupta (5th century) to Pala (10th - 11th century).
2015 8 13 我很幸运加入最后一个小时的步行游ACM,运送到很远的印度政局跨越几个世纪的跨越从一些 2200 年的佛教艺术 Gandhara (2nd century), Mathura (1st to 3rd century), Gupta (5th century) to Pala (10th - 11th century).
Singapore's links to Calcutta started during the British rule with Singapore being ruled together with Melaka and Penang by the British based in Kolkata. Founded in 1814 (some 5 years before Sir Stamford Raffles reached Singapore shores), the Indian Museum, Kolkata contains one of the greatest collection of Indian sculptures.
加尔各答,新加坡,马六甲和槟城一起英国统治成立于1814年(5莱佛士爵士成立现代新加坡为英国殖民地),印度馆,加尔各答印度包含雕塑最大的收藏之一
The pieces on display showcase different phases and interpretations of Buddha and his teachings. Buddha (literally the 'enlightened one') was an Indian prince named Siddhatha Gautama born sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BC. He is sometimes called Shakyamuni which means 'sage of the Shakya clan'. It was a visual treat showcasing centuries old depictions of Buddha's birth, life, enlightenment and death (nirvana) carved out of sandstone, Schist, stucco, bronze, basalt and stone.
展出的作品展示佛陀和他的教导的解释不同的阶段(从字面上开明的人) 是一个名Siddhatha的印度王子6和第4公元前数百年间的某个时候出生的他有时称为释迦牟尼这意味着 '释迦族的圣人。这是一种视觉享受展示百年佛陀的诞生生活启迪和死亡(涅槃)砂岩,片岩,粉刷,铜色,玄武岩石
Here are some of the photographs of the exquisite pieces that were on loan - captured on iPhone
下面是一些租借的精美作品的照片:


Till the next time, onto the world and beyond!
我们在这里告别去环游世界!