10 acts to catch at the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival

Dance, theater, installations, photography and this time even a smell workshop, will make their appearance at this year's M1 Singapore Fringe Festival.

Known for showing smaller and more focused works, this Festival, into its seventh year, curated by long-standing theater company The Necessary Stage, will be presenting us with its strongest Asian line-up ever, with acts from China, Japan, Singapore, India and South Korea.

Here are the 10 acts to catch.

'Another Me: Transformations from Pain to Power' (India)

What: Powerful photography exhibition of girls, aged between eight and 25, who have been trafficked to the brothels of Kolkata, by independent documentary photographer Achinto Bhadra. The girls in these photos are transformed by make up, costume and props into dramatic characters and in the process grow in self-esteem and begin healing the wounds caused by their plight.

Behind the scenes: In the months it took to put this exhibition together, a counselor worked with the girls to help them tell their stories and choose the right character. For the shoot, a studio was set up in a shelter on the outskirts of Kolkata and the costumes and makeup were done by the girls themselves.

Look out for: The intense, telling expressions on the girls’ faces; the vivid colors; the stories of pain and hope.

10 a.m.–10 p.m. January 5–16. ION Art Gallery, 4/F ION Orchard; free

'School of Hard Knocks' (Singapore)

What: An exhibition of images of Singapore’s fast-disappearing mosaic, concrete and metal playgrounds, by graphic artists Stanley Tan and Antoinette Wong of the Little Dröm Store. The images are nostalgic but not romantic; the texture light, and strong geometric shapes of these old playgrounds come through strongly.

And the point is? These old playgrounds had hard surfaces and gritty sand, on which kids learned to get up after falling -- unlike the safer, rubberized playgrounds of today where kids are told not to fall at all. As a subject, the use of these playgrounds sends the message that we need to let our children be bolder and more engaging, not coddled and overprotected.

Look out for: The playgrounds designed by a Singapore designer, unlike the new ones, which are bought from global playground suppliers.

Till January 18, JCDecaux bus-stop shelters island-wide. January 5-23, 5:45 a.m. – 12:15 a.m. Esplanade Tunnel; free

'Model Citizens' (Singapore)

What: A play by The Necessary Stage about three unlikely model citizens: an Indonesian domestic helper, her Peranakan employer and the wife of a member of parliament (MP). The play first performed to a sold-out run in March 2010 at The Necessary Stage Black Box and will be traveling to Kuala Lumpur after.
And the point is? The MP is stabbed by a man at a meet-the-people session. The man’s girlfriend, an Indonesian domestic helper, appeals to the MP’s wife but can’t speak her language. The helper’s Peranakan employer intervenes but ends up doing as much harm as good. All this while, the MP’s wife is struggling with her husband’s injury and the unwanted media attention it brings. Through this triangle of interaction, the play asks whether there is any unity in our diverse society, or if we all simply exist in isolated pockets.

Look out for: Singaporean Chinese language actress Goh Guat Kian. She has appeared in more than 70 plays, many of them key works in Singapore theater, and is one of the most experienced Chinese languages stage actresses in Singapore.

January 11-15, 8 p.m. Gallery Theatre, National Museum of Singapore. S$30 and S$19

'This is Tomorrow' (Oldfish, Korea) and 'Perceptio' (PMP, Singapore)

What: A double-bill concert by five-piece South Korean folktronica band Oldfish and audio-visual collective PMP. PMP’s field recordings of Singapore sounds mix with cinematics, generative art, animation and music, while Oldfish blends soothing Shibuya-kei (Japanese jazz, electro-pop) and folk electronic tunes.

And the point is? In "Perceptio," PMP tackles pollution and climate change with regards to Singapore and uses its audio-visual presentation to make these invisible issues visible. Oldfish offers its audience freedom in "This is Tomorrow" -- freedom to make of today what you will. 

Look out for: Soda, the main man behind Oldfish and the one to watch. It was Soda's live club shows in the Seoul's Hongdae neighborhood that first got Oldfish noticed.

January 15, 7:30 p.m.; Esplanade Recital Studio; S$19

'Okinawa Ark' (Japan)

What: A 13-minute video, artwork and photography installation by photographer and video artist Kanako Sasaki. It covers three generations of an obscure Japanese community in Bolivia. Historians, history teachers, anyone interested in history and the way it is presented should view this work as it takes history out of the textbook and puts it in the hands of everyday people.

Did you know? After World War II, Okinawans impoverished by their country’s defeat were sent to Bolivia as part of a special immigration program to start life anew.

Look out for: Japanese students playing in a Japan-Bolivia school; the sounds of a mass exercise drill; an Okianwan guitar being strummed; a boat. The mood: dreamy, floaty, personal.

January 5-16, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. The Atelier, National Museum of Singapore. Free. Artist’s talk; January 8, 6 p.m.; same venue; free

A-MA & A-NIANG (Singapore/China)

What: A dance project between Singaporean and Chinese choreographers Elysa Wendi and Shi Jing Xin exploring the cultural heritages of the two countries.

And the point is? A choreographic script exchange in which the two performers engage in a dialogue and learn from each other’s perspectives.

Look out for: The key characters, the grandmothers who reveal history and heritage through their memories and experience.

January 6 & 7, 8 p.m. The Substation Theatre. S$19

'Entre Nous' (Belgium)

What: An honest and raw performance autobiography by theater company Hel's Kitchen is a personal and peculiar solo performance by Helmut Van den Meersschaut and focuses on self-exploration and one’s perspective of life.

And the point is? An actor, dancer and image maker Van den Meersschaut's work is best described as "performance in history." What started as research into multiple personality syndrome -– hence the title (translates as: between us) -- becomes a summary of the situation at the time.

Listen out for: The dark, hard soundtrack provided by a live rock band.

January 7 & 8, 8 p.m. Esplanade Theatre Studio. S$30 and S$19

'MONSTER' (United States)

What: A tightly woven dance piece by U.S. dance company Pappas and Dancers that looks at the Jewish identity today, the historical baggage it carries and what it means to be a victim and a victimizer.

And the point is: Our bodies remember the past. Families, communities and cultures pass down history and memories through physical connotations that in turn influence psychological states -- in this case of victim/victimizer.

Look out for: Oversized breasts, prosthetic noses, faceless dancers that come apart and reconstruct.

January 14 & 15, 8 p.m. Esplanade Theatre Studio. S$30 and S$19

'Aromascape of Singapore' (Japan)

What? A unique workshop and exhibition about the smells of Singapore by Japanese olfactory artist Maki Ueda.

And the point is? Smells evoke emotions and thoughts. In this project, the scents of Singapore are bottled up and presented to visitors through lectures, workshops, fieldwork and an exhibition, and the meaning and experience of them explored.

Try your nose at: The smell of the sea, freshly cooked hawker food, raw garbage, a wet market.

January 5-16, Saturday-Thursday 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Glass Porch, 2/F Singapore Art Museum. Free, usual admission to other museum galleries applies.

'What did you learn today?' (Singapore)

What: Singaporean Husband-and-wife theater duo Lim Kay Siu and Neo Swee Lin perform in this intense two-actor play by Sean Tobin and Natalie Hennedige about what it means to teach and learn.

And the point is: Confess, process, obsess. These darker aspects of teaching and learning are explored by Lim and Neo as they morph from teacher/student to parent/child, husband/wife and actor/audience.

Something to think about: While we influence and impact each other, whether we know it or like it or not, have we unconsciously let others take our bodies and inner selves captive?

January 13 - 15, 8 p.m. January 15, 3 p.m. Play Den, The Arts House. S$30 and S$19