Nus Arts Festival 2022 - Shades Of Light(ness)
Light has long fascinated the human mind, inspiring scientists, philosophers and artists alike.
It is the many ways we perceive light(ness) — or quality of light — which the artists in this year’s NUS Arts Festival plumb for meaning and motivation in a greater search for answers to navigate the dark, complex and uncertain post-COVID world we presently live in. While live festival performances ended on 27 March 2022, NUS Centre For the Arts will be streaming video recordings of these performances for a limited time. Read on for some festival highlights and find out how to view them.
[Theatre]
Blackout by NUS Stage
A trippy black comedy about a tortured soul, plagued by identity crises and heartbreak. An exploration of the self, love and loss, the play looks at the splintered world inside and outside of the main character’s mind.
Blackout is directed by award-winning theatre-maker Mr Chong Tze Chien (Arts and Social Sciences ’99), a graduate from the NUS Theatre Studies programme who was awarded the Young Artist Award by the National Arts Council in 2006.
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[Dance]
Thanmai by NUS Indian Dance
A journey that reflects on the metaphysical and physical qualities of light and what it means to us as humans. Join NUS Indian Dance in the exploration of the true nature of light through the lens of science, spirituality and time with Bharatanatyam, poetry and visual art.
The performance features a number of NUS alumni who returned briefly to campus to take part in the closing show of this year’s Festival.
Thanmai is the last work with NUS Indian Dance by the late Mrs Santha Bhaskar, who was NUS’ longest-serving artistic tutor and nurtured generations of NUS students since 1977.
[Music]
InTempo’22: Musical Escapades by NUS Wind Symphony
Let the music take you to places of the past, present and future, to experience the joy of travelling, and celebrate the unique cultures of our world. Featuring a global repertoire, including world premieres of two newly-commissioned works by Singaporean composers, join NUS Wind Symphony on an exhilarating trip around the world.
The Ho Hwee Long Music Score Commission Fund ensures that school bands have a wider selection of royalty-free music compositions to perform. The two commissioned works explore the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has changed the world, yet also our ability to start anew and adapt to the ‘new normal’.
INSTALLATIONS
Explore the synergies between the arts, technology and engineering in these projects with students from NUS College of Design and Engineering.
A Close Eyecounter
Utilising simulated LiDAR technology that analyses individuals’ eyes, this interactive installation provides a technological diagnosis that serves as a stark reminder of how our eyes, just like our devices, need to be taken care of.
In Living Company
A group of Engineering students tap into their Final Year Project research to repurpose disused electrical appliances into light-controlled planters that grow edible plants.
Somewhere in This Fog of Memory
Journey into the mind of someone living with dementia – walk, sing and feel with them as we find meaning in illuminating the way for one another in this light-based installation.
All installations are open until 17 April 2022. Admission is free, subject to Safe Management Measures. For more information, head to nusartsfestival.com for updates.
FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY
Missed out on our live programmes? Recordings of the performances and talks are available for limited screenings from 28 March to 17 April 2022. Head to
nusartsfestival.com for more information about how to access the digital screenings.
Programme 1
28 March – 10 April
Critical Conversations 2022
In the Light of Consciousness - What is Light?
with Professor Rajeev Patke and Visual Artist Mr Joshua Yang
Light Takes Form - Light as a Material for Art
with Dr Khoo Eng Tat (Engineering (PhD) ‘11) and Paintings Conservator Mr Lawrence Chin
Illuminating the Poetics of Space - Light as Meaning-Making
with Dr Wong May Ee (Arts and Social Sciences ’03) and Doctoral Student Mr Wong Zi Hao (Design and Environment ‘12)
Incandescent – A City That Never Sleeps
by NUS Dance Synergy in collaboration with NUS Guitar Ensemble
Blackout
by NUS Stage
Bodhi – The Awakening
by NUS Indian Instrumental Ensemble
InTempo’22: Musical Escapades
by NUS Wind Symphony
Programme 2
4 April – 17 April
Perception
by NUS Chinese Dance
Thanmai
by NUS Indian Dance
Radiance of Hope
by NUS Symphony Orchestra
Touch’22
by NUS Piano Ensemble
Seek 《三月天。寻》
by NUS Chinese Orchestra