Live at UCC
Critical Conversations
Light and Shadows at The Projector
Installations
In Conjunction Shows

What’s On

Live at UCC

Incandescent - A City That Never Sleeps.

NUS Dance Synergy featuring NUS Guitar Ensemble (GENUS)

Fri 18 March
8pm
UCC Hall

Conceived by Yarra Ileto and directed by Jeremiah Choy for NUS Dance Synergy, the Festival's opening piece investigates an everyday question that we might have forgotten to ask – why can't we see the stars with our naked eye anymore?  With music created by Dr Robert Casteels... Read more

Bodhi - The Awakening

NUS Indian Instrumental Ensemble

Fri 18 March, 7.30pm

Sat 19 March,

2pm & 7.30pm
UCC Dance Studio

According to Indian Philosophy, the theme of Light is synonymous with realisation and enlightenment. The process is viewed as both a dichotomy between light and darkness as well as a gradient representing the journey towards this enlightenment. The duality in this process is what... Read more

Blackout

NUS Stage

Fri 18 March, 7.30pm

Sat 19 March, 7.30pm

UCC Theatre

Justin wakes up after blacking out, with no recollection of who he is. He encounters a gaggle of characters who attempt to help him uncover his real identity. Some say he is a triad boss with a loyal sidekick. Others say he is an international pop star. A few say “he” is a “she”... Read more

Perception. 幻.悟

NUS Chinese Dance

Tues 22 March & Wed 23 March
8pm
UCC Theatre

Perception. 幻.悟 marks a new chapter in NUS Chinese Dance’s history as it presents two exciting new works by highly acclaimed choreographers Jenny Neo and Xiao Jing, who are presently the group’s tutors... Read more

Radiance of Hope

NUS Symphony Orchestra

Sat 26 March, two shows:
2pm & 7:30pm
UCC Hall

Drawing inspiration from the spectrum of colours and moods in light, NUS Symphony Orchestra brings you Radiance of Hope, a two-concert series with music from Gounod, Beethoven, Rossini, Saint-Saëns, and Brahms... Read more

Thanmai

NUS Indian Dance

Sun 27 March, 8pm
UCC Theatre

Light is about what we see, but also about what we don’t see. In Tamil, “thanmai” means true nature and “pataroli” means light. 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... Read more

Critical Conversations

How do we begin to speak about light, and how does light intersect with artistic discourse? Critical Conversations 2022 prefaces the NUS Arts Festival events by unpacking the ways in which the myriad of student group performances and projects harness light to illuminate rich refractions of creative expressions, philosophical musings, and critical explorations. Through the discussions, audiences are encouraged to view light in a different light, and through its many potentialities: embodying transcendental qualities, treated as material for art, and as a way of accessing meaning in this world. Here, light that is ubiquitous and often taken for granted, takes centre stage. 

This series is moderated by Dr Kamalini Ramdas, the NUS Arts Festival Academic Advisor.

Critical Conversations 1: In the Light of Consciousness - What is Light?.

Speakers: Professor Rajeev S Patke and Joshua Yang

Wed 23 February
7.30pm
UCC Atrium

Light reveals the visible world around us, but what is light itself and how does it shift the ways we interact and relate to the world? Acting as an initiation into the phenomenology of light, and through the lens of viewing art, this panel puts into question how light intertwined... Read more

Critical Conversations 2: Light Takes Form - Light as a material for art

Speakers: Dr Khoo Eng Tat and Lawrence Chin

Wed 9 March
7.30 pm
UCC Atrium   

Light artist James Turell once remarked, “Light is not so much something that reveals, as it is itself the revelation”. This panel explores how light is manifested, transformed, and treated as medium, resource, and the product of art. How can light be a form of artistic  visualisation... Read more

Critical Conversations 3: Illuminating the Poetics of Space - Light as Meaning-Making

Speakers: Dr May Ee Wong and Wong Zi-Hao

Book of Tides - Wong Zi Hao

Wed 16 March
7.30PM
UCC Atrium   

How do we look at and encounter spaces – in particular, urban infrastructures and landscapes? What is often latent to such sites are a complex constellation of meaning, space, and material coming together in dialogue with each other to create experience. This conversation ... Read more

Light and Shadows at The Projector

Light is the essential spark that makes the art of filmmaking possible. From lighting up a scene, to capturing and developing the celluloid, to the projection room,  the use of light is inextricably bound to the moviemaking process. Shadows and light can create a suspenseful atmosphere or a dreamlike romantic mood, it can heighten the story's narrative and manipulate our emotions. Filmmakers and directors of photography are masters at interpreting our psychological responses to light and darkness, and exploiting them to pull the audience into their stories. 

With this programme, we pay tribute to the world of animation with a selection of films that explore the art of filmmaking and the craft of telling stories with light.

Tak Lurus.

NUS Dance Blast! in collaboration with College of Design and Engineering, Directed by Ahmad Kamil

Digital Streaming Short Film

Premieres online 17 March, available through to 17 April

Just like light that bends after going through mediums, we go through many twists and turns in life. We all wish we had it easy - with straightforward answers and quick solutions. However, how many of us actually get to live that life?... Read more

Millennium Actress (2001) 87min, PG

Directed and written by Satoshi Kon

Sat 19 March | 7:30pm
The Projector (Golden Mile Tower)

The story of an aging movie actress' complicated personal saga unfolds in this sophisticated anime film that deftly blurs memory and make-believe into a meditation on the nature of cinema itself. In this animated movie, filmmaker Genya Tachibana begins work on a documentary... Read more

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (2013) 118min, PG

Directed and written by Mami Sunada

Thu 24 March | 7:30pm
The Projector (Golden Mile Tower)

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness is a captivating treat for Studio Ghibli fans - and may prove nearly as entertaining and enlightening for the unconverted. The film follows the routines of those employed at Studio Ghibli, including filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki... Read more

Last Film Show (2021) 110min, PG13

Directed and written by Pan Nalin

Fri 25 March | 7:30pm
The Projector (Golden Mile Tower)

Samay, a 9-year-old boy living with his family in a remote village in India discovers films for the first time and is absolutely mesmerized. Against his father's wishes, he returns to the cinema day after day to watch more films, and even befriends the projectionist... Read more

Installations

Somewhere in This Fog of Memory.

Nicolette Tan, Shi Zhansen, Ong Suyi, and Erick Kristantio Supervised by Dr Khoo Eng Tat

18 March - 17 April
UCC Function Room 1

Free admission
(Registration required)

We are made of memories: our first day at school, remembering lyrics to our favourite songs, the last time we closed the door behind us. What if your many firsts, lasts and in-betweens wandered away from where you last left them? And what happens when everyone else seems slightly out of sync?... Read more

In Living Company

Hup Jing Si, Poon Si Ying Averil, Lim Yu Wei Jeremy, and Wong Jessie
Supervised by Professor Hong Minghui.
Artist Mentor: Ryf Zaini

18 March - 17 April
UTown Anteroom,
Level 2, Stephen Riady Centre

Free admission
(Subject to prevailing safe
management measures)

Electrical appliances keep us company, coming to life at the flick of a switch. A computer, a fridge, a microwave oven, a lamp and a television – old essential items that once stood pride of place in our homes as we used them in our daily lives. By repurposing these disused... Read more

A Close Eyecounter

Ryf Zaini In collaboration with Dr Sun Chen-Hsin, Dexter Tan, Ng Qi Yuan, Lee Shao Yu, Caleb Nathaniel Karim Supervised by Professor Hong Minghui

18 March - 17 April
UTown, across from FineFoods entrance

Free admission
(Subject to prevailing safe
management measures)

Our eyes constantly translate degrees of light, shade, and colour, forming them into images that are consumed, filtered, and stored in our visual memory. Technology enables us to not just view our immediate surroundings, but visual content that transcends time and space. While technology... Read more

An Eclipse of Moths

Vineeth Buddha and Hardy Shein Nyien Chan in collaboration with Artist A'shua Imran Supervised by Dr Anand Bhojan

18 March - 17 April

UCC Foyer

Free admission
(Registration required)

“Like a moth to a flame”. The moth is known for its obsession with light, drifting ever closer to any lamp or candle near them. Like the moth, it is nearly impossible to imagine our society without our lights that keep us going, even in the wee hours. Inside every one...Read more

In-Conjunction Shows

Point & Shoot 2022: 55-hour Short Film Challenge .

nuSTUDIOS Film Productions

Registration Opens: 6 February

Registration Closes: 6 March

Theme Reveal (Online): 18
March, 3 pm

The Challenge: 18 - 20 March

Award Ceremony: 27 March,
Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium 3 pm

*Subject to SMM restrictions

Organised by nuSTUDIOS Film Productions, POINT & SHOOT is a wholly student-run student film competition in Singapore, and it’s back for its 5th year! Students get to undertake a “guerilla-styled” filmmaking challenge, where they must plan, shoot, edit, and submit the best short film in less than 55 hours... Read more

InTempo’22: Musical Escapades

NUS Wind Symphony

Sun 20 March, two shows: 2pm & 7:30pm
UCC Hall

Let 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, join the NUS Wind Symphony... Read more

Touch 2022

NUS Piano Ensemble

Thu 24 March | 7.30pm
Esplanade Recital Studio


Touch, NUS Piano Ensemble’s annual flagship concert, showcases the pinnacle of the ensemble’s musicianship and ensembleship through a colourful and challenging programme of 14 classical piano duo works. Be treated to a range of moods and styles, featuring works from across many... Read more

Seek 《三月天。寻》

NUS Chinese Orchestra

Sun 27 March, two shows: 2pm & 7:30pm
UCC Hall

寻 (Seek) - a process of search for a new musical direction for the art form; a process of search for the roots; a process of self-searching and self-improvement. Seek《三月天。寻》aims to encapsulate the old and new through two concerts of different programmes... Read more