ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

In a sense, an educational institution is a liminal space, a waypoint in the journey of life as batches of students pass through its hallways. While brief, the time spent in a university often have a profound and lasting impact, shaping students’ identity, worldview and aspirations for the decades to come. For 30 years, NUS Centre For the Arts (CFA) has played a part in that academic sojourn, itself a notable milestone for many students who have gone on to make a splash in Singapore’s arts community. Even a global pandemic did not curtail CFA’s development of the arts on campus, but instead gave rise to a new generation of interdisciplinary artists who transcended physical limitations to take their art to the digital stage. 

And as our students have grown and evolved between these different spaces, so has CFA. In 2023, CFA will join the NUS Office of Student Affairs to champion the growth of the arts on campus. CFA’s expanded remit will further our vision to raise the profile of the arts on campus, deepening its integration with academic learning, student life, and campus vibrancy. Simply put, this re-organisation will allow us to truly create a campus where the arts is present and relevant for all.

NUS Arts Festival 2023: Spaces Between is a microcosm of this momentous shift for CFA. This is reflected in the number of interdisciplinary collaborations between artists of different backgrounds and artistic disciplines, creating fresh possibilities and providing tangible, nuanced expressions of their thematic explorations. This year, we have a bumper crop of four shows that have rare collaborations between groups and art forms. One such collaboration is Inter/change, our festival opening show, which presents a first-of-its-kind collaboration between NUS Chinese Dance and NUS Indian Instrumental Ensemble, inspired by the historic Silk Route linking China and India. Another is MOONRISE, an immersive multi-sensorial musical experience led by NUS alumna Churen Li, in collaboration with soundscape artist/music producer evanturetime and digital effects artist Prako. That spirit of interdisciplinarity carries through to our solo group productions, such as NUS Stage’s actors incorporating dance and music to explore serious issues in the jukebox musical, End of the Line. This partnership also extends to academic collaborations, with student groups receiving advice and insights from faculty members and academic partners to deepen their understanding of the subject matter addressed in their work. NUS Ilsa Tari and NUS Dikir Barat’s Pengabdian Batin is in part informed and shaped by the Gerak Symposium, a conference that explores the evolving role of Malay dance in Singapore today, and is supported by the Department of Malay Studies and Department of English, Linguistics and Theatre Studies. 

I remain deeply grateful to our tight-knit NUS arts community. Besides the alumni artistic directors helming our festival main shows, we are extremely privileged this year to feature the poetry of 30 NUS alumni, prominent literary figures in Singapore, in a multi-site installation, Not Only Lines. I would also like to acknowledge our friends from the Department of Communications and New Media (CNM). Led by Festival Academic Advisor Professor Audrey Yue, CNM faculty and students have once again contributed creative content to our festival website. Don’t miss the Musings section, filled with creative ruminations on the festival theme of Spaces Between by faculty, and the Activities section, which features interactive games created by students. These original contributions have provided much food for thought and provide fresh perspectives on the festival performances.

I applaud all the 700 staff, students, alumni, artistic leaders, collaborators, and academic partners involved in the festival for pouring so much passion into their craft. On behalf of my team, I wish to thank the parents, family and friends who have stood by our performers and crew as they put in many hours of hard work in recent months. 

Our thanks also for the support from our donors, Hong Leong Foundation, Shaw Foundation, The Ngee Ann Kongsi, Salleh Marican Foundation, Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth’s Cultural Matching Fund. Their generous support has been invaluable in both helping our artists showcase their vision and making the arts-going experience on our campus an affordable and enjoyable one. 

Join us from 10 to 26 March, as we traverse the spaces between, and make new memories together.