Things To Do In Singapore: Animation Festival Kicks Off, Singapore's First Pottery Festival & More
Our weekly edit of things to check out.
By Keng Yang Shuen,
This week, don't miss out on catching Kaws' XL sculpture of his signature character, Companion – it'll only be on show until this weekend. Pottery lovers will not want to miss out on the inaugural Singapore Clay Festival, where professionals, artists and hobbyists will come together and works of many different stripes will be on display – and for sale. Lastly, be sure to check out independent animation festival Cartoons Underground – it turns 10 this year and the programming is looking robust. Details below.
Animation has always held endless treasures but there's long been prejudice against the genre as we wrote last year. Thankfully, in recent years, interest in animation and its technologies have picked up momentum across fashion, art and pop culture – just see how it was the medium of choice at this year's National Day Parade.
One key proponent of the scene here is Cartoons Underground. Launched by founders Vicky Chen and celebrated American animator Patrick Smith, the independent festival is known for spotlighting the works of students and emerging talents, as well as providing mentorship and networking opportunities.
This year's event sees the festival notching a key milestone as it turns 10. To celebrate that, the organisers have expanded the programming, which will take place both in-person and virtually. What started out as a two-hour screening of animated movies now includes two international competition programmes, screening of the works from students at Singapore’s NTU and Lasalle College of the Arts, as well as a retrospective show of some of the very best movies shown at Cartoons Underground over the last decade.
This year’s programme also features three online panel discussions, all focused on those interested in pursuing careers in animation.
“We always believed Singapore had this huge potential to be a hub for independent animation for the entire region. When we launched Singapore was trying to tempt the big international studios (such as Lucasfilm),” says Chen. “But it’s the independent studios that have stayed and ten years on we’re seeing more and more people buying into our vision.”
Check out the full line-up here.
November 20 to November 27
It's no secret that interest in ceramics has taken off in a big way in Singapore in recent years, be it in pottery as hobby or ceramic art.
Fans of the medium now have the Singapore Clay Festival to look forward to this weekend. Billing itself as Singapore's first pottery festival, it's a great sign of the vibrant and growing ceramic community here; the festival brings together more than 130 potters from 57 studios in a family-friendly and diverse programme that includes exhibitions, workshops for adults and children and a market where visitors can purchase a wide variety of ceramic works.
Notable specialists leading the workshops include master potter Chua Soo Kim, as well as artists Jason Lim and Ahmad Abu Bakar.
“The inaugural Singapore Clay Festival is an important milestone in studio pottery in Singapore. It gives our big, diverse, and growing community of professional and hobbyist potters the opportunity to interact with each other and to showcase their works to the general public," says festival director Goh Eck Kheng.
"The Singapore Clay Festival joins other arts and theatre programmes which are resuming under current social distancing rules. We stand with others in the Singapore arts community in not being defeated by Covid-19.”
If you've always wanted to try your hand at pottery or simply pick up an artful work or two for the home, this is the place to hit up. Check out the full line-up of events here.
November 19 to November 29, at Enabling Village, 20 Lengkok Bahru
After all the legal brouhaha last week, the Kaws: Holiday exhibition has finally been cleared to resume opening to the public. You'll have undoubtedly seen images of the larger-than-life 42-metre long version of American artist Kaws (real name: Brian Donnelly)'s sculpture of his signature character Companion, which depicts the character in a reclined position, adorably holding a smaller version of itself.
The artist collaborated with Hong Kong-based creative studio AllRightsReserved and the venture is supported by Singapore Tourism Board. Following its exciting global tour in Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan, the United Kingdom and even outer space, this will be the seventh stop for Kaws: Holiday, as part of its goal to promote public appreciation of the arts.
Fans of the artist will probably want to snap out the merch that's exclusive to the Singapore leg – including a 10.5-inch long Companion as well as a Kaws-branded camping set. Check them out here.
On now till November 21, 2pm to 9pm daily, admission is free, at The Float @ Marina Bay