FEMALE Party Cam April 2024: Where Performance And Nightlife Collide
Since the 2000s, artist and photographer Marisse Caine has been steadfastly employing an ethnographic approach to capturing youth culture in Singapore. This M.O. makes her the perfect documentarian for a new FEMALE series exploring the evolution of our nightlife scene and subculture. To kick things off, Caine observes the fascinating intersection of performance and nightlife.
Art and music have long intertwined in nightlife, but in recent years, I've witnessed a remarkable surge in the scene. Next-generation collectives are spearheading this growth by curating events that blend music, dance, and art, pushing the boundaries of creativity. Their boldness influences fashion trends and encourages people to express themselves more freely.
DJ Yetpet from the Strange Weather collective playing at Pleasures of Anomaly
I felt this energy during two parties that happened in April. The first was Pleasures of Anomaly, curated by the multidisciplinary music cooperative Bassis Asia, which featured stimulating lighting systems and architectural design.
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The event also featured Lawrence Lee on the decks, a Berlin-based producer known for his acid-tinged techno, bass, and breaks, and part of the renowned Chinese nightlife institution .TAG Chengdu. With international collectives like .TAG Chengdu visiting us to scout the scene and the region, it's an exciting time to showcase our creativity and the vibrant people of the Singapore music scene.
The Pleasures of Anomaly party was an adrenaline-fueled affair, with guest DJ Lawrence Lee setting the decks on fire. Hailing from Berlin, Lee's signature blend of acid-tinged techno, bass, and breaks kept the fashionable crowd buzzing.
Then in mid-April, I attended my first theatre rave experience in Singapore, 4LL3N, by the Endless Return collective. It felt like we are on the cusp of something. It was hosted by the theatre company T:>Works and held in conjunction with its Per°Form Open Academy of Arts and Activations. This fellowship programme has propelled the performance arts space forward by supporting next-generation art-slash-party collectives like Bussy Temple and Endless Return, forcing us to redefine what an art practice can look like.
READ MORE: Bringing New Voices And Renewed Energy To Singapore’s Theatre Scene
Spaces like this also elevate and diversify the experience for music and culture enthusiasts, allowing them to refine their taste and exposure to contemporary art in a highly accessible manner. For example, Butoh practitioner Xue, who has empowered a segment of younger artists in Singapore through her movement art, observed some of them seizing the opportunity during 4LL3N to showcase what they have learned to an open and appreciative audience on the dancefloor.
Described as a rave theatre, the 4LL3N party, co-hosted by the collective Endless Return, melded butoh performances with music. Pictured here is a set by (from left) Filipino electronic music producer Obese.Dogma777, Sharon Shum of the art collective Strange Weather, and Endless Return's Mervin Wong.
Hypnotising butoh performance by the artist Xue.
Sharon Sum, who also serves as the head of operations at the collective Strange Weather, doubles up as a butoh performer during the 4LL3N party.
4LL3N explored the theme of “the tragic archetype of the fallen angel”. Some partygoers took the opportunity to come in their winged ensembles.
This ingenious production by the Endless Return team has undoubtedly inspired many and will birth more artists because it shows people that "you can." After all, performance art was restricted in 1994 and slowly accepted again in 2003.
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In a sense, we've been stifled and have lost a whole period of Singapore's creative exploration and expression. Seeing the scene and our artists at this level of potential in such a short time leaves me on the edge of my seat, and I'm looking forward to what our scene will look like when it truly matures.
The irreverence of parties blending theatrical influences is shaping fashion and influencing how attendees express themselves more comfortably. Here, faces spotted at the 4LL3N party included (clockwise from top left) knitwear artist Abegail Loreno Arendayen; stylist Dominique Wong; drag artist Becca D'Bus; illustrator and animator Annie Hung; creative Sharon Sum; and author Amanda Lee Koe.
Pinoy electronic music producer Obese.Dogma777 (right) and the "ladyboy lesbian" DJ-artist Teyana (right) were some of the regional performers at 4LL3N.
A dramatic moment captured at 4LL3N
The energy peaked as the night progressed at 4LL3N as you could no longer tell apart who was the performer and who was being performative.
As the night progressed, the energy on the dancefloor was high; the kids were climbing on the stage chaotically, and I could no longer tell apart who was the performer and who was being performative. But we were all screaming and jumping in unison to a Taylor Swift song at a BPM that she never imagined her music would ever be in, and there was a renewed feeling of being part of something bigger.