Lifestyle
Friday night’s show will kick off a three-day cultural festival from Jun 29 to Jul 1 at Asian Civilisations Museum celebrating 50 years of ties between the two countries.
The Kreatif Connections’ opening concert will feature Indonesian and Singaporean music talents (from left) Aisyah Aziz, Adrian Khalif, Isyana Sarasvati and Jasmine Sokko. (Photos: Courtesy of the artists)
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SINGAPORE: This weekend, you don’t need to visit Indonesia to experience its culture – just drop by the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM).
As part of the Kreatif Connections cultural festival, Indonesian and Singaporean artists will be collaborating for a series of performances and workshops from Jun 29 to Jul 1.
The three-day event organised by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth wraps up the ongoing RISING50 celebrations commemorating 50 years of bilateral ties between the two countries.
Indonesia’s Pamenang Dance Community will be among the groups performing in Cupu Manik Astagina: The Sacred Jewel Box. (Photo: Pamenang Dance Community)
It kicks off with an outdoor pop concert at the Empress Lawn on Friday evening, with performances from Indonesia’s Isyana Sarasvati and Adrian Kahlif, and Singapore’s Aisyah Aziz and Jasmine Sokko.
The Bandung-born singer-songwriter Sarasvati, an alumnus of the Nanyang Academy Of Fine Arts and former opera singer, has two albums under her belt as well as a couple of hit singles, with her YouTube videos garnering millions of views. Meanwhile, hip-hop artist Khalif won the Best Hip Hop award at the Anugerah Musik Indonesia last year.
Singapore’s Peneroka Daya Tari will be performing in Cupu Manik Astagina: The Sacred Jewel Box. (Photo: Peneroka Daya Tari)
Homegrown singer Aisyah Aziz, meanwhile, established herself in the region with her debut single Mimpi, which won for Best Collaboration Song at Anugerah Planet Muzik in 2014. Fellow Singaporean, electronic musician Sokko, released her debut EP last year, with her single 600D catching fire on Spotify’s charts in Mexico, Latvia, Sweden and Singapore.
Those keen for something more traditional can catch Cupu Manik Astagina: The Sacred Jewel Box, which combines wayang kulit, fusion gamelan music, modern dance, and animation to tell the story based on the Ramayana. Performers include the Angger Gamelan and Pemenang Dance Community from Indonesia, and Gamelan Asmaradana and Peneroka Daya Tari from Singapore.
Aside from these performances, there will be an art and sound installation inside ACM – a work by husband-and-wife artist team Budi Agung Kuswara from Indonesia and Samantha Tio from Singapore. Their installation focuses on families living between both countries and was inspired by the folk tune Dayung Sampan.
The art installation The Current/s We Call Home | Arus Berlabuh Kita by artist-couple Budi Agung Kuswara of Indonesia and Samantha Tio of Singapore. (Photo: Kabul and Mintio)
Over the weekend, there will also be workshops on gamelan playing, batik painting, wayang kulit puppet making, leather crafting, tea blending, and drumming.
Kreatif Connections runs from Jun 29 to Jul 1 at Asian Civilisations Museum and Empress Lawn. For more details, visit http://bit.ly/KreatifConnections.
