Wednesday 11 December 2013

SPORE Art Salon 37th Edition ... SEE YA 2013!



WHAT A YEAR it has been, you guys!
Can you believe it? December already?
So we've got a pretty interesting evening planned for the 37th Edition...
it is the LAST. MONTH. of the year after all so LET'S CHILL THE HECK OUT!
Come by to watch Super funny poetry man on stage, Shivram Gopinath! Fingers on fire Thomas Low! Aaaaaaand... we're treating ourselves to insanely diverse belly boogeying with Maisha & Azara!
Oh yes also perhaps some... video/audio thingamajig with Philipp Aldrup !???
OMG and we have a guest POET coming by. Then we draw for a bit in between it all.
Not too much for a nice night out, right ?


WHERE : Artistry at 17 Jalan Pinang, Singapore
WHEN : Tuesday 17 December 2013
7:30PM onwards
$10 donation / guest
proceeds benefit SPORE Art Salon featured artists


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FEATURED ARTISTS

SHIVRAM GOPINATH (poet)
He needs no introduction, but is humble enough to write one anyway.
He is widely acknowledged to be a shining exemplar of adorable modesty. 
He is a brain surgeon, the protector of Peruvian virgins. 
A celebrated beekeeper, a parkouring building leaper. 
He taught Macgyver, Erykah Badu and Hemingway (good ol’ Hemi) everything they know. 
His disarming charm was the reason for Kerr’s bye-bye to Bloom.
An avid time-traveller, he invented, among other things, elastic, yoga, snow angels, and English. 
He is the legend stuff is made of. 
He is the rock. He is the hard place. 
He reads poetry.
Shivram Gopinath is also the author of the best-selling self-help book, How to be awesome like Shivram Gopinath.



THOMAS LOW (guitarist)
https://soundcloud.com/thomas-low/
Raised in a family of musicians, he is no stranger to the world of music, having taken up guitar after years of classical training at the age of 9 he started of learning classical guitar as well as some blues and rock under the guidance of Remigius Francis. It was not until a couple of years after when he eventually got his hands on an electric guitar and his journey to become a full-time musician/entrepreneur began.
Now in his final year of a Diploma in Music course in LASALLE College of the Arts, Thomas has immersed himself many genres ranging from funk, soul, blues, jazz, rock as well as his specialty; metal. Having played in various groups like Soundwave Hyperbole (Disbanded) and Lion City Percussion Movement's "Voodoo" (or "The Voodoo Sound") as well as random sessions and jams from Sultan Jazz Club to NUS and various Community Centers around Singapore, he is no stranger to the performance world. So prepare to be dazzled by fast-fingers, technique and style maybe get to know him better and find out that just reflects his personality.


MAISHA & AZARA (tribal/fusion dancers)
About the artists:
MAISHA
Maisha is a lecturer, acoustician and a trained musician. Two years ago, she began to take an interest in the Arabic language and developed a special interest in oriental dance. In order to expand her knowledge of the dance, Mandy trains constantly with both local and international professionals. Her favourite style is Egyptian folkloric.












AZARA
Azara was a budding musician before she discovered that dancing brings her greater joy than playing music. Hungry as a newbie dancer, she created events (parties, concerts) just so she could perform in them. Her greatest audience had been one with 4000 people at a corporate event, performing as a sword dancer. Having performed publicly with various musical instruments, her musical experience lend texture and substance to her dance. She is best known for her feel for rhythms and the passion exuded in the dance. Her dream is to devote herself to dance as a mastery, and through this art, bring beauty and soul to the world.









PHILIPP ALDRUP & DREAM STATE VISION (visual/audio collab)
About the artists:
PHILIPP ALDRUP
http://www.philipp-aldrup.com/
Philipp Aldrup is a photographer from Germany, based in South-East Asia since 2005.
He creates visuals that are dramatic and contemplative; somber but not pessimistic.
His works are meditations and a quiet rebellion against a Zeitgeist based on sheer functionality and perfection.










DREAM STATE VISION
http://www.shaunsan.com/
Dream State Vision is a solo project initiated by Shaun Sankaran.
Consisting one track lasting over 2 hours with accompanying artwork and instruction manual, the self-titled Dream State Vision is an ambitious piece of music that drifts alternately between the visceral and conceptual. With Satie’s furniture music and Eno’s ambient music as historical forebears, DSV draws focus on the act of listening itself. Released exclusively as an MP3 digital download, its mode of distribution and listening format are a reflection of present-day consumption habits.


Thursday 5 December 2013

BTNK [cllctv] (MY) x SPORE Art Salon (SG)


SPORE Art Salon presents - THE MASH UP!
This is a little unconventional from the usual once-monthly editions, but all for a good reason!
Join us in an evening of music! Revel in the auditory pleasures of ROCK, ELECTRONIC, WORLD music... and the explosive poetry performance of Deborah Emmanuel!

SUNDAY 8 DECEMBER
8PM @ Artistry (17 Jalan Pinang)
$10 / donation

Featuring:

Intriguant - electronic music
https://www.facebook.com/intriguantsound

The Voodoo Sound - rock music
https://www.facebook.com/thevoodoosound

Babushka - instrumental world music
https://www.facebook.com/BabushkaWorld

Deborah Emmanuel - musician, performer, writer, poet
http://deborahemmanuel.com/

The Mash Up features musicians who have been presented in previous SPORE Art Salon editions, AND whom, will also be travelling to perform at BTNK, a live music venue in Kuala Lumpur on the 14th of December. Just for the heck of it. No, really...
IT'S FOR THE MUSIC!

Proceeds collected from your support of THE MASH UP will contribute to the funding of this travel.
So COME OUT on 8 DEC!
BE THERE!



BTNK [cllctv] (MY) and SPORE Art Salon (SG) present... four horsemen!

Musicians representing four different musical style from Singapore with two local acts, equals to a phenomenal experience as this will be the most anticipated showcase by us at BTNK.
The four horsemen as the title given is simply about the elements brought by these musicians/performers which ranging from Rock, Dub, Electronic and World music and it is something that should be witnessed.

SATURDAY 14 DECEMBER
8PM @ BTNK (Menara MPAJ Ampang, KL)
MYR15 / donation

Featuring:

The Voodoo Sound (SG) funk, rock, ethnic with intense percussive instrument
https://www.facebook.com/thevoodoosound

Wobology (SG) dub, reggae, electronic
https://www.facebook.com/wobology

Intriguant (SG) hip hop, electronic, visual, soul, experimentation
https://www.facebook.com/intriguantsound

Babushka (SG) jazz, folk, world music compositions
https://www.facebook.com/BabushkaWorld

The Metaphor (MY) instrumental, post, progressive rock
http://www.facebook.com/themetaphor

Simfoni Ketiak Beracun (MY) poet, sound artist, performer

Four Horsemen is one of the very first out-of-home-ground collaborations SPORE Art Salon has taken on, bringing previously featured musicians at the SPORE Art Salon editions to perform with Malaysian peers! We are very honoured to be able to work with independent music and art space, BTNK of Kuala Lumpur! Here's to more in the future!

Friday 15 November 2013

SPORE Art Salon 3rd BIRTHDAY EDITION !!!


We turn 3 this November, you guys.
That is a total of 36 EDITIONS!
As with tradition, we have invited featured-before artists to return
to celebrate the anniversary edition with us.

SO, YOU KNOW THE ROUTINE. Bring your pens, pencils, sketchpads for drawing in between the stage performances, and your friends, family members to join us in the celebration of our birthday edition - the 36th EDITION at Artistry!

WHERE : Artistry at 17 Jalan Pinang, Singapore
WHEN : Tuesday 26 November 2013 7:30PM onwards
$10 donation / guest
proceeds benefit SPORE Art Salon featured artists


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FEATURED ARTISTS

DEBORAH EMMANUEL // WOBOLOGY
She has read poetry, acted in a short play reading, and hosted one of the SPORE Art Salon editions. Now watch her lead newly formed dub band WOBOLOGY with vocals. And be ready to groove along.
Wobology is the creation of computer sound scientist Richard Meade, gracious guitar hero Rupak George, mad tricks trombonist Eriko Murakami and poet performer Deborah Emmanuel. Their four nation backgrounds come together to make dub/reggae/electronic compositions about love, good vibes and equality. They hope you will get in the groove with them. They hope to show you how music can speak for the injustices we think we cannot change.

OX // short reading by SKINNEDKNEEPRODUCTIONS
"An original cinematic theatre experience : OX by Adeline Pang"
Ox isn't just a play with film projections shown in between scenes; it is an intimate sharing of grief and loss, and an ode to the joy of being alive. 
There is a young writer called Mei who is mourning the recent death of her grandmother; Mei remembers what her grandmother had told her, to be strong, "like an Ox". Another young woman known only as She is grieving the loss of her lover, and the parallel stories of these two women intertwine. As Mei writes and retells childhood stories, fantastic things begin to happen; with characters like a wolf with the face of a human, and a man with the head of an ox, Mei and She find themselves on a journey through the surreal. In the end, they will both overcome the strongholds of grief with ox-like inner strength. And they will realize the profoundly personal connection between them.
With a theme that centers around the connections between heritage and modernity, and in keeping with Skinned Knee Productions’ exploration of non-traditional theatre spaces, Ox will be staged in The Vault, a restaurant bar on Circular Road where the audience members can drink to a unique theatre experience in an atmospheric urban setting. 
This play will be presented at The Vault, 5 December.
Come by the 3rd Birthday Edition of SPORE Art Salon to watch a small preview of what to expect!



JOCELYN SUAREZ x C MURDA // poetryxdance collab!
About the artists :
C MURDA
Charles Li aka C Murda picked up street dance styles in 2002 at the age of 16 in Sydney Australia. He specialises in the style of Popping, a style made most famous by popular icons such as Michael Jackson. He is also able to create complex choreography depending on the nature of the class he is teaching. Charles has performed and competed in various battles, corporate events, dance showcase competitions in Singapore.
JOCELYN SUAREZ
aka SOAP
Jocelyn (AKA soap) IS not a poet. She is a prose writer who finds it increasingly eerie that she is referring to herself in the third person... or that she is writing poems. She writes... sometimes, however, most of the time is spent staring into nothing and pretending to muse about life. Life is part of what she writes - the absurd parts of life, like pancake-shaped psychiatric tablets and mermen. It is generally accepted that her verses tend to be mushy, but what's life without the gagging reflex? She doesn't know why she calls herself soap.


NINA CHABRA // life drawing model!
Nina believes that this is the zeitgeist of the generalist.
She is trained in film/video production and works as a freelancer.
Which leaves her some times to learn and practice other forms of creativity and collaborate with all kinds of fantastic folks locally.
She is currently experimenting with growing food and teaching herself to draw. Here are web links to some of her pursuits -


CELEBRATION
A presentation of dance by Ronaldo Domingo

1. Celebration of Life
Artists: Ren Robles - spoken words
         Puiman Young - performing artist

2. Celebration of Friendship (intro words by Ren)
Artists: Ace Patrick Dequina
         John Ezekiel Tanjutco

3. Celebration of Faith (intro words by Ren)
Artist: Marrion Jeremy Quiambao

4. Celebration of Love (words by Ren)
Artists: Ronaldo Domingo
         Kathy Domingo



P/S
Our favourite salonista, Becca D'Bus will be hosting this edition. And visiting artist Jolien Naeyaert will be treating us to a video performance!

Thursday 10 October 2013

SPORE Art Salon : HALLOWEEN EDITION 2013!


The annual SPORE Art Salon HALLOWEEN EDITION is here again.

Featuring both local and international creepers -
BLU SIMON WASEM \ musician and performance artist based in Korea
KELVIN ATMADIBRATA \ performance artist based in Indonesia
WE JUNGLE \ visual arts collective based in Singapore
MARLA BENDINI \ performance artist from Singapore
BECCA D'BUS \ featured drawing model and performance artist from Singapore
TONY KERN \ maker of local horror movies

It is going to be a total creep fest happening at ARTISTRY, the new home of the SPORE Art Salon editions. Come get creeped out with us. Tuesday 29 October.
See you. Or else...

WHERE : Artistry at 17 Jalan Pinang, Singapore
WHEN : Tuesday 29 October 2013 7:30PM onwards
$10 donation / guest
proceeds benefit SPORE Art Salon featured artists


----------------------------


UPDATE

Hey guys, an update to the line up of the Halloween Edition, and a piece of unfortunate news - Jakarta based performance artist Kelvin Atmadibrata will no longer be presenting '鬼子‘ (Toyol, 'kwee kia', or Child Ghost) next Tuesday. He was denied entry to Singapore, no thanks to certain discriminative laws we practice here.
鬼子 the performance is meant to explore the theme of infant morality in relation to the adult's intention. The performance also involves local artists Terry Wee, Liu Wenchao and Luca. For more information about Kelvin's work, visit his website here - http://www.kelvinatmadibrata.com/



FEATURED ARTISTS


BLU SIMON WASEM
(musician/performance artist)
http://blusimonwasem.weebly.com/
I started to dedicate myself to experimental music since 2007, in Brazil, but soon my interest in interdisciplinary practices became bigger. 2009 I did my first performance in a collective exhibition called 40’, just before leaving to Europe for a tour of experimental  music. 2010 I settled in Lisbon, where I play several concerts and participate of performances collective and solo, and also artistic residencies. 2011 moved to Brno, Czech Republic, and 2012 finally to South East Asia, where I resided for short period in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and South Korea until present. In actual moment I am focused in music Performance and Video art.



KELVIN ATMADIBRATA
(performance artist)
http://kelvinatmadibrata.com/
Kelvin Atmadibrata (b.1988, Jakarta, Indonesia) examines the notion of strength and power of rejects. He transmits this interest by creating personas based on of RPG (Role Playing Game) characters and narratives.
His practice includes drawings, mixed media, installation and performance. Constantly researching into the notion of gender and sexuality, Kelvin pays particular attention to masculine attributes, queer culture and erotica. This is reflected on a long-term initiative, rainbowartsproject (RAP). It focuses on queer subjects in forms of exhibitions, documentations and researches.
Currently, Kelvin is based in Jakarta, Indonesia after completing Bachelor of Fine Art (Hons) from School of Art, Design and Media in Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.



WEJUNGLE
http://wejungle.com/
(art collective)
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MAYBE WE ARE LIKE AN ARMADILLO WHO DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO CURL. A ROBOT THAT DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO PRESS BUTTONS.
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TONY KERN (filmmaker)
http://mythopolis.com/
Singapore-based Tony Kern is the director for Mythopolis Pictures and the stock footage portal TK Time-Lapse.   His work includes the feature length horror movie HAUNTED CHANGI.   He is currently chipping away at another feature horror movie AFTERIMAGES, which revolves around a group of international students in Singapore that burn paper effigy cameras for the spirits and receive a collection of spooky films in return.  The no-budget short STAY was shot in one day during a visit back to his hometown in Ohio with a consumer camera.


STAY 8mins
An amatuer photographer spends the day exploring an "old spooky house in the middle of nowhere" all the while promising his family that he won't stay there much longer.  One room in the old house holds a peculiar fascination for the trespasser and soon day turns to night…

Director's Note -
Have you ever had the curious urge to visit the inside of one of those strange solitary old abandoned houses in the countryside?  Here's your chance.  Shot in one day in the midwestern countryside, STAY follows a solitary interloper into the belly of a creaky old house and takes you on a brief little legend trip into a haunted house.



MARLA BENDINI (performance artist)
"Marla Bendini” was created in 2007 as an amalgamation between art and life, to explore multiple liminal identities and fluidity in perspectives. Her multidisciplinary approach towards this amalgamation has become a signature form of hypervisibilty, using the existing politicized body as a catalyst and vehicle for further discourse. She seeks to both engage and disarm audiences and to bridge the present to what she envisions to be an inevitable trans/post-human condition.


BECCA D'BUS




...full details coming your way!


Tuesday 17 September 2013

SPORE Art Salon 34th Edition \\ MUSIC . POETRY . FILM !



Hello Salonistas! Here's what's up this September edition of the SPORE Art Salon! We have - 
POETRY : Open mic! This is the 2nd poetry open mic we're having in the history of the SPORE Art Salon editions! Here's what you do:
drop me a private message on Facebook to 'book' a 5 minute spot!
There are 4 slots only, fastest fingers first...
MUSIC : This month we welcome NeoDominatrix - a Noize Singapore initiative of 5 very talented musicians of diverse backgrounds, mentored by Bani Haykal!
They kicked some serious ass during the first debut at the Esplanade, and now they gear up for a 2nd performance at the SPORE Art Salon with a FULL, 45 minute set!
FILM : Are you curious about how dance could exist in an art installation of a film? If so, catch the screenings of documentary videos made of "U_R_NOT_ME" by local filmmaker Gek Li San!

WHERE : BluJaz Cafe (3rd Storey)
WHEN : Tuesday 24 September 2013 7:30PM onwards
$10 / guest --- includes 1 drink
proceeds benefit BluJaz and SPORE Art Salon featured artists



----------------------------


FEATURED ARTISTS

Photo by Melvin Wong
NEODOMINATRIX (music)
https://www.facebook.com/neodominatrix/
neoDominatrix is an experimental music project led by Andy Chong [nD]. Having acquired diverse musical experiences over a period of eight years, from studying Jazz at the LASALLE College of the Arts to creating live sonic atmospheres for theatre shows and producing short films, nD decided to bring together a group of musicians with similar visions to share their collective musical experience. Every song neoDominatrix writes has a question in mind, mostly controversial. The theme, approach, where the dynamics, orchestration, and length are determined by the band's judgement of time, space, mood, and audience reaction.
Featuring Anson on drums, NAz on keys, Intrigue on electronics, Tim on bass, and Andy himself on guitar, the boys of neoDominatrix love pushing boundaries of musical conventions and challenging each other when they write music together, both in terms of technical ability and, more importantly, idea generation. As such, it has become sort of a trademark to not be able to put a finger on genre or style when the music reaches the audience. Think crazy, think "out-there", or just don't think at all and let the music speak for itself. Welcome to the neoDominatrix.


U_R_NOT_ME | a dancefilm installation
An exploration of our inner conflicts, a fight with the deepest part of ourselves we wish to disown - U_R_NOT_ME unfolds like a personality profile test where you finally collide with yourself in a space between reality and delusion; life and death.
U_R_NOT_ME is a collaboration between filmmaker Gek Li San, cross-disciplinary artist Lim Chin Huat, and writer Wang Chu Qiao.
Screenings on 24 September :
1) Production Documentary | 7'59"
2) Post Show Documentary | 8'17"
There will be a Q&A session after the screenings.


About the team -

GEK LI SAN
Filmmaker | Film/Video Editor | Lecturer
Formerly a business student, Li San has been actively involved in the local TV and film scene since 1993. An editor by on-the-job training, her work ranges dynamically from TV documentaries, reality shows, infotainment and trailers for both local and international channels.
Several of her edited shorts won awards overseas. Notably, Moving House (a documentary commissioned by Discovery Channel, directed by Tan Pin Pin) won a Student Academy Award (OSCAR) in 2002. Happy Birthday Sharon (An experimental short film) won the Best Short Film 2nd AFM/International Independent Film Fest in Istanbul, Turkey 2003. INNOCENT, (a short documentary) directed and edited by her won the Special Jury Prize and Special Achievement Prize at Singapore International Film Festival 2004. It was also screened at the Yamagata Documentary Festival, along side with many other internationally acclaimed documentaries. Her most recent film-editing projects included Gone Shoppingand Remember Chek Jawa.
A dance enthusiast and audience, Li San has been dancing since 2003 and performed twice with ECNAD dance company. Since 2005, Li San has been teaching Video Productions, Video Editing and documentary filmmaking in various institutions – NGEE ANN POLY, SMU, LASALLE, NAFA, ITE, and Objectifs.

LIM CHIN HUAT
ECNAD Artistic Co-Director | Cross-disciplinary Artist
A visual artist turned choreographer/dancer, Chin Huat is the main creator of ECNAD, which he co-founded with his Artistic Co-Director and long-term collaborator, Mr Tan How Choon. His choreographic works has often incorporated visual aesthetics and designs. He was the recipient of the Singapore 2000 Young Artist Award and Professional Artist Grant in 1999.
A prolific choreographer, he conceptualised and created works with multi-disciplinary, site-specific, collaborative and commissioned works. He won the President Design Award in 2008 with his collaboration in 0501production. Before turning to a performing artist, he received the Highly Recommended Award in UOB Painting of The Year competition in 1992. He was nominated for Best Costume Design in Life Theatre Award in 2006 & 2007.
As the Artistic Co-Director of ECNAD, Singapore’s first professional contemporary dance company, he has brought his works and collaborations to all over the world. Other than a performing artist, Chin Huat is also a prolific costume and set design consultant/designer for ECNAD and other theatrical productions. He is currently an adjunct lecturer for Theatre and Dance department at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. He is also frequently invited by schools as guest instructor for workshops to share his experiences in theatre, dance training and creative designs.

WANG CHU QIAO
Writer
Chu Qiao’s past research writing and curatorial work included the ‘Singapore Album Project’ at National Museum of Singapore (07), and ‘No Unsacred Places’ –a photo exhibition at 2902 Gallery (08), as well as the archival and oral interviews for the Ivan Polunin film collection (09).
Her directorial & screenwriting debut short film, 28 Days Later, was invited to be ‘In Competition’ as a finalist at the 9th WFFIS, Korea (07), while her stage directorial debut was placed 3rd (Judges’ Choice) in her competing category at the inaugural Short and Sweet Theatre Festival (07). She has art-directed short films and her screen-writing credits included the feature film, The Leap Years (08). Currently, she advises Mediacorp Raintree and Homerun Asia on their screenplays on an ad-hoc basis. She also served on MDA’s Arts Consultative Panel from 2003 to 2010.

Sunday 18 August 2013

SPORE Art Salon 33rd Edition \\ IMPROV, MUSIC, DRAWING & YI-SHENG



GUYS... it's the 33rd Edition! As well as the 'SEE YOU LATER, YI-SHENG' edition!
As you may already know, writer/poet Ng Yi-Sheng has been co-curating the SPORE Art Salon editions alongside Olivia Kwok. And now that he has decided to go spread his awesomeness and wings abroad for a little while, we are going to dedicate this kick ass edition to him. Expect, of course, no one other than the man himself, Ng Yi-Sheng, who will bring you delight with poetry! Tickle funnybones with THE IMPROV COMAPNY, and boogie with THE VOODOO SOUND
(this one you have to hear...).
Our avid fans of life drawing, you will be pleased to know that the drawing sessions are BACK and this time, we have a nude model for you! So bring your friends, family, pencils, pens, paper...
Come have a nice Tuesday evening with us all! See youuuuuuu!

WHERE : BluJaz Cafe (3rd Storey)
WHEN : Tuesday 27 August 2013 8PM onwards
$10 / guest --- includes 1 drink
proceeds benefit BluJaz and SPORE Art Salon featured artists


----------------------------


FEATURED ARTISTS


CRISPIN RODRIGUES (host)
Crispin is an educator, emcee and writer. In between churning out research papers and marking assignments, he writes short plays, poems and is now experimenting with prose. Inspired by everything from folklore to quantum physics to Bob Dylan, he is interested in the ways literature, music and visual art interact. He has performed at events such as the Singapore Writers Festival and The Arts House Writers Party, and is a past president of the Epiphany, the NTU English and Drama Society (http://clubs.ntu.edu.sg/Epiphany/), where he still contributes to their magazine and theatre nights. He is the current editor-in-chief of a new online literary journal, The Eloquent Orifice (http://theeloquentorifice.wordpress.com/), the publications arm of Alterity Productions, an upcoming drama and literary group, and has a collection of plays due at the end of 2013.






YANNICK LAVIOLETTE (model)
So, I am Yannick Laviolette, 39 years old. In France, I was a pharmacist and an art collector. When we decided to leave France, I quit my job and decided to work for what I really love: Art. I try to make promotion of French artists in Asia, and at the same time Asian artists in France. I know a few artists in France so I start to be a model for them, painters, photographers and pose for drawing as a nude model. I am still a model for a photographer in Singapore, and for drawing classes in LASALLE.
I have a page on Facebook where you could see the artists I like and defend. Art is a part of my life, and I couldn't believe to be without Art, I come here with photos and drawing in my luggage, more than clothes!



THE VOODOO SOUND www.facebook.com/thevoodoosound
We are an Industrial Progressive Percussion Band from Singapore by the name of Voodoo. We blend the ingredients of Funk, Metal & Ethnic rhythms into a tight concoction of Intense Experiential Music. Our desire to stand out among the many percussion groups has pushed us to attain a brand of sound which encompasses the diverse tastes of today’s audience.
The line up of percussion, guitars, and vocals, carry an identity that is distinctly Voodoo - FAST, LOUD, CRAZY!
From our orchestra players who appreciate heavy metal to our funk enthusiast who hearts the beat of traditional Asian drums - These are the people who create and shape Voodoo into its unique form. So, if you want to get your crowd rocking and shouting no matter who they are, we are that band. With our extensive exposure to festivals & street performances, you can expect an aggressively magnetic experience.




NG YI-SHENG (writer/poet)
http://lastboy.blogspot.com/
Ng Yi-Sheng has been a performer, MC, occasional artists' model and curator of SPORE Art Salon since March 2010. He is a full-time writer and part-time writing teacher, with his work covering multiple genres, such as slam poetry, drama and journalism. He has written four books and co-edited five, including the recently released collection of subverted folktales, “Eastern Heathens”. This is his last month in Singapore for a while - he'll be leaving the country to do a creative writing MFA in the UK. Do consider checking out the final event he's organising in Singapore: ContraDiction: an Evening of LGBT Literature, on Sat 31 August, 7:30pm at 72-13 Mohamed Sultan Road!





THE IMPROV COMPANY (theatre)
https://www.facebook.com/TheImprovCompany
The Improv Company is a Singapore-based improvised theatre-focused company. With roots in the NUS Stage’s IMPROVables, their members have had years of experience running weekly open improv workshops, and performing regularly. They take immense pride in telling good stories, and making theatre fun and accessible for all. Join them at SPORE Art Salon as they riff off your suggesions to spontaneously create and tell stories with you!



GUEST PHOTOGRAPHER

BILLY MORK


:)

Sunday 21 July 2013

SPORE Art Salon 32nd Edition 30 July!


Well aren't we all glad to have clear skies abound? Seems like only yesterday that this island was covered with smog... in a blink of the eye it's a month later and guess what, it's time for the 32nd Edition of SPORE Art Salon! July will see Tania De Rozario through, hooray!
Come watch her read a set of her best poems, and allow your heart be lifted
by the original compositions of Marcel Lee Pereira!
Here comes a twist - we're presenting sample some tasters of letter crafting Vikas Bhatt Kailankaje has put together for this month ONLY! These exercises will take the place of our usual drawing sessions, some materials will be provided.
Read on for full details on this... and see you guys on event day!

WHERE : BluJaz Cafe (3rd Storey)
WHEN : Tuesday 30 July 2013 8PM onwards
$10 / guest --- includes 1 drink
proceeds benefit BluJaz and SPORE Art Salon featured artists


----------------------------


FEATURED ARTISTS


VIKAS KAILANKAJE (designer)
Vikas Kailankaje is the Principal Designer of STUDIO VBK, a critical design practice rendering editorial and design services. Vikas holds a Master of Architecture (2010) from the National University of Singapore and has experience in print design and communication. Vikas currently divides his time between practice and teaching. In his free time, Vikas dabbles in lettering, cartooning and hosting walking tours that draw upon humour and historical intrigue to enrich our reading of the city.

LETTERING: A Tasting Session

Segment 1: Six basic strokes 
Good lettering begins with an understanding of draftmanship. Unlike calligraphy, where the chief emphasis is on penmanship, lettering begins with constructing the letters of sound proportion. Participants are provided graph paper but are free to use any of the provided writing instruments or may bring their own - be it a fine brush pen, a calligraphic marker or a ballpoint pen. We start with a warm-up of drawing various lines and arcs.

Segment 2: Sequence and repeating elements
Participants are taught to judge proportion and balance between letters using a ten-by-ten grid as a basis. With a grid, the basic sequence in which to lay down basic strokes is explored. Once, an idea of basic strokes is understood, participants are introduced to the idea of composing various letters by combining two or more strokes. 

Segment 3: Think of a composition
Finally, to help participants imagine how these skills may be applied in the physical landscape, some compositional matters are discussed. For example, mind your Zs and Qs and any letter that appears at the start of a line of is an excuse to add some visual flair to a composition. Strategically adding little ornaments like twirls to a letter can boost the character of a composition as well.

MATERIAL NOTE : Graph paper will be provided for these exercises. Please bring only pens or pencils with even line thickness to use.


MARCEL LEE PEREIRA (musician)
Marcel Lee Pereira is a singer-songwriter from Singapore. A journalist who taught himself how to play the guitar as a teenager, Marcel is a storyteller-dreamer who believes that music can touch hearts and inspire change. His brand of folk-rock speaks to people beyond the shores of his hometown; his songs go out to anyone who believes in love, hope and passion, and to those who dare to dream.



TANIA DE ROZARIO
Tania De Rozario is an artist, writer and curator interested in personal stories and their connections to larger issues of gender and sexuality. Author of Tender Delirium (Math Paper Press, 2013) and Reasons for the Rain (forthcoming, Nov 2013), she is currently penning her third book, And The Walls Come Crumbling Down. Recipient of the 2011 SPH-NAC Golden Point Award for English Poetry, she has undertaken writing residencies at Hedgebrook (USA) and Sangam House (India).

As a visual artist, Tania has been exhibiting for over a decade. Her first solo exhibition, A Language of Longing, opened at The Substation Gallery in 2011. Her curatorial portfolio includes Landing Places (Objectifs Centre for Photography & Filmmaking, Singapore, 2012) and Only Breath (Café Kunst Sappho, Amsterdam, 2009.)

She is also a co-founder/curator of EtiquetteSG, a multidisciplinary collective focused on platforming women’s voices. Including its upcoming anthology, it has showcased work by over 70 artists, writers, curators, filmmakers and academics.

Tania currently serves as an Associate Artist at The Substation, where she is working on Making Trouble, a two-year project investigating relationships between art and activism in Singapore. On the side, she teaches Contemporary Contextual Studies at Lasalle College of the Arts.


----------------------------



LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST... A bonus for you scrolling all the way down here!

The "I ATE TIONG BAHRU" book giveaway is STILL on! We have changed the how-to-win format a little bit now, but you will need to actually be at the 32nd Edition itself to find out what needs to be done so you can score one of the two copies that we have in our hands!!! Muchas Gracias Stephen Black & Books Actually!

Photo credit : Books Actually
Unlike most of the island country of Singapore, the Tiong Bahru estate looks like it did when it was built over seventy-five years ago. Its distinctive Art Deco architecture and famous food have delighted Singaporeans for generations.
From swamps and kampungs to colonial public housing experiment to wi-fi'd cosmopolitan community, Tiong Bahru represents many of the changes which have occurred in Singapore and throughout Southeast Asia.

I Ate Tiong Bahru is a fact-based, lyrical documentary. For more info, visit
To buy, visit

Monday 15 July 2013

LIT UP 2013


LIT UP 2013 is back and this time around, with so much to offer!
These are our picks of the awesome happening 19-21 July over at various venues -

VISUAL ARTS

Jying Tan's Future Wonderland
A re-look, or further working on of? A previously installed art work 
This segment of Lit Up 2013 presents not only a bunch of visual artists, but also include a cross-disciplinary segment, Tête-à-tête, bringing 3 pairs of artists to 'explore the potentialities for new meaning that can arise from collaboration between artists who primarily work in different mediums'.

DESIGN

Vikas of STUDIO VBK (http://studiovbk.com/), and a friend of the salon, aside from providing editorial and design services, is also a letter crafter in his free time. This workshop will be the eye opener on letter form construction.
Do look out for Vikas' feature in an upcoming salon edition!!

THEATRE

Well, do you guys remember THE IMPROVABLES? Now known as 'The Improv Company' (https://www.facebook.com/TheImprovCompany), all grown up but still truckloads of fun, this bunch will be having 2 shows at Lit Up 2013. You also get a dollar off at the door if you've liked their Facebook page! But seriously... do you really need a discount on the donation ticket?

Aaand, our last pick of Lit Up 2013, is SYLVIA. Written, directed and performed by crazy talented salonistas Deborah Emmanuel and Lee Jing Yan. Enough said.



Of course, what good is a festival without a party to kick things off?
There is a bunch of bands playing, food, booooze, and you get to lounge about in a sarong.
Because it is The Sarong Party. Don't know about you, but we're there!
Facebook event page where the sarongers hang out online - 

Have a good one, guys.


Tuesday 11 June 2013

SPORE Art Salon : 31st Edition 25 June & IATB Giveaway!


6 months into the year brings us the 31st Edition of SPORE Art Salon!
What's happening this 25 June at the 3rd floor of BluJaz Cafe - poetry by Tania De Rozario,
Sivaraj Pragasm's short film screening, wonder tunes using a seldom seen guitar technique from Yan Neil Chan, and a very special giveaway treat for our salonistas
inspired by writer/poet Stephen Black!
Don't forget to bring your materials for the drawing sessions we have
in between stage performances! See you then!

WHERE : BluJaz Cafe (3rd Storey)
WHEN : Tuesday 25 June 2013 7:45PM onwards

RSVP : https://www.facebook.com/events/669025896447422/
$10 / guest --- includes 1 drink
proceeds benefit BluJaz and SPORE Art Salon featured artists



----------------------------




FOR OUR SALONISTAS -
the "I Ate Tiong Bahru" giveaway!
by Stephen Black
http://glossi.com/bookmerah/4447-book-merah

Photo credit: Books Actually



We are putting up 2 of these perfect bound paperbacks to give away! Here's what you need to do...
1 Share your thoughts and memories about Tiong Bahru with us! Anything from a one liner to a thesis essay is acceptable!
2 Find us on our Facebook page here -
https://www.facebook.com/groups/202150699795789/
3 Post your writing, the last entry should appear on the Facebook page
before 11:59PM of Saturday 27 July
4 ...That's all!

SPORE Art Salon and Stephen Black will pick the 2 most kickass pieces, winners will be informed via Facebook and we will present the books (...perhaps a reading too?) during the 32nd Edition happening on Tuesday 30 July! Good luck and have fun!!
-

Unlike most of the island country of Singapore, the Tiong Bahru estate looks like it did when it was built over seventy-five years ago. Its distinctive Art Deco architecture and famous food have delighted Singaporeans for generations.

From swamps and kampungs to colonial public housing experiment to wi-fi'd cosmopolitan community, Tiong Bahru represents many of the changes which have occurred in Singapore and throughout Southeast Asia.

I Ate Tiong Bahru is a fact-based, lyrical documentary. For more info, visit
http://www.scribd.com/doc/143782854/i-Ate-Tiong-Bahru-SAMPLER
To buy, visit
http://booksactually.bigcartel.com/product/i-ate-tiong-bahru-by-stephen-black



----------------------------


FEATURED ARTISTS


YAN NEIL CHAN (guitarist)
www.youtube.com/yanneilchan
Neil, specialising in 'fingerstyle guitar', was awarded a full scholarship at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music to pursue a Bachelor of Music (Honors) Degree in Recording Arts and Science in 2011.

Neil has also performed at many major events such as the Mosaic Music Festival, NUS Arts Festival, ‘Esplanade Presents: National Day Celebrations,’ ‘Tones 2012,’ ‘Noise Singapore
2011,’ and the ‘Singapore Youth Festival 2009.’

He recently emerged champion at the ‘Singapore Street Festival Band Competition’ in 2012. Neil has been featured live on radio stations 98.7FM and Radiopulze. He has also been showcased on ‘Clicknetwork.tv’ under the music show ‘Playlist,’ featuring local musicians performing their original music.




SIVARAJ PRAGASM (filmmaker)
http://sivarajpragasm.wix.com/film
"I started off as a musician, then became a writer, then became an editor and then eventually realized that I have always loved story-telling. I never realized that having visions or dreaming up entire scenes of make-believe films was actually something that only a few people would do during their free time.

So that's how I started my journey as a filmmaker. But I wanted to be different. I didn't want to be remembered as just another filmmaker but as someone who tried something different."

About the film -

Purgotory 2011, 16 mins
A re-interpretation of the poem, Elephant In the Room by Terry Kettering; Purgatory is a place - a dark place where your past is read out to you. Dr. Terry Ward found herself there after an unfortunate accident. However, the sequence of events leading up to that is what really matters. Is she willing to confront the elephant in the room or continue living in denial about what she really did?


Director's Statement -

"Purgatory is my 5th short-film and my 1st after graduating from a film school. This would also be my first film that is based on an adaptation of an existing poem.

The Elephant in The Room by Terry Kettering is essentially a poem that deals with bereavement and denial and since my body of work has consisted mainly of themes that revolve around the human psyche and fragility of the mind, I felt that denial would be an ideal theme to work on in this project.

The main character, Terry Ward was created by combining the characteristics of some of my friends and incorporating her into a World where she plays a person with immense responsibilities, something she isn’t really ready to cope with. By structuring the film in a non-linear form, my intention is to play it in 2 different dimensions, one in Purgatory where she plays a victim and one in real life, where she plays the aggressor of sorts and how her actions in real life, eventually led her to Purgatory.

The other character, named Peter is modelled after a teacher I once had who often used condescending and sarcastic terms to punish and humiliate his students. Somehow, when I crafted the idea, this character came to mind and I thought it would be interesting if I could put these 2 together and observe the dynamics and the conflict that could potentially arise.

By putting these characters into play and reinforcing the theme of denial into their dialogue, actions and their existence, I hope to bring about a resolution that will allow viewers to react to not only the elephant in the room that is revealed in the film but also, the vicious cycle of the system in today’s society that blurs the line between the puppet master, and the puppet.

What happens in Purgatory, stays in Purgatory. "





UPDATE
Tania took ill and was not able to perform at the 31st Edition. We adopted an 'open-mic' format during her slot instead, where Deborah Emmanuel, Guoyi Ng, Sonya M. and Syv Bruzeau very gamely came up to read 2-3 poems/stories!
Tania will be featured in a future edition.


TANIA DE ROZARIO
www.taniaderozario.com
Tania De Rozario is an artist, writer and curator interested in personal stories and their connections to larger issues of gender and sexuality. Author of Tender Delirium (Math Paper Press, 2013) and Reasons for the Rain (forthcoming, Nov 2013), she is currently penning her third book, And The Walls Come Crumbling Down. Recipient of the 2011 SPH-NAC Golden Point Award for English Poetry, she has undertaken writing residencies at Hedgebrook (USA) and Sangam House (India).

As a visual artist, Tania has been exhibiting for over a decade. Her first solo exhibition, A Language of Longing, opened at The Substation Gallery in 2011. Her curatorial portfolio includes Landing Places (Objectifs Centre for Photography & Filmmaking, Singapore, 2012) and Only Breath (Café Kunst Sappho, Amsterdam, 2009.)

She is also a co-founder/curator of EtiquetteSG, a multidisciplinary collective focused on platforming women’s voices. Including its upcoming anthology, it has showcased work by over 70 artists, writers, curators, filmmakers and academics.

Tania currently serves as an Associate Artist at The Substation, where she is working on Making Trouble, a two-year project investigating relationships between art and activism in Singapore. On the side, she teaches Contemporary Contextual Studies at Lasalle College of the Arts.