17 December 2014

DiverseCity - Connecting Communities through Arts and Culture

The 2014 edition of DiverseCity shares with visitors stories of connections, cross-cultural collaborations and friendships between Singaporean artists and world communities.

Citizen Ambassadors Ms Tan Kheng Hua with husband Mr Lim Yu-Beng, enthusiastically sharing about their project – the Sin-Pen Colony – one that celebrates the shared cultures between Singapore and Penang, with GOH Ms Grace Fu, SIF Governor Mr David Chong and SIF Executive Director Ms Jean Tan.

SIF’s third edition of DiverseCity celebrates 127 Singaporean artists as citizen ambassadors in connecting, promoting understanding and building relationships with communities in 146 cities across 40 countries. It is also a celebration of the diversity and global reach of Singapore’s culture. Presented in three parts, viz. Connecting Cultures, Collaborating for Change and Engaging Communities, it showcases the partnerships between SIF and artists and cultural leaders for connecting and building friendships between Singaporeans and world communities in the last two years.

Minister Grace Fu, who launched DiverseCity 2014 and its related publication on 9 December 2014 affirmed the role of artists as citizen ambassadors. According to the minister, “…in today’s world where physical boundaries are removed and we are more inter-connected than ever, new invisible walls are created because of our perception and because of our biasness. We therefore need artists like you as citizens ambassadors to break down these walls through artistic expressions and exchanges”. She then thanked artists for being “our ambassadors to further the understanding of Singapore around the world.”

The engaging opening performance of ‘MacBeth’ in traditional Hokkien opera style performed by the Jade Opera Group, scripted and directed by Dr Chua Soo Pong.

More than 170 guests representing the diplomatic and arts and cultural communities in Singapore who attended the launch event at the National Museum of Singapore were pleasantly greeted by the novel curtain raiser - an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth in traditional Hokkien opera scripted and directed by SIF citizen ambassador Dr Chua Soo Pong. They were also treated to the screening of the DiverseCity 2014 trailer before visiting the showcase and meeting with citizen ambassadors who connected with communities in Malaysia, Indonesia, India, US, UK, among the 40 countries.

Do visit the DiverseCity 2014 showcase to “see” our citizen ambassadors in action – bridging communities for a better world, at the Stamford Gallery, Level 1, National Museum of Singapore, The showcase is on from 10 December 2014 to 28 February 2015, 1000hrs to 1800hrs. Admission is free!

The DiverseCity 2014 publication can be found here.