TEXTURES 2024 Invites Audiences to Reimagine the World Of Words ~ Huney'Z World

Hi Huneybees,

Organized by Arts House Limited, Textures, the annual literary arts festival that celebrates Singapore literature (SingLit), returns from 19 - 28 January 2024 at The Arts House, in conjunction with the Light to Night Singapore Festival and Singapore Art Week.

Featuring multidisciplinary SingLit-related programs and showcases that respond to the theme ‘Reimagine,’ Textures transports all visitors to a world where words come alive against the backdrop of other artistic practices and disciplines, casting a spotlight on the literary works that are closest to home.

Marrying poetry, movement, and live music together, the 2024 edition of Textures presents Thank You For Holding, a multidisciplinary piece centering around the alternative experience of connecting to a phone operator at a call centre. Written and directed by by Marc Nair, choreographed by Sudhee Liao with performers Arunditha, Chan Hsin Yee and Jack Ng, and composed by Mantravine, the work is fused together by the spellbinding art direction of Audrey Ng and Low Zi Hao, and the performance is embellished with elements of audience interaction. You are invited to be deeply immersed in the interactive theatre experience where diverse arts practices intersect and are encouraged to reimagine the boundaries of the literary arts, especially in such contemporary times.

Cherita Hantu: Horror Reimagined will also make its return to Textures as Hafidz Rahman presents a fresh take on his spine-chilling performance of five local horror stories. Audiences can prepare their hearts for a multisensory showcase that is sure to spook one’s socks off with the interactive use of smells and sounds that promise a literary twist!

If you are looking to stock up for your next book-tok social media post, head down to Textures’ pop-up bookstore by Chio Books where book enthusiasts and casual readers alike can encounter a diverse spread of titles by both local and international authors across a myriad of genres.

Those who prefer digital formats can check out Read At Home at the Level 1 corridor of The Arts House, which is decked out with e-Book titles on display. In partnership with the National Library Board (NLB), you can simply scan the corresponding QR codes to borrow your desired e-books.

You can also expect a feast for their eyes with art installations and digital projections across The Arts House lawn and on its façade. Look forward to Singapore visual artist Justin Loke’s 8-Bit Word Cloud – an outdoor installation that serves as a throwback to early video game graphics and explores the relationship between digital pixels and letters, inviting viewers to reflect on the intersection of digital art and language within the context of classic video game aesthetics.

For a different experience, check out the mesmerizing projection, Winter Sonata, Summer Mookata by Knuckles & Notch. This mind-bending display takes everyone into a surreal world inspired by anime aesthetics, prompting viewers to reconsider their established perceptions of the seemingly solid borders between the tangible reality and the abstract realms of their imaginations.

Tell Bowie He's Only A Rock Star. I, However, Am A Poet, was an exhibition introduced during the Singapore Writers Festival 2023. A poet, dramatist, novelist and a visionary ahead of his time, the late Goh Poh Seng is credited as being the first writer to introduce Singlish to the stage with his play, When the Smiles are Done. He also won the inaugural National Book Development Council of

Singapore Award for Fiction (known as the Singapore Literature Prize today) with his novel If We Dream Too Long, considered by many to be the first English-language Singaporean novel. Beyond literature, Goh organized David Bowie’s first Singapore concert. When he invited Bowie and his musicians to their home for a performance by classical Chinese musicians, Bowie's band arrived without Bowie, who said that he did not “fraternize with concert promoters.” Goh Poh Seng’s blithe rejoinder “Tell Bowie He’s Only A Rock Star. I However, Am A Poet” compelled Bowie to turn up eventually. This exhibition hopes to capture and highlight key moments that demonstrated his dedication and rebel spirit that should continue to inspire us all. Check it out before it ends its run on 28 January 2024.

The Cultural Medallion Literary Pursuit

The Cultural Medallion Award is the highest award for artistic excellence in Singapore. Among the 130 recipients are writers and poets whose works bring new and interesting ways of looking at the world. Join them in their pursuit of all things literary to do with our Cultural Medallion recipients! To play, scan the QR code at Our Cultural Medallion Story showcase and hunt for answers within the gallery. A special edition of the activity for children aged 9 and below is also available! Simply ask the friendly gallery sitters for the children’s edition QR code.