Reflection of the Event

Pre-Visit Reflection:

What my expectations were from the Singapore Arts Festival was it would be a fun and inspiring event, not only for the markets interested in arts but also for the kids to have a hands-on interaction on what art is about.

This would provoke a sense of passion for the arts amongst the children and be able to maximise the potential of the children’s creativity, not only in art but also in terms of their imaginative thinking.

Dream Country - A Lost Monologue rehearsal.

Also, when I did some research on the Singapore Arts Festival through their website, it mentioned a number of performances that would be showcased, for example the Flux; which is a Centaur performance, filled with excitement and fantasy elements. I think that this event is unique in a sense such that it showcases a fantasy creature that people only read about in books and watch in movies. But SAF has given them the possibility of seeing it in reality, hence giving the visitors an experience of being thrown into the mystical realm where centaurs are real and fairies do exist.

Another interesting performance would be the “Dream Country – A Lost Monologue” , which showcases a monologue, depicting the images of birth, death and the reality of life. The performers are women ranging from 17 to 58 years old, so I think that this act would show the power of women in the modern day society, no matter the age and how they have evolved from a homemaker in the past to a powerful image in the present, not only at home but also in the workforce.

Flux: http://www.singaporeartsfest.com/event/flux/

Dream Country: http://www.singaporeartsfest.com/event/dream-country-a-lost-monologue/

Post-Visit Reflection:

After a visit to the Singapore Arts Festival itself, I felt that it was successful in terms of portraying the quirks of the arts and creating awareness of the arts and culture in Singapore. As a volunteer in the Kid’s Art Villages’ “Spooky Stories by Children, I thought overall, it was successful as the storytellers were able to craft out the spooky atmosphere with their stories and most of them had make-up done so it further enhanced the experience.

Children doing arts and craft with their parents at the Kids Arts Village

Not only so, they also tried to incorporate environmental practices into the arts by having a “Fest Goes Green” whereby kids and adults are able to create tote bags from the t-shirts of the Singapore Arts Festival. This is a good strategy in drilling the importance of “going green” in the children at a young age.

"Fest Goes Green"

However, I felt that the event had its flaws too. Throughout the Spooky Stories by the Children, some of the audience members felt that the distance between each location was a little far and the weather was not helping the situation. Not only so, with the consistent human traffic flow, there was a little difficulty for the storytellers to concentrate and had to raise their voice a lot more to be heard.

Festival Guides for Spooky Stories by the River

All in all, I thought that this event was successful in terms of visitor numbers because by evening, the amount of people increased tremendously and the commotion was built up by the performances and mascots wandering around. If given the chance, I would still attend the next Singapore Art’s Festival in 2014 and once again experience the magical atmosphere of the event.