Traditional Arts Residency
The Traditional Arts Residency aims to support the incubation of new and innovative content with a traditional performing arts focus. The artist-in-residence is expected to collaborate with an artist/arts group in Singapore and the performing arts project should be intercultural and/or cross-disciplinary in nature.
The artist-in-residence will receive residency support, including:
• A grant of up to S$20,000, covering the artist-in-residence and collaborator’s honorarium, research and other relevant costs associated with the Residency;
• Guidance and support through an interlocutor;
• Additional grant of up to S$10,000 for Project Showcase expenses; and
• A rent-free (utilities included) studio space fitted with air-con and lights for up to 16 weeks.
The application window has closed and the successful applicant will be notified by 31 March 2022. The 16-week Traditional Arts Residency should be completed within the period of 1 April to 30 September 2022.
For more information on the Traditional Arts Residency, please refer to the open call materials here.
Traditional Arts Research Residency
The Traditional Arts Research Residency aims to support artists and academics/researchers to jointly collaborate on practice-based research and/or documentation initiatives relating to traditional performing art forms. Only joint applications between Singapore-based artists and academics/researchers will be considered for the Residency.
The proposed project should focus on at least one of the following themes*:
• Documentation and analysis of distinctive practices in the chosen traditional art form(s);
• Research and artform exploration for the development of new creative works; and/or
• Research and discourse on cross-cultural exchanges of traditional performing art forms in Singapore.
*Funding is prioritised towards proposals with strong use of digital technology as part of the research and creation process, and/or proposals with a long-term impact the artistic excellence and development of the relevant traditional art form(s).
The artist-in-residence will receive residency support, including:
• A grant of up to S$20,000, covering the artist and researcher-in-residences’ honorarium, research and other relevant costs associated with the Residency; and
• A rent-free (utilities included) studio space fitted with air-con and lights.
The application window has closed and the successful applicant will be notified by 31 March 2022. The 16-week Traditional Arts Residency should be completed within the period of 1 April to 30 September 2022.
For more information on the Traditional Arts Research Residency, please refer to the open call materials here.
Past Residencies
*Please note that Traditional Arts Research Residency is a new initiative introduced in 2022; past residencies were Traditional Arts Residencies only.
Interviews with artists from past Traditional Arts Residencies
Night Walker - 夜行者 by Neil Chua
Residency period: 25 July to 30 November 2018
To find out more about the project: https://www.ruanatworkz.com/nightwalker
Conceptualised by Artistic Director Neil Chua and Creative Director Lim Chin Huat, Night Walker - 夜行者 is a multidisciplinary and multicultural presentation that redefines how traditional musical arts are presented while preserving the essence of each cultural element. The theatrical recital cuts across three genres – Traditional Chinese instrumental music, Traditional Indian dance and Electronic Music with Live Soundscape. The work explores how the daily human lifestyle can affect the quality of one’s sleep, as well as how it is correlated with the Rise, Fall and Reborn of Ruan (阮).
Project Transit: Echoes of Waterloo by Thamizhvanan Veshnu Narayanasamy
Residency period: 1 July to 20 October 2019
A collaborative effort led by Veshnu Narayanasamy, Project Transit: Echoes of Waterloo is an interdisciplinary exploration of cultural memories centred on the Waterloo Street area—a precinct where early migrants of different ethnicities and religions have partly left their mark, while much is also rapidly forgotten in the fast-changing urban milieu. The vocabulary in this piece is developed and created through interactive theatre and a combination of various Asian dance techniques. The final work is a blend of traditional and contemporary dance, re-choreography of traditional work, multimedia images, ancient songs and modern tunes.
Rupavikara (metamorphosis) by Durga Devi Mani Maran
Residency period: 1 November 2019 to 21 February 2020
In collaboration with Visual Artist Mumtaz Maricar and Sound Designer Anand Krishna, Durga Mani Maran‘s Rupavikara (metamorphosis) is an interdisciplinary performance that transforms traditional practice through innovation and play. The work is inspired by Ashtapadhi, a traditional poetic text about the Hindu god, Lord Krishna, who resides in the Sri Krishnan temple along Waterloo Street. Unlike a typical Indian dance performance, the visual artist and sound designer interpreted the text before the dancer. The final performance embraces digital technology as it manipulates space, sound and colours, allowing audiences to experience an Ashtapadhi rather than merely watching it as a dance.
Yanzilou: Forgotten Tales by Hanfugirl Collective
Residency period: 22 March to 11 July 2021
To find out more about the project: https://linktr.ee/Hanfugirl
Yanzilou: Forgotten Tales by Hanfugirl Collective is a site-specific, multidisciplinary and multisensorial performance showcasing the origin and legacies of Chinese performing arts, particularly the dance and music traditions. The project is an immersive time-travelling experience into the past, where one encounters the ancient virtuosos of Chinese arts, the Tang Courtesans, and hear their forgotten tales while appreciating the beauties of the artforms they have created. Through a long and rigorous research process, audiences will gain insights on the female perspective of performing arts, which has unfortunately been erased from history due to their largely patriarchal world.