Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA)

Sunset Sessions: Last Sunset

Cheryl Ho in conversation with Festival Director Gaurav Kripalani. Reflecting on his past four years as SIFA Festival Director, Gaurav Kripalani shares his highs and lows in this wind-down conversation. How can festivals nurture artists? Why is it important for Singaporean creators to collaborate with their international counterparts? This final podcast episode sheds light on the vision that is needed to lead and the work that goes into creating a festival. From positioning the festival programmes for a mass audience to putting the work of Singaporean artists on the international stage, learn how Kripalani approached his role at the helm of SIFA. Gaurav Kripalani also sits on the board of Singapore Repertory Theatre, where he was artistic director for 15 years and had worked on over 150 theatre productions. He serves his final year as Festival Director of SIFA in 2021.

Sunset Sessions: ArtsCatalyst and Collaboration

Cheryl Ho in conversation with Anna Santomauro and Annie Jael Kwan. An intellectual inquiry into community and collaboration with organisation, ArtsCatalyst (UK), and artist network, Asia-Art-Activism (UK / Asia). Curators Anna Santomauro and Annie Jael Kwan share knowledge on the organisational capacities of the arts to tackle global ecological issues. The conversation also uses food as an entry point to larger social, economic and environmental concerns. Whether it’s over a potluck or a Zoom-luck, how can we continue to increase our understanding of other cultures? Can art offer productive tools to sustain communities and the climate? ArtsCatalyst is an organisation that works across art, science and technology to produce new art exhibitions, events, and publications.

Sunset Sessions: Welcome to Pulau Sunsetra

Narrated by Fahim Fazil and Omar Amir. Original Sound Tracks by Ashley Erianah. Produced by MAMA MAGNET. An audio play about two millennial creatives escaping to a sustainable paradise island, Pulau Sunsetra. Created under the context of the Earth in crisis and an uncertain future, this fictional episode uses satire to question where the sustainability movement is headed? The plot takes listeners on a journey of discovering the clean, green and slow ways of Pulau Sunsetra, and ends with a Sunset Song: a freestyle about renewability. The utopian paradise island reveals its dystopia at times, offering new ways and attitudes to approach sustainability. Fahim and Omar are 2/3 of Mediocre Haircut Crew, a hip hop collective inspired by 1990s music with honest lyrics and average haircuts. Ashley Erianah is a DJ, host, producer, and a core member of the Darker Than Wax music collective. MAMA MAGNET is a multimedia art programming consultancy and a growing archive of our current time.

Sunset Sessions: Get Set to Off Set

Kenny Leck in conversation with Charlene Shepherdson, Prashant Somosundram and Rachelle Tan. Featuring an all-local lineup of arts managers, Kenny Leck (BooksActually) digs into the everyday and structural greening efforts of Singaporean organisations SingLit Station, The Esplanade Co, and The Projector. These core team members of the four organisations share insights on sustainably navigating operations, design-thinking applications and the COVID-19 pandemic. What energy offsetting efforts are our local arts organisations initiating? What challenges do they face? This episode is for both the audience and the entrepreneur to peek behind the green screen. SingLit Station is a platform for readers and writers to meet. The Esplanade Co is Singapore’s national performing arts centre. The Projector is a cinema operating out of Golden Mile Tower.

Sunset Sessions: The Road to Greening Festivals

ArunDitha in conversation with Claire O’Neill. Journey with them as ArunDitha and Claire O’Neill use their passion for counter-culture music and art festivals to segue into discussing greener approaches the industry can apply. Learn how food, transport, touring and waste can impact our society and environment, especially through a festival. How can we, as consumers and event organisers, make changes to achieve a more positive process? And lastly, why should we care? Claire O’Neill is the co-founder of A Greener Festival, a UK-based organisation helping events worldwide become more sustainable. ArunDitha (born Deborah Arunditha Emmanuel) is a conscious Singaporean artist, most recognised for her poetry and performance work.