Lit Up 2013: the indie arts festival

PUBLISHED July 3rd, 2013 02:59 am | UPDATED June 3rd, 2020 12:16 am

Poetry… whether it’s classic literary greats or your lover’s clandestine whispered words of passion, it has the power to affect all of us greatly. As the world moves faster and faster, language, whether used as simple communication or as something more profound, unites us all. But it’s rare that we stop and enjoy the simple beauty of words, delivered singularly, powerfully and poignantly… to stop and admire the vernacular that we all speak, used instead as poetry that transcends the usual chat of day to day humdrum. At our most profound moments, each of us has a poet within us when we use language to it’s raw, emotive and honest full potential, and it has the power to move not just us but those around us too.

Each year, Lit Up reminds those who might be, let’s say, a bit less cultured – ie those amongst us do not live in a world filled with poetry! – that spoken word is not beyond our reach, or limited to a ‘certain type’ of person; listening to another’s words can be a universal joy. This grass roots festival from Word Forward was initially perhaps more well-known for its spoken word (Word Forward is a non-profit arts organisation that conducts creative writing and poetry classes in schools and through whichever channels they can to the public), but aims to raise the profile of emerging artists in many different fields; from photography to poetry, drama, visual installations and music.

Last year the presence of local artists who took on the vast expanses of the Telok Ayer Performing Arts Centre, creating awe-inspiring murals and exhibitions within the corridors, meant that Lit Up no longer seemed like a festival solely for spoken word, but instead a festival to showcase the stars in Singapore’s emerging cultural scene.

This year, due to the sad closure of the Telok Ayer Performing Arts Centre, Lit Up 2013 is held at Aliwal Arts Centre, and therefore the theme and concept ‘Progression’ is particularly pertinent. We caught up with Artistic Director Marc Nair for a quick chat about what to expect from this years Lit Up – that said, we didn’t want to give too much away, as part of the fun is exploring yourself and stumbling across something wonderful!

The 2012 Festival was the most ambitious to date — 66 artists, 21 performances, 13 visual art installations — but this year’s event looks even bigger. What are some of the highlights?

This year, we are even larger – the number of artists (50) doesn’t include the cast of some of the plays, just the director! We have 13 visual art installations and a grand total of 30 performances. If you want a measure of interactivity, workshops take place on both Saturday and Sunday morning. We also have a great line-up of bands playing on Sunday evening and night. It’s called The Sarong Party. Naturally, do try to catch our headline acts – Mosaic, a play by Joel Tan, and She Walks Like A Free Country. Smaller plays and performances that you should check out include Sylvia, Moktar and Echo.

Why is it important to keep offering this event in Singapore?

There seems to be a festival, exhibition or showcase happening in Singapore every week. A natural question is, why add to the clamour? However, I believe what makes Lit Up unique and important to the arts scene is how it brings together artists across different disciplines and how it

offers a chance for artists to collaborate together. This takes them out of their own silos and pushes them to imagine and explore across other art forms. For example, this year’s Visual Arts program includes a cross-disciplinary segment, Tête-à-tête. It brings together three pairs of artists who primarily work in different mediums. Over the five years that Lit Up has been running, we have found that young artists are hungry for a platform to perform and exhibit, and if Lit Up can be that enabler, we are happy to keep on keeping on!

What’s your favourite part of putting the Festival on every year?

Interacting with the various artists, learning about their practice, devising and pushing the envelope in terms of theme and scope. Working with new artists and performers every year.

Where did this year’s concept of Progression come from?

Given our recent debate on an increase in population, and our fixation on constant GDP growth, it’s obvious that we are a nation obsessed with progress. But what kind of effect does this have on how art is made and received in Singapore? It’s my hope that artists would interpret both positive and subverted notions of Progression in presenting their work at Lit Up 2013.

Thanks Marc! We say: what you can absolutely expect is poetry, musical and theatrical performances, exhibitions and installations, workshops, comedy and more. We’ll be letting you know more about performances and exactly whats going on when, or you can refer to www.litup.sg for further info.