ConneXions: Passion Made Possible

Singapore Tourism Board (STB), together with George Town Festival (GTF) and the National Arts Council Singapore (NAC) presents ConneXions: Passion Made Possible, a cultural showcase that will take the centre stage at this year’s George Town Festival from 31 August 2018 to 2 September 2018. The three-day showcase will highlight the strong ties between the two cities that celebrates creativity, arts and culture, with Singapore as a UNESCO Creative City of Design and George Town, Penang as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Festival goers will experience the best of Singapore and Penang through music, visual and traditional art, film, food and a designers’ showcase hosted in various venues in George Town.

“We are excited to work with the George Town Festival and the National Arts Council Singapore for this showcase. Singapore and Malaysia, are both rich in heritage and culture with a strong community of creative minds and flourishing local arts scene. The spirit of collaboration is exemplified by the joint work between artists SKL0 (SG) and Akid One (MY) on a mural in Artlane, that will be accessible for many others to enjoy. George Town Festival has set the stage for our Singapore showcase which is truly an epitome of the friendship between two countries. We hope that festival goers will feel the passions of these talented individuals and recognise the endless possibilities of where it takes them,” shared Edward Koh, Executive Director of Southeast Asia, Singapore Tourism Board.

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“We are very excited to be continuing our partnership with Singapore in this year’s George Town Festival, this time with ConneXions: Passion Made Possible, and to be working with some of the top names from Singapore. Singapore has always been a strong collaborative partner with George Town Festival, with programmes almost every other year since 2010. We sincerely appreciate STB and NAC for partnering with us for this project and hope we can continue our Penang x Singapore platform to showcase talents for both countries.”says Mr Joe Sidek, Festival Director of GTF.

“We are thrilled for so many Singapore artists to once again be part of the George Town Festival, especially at this dedicated showcase highlighting both countries’ creative talents across a range of art forms and fields. This event is especially meaningful because it builds upon the deep cultural connections between Singapore and Malaysia. We hope that Penang audiences and all visitors to the festival will enjoy the Singapore line-up presented at ConneXions, and that we will continue to have more opportunities like these for the arts to bring people together in celebration,” said Kenneth Kwok, Assistant Chief Executive (Planning & Engagement) of the National Arts Council, Singapore.

The ConneXions: Passion Made Possible features five showcase venues – the Singapore Designers’ Showcase at Artlane, China House, Cheah Kongsi, Blue Mansion and QE2. Supported by SilkAir as the official airline partner, the line-up is jointly curated by GTF, STB and NAC to encourage festival goers to gather and be inspired.

Singapore Designers’Showcase @ Artlane (31 August –1 September 2018, 11am –9pm daily)

Key highlights from the showcase includes a collaborative wall mural painting by street artists SKL0 (from Singapore) and AkidOne (from Malaysia), and curated showcase of various Singapore designers.

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China House (31 August –1 September 2018, from 930pm onwards)

Key highlights of the showcase includes a music collaboration between singer Tabitha Nauser and rapper Yung Raja, both based in Singapore. The showcase also features Singapore’s singer-songwriter Charlie Lim and the indie-electronic duo .gif. Visitors will get to taste a little of Singapore through a MY-SIN menu collaboration featuring bartender Matthew Chan from Nouri and delectable heritage dishes featuring Chef Damian D’Silva of Folklore.

Cheah Kongsi (1-2 September 2018, 830pm daily)

Featuring Teochew Opera performances by 15-year old Tan Wei Tian, 16-year old Yap Ting and Mdm Tan Kah Noi from Singapore’s leading music and drama association Nam Hwa Opera.

Blue Mansion (1 September 2018, 730pm)

An exclusive screening featuring the film “The Blue Mansion” by leading Singapore film and theatre director Glen Goei followed by an online chat with Glen himself to find out more about the inspirations behind the film.

QE2 (2 September 2018, 930pm)

Join George Town Festival goers at this eventful closing party Zouk Singapore inspired by the annual ZoukOut which takes place in Singapore annually, with this year’s much-anticipated party taking place on the 1 December 2018.

ConneXions: Passion Made Possible showcase starts from 31 August 2018 to 2 September 2018 at George Town Festival. Visit www.facebook.com/visitsingapore.my for more information.