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The Art of Travel
See the Old. See the New. Safe and secure. Singapore has the welcome mat out and what better way to explore the tropical island city-state but to go on one of Janes Tours. Every week there's a selection to walking tours to enjoy the heritage and the architecture, the green spaces and the riverside, the streetscapes and the arts. Emerald Hill (pictured), only a stone's throw from Orchard Road, can be enjoyed on a guided tour on 12 March. But there's somewhere to go and something to do everyday. While there are concerns globally about the spread of the current coronavirus outbreak, which originated in China, Singapore is recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for its proactive stance in managing this for residents and visitors alike. Get the latest travel advisory. While some events and activities might have been postponed as a precaution, Singapore is very much open for business. This issue of The Art of Travel provides many dozens of excellent creative reasons to visit and stay in Singapore. The Art of Travel? Remember TREADability. Travel Responsibly for the Environment, Art and Dreams.
The Show Must Go On
We must rave about Val's artistic excellence. And congratulate Red Sea Gallery for bringing her work back to Singapore. A treasure trove of sculpture by this brilliant artist. Born in France, artist Val (Valérie Goutard) lived in South America, Africa and Europe before settling in Asia in 2004. Once in Thailand, she discovered the traditional know-how of bronze alongside Thai foundries, establishing her workshop in Bangkok where she worked together with her team. In April of the same year, she exhibited locally for the first time and since 2005, her works have been on permanent display in numerous galleries across Asia and she participated in various art fairs in the region. Sadly she was killed in a motor cycle accident in Thailand in 2016. Her work lives on. See this retrospective at Red Sea Gallery now.
SUPER–TRAJECTORY: Life in Motion  is a presentation of new media artworks from Taiwan and Singapore that reflects on the human experience in an era of instantaneity, transformation and conflict, where speed is the new scale. Through a programme of installations and screenings, artists investigate the artistic and cultural consequences of new technologies, reflecting on what it means to be making art in an accelerating, media-influenced world. On at the ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands until 8 March.
Discover works by five international artists: The Story of Karang Guni Boy installation! Inspired by Lorraine Tan’s and Eric Wong’s Karang Guni Boy, these artists have created works that reveal their unique ways of creating art. Learn how collaborative communities make art repurpose simple materials to create something bigger, just like Ming in the story Karang Guni Boy! At the National Gallery until 29 March.
See how Picasso and Matisse changed the course of 20th century Western art.   
Visitors to National Gallery Singapore will be able to catch the works of some of the most renowned artists in the world, such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Nam June Paik in four upcoming international special art exhibitions. Supported by the Singapore Tourism Board, the exhibitions will take place over the next four years, beginning with Matisse & Picasso, which will open in May 2020, and Nam June Paik, slated to open in October 2021. The three-month Matisse & Picasso exhibition, organised in partnership with the National Gallery of Australia, tells the story of the artistic relationship between two of Europe’s greatest twentieth-century artists. Henri Matisse (1869-1954) and Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) met in 1906 and for more than half a century, closely followed each other’s creative developments and achievements. The sustained friendly rivalry between them was not only key to their individual success; it also pushed them ever- further to innovate with colour, form, and space, changing the course of 20th century Western art.  
On Paper: Singapore Before 1867  features over 150 paper-based artefacts that tell the story of Singapore’s early history – from a 17th-century Portuguese navigational chart that points to the existence of a Shahbandar (harbour master) on Singapore island to the key document that established the Straits Settlements as a Crown Colony of Britain on 1 April 1867. The exhibition at the National Library Building is on until 22 March. Through carefully preserved records from the collections of the National Library, National Archives of Singapore and overseas institutions, On Paper presents a rare treat to all who are interested in our nation’s past. Knowing how much we must value paper - past, present and future - read what Ken Hickson had to say in his article "Love Paper and the Power of the Printing Press.
A Place in Time
This painting was discovered in the Bulu Sipong cave on Sulawesi in 2016 and recent analysis has shown that it is the “oldest pictorial record of storytelling” and the “earliest figurative artwork in the world”, and is at least 43,900 years old. (The oldest known drawing in the world, a 73,000-year-old abstract scribble, was found in South Africa in 2018.) Written by Krithika Varagur, a journalist based in Indonesia and the author of “The Call” (April 2020). Read the full story about this in The Economist's 1843.
All the World's a Stage
Music to my Ears! Singapore theatre groups and orchestra companies are going ahead with their shows:
What's more, three of the theatre companies have come together to offer discounts to their collective audiences. Precautionary measures are being offered to theatre-goers, including temperature screening and sanitisers. National Arts Council's (NAC) chief executive Rosa Daniel said the art scene's resilience is vital to sustain the community. "It is important for everyone to stay positive during this period. We hope that our audiences will strongly support our home-grown artists and companies who continue their work during this time." Read also the wonderfully uplifting opinion piece in Straits Times by Chng Hak-Peng, CEO of the Singapore Symphony Group.
The Importance of Having Your Temperature Tested! You simply must see “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Wild Rice at its new theatre in Funan Centre. Just to be sure, you’ll have your temperature taken before you go in. Never know what you might catch with the stage so close to the audience! Of course, it’s a brilliant play. Oscar Wilde at his best. Then there’s the cast – and what a cast. Singapore’s best actors – like Ivan Heng, Hossan Leong and Lim Kay Sui – all in the same show. Plus some real stars we haven’t seen before – like Daniel York Loh as John (Jack or Earnest?) Worthing. The play's the thing and you have until 8 March to catch it! Read the review by Ken Hickson.
It's Fake News! Or is it? Jim Fingal is a fresh-out-of-Harvard fact checker for a prominent but sinking New York magazine. John D’Agata is a talented writer with a transcendent essay about the suicide of a teenage boy—an essay that could save the magazine from collapse. When Jim is assigned to fact check D’Agata’s essay, the two come head to head in a comedic yet gripping battle over facts versus truth. The Singapore Repertory Theatre production starts on 25 February and features Ghafir Akbar (Shakespeare in the Park –Julius Caesar and Guards at the Taj), Janice Koh (Hand to God) and Jamil Schulze. For more information and to book.
A Family Affair! Written by Florian Zeller, The Son is a spiritual companion piece to the highly-acclaimed 2019 production The Father. A brutally honest drama that will leave an indelible mark on your heads and hearts, and a timely exploration of urgent mental health issues among our youth. A story of one family – and, in fact, a story of so many families – struggling to save a lost loved one, where, sometimes, love is not enough. Directed by Tracey Pang, it stars real life father and son, Adrian and Zachary Pang. It runs until 7 March. Go here for more info and to book.
Making a spectacle of yourself? Inspired by a selection of works by Singapore's female authors, Spectacle is a stage production that examines the joys and sorrows of life. Can divorce ever be amicable? How does disease become the catalyst for healing? Is it possible for death to shine light on a life well lived? Method Productions is proud to present Spectacle, an original stage production about the defining moments in our lives, told through three acts in an intimate setting. What can these women tell us about the human experience? Go here for more.
Charging horses on stage! Based on the beloved novel by Michael Morpurgo, the National Theatre of Great Britain’s Tony Award-winning production of War Horse is coming to the Esplanade Singapore. It's on from 24 April to 10 May. Hailed by Time Magazine as “a landmark theatre event”, this powerfully moving and imaginative drama, filled with stirring music and songs, is a show of phenomenal inventiveness. At its heart are astonishing life-sized puppets created by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, who bring breathing, galloping, charging horses to thrilling life on stage. Read all about it from Singapore Repertory Theatre.
When an inspector calls! In a comfortable middle-class home, a family sits down to a celebratory dinner. But their evening is cut short by the unexpected arrival of an Inspector. He brings news of the tragic death of a young woman. As the Inspector investigates, tensions escalate – threatening to shatter the very foundations on which entire lives and identities are built. Written by J.B. Priestley in 1945,  An Inspector Calls  is more relevant than ever today. Join WILD RICE for this spectacular production which commences 7 May. It has been daringly reimagined by director Glen Goei and his top-notch creative team. What more is there to this play’s characters than meets the eye?
Too Old to Laugh and Play? What happens when a 68-year-old woman tries her hand at stand-up comedy for the first time? Her inhibitions are lowered, the truth is spoken, and all hell breaks loose. Savitri, a retired school teacher, attempts jokes about unrequited love, being a caregiver, and of course, coming to terms with ageing. An irrepressibly charming character essayed by Sharul Channa (Nominee, Best Actress, The Straits Times, Life! Theatre Awards 2020), delivering her unique brand of dark comedy that tackles social issues, Am I Old will force us to face some difficult questions of our own to do with Singapore's ageing population. See it 6 to 8 March at the Drama Centre.
Book a stay at this hotel! A hotel in Singapore is opened at the turn of the century, when the island is still a jewel in the British Empire. Each day, new faces appear and swiftly disappear – guests and staff alike. Every ten years, we check in to meet its residents: Cantonese nannies, Malay film stars, Japanese soldiers, transsexual sex workers, wedding guests, suspected terrorists. They live out the pivotal moments in their personal lives as empires die and new ones are born from their ashes. Spanning a century, and performed over five hours in nine languages, HOTEL is a multi-generational epic that explores the notions of nationhood, migration and identity against the backdrop of a shrinking world. Wild Rice re-stages "Hotel" after a very successful season two years ago. Book in to this Hotel here.
Romeo and Juliet, a timeless ballet that soared and inspired the greatest choreographers through centuries. Singapore Dance Theatre's production was created by legendary Singaporean choreographer Choo-San Goh, and staged by Janek Schergen, Artistic Director of SDT. 5-8 March at the Esplanade Theatre.
Late advice: Macbeth postponed. Tempted by an evil prophecy and encouraged by his wife ever deeper into his own dark ambition, Macbeth murders his way to the throne of Scotland. A stellar cast, under the direction of renowned Director, Daniel Taylor, with an excellent rendition of one of Shakespeare’s masterpieces Singapore's Victoria Theatre 4 to 7 March.
Witness ballet superstar Sergei Polunin in Singapore for the first time to perform his career-defining role of Grigori Rasputin in the sophisticated dance drama. A youthful prodigy, Polunin became the London Royal Ballet’s youngest-ever male principal dancer at the age of 21. He has gone on to develop a parallel career as an actor, appearing in films like Murder on the Orient Express. See the ballet on 20-21 March at Marina Bay Sands.
Singapore International Festival of Arts
Asia's pinnacle performing arts festival, the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA), returns for its 43rd edition from 15 to 31 May 2020.
With over 60 programmes across three weeks, SIFA continues to forge new artistic experiences for artists and audiences. In Gaurav Kripalani’s third and final year as Festival Director, SIFA 2020 looks to celebrate many spectacular firsts. Commissioned by the National Arts Council and organised by Art House Limited, the festival brings the best artists from Singapore and around the world to the local stage. SIFA 2020 will also present four commissioned productions — a culmination of a three-year journey that began in 2018. Nine Years Theatre, The Finger Players, and The Necessary Stage will premiere original work that features a strong thread of collaboration with international actors and artists which has been one of Kripalani’s key goals. Toy Factory Productions will also present the long-awaited final instalment of a three-part festival commission, A Dream Under the Southern Bough: Existence. Read all about it.
Flying off the Bookshelves
Diamonds in the Sky following after the Queen of the Sky
Last issue it was Josephine Chia's Queen of the Sky , a children's book reflecting on the real life aviatrix, Amelia Earhart. We continue with an aviation theme this time, with something old, something nearly new and something not quite blue, but green! Dipping into my depleted bookcases, I hoped to find Diamonds in the Sky , which I reviewed years ago. It's taken off, but I remember it as a wonderful history of air travel told from the passenger's experience and it was published by Bodley Head for BBC following a documentary TV series. Chapters include The First Generation of Passengers, The Twenties, The Airlines Go Worldwide, Too Many seats: the Story of the Sixties, Wide-Bodies, and more. Profusely illustrated, this 240 page book is a treasure for those who are traveling now as well as travel historians. You can still get this book.
A poignant story of a small-town boy, who stumbled into a lifelong flying career spanning 38 years as a pilot. Now at 99, Captain Ho Weng Toh, one of the last few remaining Flying Tigers, recalls the many events that shaped his life. Wisely and well published by World Scientific.
The original Green Travel Guide - from 1999 by Greg Neale and Earthscan - was an inspiration to many, including us. British Airways helped make this happen. Others are getting on the band-wagon, but this has the pioneers and it is still available in print and online. Get more info & the book here.
Absorbing the life and work of Lim Chin Beng is like watching a fly past of airlines and aircraft old and new. He was instrumental in taking the very basic components of a business — like a potter taking the clay — and creating what has become one of the world's leading brands. Go to World Scientific.
When a group of visiting university students from Mexico and the United States asked Singapore Ambassador-at-Large Tommy Koh what Singapore's secret was in its successful evolution, they didn't realise his answer would become a book. Tommy didn't think this one would so quickly get to the top of the best selling non fiction list in the Straits Times. Read all about it.
Panjang is the tallest kid around. He hates standing out, but little does he know, he's on his way to greater heights. This delightful tale is the youthful and well illustrated version of a book all about one of Singapore's Prime Ministers, Goh Chok Tong. Tall Order is the adult's hardcover, also by Shing Huei Peh and published by World Scientific.
From National Library Board's Singapore collection comes a book club with a unique local flavour. Discuss books by both well-known and emerging Singapore authors touching on topics close to home. Join author Balli Kaur Jaswal at this session as we discuss her novel Inheritance.  12 March at 7pm.
Uncharted: How to Map the Future Together
Little did she know when she wrote the book to come out this January that the year would start with out of control and damaging wild-fires in Australia and a menacing global outbreak of a new virus which originated in the Wuhan city wet-markets of China. While she says we are "addicted to prediction" and "desperate for certainty" about the future, there's no way we can forecast precisely when and where the next disaster will strike. As for climate change - which she recognises as "real" - there's no way we can predict "when extreme weather events will destroy which harvests". She notes that Apple's iPhone is "designed in California", but it depends on raw materials and suppliers from at least 24 countries - and very reliant on China for a lot. Apple, like many others, could not have forecast the impact the coronavirus outbreak would have on its China supply chain. The book is full of warnings and wise counsel from Margaret Heffernan - an entrepreneur, CEO, business advisor and TED talker - and as with previous books like "A Bigger Prize", it's full of personalised business case studies, which are not only very well-told, but hit the mark for those of us struggling to come to terms with the past and present, let alone the unfathomable future. Get more from Simon and Schuster.
Taking a very different slant is one of Singapore’s better known poets, Pooja Nansi – perhaps even better known for managing last year’s very successful Singapore Writers’ Festival. You can catch her reading from her collection Love is an Empty Barstool (published by Math Paper Press) and at Books Actually on Sunday 1 March at 2pm. Pooja is joined by novelist Anittha Thanabalan, to discuss her latest The Lights That Find us.
More than 60 exciting programmes will be held over two weekends from 6-8 and 13-15 March. Advocating ‘Buy Local, Read Our World’, #BuySingLit aims to raise awareness about SingLit by celebrating stories from Singapore. The movement gathers homegrown book publishers, retailers and literary non-profits to encourage more people to embrace and discover SingLit. Go here for more.
STOP PRESS: BOOK NEWS
A new book by Greta Thunberg’s mother reveals the reality of family life during her daughter’s transformation from bullied teenager to climate icon. "Our House is on Fire" by Malena Ernman. Go to Guardian for the full story.
First heard about this and saw it on Sky News. A heart warming story about how a guide dog came to the rescue of a doctor made blind. There's more.
The Art of Sustainability:
Focus on Forests in Fashion
Sun Rays in the Morning, by Slavko Hudak of Solakia. A finalist in the 2019 ‘Experience Forests, Experience PEFC’ photo contest. he was one of hundreds of photographers and forest lovers to show their best forest photos. The contest took place in 13 countries and included photos of wonderful landscapes, wildlife and humans working and playing in the forest. Go to PEFC for more winning photos and for details of the next contest.
Forest Tower in Timber
Are you an architect or part of a project team that has recognised the many benefits of timber as a construction material? Then make sure to enter the project for the Best Use of Certified Timber Prize at the  World Architecture Festival  (WAF)! For the third year in succession, PEFC is sponsoring the Best Use of Certified Timber Prize, rewarding architects and project teams for using certified timber as the main construction material for buildings outstanding in sustainability, innovation, quality or aesthetics. Pictured is one of the 2019 finaists: Camp Adventure Forest Tower by EFFEKT Arkitekter
Back to the drawing board
What do Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró and Karl Lagerfeld have in common? They were all fans of the same Swiss brand of crayons. Grace Cook has the story in FT Weekend's Fashion Magazine. Pictured above is 'Late Lunch' (2019) by Luke Edward Hall. Caran D'Ache, the Swiss company which was founded in 1915 says its commitments feed into a long-term vision that places sustainable development and social responsibility at the heart of everything it does. The proof of this is easy to see in the number of steps we have taken to protect the environment and the partnerships we have formed. Read more.
Fashion from the Forest
PEFC Spain was present at the first  Sustainable Fashion Week (SFW)  in Madrid, organized by  The Circular Project . SFW Madrid represents a change in the paradigm of fashion, with a commitment to sustainable materials that are good for the people and our planet. For this new generation of fashion, natural fibres from sustainably managed forests will play a major role. Read all about it.
Literally, The Art of Travel
The Art of Travel is personified by Graham Byfield. A full-time artist with his own gallery in Menorca (Spain) - setting for his next book - he travels extensively to research and paint for his books, which include nine Sketchbooks: Singapore, Bali, Thai Silk, London, Amsterdam, the Bahamas, Oxford, Cambridge and, now, Barcelona. All published in Singapore.
The latest FT Weekend reviewed Chris Goodall newest book, along with three others in a feature: "How to Heal the Planet". Plenty of positives from this green energy expert, who sees a low emissions future - for the UK and the rest of the world - coming from renewable energy, including hydrogen, for transport, industry and buildings. Go here for more.
Sustainable events and responsible travel - like energy efficiency and clean air on the track and road - make their mark in this 2013 book by Ken Hickson, as do a host of other important subjects. It's full of case studies, profiles and commentary on Sustainable trends in Asia Pacific. Read all about it and buy here.
The Art of Travel
The Art of Travel promotes TREADability:
T ravel R esponsibly for the E nvironment, A rt & D reams
Managing Editor: Ken Hickson
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Our associated online magazine is ABC Carbon Express .