Civic Life in London .....

Almost one week ago, on 31 January 2011, 'Civic Life' was shown in London at the Curzon Renoir Cinema - where the latest addition to the body of work by Chris and Joe - Tiong Bahru - received its London Premier!

Needless to say, during the Q&A, many, in the almost full house - were impressed by the body of work, and also how Tiong Bahru brought together many of the duo's earlier themes and concerns in a well considered and lyrical manner.... (more reviews in separate posting coming up soon!)



Here are some pictures of the event - kindly sponsored by the Singapore International Foundation, who brought over not just the taste of home - but also, lots of items that gave the UK audience an idea of the architectural and social heritage of Singapore (thanks to White Canvas Gallery for the posters of the sketches that was done last year!!! Big shout to you all there!) ...





and also of the multi-ethnic-lingual-cultural environment that we should be proud of and should cherish and nurture!



Amongst the guests were many ex-expats who spent time in Singapore, film buffs, and also those who were interested in community engagement through art.... and during the reception, many groups of Singaporeans based in London were seen discussing what was the meaning of 'home' in a globalised world...







Your correspondant here with Chris and Joe... who we have to thank for working with us in Tiong Bahru to realise the film...





And here is Ms Tan Shzr Ee, who provided the Mandarin voice-over for part of the film, with the poster of the film!



We were also very pleased that the event was graced by our High Commissioner H.E. Michael Teo... more pictures to follow!

In the meantime, wishing one and all - a GREAT START to the New Year!

Happy National Day! I love Tiong Bahru, I love Singapore!

Here's a wish for a Happy National Day to all of us here who live in, or are fans of Tiong Bahru....




Our first ever community banner with the signatures of the residents who came for the tea party. Do add yours in!


(pictures courtesy of Zaihan, of WCS) The Banner will be up on display for the duration of August.

Last weekend, we had our first ever party to mark the 'launch' of our special Community National Day Banner.

Instead of having a typical design that is generic, Seng Poh RC thought to ask if the White Canvas Gallery would consider contributing the outcome of the sketchwalk through the estate, to create a special National Day banner that would have a real local flavour.

WCS and the artists of the walk readily agreed, and it was put together into what you see above. The design of the banner was done by WCS, and we hope you will agree that it is really quite eye-catching!

On the day of the launch party on 1 August, even though it was overcast and drizzled, many residents turned up to see what the banner was all about, and we have to say that all of them were pleasantly surprised to see our home town captured first in an artistic form, and secondly, transformed into a banner!

Young and Old were excited to sign their name on the banner - often looking for that particular sketch that showed their block or their street.






(Pictures courtesy of Barnie Leow)

Even those who did not plan to come to the event, but passed by, were happy to see the banner, and added their name to it, and then joined in to have a cup of tea and a chat with their neighbours.



(Pictures courtesy of Barnie Leow) The little girl at the bottom left of the picture was looking for her sketch.

So, what else is there to say but that, we do love our neighbourhood, and we do appreciate how Art can make us recognize the beauty of our hometown! Seng Poh RC is thankful for the helpful folks at WCS, the 4 artists - Don, Tia, Miel and Paul, and all the other enthusiasts who turned up for the sketch walk and made the banner possible.

Happy National Day everyone - as we so love our hometown, we can then also love our country....



p.s. Seng Poh RC welcomes opportunities for collaborative events between all who are interested in the neighbourhood, especially where the event is an opportunity for residents and friends of the estate to meet. If you have any proposals, do drop us an email here - we will forward it to the RC.

National Day - Launch of Community Banner & Tea Party

Dear Friends and Neighbours,

Come join in the launch of the 2010 Tiong Bahru Community Banner for National Day! This year's banner is made up of sketches created by sketchers from all walks of life who took part in the Tiong Bahru Sketch Walk on 17 July, that was organized by White Canvas Gallery. You can sign your name on the banner, which will be displayed for the next few weeks, for our National Day. Tea and Cake will be provided... do come! All residents, and friends of Tiong Bahru, are welcome to join us!

The Banner is going to look good!

1 August 2010
Sunday
1-3pm
Seng Poh RC
Block 48 Moh Guan Terrace.

See you on Sunday!

Next Art Exhbition at White Canvas Gallery... Fernando Escora

If you have enjoyed the pen work of our sketches at the inaugural show at the WCS, here is the next show for you to consider ...




Do check out the show, which is on from 22 July to 7 August 2010.

For more details of the artist - check out the WCS website.

Its good to see more arts and cultural events in our neighbourhood - and if any one of you have similar events, do drop us a line with the details... we will be glad to post it up for you!

Pictures from the sketch walk....

Many thanks to the White Canvas Gallery for organizing the first ever sketch walk in Tiong Bahru - it was very encouraging to see about 100 enthusiasts coming along to look, and to draw our hometown! Here are some pictures of the event....























they drew everything!

And guess what - we will be using the sketches to form our National Day Community Banner - which will be launched jointly by Seng Poh RC and WCG on 1 August at Seng Poh Garden (more details to come)

Some of the participants - who came from both Tiong Bahru as well as beyond (so glad to know that we have friends from all over Singapore!), have asked if it could be done again... well, lets see how it goes?

:)

Thanks to Barnie for the pictures!

Sketchwalk 17 July 2010 at Tiong Bahru

A reminder of the upcoming community event organised by our lovely partners in the 'hood - White Canvas Gallery.

SKETCHWALK WITH TIA BOON SIM, PAUL WANG, DON LOW and MIEL.

Sketches by all participants - we hope you can also contribute your work to the creation of this year's National Day Community Banner for Seng Poh (Tiong Bahru) Estate.

WCG will help to take pictures of all the sketches that are created this coming Saturday, to be compiled, in collaboration with Seng Poh RC, into our very first special Banner that will be on display at the Seng Poh Tea Garden from 1 August 2010 (More details coming soon)

17 July, Saturday, 2 pm
SKETCHWALK by ARTISTS, OPEN TO ALL, MEET AT THE GALLERY.
FREE

BEGINNERS WELCOME!

For more information:
Call Ricky at the White Canvas Gallery: 62208723
or
Email: ricky@whitecanvas-gallery.com

Here is a preview of the sketchers at work.