Fri 6 & Fri 13 Jan 2023
Asian Civilisations Museum
7pm – 9pm
Hard Court
Outdoor projection on lorry
In case of rain, projection will be held indoors at Basement 1, Discovery Room.
Sat 7, Thu 12, Sat 14 & Sun 15 Jan 2023
42 Waterloo Street
7pm – 9pm
Outdoor projection on lorry
See below for wet weather plan
Sat 7 & Sun 15 Jan 2023
Changi Point Ferry Terminal
4pm – 7pm
Open Space at Level 1 between Changi Point Ferry Terminal and Changi Boardwalk Shelter (Midpoint).
Outdoor screening on TV
See below for wet weather plan
Sun 8, Mon 9 & Wed 11 Jan 2023
Gillman Barracks
7pm – 9pm
Car Park beside Block 7, Lock Road.
Outdoor projection on lorry
See below for wet weather plan
Secret Places will be part of the Singapore Art Week (SAW) from 6-15 January 2023. This first physical iteration of the Secret Places video will be a single-channel work presented outdoors as a roving project.
The participants of Secret Places shared their journeys to different lands through short videos. For SAW 2023, Secret Places will further explore mobility, change and regeneration in its mode of presentation and as a roving project.
The video will be projected outdoors at Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM), Gillman Barracks and 42 Waterloo Street. At Changi Point Ferry Terminal, Secret Places will be screened outdoors on a TV.
Secret Places will be projected outdoors onto the side of a parked lorry, a vehicle associated with the transport of goods and people. There will only be one activation of Secret Places each night at a different venue. A single lorry will be shared among the three venues, and it will move on to the next venue the following night.
The evening projection will start at 7pm at dusk to explore the change in the environment with the coming of night.
The venues for Secret Places have their own stories and at different times served as offices, military camps, lifestyle enclaves, residential and commercial properties, theatre spaces; before they were redeveloped into a museum, contemporary art district and a multi-use arts space. The siting of the work at Changi Point looks at water as one of the modes of transport.
Neo Kim Seng & Joavien Ng
Ana
Cheryl Kara Ang
Titisa Jeamsakul (Ice)
Liu Xiaoyi
Weisi Low
Neo Kim Seng
Clarence Ng
Joavien Ng
Ming Poon
Tan Wan Sze
Karen Tan
Gary Tang
Zizi Majid
Joavien Ng
Hayashida Ken
Evan Tan
Hayashida Ken
Richard Ong
Audio Resources Pte Ltd
Rachel Toh
Eddie Amin
Alena Rae Ong
Irina Rae Ong
Clara Ng
Rachel Nip
Tan Beng Tian
Yazid Jalil
Daisy Zhao
Chang Sheau Ling
Moving Mouse
Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Edwin Yew
National Arts Council
Singapore Land Authority
National Heritage Board
C&W Services
Suburbana Jurong
Centre 42
Neo Kim Seng
Born in Indonesia.
Based in Singapore.
Filmed by Ana with Louisa Kan in Singapore.
Singaporean.
Based in Iceland.
Filmed by Cheryl Kara Ang in Iceland.
Born in Thailand.
Singapore Permanent Resident.
Film by Titisa Jeamsakul with Chen Xu Qi Keiko and Chen Jiexiao.
Born in China.
Singapore Permanent Resident.
Filmed by Liu Xiaoyi in Hong Kong.
Singaporean.
Based in Norway.
Filmed by Weisi Low with Ole-Martin Viken in Norway.
Singaporean.
Based in Singapore.
Filmed by Neo Kim Seng in Singapore.
Singaporean.
Based in Japan.
Filmed by Clarence Ng with Chisako Nakajima in Japan.
Singaporean.
Based in Portugal and Singapore.
Filmed by Joavien Ng with Sergio Cardoso in Portugal.
Born in Singapore. Dutch Citizen.
Based in Germany.
Filmed by Ming Poon with Steffan Baermann in Germany.
Singaporean.
Based in South Korea.
Filmed by Tan Wan Sze in South Korea.
Singaporean.
Based in Singapore.
Filmed by Karen Tan with Neo Kim Seng in Singapore.
Singaporean.
Based in Singapore.
Filmed by Gary Tang with Neo Kim Seng in Singapore.
Singaporean.
Based in USA.
Filmed by Zizi Majid with Zinira Izmir in USA.
First completed in 1867, this neoclassical-style building along the Singapore River had seen several extensions built during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For more than a hundred years, the building housed colonial and, later, Singapore government offices — from customs to the legislative council, and until the 1980s, the Immigration Department.
Gazetted as a national monument in 1992, renovations to design this venue for the Asian Civilisations Museum begun in 1997. Conversion of the building into a state-of-the-art museum took 5 years, and the museum moved into this historic building in 2003. This location on the banks of the historic Singapore River also aligned with ACM’s aim in presenting the history and art history of Asia through the lens of Singapore as a cosmopolitan Asian port city. As Singapore’s national museum of Asian antiquities and decorative art, ACM connects people and cultures in Asia and beyond, celebrating Asian aesthetic, craft, and imagination through four broad, cross-cultural, and pan-Asian themes – Maritime Trade, Faith and Belief, Materials and Design, and Peranakan.
The two-storey pre-war bungalow at 42 Waterloo Street was built before 1893. It was leased out to various families as a place of residence until it was sold in a public auction in 1969. It was converted into a commercial space and one of the companies that occupied the bungalow in the ‘70s was the Dharmapala P Company, which provided hand engraving services for metals, cups and trophies.
In 1999, theatre company Action Theatre moved into 42 Waterloo Street under the National Arts Council’s Arts Housing Scheme. The restoration and refurbishment created new spaces: a black box, rehearsal studios, a F&B space, outdoor performance spaces, and a new annexe was added behind the bungalow. Action Theatre moved out in 2012. The bungalow re-opened in 2014 with a bold blue makeover as Centre 42, a space to develop, document and promote Singapore text-based works. Since 2021, 42 Waterloo Street has been a dedicated space for arts Self-Employed Persons across different forms and disciplines to come together to create, network and collaborate.
The Changi Point Ferry Terminal next to Changi Village was built to replace two old dilapidated jetties and started operations in 2005. Bumboats here serve Pulau Ubin and Pengerang in Johor, Malaysia. The terminal also used to serve Pulau Tekong before the island was militarised. Pulau Tekong is now only accessible via the SAF Ferry Terminal, further east of Changi beach. Another terminal in the vicinity, Changi Ferry Terminal, with ferries to Tanjung Belungkor in Johor, was closed at the end of 2021.
Changi Point was a well-known spot for picnics and beach parties as early as 1845. From the ‘20s onwards the Changi area was developed into a military base for the British army and included entertainment and recreational facilities. After the British military’s withdrawal, the Singapore Armed Forces took over the military installations and some of the buildings were converted into holiday chalets for use by civil servants. Since the late ‘90s, the rebranding of Changi Village as a local resort destination has seen further development in the area.
Gillman Barracks, named after General Sir Webb Gillman, a well-known officer of the British Army, was completed in 1936 and housed the British army and their families. Its present site area is 6.6ha, down from the original 47ha of land it occupied. Gillman Barracks was the site of a fierce battle between the British and Japanese during World War II before the fall of Singapore in 1942. Post-war the British returned to Gillman Barracks and stayed until August 1971 when the British military withdrew from Singapore. It was handed over to the Singapore government for a token sum of S$1. The Singapore Armed Forces moved into the barracks and eventually vacated the camp in the ‘90s.
Gillman Barracks was renamed Gillman Village in 1996 and operated as a lifestyle enclave with restaurants, bars and furniture shops until its last tenants moved out in 2011. It had earlier reverted to its original name in 2010 ahead of its next transformation. Gillman Barracks was launched in 2012 as Singapore’s premier destination for contemporary art.
As Singapore's signature visual arts season, Singapore Art Week (SAW) represents the unity and pride of a diverse and vibrant arts community in Singapore.
From 6 to 15 January 2023, SAW 2023 will present an array of over 130 arts events featuring new works and transnational collaborations across the island and online. In its 11th edition, the ten-day celebration of the visual arts will showcase two dynamic art fairs, S.E.A. Focus and the inaugural ART SG; two highlight commissions are the homecoming presentation of Pulp III: A Short Biography of the Banished Book at the recent 59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia and the Singapore Biennale; as well as a vibrant Light to Night in the Civic District. SAW is a nexus for creative collaborations and audiences can look forward to an exciting line-up of art experiences at our museums, galleries, independent art spaces and public spaces, and enjoy enriching discussions, talks, walks and tours.
SAW 2023, a celebration of Singapore's vibrant art landscape, is a joint initiative by the National Arts Council (NAC) and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
Download Programme here