programme download - Singapore Writers Festival

SWF FRINGE SWF 2012
The Singapore Writers
Festival organises a
Fringe component for
the first time. Held at
The Arts House, it will
explore The Origins of
Desire. The SWF Fringe
seeks to examine the
different facets of desire
in the literary arts,
and the manifestation
of sexuality in books,
films, performances
and the visual arts. The
fringe programmes will
explore the historical
as well as sociocultural
significance
of desire and sexuality
in literature.
The SWF Fringe is curated by The Arts House.
NOTE: SWF Fringe programmes are suitable for
SWF Festival Pass holders aged 21 years and above only
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PANEL: Origins of Desire … Whose Desire?
featuring: linda jaivin, farish a noor
mOderated By: Phan ming yen
Sat 3 nov | 8pm – 9pm | FESTIvAL PASS
living room
Contemporary discussions of desire and sexuality
typically are framed against Western thinking such as
the Freudian and Foucauldian paradigms. But many
early erotic texts hail from Asia, including the Kama
Sutra, The Golden Lotus and Japanese pillow books.
Has the Asian point of view been considered enough
in the discourse of desire, and is there such a thing as
Asian sexuality?
LITERARY COCKTAIL: Linda Jaivin & Farish A Noor
Sat 3 nov | 9.30pm – 11pm | $25
timbre @ the arts House
Please refer to page 23 for details.
PANEL: Pleasure as Power – Sex, the Most
Powerful Metaphor
featuring: linda jaivin, verena tay, neil Humphreys
mOderated By: Brian Bergen-aurand
Sun 4 nov | 8pm – 9pm | FESTIvAL PASS
living room
Literature is rife with frank, unflinching portrayals
of sex. Sometimes sex is not just about pleasure
(or pain). It is often used as a metaphor for power,
politics or social mores, among other structures to
be critiqued or deconstructed. This panel looks at the
powerful efficacy of sex as allegory in literature and
its wider implications.
PANEL: Gender Bender – Love in the Age of
Sexual Confusion
featuring: cyril Wong, tania de rozario,
monique truong
mOderated By: john richardson
mon 5 nov | 8pm – 9pm | FESTIvAL PASSS
living room
Love and desire are usually not as straight as they
might seem. From The Panji Tales to Shakespeare’s
comedies, the happy-ever-after often comes after
some gender confusion and same-sex attraction.
Mistaken identity turns the notion of love and desire
on its head, and makes us rethink the nominal
concept of romance in literature. This panel examines
how writers continually employ such literary
mechanisms to great dramatic effect.
Monique Truong’s appearance is supported by the
United States Embassy, Singapore.
PANEL: XXX – When Smut Isn’t Smut
featuring: richard lord, Sharon Ong,
Hsu-ming teo
mOderated By: gene tan
tue 6 nov | 8pm – 9pm | FESTIvAL PASS
living room
What’s a classic today may have been notorious or
banned when it was first published. The now revered
The Golden Lotus was labelled pornographic and
banned in China for centuries. Publishers of Lady
Chatterley’s Lover were famously put on trial under
the UK’s Obscenity Law. Writer Susan Sontag tried
to draw a distinction between art in literature and
in porn. In the same spirit, this panel considers the
sometimes fine line between smut and smart writing.
PANEL: The Fifty Shades of Grey Phenomenon –
What Turns Women On?
featuring: Seraphina lum, Hsu-ming teo,
alison lester
mOderated By: deborah tan
Wed 7 nov | 8pm – 9pm | FESTIvAL PASS
(FOR LADIES ONLY)
living room
Fifty Shades of Grey has sold millions of copies and
generated endless debate. What is it about this erotic
novel that has droves of women raving? A female
panel bravely attempts to understand this literary
success and dissect what women really want in their
erotica.
Pillow Fight – Women Write Better Sex
than Men
featuring: cyril Wong, grace chia krakovic,
jess c Scott, kirpal Singh, marc nair, Sharon Ong
mOderated By: eleanor Wong
thu 8 nov | 8pm – 9pm | FESTIvAL PASS
chamber
Martin Amis fired the first salvo: He said women write
better sex. In a debate that is best left to the experts,
two teams will put forth their case and try to smother
their opponents in a Pillow Fight. What titillating
evidence will the speakers present to boost their
argument? What would Freud have said? Who will
win this face-off?
PERFORMANCE: The City of Desire
thu 8 nov – Sat 10 nov | 9.30pm – 10.30pm |
FESTIvAL PASS
Play den & Blue room
Inspired by short stories from Gopal Baratham’s
book, The City of Forgetting
cHOreOgraPHy: Lee Mun Wai
PerfOrmed By: T.H.E Second Company & Timbre
Music Academy
Join the characters in Baratham’s stories as they
converge in the City of Desire for a night of sensual
music, dance and original music compositions.
Searching unendingly for love and physical intimacy,
these fragile yet resilient, assured but confused
characters weave dance and text in a performance
that distills the essence of love and sex through
their eyes.
Special SWF Origins of Desire cocktails will be sold before
each performance.
REAM TO REEL: Flesh and Desire
As part of the SWF Fringe, the Ream to Real
programme explores the theme of Flesh and Desire
in Asian cinema. Step into the provocative realm of
bodies and passion as seen through Asian cinematic
lens. Please check www.theartshouse.com.sg for a
full list of films and schedule.
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