[event] Fukushima! // 15th Aug 2011 @ Black Box, Goodman Arts Centre

Fukushima, once a quiet rural area in North-East Japan is now world-infamous as the site of possibly the worst human-caused disasters in history. The radioactive pollution continues to this day to spread in our air, water, soil and food. This has forcibly removed around 97,000 people (and counting) from the area, displacing them from their homes to start new lives from scratch.

However, the displacement is not just geographical, but also political and psychological. Fukushima, as a region with its own history and culture, is blindly being ostracized from Japan’s economic activities and being kept off the radar from the general public. Project Fukushima! is an initiative to keep Fukushima alive and connected. This tragic event must be remembered for and used as a stepping point towards a better future.

Fukushima! is a series of simultaneous events happening throughout the world on 15 August. In Singapore, it will happen in Goodman Arts Centre, Black Box, on 15 August, 8pm.

Featuring Hanging Up The Moon, Aya Sekine + Angie Seah, aspidistrafly, Dharma + Shaun Sankaran, Tim O’Dwyer + Ian Woo, Leslie Low + Yuen Chee Wai.

[event] Playfreely VI // 29th July 2011 @ Multi-Purpose Hall, Goodman Arts Centre

"The basic characteristic of music-making is improvisation." - Derek Bailey

This is the final installment of a 6 part series of spontaneous, inventive musical collaboration between musicians from diverse musical backgrounds and genres. Venturing into unfamiliar artistic terrains, Playfreely engages various groups in a collaborative exchange to improvise without any boundaries, to release the shapes that are latent in that unique moment of time... to play freely.

Artists:

Darren Moore – drums

Matin Fellani (Voodoo) – percussion

Shaun Sankaran – guitar and live electronics

Evan Tan (The Observatory) – laptop and lap steel guitar

Yuen Chee Wai (FEN) - electronics

Special guests: Mr. Sterile Assembly from New Zealand

Entry by donation (minimum $10)

Presented by The Observatory in partnership with Ujikaji Records.

Contact The Observatory at info@theobservatory.com.sg.

Interviews, features and more on Playfreely at theobservatory.com.sg and ujikajirecords.wordpress.c​om.