What is the value of a ‘live’ performance art piece and what does it mean when an audience claps at the end of it? What is the psychotropic connotation of the clap for the art, the artist, and the audience themselves? The discussion is centered on artists’ creative processes and the experiential value of art in relation to mental health well-being; it explores the therapeutic and healing processes of performance as an experiential art form that can be imbued into the artists and audiences to become reciprocally beneficial for both parties. 

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Dr Marcus Tan Wee Lun is a psychiatrist who had previously practiced psychiatry at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), specifically in the areas of general and forensic psychiatry. He is also trained in geriatric psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, military psychiatry, and liaison psychiatry. His current interests include mood and anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, and stress disorders. He also manages insomnia and has a special interest in culturally bound phenomena.

Kok Heng Leun is a prominent figure in the Singapore arts scene, having built his artistic career as a theatre director, playwright, dramaturg and educator. He is known for engaging the community on various issues through the arts, championing civic discourse across different segments of society. Having begun his work in the theatre almost 30 years ago, he had produced and performed numerous critically acclaimed works. Heng Leun's contributions to the arts have landed him awards from the Singapore National Arts Council – the Young Artist Award in 2000 and Cultural Fellowship in 2014. 

George Chua is a multidisciplinary artist based in Singapore, active since the late nineties. His prodigious output span across dance, performance art, digital art and experimental electronic music. As an explorer of the otherworldly potential of sound, he has no interest in developing a singular style or genre of music. Apart from his solo work and performances, his collaborative interests include live improvisation with sound, unconventional strategies for soundtracks and sound design for film and theatre. He has been using the modular synth since 2014 and in 2016 He performed in Tokyo Festival of Modular. Ujikaji Records releases his latest album Smokescreen on vinyl in 2020. 

anGie seah is an artist working in a range of mediums, traversing drawing, sculpture, sound, video, and performance. The artist has exhibited prolifically locally and overseas since 1997. For more than a decade, she has been creating participatory art projects for diverse communities allowing her to step outside and into the realm of the social, engaging and sharing her art with people. The artist is currently engaged in community art workshops and projects that research aging, mortality, and mental health issues.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR
Khairuddin Hori is the Director and Partner of Chan + Hori Contemporary in  Singapore. He is a contemporary art curator with international work experience. Previously he was Deputy Director of Artistic Programming at Palais de Tokyo in Paris, Senior Curator at the Singapore Art Museum, overseeing Singapore’s national collection for contemporary art, and was also Senior Curator for Curatorial Development at the National Heritage Board, Singapore. His curatorial work has been known for its multidisciplinary and unconventional approach that is influenced by his past experiences in theatre and art creation.

Presented by Islands Time-Based Art Festival 2022 (IBTA). Visit their website for the full programme.