OCT–DEC 2023

Tactility Studies:
A Sense of Body


Presented as part of the Resonates With Residency in conjunction with Gallery Children’s Biennale 2023 at National Gallery Singapore



IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Bernice’s head and hands as well as Gua Khee’s hands interweave in and through Izziyana Suhaimi’s Can you see the forest for the trees? (2023), an installation of yarn knotted across large wooden frames. Bernice is focused on braiding her hair to the installation, while Gua Khee is tying a scrap of T-shirt yarn to add to the installation.



SYNOPSIS

Tactility Studies presents A Sense of Body, a multi-programme response to Gallery Children’s Biennale: Let’s Make A Better Place. Through a series of family-friendly performance activations and workshops, Tactility Studies will bring children and adults alike on a playful journey! Along with participants, they will explore the “body” of various artworks and experiment with how people can relate to them. Through the act of paying attention to these interactions between ourselves and other bodies (both human and non-human), Tactility Studies invites audiences to experience the Gallery Children’s Biennale artworks afresh, and in doing so, be more attentive to the complexity of the ecosystems that we are a part of.

A Sense of Body by Tactility Studies is supported by the Mingxin Foundation.



PERFORMANCE ACTIVATION #1

bodyobdydoby

Sat, 28 Oct 2023
2.30–3.45pm
Various Locations,
National Gallery Singapore

SYNOPSIS

In this bodily procession through selected Gallery Children’s Biennale (GCB) artworks, audiences will be invited by performers to pay attention to the spatial, aural and kinaesthetic aspects of each artwork, as well as how these aspects shift across the various GCB artworks. The hyper-embodied ‘tour’ challenges audiences to consider: What feelings does each artwork evoke in our bodies? Do specific parts of/within our bodies come more alive or sprawl out in response to a particular artwork? In what ways do the artworks invite audiences to respond and play and move through them?



CREDITS

Co-Directors

Bernice Lee
Chong Gua Khee


Producer

The Public Space


Assistant Producer

Nadhra Hasri 


Project Assistant

Ning Poh


Performers

Bernice Lee
Shahizman Sulaiman
Neo Jialing


Music by

SAtheCollective

first created for Tactility Studies: Pandemic Distances (2020), Tactility Studies: Hold to Reset (2021) and Tactility Studies: Where Our Lost Things Live (2022)


PERFORMANCE ACTIVATION #2

lub-dub, what’s up

Sat, 25 Nov 2023
2.30–3.30pm
Former Supreme Court Foyer, L1
(Foundation Wave)
National Gallery Singapore

SYNOPSIS

What is the heartbeat of an artwork? What are the rhythms in it, and how does it pass time in the space it inhabits? How might we move, speak, and play together?

In this performance, audiences are invited to slow down and just be. Join Tactility Studies in creating visual rhythms alongside Foundation Wave by Kumi Yamashita while playing with the artwork and architecture!

CREDITS

Co-Directors

Bernice Lee
Chong Gua Khee


Producer

The Public Space


Assistant Producer

Nadhra Hasri


Project Assistant

Ning Poh


Performers

Chew Shaw En
Vanessa Toh


Installation Artist
(Research & Development)

Victoria Hertel


PERFORMANCE ACTIVATION #3

the forest is (still) a wild thing!

Sat, 16 Dec 2023  
2.30–3.45pm
Auditorium Ante Room, City Hall Wing, B1 (Can you see the forest for the trees?)
National Gallery Singapore

SYNOPSIS

How does a body expand and shrink across time and space? What might it look like for an artwork to take over a museum? Can you see the forest for the trees? by Izziyana Suhaimi invites the audience to add to the artwork, while constantly pruning these additions back to allow for even more contributions. In this way, we ask: What happens if we allow the body of the artwork free rein to grow?



CREDITS

Co-Directors

Bernice Lee
Chong Gua Khee


Producer

The Public Space


Assistant Producer

Nadhra Hasri


Project Assistant

Ning Poh
Rayyan Rizdian


Performers

Nur Arianty
Neo Jialing
Chew Shaw En
Shahizman Sulaiman
Syarifuddin Sahari
Vanessa Toh


Music by

SAtheCollective

first created for Tactility Studies: Hold to Reset (2021)

Special Thanks
T-shirt yarn from Natalia Tan (@natalia_weaves), yarn from Neo Jialing (@lifeofapotatodancer) and donations to National Gallery Singapore.


WORKSHOP

I touch you touch this touches me

Sat, 10 Dec 2023
10.30am–12pm,
2.30pm–4pm
Rooftop Studios 1–4,
National Gallery Singapore

SYNOPSIS

Using materials from the various Gallery Children’s Biennale artworks, Gua Khee and Bernice will introduce some of the concepts and exercises they have developed over the years of working on Tactility Studies projects, which encourages participants to play — and also care for their own and other bodies. Come and join us to explore more about touch and consent!

CREDITS

Co-Facilitators

Bernice Lee
Chong Gua Khee


Producer

The Public Space


Assistant Producer

Nadhra Hasri





PREV PROJECT
NEXT PROJECT