Suntec Singapore Shows Heart & Soul For The Arts

Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre has rolled out an arts support programme called "Heart & Soul at Suntec Singapore" to provide a world-class, public platform to showcase the arts here. This gives both arts talents and organisers affordable and easy access to a highly reputable and conveniently- located venue. The new programme also aims to promote the use of the arts as an educational tool to increase the knowledge and appreciation of the many cultures and  societies around the world, as well as to support local arts education. The Centre is launching its venue partnership programme with the opening of the upcoming public exhibition "Art for Afghan: A Visual Experience" that runs from 24 March to 6 April.

"Through this "Heart & Soul at Suntec Singapore" programme, we hope to be able to contribute significantly to Singapore's image as a vibrant global arts city. Our aim is to nurture the young and the promising talents here by providing an excellent and easily accessible venue to showcase their works,  be it visual or performing arts. With 100,000 square metres of space, we are able to offer arts organisers versatile space to hold a wide variety of activities from intimate poetry recitals to sprawling exhibitions and busking events and even to intricate theater productions and concerts. This 'Heart & Soul at Suntec Singapore" programme makes available a world-class venue with a local and global visitorship to promote the arts," said Mr. Warren J. Buckley, Chief Executive Officer of Suntec Singapore.

Using a combined approach of venue partnership and/or flexible pricing, Suntec Singapore hopes to be able to showcase art from around the world and about the world, as well as be a catalyst in generating more local arts activities. For example if the project is a non-profit arts education exhibition that reaches an acceptable quality, Suntec Singapore is open to coming in  to sponsor the space, while for other types of activities, the presenters could be given up a discount off the usual rates. The Centre also provides marketing support by availing poster display space around the venue and commercial spots on the enormous electronic board facing the junction of  Nicoll Highway and Raffles Boulevard Road. The beneficiaries would have to fulfill a few basic criterias like the purpose, the format, and the messages of the projects, and the financial participation and ability of the talents or organisations.

For the "Art for Afghan" project, Suntec Singapore provided space at no charge to the two final year student organisers, who were required to raise  all the necessary resources as part of their graduation project. Marketing support for the event was also given in the form of providing poster advertisement space and advertisement spots on the electronic board to promote the exhibition.

The project by the two students aimed to provide valuable insights into how young children view the world amidst the messages and images  communicated by the mass media. Using the subject of war-torn Afghanistan, they set out to educate the primary and secondary children on the cultural and natural landscapes of Afghanistan. The workshops' theme was " What is the world like to me?" and the efforts culminated with 200  pieces of outstanding art pieces produced by children between 10 to 14 years old from four schools, namely, CHIJ Primary (Toa Payoh), Dunman High School, the German School and Nan Hua Secondary School. These works are displayed at the Level 2 Walkway of Suntec Singapore from 24 March to 6 April 2003.

Mr Buckley comments: "An artist, whether young or old, an amateur or professional, observes nature and the life around him and then translates that into his or her work. We believe that art enlarges the form of society and  it is an important element in keeping people fresh and preventing us from working only by formula or the tried and tested. Besides providing a valuable platform to spur growth in the arts scene, Suntec Singapore also hopes to facilitate the use of arts to feed the inspiration of people here."