The Once and Future | New Vision Arts Festival 2023 | Show Introduction

In search of body and soul in the midst of apocalypse

Experience the coming together of film, laser display and live music performance in The Once and Future, a work of speculative fiction by the acclaimed Singaporean filmmaker (Locarno and Golden Horse winner) Yeo Siew Hua. Shot entirely in Argentina during the pandemic, Yeo’s film is a thoughtful probe of our humanity, the future of our earth and the voyages we have yet to make, in images that extend and expand our vision of ourselves.

© Singapore International Festival of Arts 2022

Breathing life into the film is an arresting, original musical score by composer Eugene Birman — praised for his “high drama” and “intense emotion” (BBC) — performed live by the ZeMu! Ensemble Berlin (the latest group stemming from the Berliner Philharmoniker). Personifying as artificial intelligence, Indian librettist and vocal soloist Anandi Bhattacharya guides the audience on this journey.

Whether we see ourselves exploring the wilderness or confined in a small room, fragments of memory constitute a mosaic that teaches us what it truly means to be human.

Show Details

• The Once and Future | New Vision Arts Festival 2023
• Date & Time:
• 21-22 Oct 2023, 15:00
• 21 Oct 2023, 20:00
• Venue: Hong Kong Cultural Centre
• Address: 10 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Ticket Details

• Tickets available at Urbtix
• Price: HKD 420 / 200

Remarks

• Approx 1 hr 15 mins with no interval
• Please arrive on time. Latecomers will only be admitted at a suitable break
• Performed in English, with Chinese and English subtitles on the film
• The film contains nudity and adult content. Audience below 18 will not be admitted
• Meet-the-artist sessions after 21 Oct evening performance

Credits

Director / Writer | Yeo Siew Hua

Producer / Concept | Roger Garcia

Curator | Topi Lehtipuu

Executive Producers | Eugene Birman, Roger Garcia, Topi Lehtipuu

Original Music | Eugene Birman

Soloist / Librettist | Anandi Bhattacharya, in collaboration with Microsoft Azure Computer Vision and Google Cloud API on the libretto

Conductor | Stanley Dodds

Live Music | Berliner Philharmoniker members performing as the ZeMu! Ensemble Berlin

Laser Designer | Flex (aka Chew Ming Wee)

Sound Designer and Installation | Christopher Keyes

Technical Manager | Kris Yee

Lighting Designer | Genevieve Peck

Sound Engineer (Berlin) | Christoph Franke

Performance Producer | Andrea Fessler

Technical Advisor | Joey Chan

Senior Associate Producer | Jeremy Chua

Associate Producers | Emma Johnson, Lauryn Kurniawan

Information Source: New Vision Arts Festival official website