Pickles & Chickens: Stories of Food & Sustainability | Beyond Text

Important Notice

This programme/event is open to members of the National Library Board, Singapore. Please ensure you have your myLibrary username on hand before proceeding with the registration. If you do not have a myLibrary username, you can create one here: https://account.nlb.gov.sg/.

About the Programme:

Singapore is often called a food paradise; but is it the same as being a land of plenty? What food stories can we uncover from history, or salvage from the scraps we throw away in our present-day kitchens? In this session of Beyond Text, we look at how eco-theatre and food literature helps us rethink eating local, our relationship with food, and its historical roots on our shores.

Join our panel as they delve into the food heritage of Singapore and the Malay Archipelago, and discuss what food sustainability means to them.

2.00pm - 3.00pm: Panel discussion by the speakers with Q&A

3.00pm - 3.30pm: Gallery walk of books and artefacts curated by the speakers at the event venue

About the Speakers:

Khir Johari (speaker)

Khir Johari was born and raised in historic Kampong Gelam, Singapore, in his family home Gedung Kuning, a treasure house of culinary knowledge and recipes.

Khir studied mathematics at Santa Clara University, a Jesuit university in California. He then completed a Masters in Education at Stanford University. Since returning to Singapore, Khir has focused on research into the food cultures of maritime Southeast Asia. He relishes every opportunity to document oral histories and preserve objects of material culture such as old publications, artifacts, textiles and music. He was elected Vice President of the Singapore Heritage Society in 2016 to promote public education and advocacy. Khir enjoys writing articles and giving talks on history, heritage and culture.

Ang Xiao Ting (speaker)

Xiao Ting (angxiaoting.com) is a freelance theatre practitioner (actor, director, dramaturg). She is an Associate Artist with The Theatre Practice (Singapore) and Programmer for Practice Tuckshop.

Her practice in Eco-Theatre considers the various degrees of an integrated ecological practice, with a focus on Southeast Asian foodways, such as: Recess Time – which toured to World Stage Design 2022 (Calgary) and received an 'Honourable Mention' at #CreateCOP27 - a global open call for art that responds to the climate emergency in conjunction with COP27. Recent directing commissions include: Extinction Feast (Singapore Writers’ Festival), Pickle Party (Singapore Night Festival) and Performing the Director's Notes: All The World's A Sea (Singapore International Festival of the Arts). In 2023, she was also the staging director for Ding Yi Music Company's ECOncert.

She has been invited to speak on numerous international panels and conferences about how her practice intersects with the green transition. These include: Prague Quadrennial, Association of Asia Pacific Arts Centres (AAPPAC) and Trans/Missions (University of the Arts, Singapore).

Xiao Ting is a recipient of the National Arts Council Undergraduate Scholarship. She graduated from Lancaster Institute of Contemporary Arts (UK) where she received the LICA prize for Outstanding Achievement in Theatre.

Marcus Koe, Habitat Collective (moderator)

Marcus Koe is an anthropology graduate with a keen interest in humanity, the environment, and the intersections between them. His journey as an urban farmer started back in 2017, and he has since passionately pursued expertise in designing ecological food gardens and forests, small and human-scale systems, permaculture inspired regenerative solutions, and community supported agriculture.

Check out a video feature on Marcus here.

About Beyond Text:

Explore Beyond Text, an NLB literary arts series delving into the multisensory experience of reading. Discover how creators and industry professionals tell stories on wellness, sustainability, and careers through comics, theatre, and more.

Join the conversation on how we encounter words and images in today's world! To sign up for the other Beyond Text sessions, click here!

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