With a scintillating line-up of speakers from a plus-size model sharing her experiences on perception and identity, to a former documentary producer for Al Jazeera and Bloomberg TV reflecting on the challenges of her career, the inaugural edition of TEDxLASALLE on Sunday 4 February is set to live up to its tagline of Make Me: Make Me Question. Make Me Think. Make Me Act.
TEDxLASALLE is a TEDx initiative supported by LASALLE College of the Arts (LASALLE) and Haque Centre of Acting and Creativity (HCAC). It is the first TEDx initiative presented by an arts institution in Singapore, and is spearheaded by a team of BA(Hons) Arts Management students from LASALLE’s School of Creative Industries.
The half-day event, held at LASALLE’s McNally Campus in the heart of Singapore’s vibrant arts district, offers audiences an afternoon of fresh ideas, thoughts and stories from individuals that have travelled off the beaten path. The event will challenge mindsets, inspire innovation, and foster visionary ideas within a connected community by exploring diverse sectors of art, adventure, business, social science as well as science & technology.
“What sets LASALLE apart is that we have eight schools encompassing a wide range of art forms and inquiry right here under one roof, from fine arts to performing arts to film and more, and it’s also this interdisciplinary nature of LASALLE that makes it the perfect converging point for a platform like TEDx. As Arts Management students, LASALLE gives us many opportunities such as this to realise our ideas and gain invaluable hands-on experience organising arts events that make an impact,” said Ruth Chee, BA(Hons) Arts Management student, from the team leading TEDxLASALLE.
“TEDxLASALLE is an exciting platform to share ideas with the community in LASALLE College of the Arts and the public through meticulously curated topics, in hopes of providing insights to critical issues. Furthermore, the TEDxLASALLE initiative aims to be sustainable, foreseeing successful editions in the subsequent years.” said Sharon Jing Yi, co-producer of TEDxLASALLE: Make Me. As an alumnus of LASALLE College of the Arts, Sharon, in her early thirties, also saw this as an opportunity to serve her alma mater by leading her arts management juniors as a team mentor in the production process.
Starting off with talks exploring the perplexities of personal identities, this year’s TEDxLASALLE talks then move on to share experiences of social changes that stem from an individual level. Following this, the talks look into the effects of life choices and finally close with an examination on our fast-paced approach in our collective society. With a total of 7 speakers, TEDxLASALLE: Make Me will also feature a fringe activity called What Makes Me?, an interactive wall installation to encourage and enhance community sentiments quintessential to the TEDx spirit.
Redefining fashion in Singapore, plus-size model Priscilla Boh will be talking about the perceptions that shape our identity in this world. Speaking from her turbulent experiences in her adolescent years through adulthood, the delivery of her idea will be relatable to people at different stages in life. Another speaker at TEDxLASALLE: Make Me will be Sarah Bagharib, a former documentary producer/director who has worked on a wide range of programmes, from hard-hitting current affairs for Al Jazeera to a series on contemporary artists for Bloomberg TV, who will be sharing her reflections on the many struggles with self-doubt, and how it has taught her to overcome the hurdles in her life and career.
Other speakers at TEDxLASALLE: Make Me include:
- Becca D’Bus is a drag queen host, performer, emcee and producer currently resident on Saturdays at LuLu’s Lounge, and the producer and host of The Glory Hoes presented at The Projector.
- Laurence Vandenborre is the Founder and Managing Director of The Red Pencil, an international humanitarian organisation with a mission to bring the power of arts therapy to children, adults and families who have been through traumatic life circumstances.
- Muhd Ammar Nasrulhaq bin Abdul Karim is a visual creator both on the dance floor and through the lens. Driven by adrenaline, he loves pushing and transcending boundaries and believes in experiences more than certificates. He was born hearing but was hit with a high fever when he was an infant, resulting in his loss of hearing. Growing up in both Deaf and Hearing worlds, he witnessed and identifies with many differences and similarities in both worlds.
- Sharda Harrison is a Singaporean actress and arts educator who resides in Singapore. Sharda runs her own theatre and education company, Pink Gajah Theatre which she founded in 2013. She has been nominated numerous times for Best Supporting Actress at the Life Theatre Awards and recently was part of the winning ensemble for ‘Hotel’ by W!ld Rice.
- Pamela Ng is a local arts curator and writer. Pamela is the curator and founder of “Celebrating Women”, an inaugural charity art exhibition highlighting the multi-facade of female beauty. Overall, an informative collective of works to empower and bring light to women and their perceived roles in society.
During the talks, there will be short performances by LASALLE Diploma in Music students Krysta Joy and Desiree, and BA(Hons) Music students Orien Tay Ilina Hattangady, Kevin Gregory Peter and Joshua Perera.
