Popular multi-disciplinary arts festival ARTWALK Little India, jointly organised by LASALLE College of the Arts (LASALLE) and Singapore Tourism Board (STB), with the support of Little India Shopkeepers and Heritage Association, returns for its fourth edition in January 2018 as part of Singapore Art Week. With an extended programme across 10 days, and the addition of new hands-on activities such as Dress-a-Puppet workshops and Aura Photography readings, visitors can expect an immersive experience like no other.

Now in its fourth year, ARTWALK Little India brings the theme of “Urban Mythology” to life through colourful murals that unearth hidden stories of the precinct. Eunice Lim’s Book-a-Meeting cleverly incorporates the 30-year-old Siyamala Bookstore and its owner into her artwork, allowing visitors to say “hello” to him as he sits in his shop next to the mural, while Shah Rizzal has transported Little India’s landmark shophouses, roadside trucks and posters onto his mural Layers. 

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.

The 2017 National Day Parade funpack, designed by LASALLE Diploma in Design Communication students Riche Tay and Denise Richter, is one of the lightest in parade history. Weighing in at 1.5kg, the pack is water-resistant and features a roll-down top for more compact carrying.

"We wanted to make the bags trendy... and more compact and user-friendly," said Riche, while Denise added that they hoped to make a bag that people would still use after National Day.

ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Three years ago, LASALLE College of the Arts opened its doors to welcome its first batch of students to its twelve new diploma programmes, designed to train vocationally confident graduates for the creative industries in Singapore. Today, these students, hailing from a range of disciplines, stood proudly on stage to receive their Diploma certificates at LASALLE’s 28th Convocation ceremony.  

MINT Museum of Toys combined imagination and vintage toys by opening up its collection to LASALLE’s Animation students, who spent a day sketching at the museum. In a race against the clock, the students turned these sketches into 10 seconds of dynamic 2D animation within 24 hours over two days. These works by LASALLE students will now be on display at MINT Museum of Toys throughout August in a new exhibition, Toys in Animation, that breathes life into vintage toys from wind-up tin toys to classic cartoon characters.

Jerome Lim’s education may have took a little meandering but he is ultimately on his desired pathway now. At LASALLE’s 31st Convocation, he was awarded the highest academic honour - the McNally Award for Excellence in the Arts – for his outstanding coursework in the BA(Hons) Fashion Media and Industries Programme. 

What affirmed his decision to pursue his interest in fashion were the internships he undertook during his gap year. Upon witnessing how passionate Jerome was, his parents decided to stand by his decision and support him through.

Mr Syaril Amri Mohd Tajuddin, who graduated from LASALLE’s Diploma in Dance, set his heart to take up the course at LASALLE after talking with two established dancers, Mr Shahrin Johry and Mr Mohamad Sufri Juwahir.

Syaril shared that one of his unforgettable memories at LASALLE was being the only Diploma student selected for a dance production by the well-known dance trainer and lecturer, Albert Tiong.

Contemporary dance is more about primal instincts than plot progression, explains dancer/choreographer Lee Mun Wai.

In an exhibition by Zao Wou-Ki at Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI), LASALLE presented a dance performance in an interdisciplinary collaboration between Susan Sentler, Lecturer, School of Dance & Theatre, five Diploma Level 3 dance students – Chua Peiyun, Lynn Tan Ling, Muhd Sharul Mohd, Nur Afiqah Binte Rapee, and Vasantha Tan Zi