Crazycat Picks: Festival of Women N.O.W. 2021
images T:>Works
Conceptualised by theatre artist Noorlinah Mohamed in 2019, and presented by T:>Works, Festival of Women N.O.W. celebrates alliances and solidarity between women through engagement, collaboration and dialogue.
N.O.W. 2021, in its third and final iteration, returns as an all-digital festival from 13 to 31 July 2021. The line-up explores different facets of the taboo, fear, intimacy and reclaims them as sources of power and inspiration. Each project brings to focus some under-discussed topics, such as the invisibility of Tamil women, desire and intimacy in ageing bodies and joy in historically marginalised communities. N.O.W. offers audiences, creators, crafters, and dreamers, a site to meet, emote, engage and gather.
The Crazycat team pick our favourites from the incredibly diverse lineup!
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Zahwah Bagharib picked...
(un)becoming
"Upon reading the snippet of (un)becoming — I am immediately intrigued to watch this piece. As a daughter myself, the relationship I have with my own mother is an interesting one. The up and down dynamics we have maybe similar to what many women are facing today, but are not widely talked about. I’d love to watch this piece to be a part of the conversation of mother-daughter relationships here in Singapore, which are a lot more complex than what’s presented on the surface."
Combining live performance, short films and digital snooping, (un)becoming uncovers the complex dynamics of mother-daughter relationships in Singapore today. Running from 14 to 17 July, (un)becoming is available on SISTIC.
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Revathie Dhanabalan picked...
Thamizhachi: A digital museum of Tamil Women Under Construction and its accompanying performance Rasanai: An Invitation to Appreciate
"This event made me think about contemporary notions around self-representation of Tamil women in Singapore. My grandmother and mother brought their own objects with them during their significant life events. My grandmother had her ‘ammikallu’ (stone grinder) with her when she migrated from India and my mother brought her ‘thosai kallu’ (cast iron tawa) when she moved out to her in-laws. These two kitchen objects were important to them because it related to their roles as wives and mothers. It will be interesting to see in this event; how the younger generation of Tamil women will determine how the simplest of objects can create their own unique space."
Thamizhachi: A digital museum of Tamil Women Under Construction is available for viewing on N.O.W.'s website. Rasanai: An Invitation to Appreciate invites you to a night of appreciating tastes and histories of the Singaporean Tamil women in the labour of life. Get your tickets at SISTIC. A one-night-only performance on 24 July, Rasanai: An Invitation to Appreciate is also a fundraiser dinner in aid of underserved communities such as the migrant workers, transgender individuals and children from low-income families. Learn more about the fundraising initiative here.
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Sarah Bagharib picked...
The 'F' Word
"Fear may be as old as life on Earth, something that is a deeply wired reaction for most of us. And it is also one that has such a strong effect on my mind and body. The effect that tells me that I need to worry, keep analysing while seeking out reassurance for all these fears.
I want to know what makes me afraid, anxious and really break down the nuances of fear; and to just be mindful when it comes to this particular emotion. This event seems to break it down to a tee and maybe it might just allow me to really observe my own mind. I am interested to see if it might allow me to really sit back and look at my thoughts and fears."
The ‘F’ Word is a three-part conversation on fear, with three different hosts and their special guests. N.O.W. Artistic Director Noorlinah Mohamed opens the series with Know Fear, exploring the psychology of fear on 13 July. The next two talks Get Intimate with Fear and Fear Not will be hosted by sexual wellness advocate Janice Lee and entrepreneur Corinne Ng on 21 and 28 July respectively. All talks are hosted on T:>Works' Facebook Live.
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N.O.W. tickets are now out on SISTIC. Get your tickets now, and join this gathering of women from ANYWHERE in the world. Learn more at notordinarywork.com.
✨INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY✨
We’re also currently running an international Instagram giveaway that ends tomorrow - two of our followers stand a chance to win a pair of tickets to the opening night of (un)becoming on 14th July at 7.30pm (GMT +8)! Find out more and join the giveaway here.