Work-Life: The Making of Community

A two-day forum featuring leading artists from Singapore, the UK and Australia

Presented by the Theatre Training & Research Programme (TTRP) and the British Council Singapore, in collaboration with the National Museum

What makes a community? How can community celebrations help to celebrate identity and difference? Can art bring communities together? And how do artists work with communities to empower them to make their voices heard?

Sixteen leading artists discussed, debated and developed the ideas of why and how art can be used effectively and responsibly to produce greater understanding, greater tolerance and greater appreciation of the role and importance of community in an increasingly intercultural world. From large-scale community dance, music programmes and public feasts, to intimate works developed in the spaces of forum theatre and in filmed dialogues, examples of best practice both from home and abroad were explored and analysed and the issues and challenges of community engagement and representation were discussed.

The forum consisted of panel discussions, presentations, workshops and site visits. The forum was intended for those who need to develop and deliver community arts and engagement programmes so practical solutions and models were provided across the two days. The forum was jointly moderated by T. Sasitharan from TTRP and Ali Campbell from Queen Mary, University of London.