藝術作為社會改革論壇 Forum on Art and Social Change (2021)

Arts and Social Changes Research Project Poster
Arts and Social Changes Research Project Poster_v6_Schedule

論壇日程 Programme Schedule

05.5.2021 (Wed)
19:00-21:00 pm

Arts in the time of Covid – A practice for Dementia and Carers
Sinead Devine

Embedding Quality Arts Engagement for Older People at the heart of Health Social and Community Care Services
Jenny Elliott

The Art of Ageing: Practices and Principles of Arts for Older People in Northern Ireland
Matt Jennings

The Agelessness of Hoping, against the Hopelessness of Ageing: Theatre for All Time
Octavian Saiu

Q&A and Discussion

Moderator: Benny Lim

06.5.2020 (Thur)
15:00-17:00 pm

Loving our Golden Years
Chia Peng Chwan

Access Path: Disrupting and dismantling the mainstream notion of Inclusion via artistic praxis in Singapore
Grace Lee-Khoo

The social engagement during the pandemic period-Using Men of Winds as a case study
Lin Ka Chun

The Transgenerational Transmission of Vernacular Wisdom
Ian Alden Russell

Q&A and Discussion

Moderator: Benny Lim

06.5.2020 (Thur)
19:00-21:00 pm

A Case Study on a Bilingual Radio Play Chap Lau (10 Story Flats)
Peggy Ferroa

Social Creativity: Rethinking Participation and Social Engagement
Caleb Lee

Community Music and Arts Empowerment – Case study of a community music group of senior citizens in Shek Kip Mei 
David Lui

Elderly Empowerment: Promoting Wellbeing and Health through Thai Traditional Dance
ShawHong Ser

Q&A and Discussion

Moderator: Benny Lim

5 May 2021 19:00-21:00 

Arts in the time of Covid – A practice for Dementia and Carers.
Sinead Devine (Top Ten Women’s Drama Group, Northern Ireland, UK)

DEEDS (Dementia Engaged and Empowered in Derry and Strabane) provide person-centred arts-based activities for people with dementia living in the community in Northern Ireland. What happens when Covid ends face-to-face engagement? This presentation will show how DEEDS has adapted delivery to provide arts engagement online through Facebook and YouTube, as well as developing other doorstep interventions for people with dementia. We have responded to the needs of carers, who have been struggling without respite, providing person-centered arts training for carers to develop skills and create structure and engagement in activities with their loved ones at home.

Embedding Quality Arts Engagement for Older People at the heart of Health Social and Community Care Services.
Jenny Elliott (Arts Care, Northern Ireland, UK)

Arts Care has for thirty years developed models of engaging Older People in the Arts to enhance their quality of life, support their mental health and well-being and transform their experience of healthcare. The presentation will focus on how Arts Care during the Covid-19 Pandemic transformed their methods of Arts delivery including the annual Here & Now Older People’s Regional Arts and Well-being Festival, into a ‘Blended’ Digital Arts Delivery model that includes Arts Training for staff and carers, enabling increased access to participation in the Arts for the most vulnerable older people living in residential care and rurally isolated.

The Art of Ageing: Practices and Principles of Arts for Older People in Northern Ireland.
Matt Jennings (Ulster University, Northern Ireland, UK)

In this conversation with practitioners Sinead Devine (DEEDS) and Dr Jenny Elliott (Arts Care), Dr Matt Jennings will discuss their arts projects for older people in Northern Ireland and how their work relates to similar practices and research internationally. We will discuss the ethics, aesthetics, and impact of arts for older people; the benefits of participation for health and wellbeing; evidence and evaluation; and key challenges faced by people working in the field. Other topics will include: ‘reminiscence’ arts; ‘person-centered practice; funding and policy agendas; context, environment and relationship; and the experience of delivering work online during the CoVID-19 pandemic.

The Agelessness of Hoping, against the Hopelessness of Ageing: Theatre for All Time.
Octavian Saiu (National University of Theatre and Film, Romania)

How is ageing, rather than mere age, depicted on stage? As the art of the moment, theatre seems to be ill-equipped in addressing something that literature and cinema have turned into a most common theme. And yet… There is something about the dramatic and the performative presence of the body that can instantly evoke the meaning of ageing, while charging it with multiple emotions.

This presentation will be about theatre, ageing, and hope: a most improbable combination, but one that is now, in the context of our world, absolutely essential.

6 May 2021 15:00-17:00 

Loving our Golden Years
Chia Peng Chwan (Singapore University of Social Sciences)

What makes a holistic retirement life and what are the positive social aspects of aging? Peng Chwan will be sharing on the various aspects of what makes a fulfilling retirement life based on the interviews that he has done in his course of work in the social and financial services.  He will also be sharing on how we can better prepare ourselves as we transit and plan for our retirement life.

Access Path: Disrupting and dismantling the mainstream notion of Inclusion via artistic praxis in Singapore.
Grace Lee-Khoo (Access Path Productions, Singapore)

This presentation by Access Path founder Grace Lee-Khoo examines the fossilized definition of inclusion and diversity in Singapore and how it impacts marginalized communities, particularly the Deaf, Disabled and aging. The Social model of disability firmly roots and guides the process of every disability-led project, centering community engagement and collaboration on its participants’ lived experiences and positionalities. The belief that a healthy, ethical and adequately-resourced process guarantees efficacy and impactful outcomes will be fleshed out via case studies of recent projects.

The social engagement during the pandemic period-Using Men of Winds as a case study.
Lin Ka Chun (Men of Winds, HK)

For the past two years, Men of Winds has gone through many obstacles. Unfortunately, the social movement in 2019 and Covid-19 in 2020 has affected Men of Winds’ operation.  At the same time, it created an opportunity for Men of Winds to engage more in society. Men of Winds successfully held online concerts, master classes, forums, interviews, and a physical concert to increase public awareness on the topic of senior arts.

The Transgenerational Transmission of Vernacular Wisdom
Ian Alden Russell (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Hong Kong is a city known for a staggering pace of development and change. Conversely, it is also celebrated for the myriad lifeways and cultural traditions which have persisted despite rapid modernization. This paper will discuss Vamik Volkan’s group psychological concept of trans-generational transmission and adapt it to the vernacular wisdom of older age citizens in Hong Kong. Specifically, it will discuss traditional cultural practices in Hong Kong and their role in promoting intergenerational resilience and cohesion. Case studies discussed include the Community Museum Project and the publication of Lindsay Varty’s Sunset Survivors, amongst others.

6 May 2021 19:00-21:00 

A case study on a bilingual radio play Chap Lau (10 Storey Flats).
Peggy Ferroa (The Glowers Drama Group, Singapore)

The covid pandemic has forced art making around the world to go online. In Singapore, seniors’ drama group The Glowers, decided to turn their upcoming production into a radio play. Seniors from Chinese and English speaking backgrounds had to go online for all their rehearsals before they went in groups to a recording studio. This case study looks at how the cast, with ages ranging from 65 to 80 years, increased their confidence in online communication and added new performance skills to their repertoire.

Social Creativity: Rethinking Participation and Social Engagement.
Caleb Lee (Rose Bruford College, UK)

In recent years, arts practitioners, policymakers and scholars have moved away from traditional, commercial approaches to arts-making, and instead of striving to understand how co-creative activities can become an integral part of the artistic experience and contribute to cultural life. Combining personal reflections with theoretical insights, I will explore the collective and relational nature of creative practice and how connections amongst a group of people can help facilitate an active and supportive community. In doing so, I consider how such approaches might extend access to creative activities to people from diverse backgrounds, encourage reciprocity and wider engagement in a changing climate.

Community Music and Arts Empowerment – Case study of a community music group of senior citizens in Shek Kip Mei.
David Lui (Centre for Community Cultural Development, HK)

Community Music is a community art form facilitating people to create their own music to express emotions, share concerns on self and society, so as to promote and implement the idea that ‘everyone is a creator.

In Shek Kip Mei, a district with a strong historical heritage, a group of senior citizens has formed a community music group for about 5 years. With the experience of creating 5 songs in approximately 100 workshop hours, the group had explored various aspects of life and social issues. Some members of the groups will be invited to conduct a group interview, reviewing their experience, what had been accomplished, and what are to be looked forward. A brief conceptualization of community music practice in the senior citizens’ perspective and its potential contribution to social changes will be explored.

Elderly Empowerment: Promoting Wellbeing and Health through Thai Traditional Dance.
ShawHong Ser (Chulalongkorn University, Thailand)

Driven by the scholarly interest in empowering the elder through the art. This presentation will share a case study of Thai traditional dances as a creative intervention for elderly empowerment, particularly on health and social wellbeing improvement. A case study from “Suan-Oy Community Center for all Age Groups” in Bangkok on how traditional dances can collaborate in a unique, dynamic partnership with a community development program to empower the aged population will be presented. The purpose of this presentation is to illustrate how and in what ways traditional dances can be offered to promote physical and mental wellness among the aged population that often have lower amounts of participation in cultural and physical activity.

關於講者 About the Speaker

Sinead Devine

Sinead Devine has worked in community arts practice for thirty years, establishing an award-winning community arts department for Derry Playhouse. For the Workers’ Educational Association, she developed a new accredited arts training programme and the Learning Age Project for older people, including Body Wisdom; Contemporary dance group and Top Ten Women’s Drama Group who present issue-based work. In 2014, she extended the Verbal’s Reading Rooms specifically for older people primarily in care homes and created accredited training for volunteer readers. Based in the Old Library Trust, she co-ordinates DEEDS –(dementia programme) and Older Peoples Services including arts-based activities and training.

Jenny Elliott

Dr Jenny Elliott is Chief Executive/ Artistic Director of Arts Care, an Arts in Health organisation delivering Arts Programmes across Health, Social and Community Care Services, Northern Ireland. Jenny has worked locally and internationally in Arts and Health for 30 years as a choreographer, lecturer and researcher. Her PhD study explored the impact of creating a contemporary dance company with service users with enduring brain trauma and the nursing staff in a Neuro-Rehabilitation Unit. She developed a dance, live performance and film-based methodology to capture their ‘lived experience’ and applies this methodology in the evaluation of Arts and Older People.

Matt Jennings

Dr Matt Jennings is Lecturer in Drama at Ulster University, where he teaches courses and supervises research in Performance and Health, Educational Arts, Theatre and Community, and many others. Originally from Australia, but based in Northern Ireland since 2001, he has worked in the field of Arts and Health, arts education, community arts and applied drama. In 2010, Matt completed a PhD on the contribution of community drama to conflict transformation in Northern Ireland. Dr Matt Jennings currently provides training in person-centred communication for health professionals, as co-founder of the Health Action Training company with Pat Deeny and Karl Tizzard-Kleister

Octavian Saiu

Professor Octavian Saiu is a scholar and professional theatre critic. He teaches in the Postgraduate Programme of NUTF, the Doctoral School of Sibiu University. He was Visiting Scholar at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Visiting Fellow at the University of London, School of Advanced Study. He has taught and offered master classes at various universities in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, as well as the Grotowski Institute. He is the Chair of the Conferences of Sibiu International Theatre Festival, the Chair of the Craiova Shakespeare Studies Conference, the Adjunct Secretary General of the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC) and President of the Romanian Section – Theatre Studies of IATC. He received the Critics’ Award in 2010, the Award of the Union of Theatre Artists (UNITER) in 2013, and the title of Knight of the Order of Merit from the President of Romania in 2020.

Chia Peng Chwan

PC started out his career with helping those who needed financial assistance from the government. He moved on to take charge of outcome, incident management and business continuity planning in the eldercare sector.

He was later appointed as Assistant Superintendent for a psychiatric rehabilitation home.  He progressed on to be the Head of Home for a children’s home.  PC took a sabbatical after 11 years in social services.

 His current role is a financial consultant and he is also pursuing a Masters in Gerontology. With the completion of his Masters, he wants to provide a holistic overview as we approach retirement and our senior years together.

Grace Lee-Khoo

Grace Lee-Khoo founded Access Path Productions, Singapore’s first disability-led theatre company. She graduated with an MA in Applied Theatre from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and a BA (Honors) from the National University of Singapore’s Theatre Studies program. A director, performer, dramaturg, researcher, educator and producer who works internationally, Grace was International Artist-in-residence at Graeae Theatre Company (London) in 2017. Currently she is a Singapore International Foundation Arts for Good Fellow, and David Glass Ensemble associate artist. As a lecturer/facilitator, she taught at National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Lasalle College of the Arts, Brock University, University of Philippines Diliman, University College Cork etc.

Lin Ka Chun

Native Hong Kong, Lin Ka Chun is the Founder and  Director of Arts Administration of Men of Winds. He graduated from the University of Otago in New Zealand, majoring in Politics and Asian Studies, followed by a Master of Arts in Cultural Management from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Having led the ELCHK Men in Jazz Music Project, the project was awarded the Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2018, the Award for Arts Education for the non-school category. Lin has a particular interest in music and wind band history, cultural policy in music and arts development, and senior citizen arts development .

Ian Alden Russell

Ian Alden Russell is an Associate Professor in Cultural Studies and Director of the MA Programme in Cultural Management at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Previously, he has held the posts of Artistic Director and Chief Curator with K11 in Beijing, Curator of Brown University’s David Winton Bell Gallery, Lecturer in the Rhode Island School of Design’s Glass Department, Instructor with Brown University’s School of Professional Studies and Assistant Professor of Curating and Contemporary Art at Koç University in Istanbul, Turkey. He received a Ph.D. in History from Trinity College Dublin, and he has held fellowships at Brown University, University of Notre Dame and University College Dublin.

Peggy Ferroa

Peggy Ferroa brings her vast experience from stage, screen and radio to communities to establish safe, creative spaces for dialogue and discovery. She has co-created performances with corporates, heartlanders, senior citizens, end of life patients, ex-offenders, prison officers, inmates and cultural communities like the Peranakans. Her plays for seniors have been featured at the Singapore International Festival of Arts, Singapore’s Silver Arts Festival, Japan’s World Gold Theatre Festival and Malaysia’s George Town Festival. Peggy is also known for her work with inmates, a community she has been working with since 2006. Her work in prison has been presented at local and international conferences as well as published.

Caleb Lee

Dr Caleb Lee is a researcher-producer working at the intersection of performance and young people, with over a decade of experience in the academy and the creative industries. His research has spanned artistic works and practices drawn from diverse parts of the world. He is presently Research Associate at Rose Bruford College, where he leads the international practices strand on the MA TYA programme and helps develop the TYA Centre. Alongside his academic career, Caleb is founding Co-Artistic Director of Five Stones Theatre – an international and interdisciplinary collective that creates quality theatre and dance productions for children and young people.

 

David Lui

David Lui is a community cultural development worker, art administrator and theatre practitioner who possesses a multi-training background, ranging from social work, performing and community art. Lui has over 10 years of cultural management and frontline experience, 2000 hours of performing and workshop conducting experience.

As a project manager of Centre for Community Cultural Development and a member of FM Theatre Power, Lui is working on various community art projects in different positions including but not limited to coordinator, trainer, director and performer. He is also a current research postgraduate student at City University of Hong Kong conducting a research on arts empowerment.

ShawHong Ser

ShawHong Ser is currently the Vice-Chairman/ Assoc. Prof of Communication Management program at Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University (Thailand). He received a D.B.A. in Design Management from UITM (Poland), E.M.A. in Museology – New Media and Museum Communication from IULM (Italy), M.A. in Cultural Management from Chulalongkorn University (Thailand), and B.F.A. in Communication Design from University of Tasmania (Australia). He is an accomplished educator and expert cultural industries university professor with broad teaching experience within the higher education institutions in Asia. ShawHong Ser is also a multi-award-winning designer with expertise in identity and branding design.