A little background...

The Flying Circus Project started off in 1994 as an effort to inspire a pan-Asian performance tradition, bringing together traditional Asian performing artists and contemporary theatre practitioners to share and workshop. The products of this first generation of culture were Theatreworks's big ol' epic dramas like Lear and Desdemona where kabuki divas rubbed shoulders with rappers, alternately adored and deplored for their ambition, beauty and arguable autoexoticism.


From the 5th FCP in 2004 onwards, however, attention turned towards the development of individual contemporary artists, with a focus on visual artists (who're really the vanguard of the cultural experimentation in Singapore today, IMHO). With a programme of free discussion events and an agenda of provoking casual, interdisciplinary discussion, FCP's since hosted artists and intellectuals like Jerome Bel, Ho Tzu Nyen, Goenawan Mohamad, Tony Chakar, Tan Kai Syng, Bilal Khbeiz, Navin Rawanchaikul, Nadia Bamadhaj, Popo, Tintin Wulia, Ly Daravuth, KYTV and Tsunamii.net.

But enough with the name-dropping. My name's Ng Yi-Sheng, I'm a writer in Singapore, and this year, I happen to be a Creative-In-Residence at 72-13. KS (Keng Sen) has directed me to be a witness - half-participant, half historian - at this year's FCP, moving between Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City to create some kind of daily and immortal document on our activities, thought processes, personalities, debates, etc. during our 100 hours of pleasure.

The merry men and maidens I'll mingle with include:

Brian Gothong Tan, Singapore
Caden Manson, New York City
David Subal, Vienna
Francis Ng, Singapore
Julie Atlas Muz, New York City
Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba, Ho Chi Minh City
Kaffe Matthews, London
Katarina Eismann, Stockholm
Kim Ngoc, Hanoi
Koosil-Ja, New York City
Luigi de Angelis, Ravenna, Italy
Meg Stuart, Berlin
Melati Suryodarmo, Gross Gleidingen, Germany
Michikazu Matsune, Vienna
Naeem Mohaiemen, Dhaka/NYC
Nibroll - Mikuni Yannaihara & Keisuke Takahashi, Tokyo
Ong Keng Sen, Singapore
Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky, New York City
Rachid Ouramdane, Paris
Raqs Media Collective, New Delhi
Tadasu Takamine, Kyoto
Tiffany Chung, Ho Chi Minh City
Yuen Chee Wai, Singapore

They run the gamut from sound art, burlesque dance, commercial filmmaking, deejaying, choreography and activism. Stay tuned for morethandaily updates.