Book Launch: On Happiness

by Michele Adriaens, 21 Jul 2010 | View Comments

On Happiness is the result of a decade old argument between punk musician-filmmaker Kenny Png, and ivory tower scribe Jeremy Fernando, put together by Michelle Andrea Wan. It is a (anti) self-help book for the terminally morose, and possibly even vaudeville entertainment for the opiated masses.

Composed mainly of two sections, the book pits a play written thirteen years ago by Png against a scathing close reading of its claims by Fernando. A combination of theatre, poetry, prose, a dose of academia, and a few poster-worthy caricatures, On Happiness attempts to address one of the most fundamental questions of modern life: can we empower ourselves to be happy, or is it always already beyond our control?

Of course, readers have the freedom to draw their own conclusions; or do they?

The book launch is scheduled for this Friday, 23 July, 7:30pm at BooksActually.

GRAFFITI ASIA Book Launch

by Michele Adriaens, 21 May 2010 | View Comments

GRAFFITI ASIA is the first book to examine the spread of graffiti in Asia, concentrating mainly on Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea and Taiwan, as well as the Philippines, China and Hong Kong.

Interviews provide an insight into the life of the graffiti artist in countries far removed from the graffiti origins in the US. They discuss the most popular graffiti locations, the attitudes of each country towards the idea of graffiti, and the network of established and emerging artists across the region.

The material in the book was collected first hand by the authors, who traveled around Asia photographing pieces, throw-ups, drip tags and more, as well as interviewing the featured artists.

ARTKORE is throwing a book launch party on 27 May (8pm-10pm) at Paper People, 49 Haji Lane. There is going to be live graffiti, a mini exhib, Graff on Girls and Skope X Paper People Blackbooks. So go grab some food and booze, or get high on xylene fumes. Oh, and don’t forget to pick up a copy of the book. It retails at $38. You can also pre-order a copy via info@thekorefoundation.com.

Ceriph, A Local Journal

by Michele Adriaens, 9 Mar 2010 | View Comments

Ceriph began as a non-profit project between three undergraduates, who noticed friends and acquaintances creating poetry, prose, and photography that deserved to be shared. They began a search for a space in print that was accessible to non-professional local writers, that was neither too formal nor flippant.

The inaugural issue of Ceriph is a compilation of poems, short fiction, pictures and non-fiction, telling quiet stories across busy cities, a thread that binds these tales into a book. The independently published Issue Zero features the works of Laremy Lee, Desirée Lim, Sudev S., Mark Lam, Shane Pereira, Lee Fur-Fur, Cai Li Xian, Ng Yiqin, Andrew Robert Ng, Sharlene Teo, Riot, Captain Crash, Jonah Sun, Wei Fen Lee, Ang Shao-Wen and Linette Lim.

Ceriph’s book launch will kick off at 7:30pm on 12 March at BooksActually. Join the facebook page for updates, or just cross out the date on your calendar.

Life’s A Stage by Stanley Yap

by Michele Adriaens, 17 Feb 2010 | View Comments

Stanley Yap is the designer and photographer behind Life’s A Stage, a book by author Evelyn Teng. The work is a behind-the-scenes look at the art and lives of the opera performers of Ong Si Mui’s Troupe, one of the last Hokkien opera troupes in Singapore. It also reveals glimpses of a vanishing art and captures a part of Singapore’s cultural history.

The book cover is inspired by the script synopsis which hangs near the stage entrance of every street opera troupe, and comes with a safety pin bookmark.

Like Fins for Feet: Eat. Drink. Fold. Sew. Draw. Books. Bags.

by Michele Adriaens, 11 Dec 2009 | View Comments

“One day, you awake to find a Blue Whale in your room. It is no different from the wind blowing across your path a moth or a paper bag. Once you get over the Whaleness of the moment, your day goes on, like it did yesterday, and most likely, like it will tomorrow. Today however..”

For those who missed the official launch of Like Fins for Feet, an all-ages picture book published under the First Time Writers and Illustrators Initiative, this evening is for you. Not so much a book launch as it is a reason for authors Perry Ho and Kristal Melson to meet friends and strangers alike before the year draws to a close.

About Perry and Kristal

Perry Ho’s learning curve for the form (writing that is) began in Poly where he wrote short stories, short films, and one feature length script. In Uni, he focused on smaller outcomes, writing poems the size of postage stamps, short stories the size of photographs, and one short film. These days, existence has been pared down to one perpetual thought– to comma or semi-colon? that, is the question. Now, parted with academic life, he looks to realise at least one of these. Till then, he keeps an umbrella close by, even when it is raining. And he never chews anything straight off the bone.

Kristal Melson is mostly an illustrator. Boom! Bang! Pow! There goes Kristal. Out the door, spinning around, turning plain things into gold. Wearing mittens to stop things from changing! Hiding in the dark and playing wildly in the night, Kristal Melson captures dreams with pencils and paints alike. Fantastical wonderings, fleeting feet, dancing toes and spiraling tips are all a part of her charm and mystique. Drifting in and out of galaxies at the twitching of her thumbs, she leaves a trail of her doodling behind in large unhealthy clumps. Curvy 5 and Grafuck 3 – in Melbourne and Los Angeles, it doesn’t matter where she’s been or even what she should have seen. Just walk along now little one, and have some ice cream. Child, it does not matter if you don’t like ice-cream.

Saturday, 12 December, 4pm at BooksActually. Also available at this event will be original drawings and selected merchandise.