2062

There’s only a week left to the annual NUS Arts Festival, and there are still so many activities and events that the NUS Centre for the Arts (CFA) has lined up for you! If you’re still thinking about which one to go for, you might want to take a look at the title of this article! … No, I don’t mean heading down to the nearest Singapore Pools outlet—I’m talking about 2062, an amazing cinematic live theatre performance by Karla Kracht and Andrés Beladiez, two creative individuals whose interests focus on “the present, the now and here within society, [and] the place we occupy in it as individuals.”

The duo hail from Europe, with Karla from Germany and Andrés from Spain. Not only have they developed their work in creation residences in countries such as Portugal, Bolivia and even Korea, but they are active participants of community activities and talks as well. They also conduct interesting courses and workshops which deal with a variety of artistic techniques, including animation and live video, and cardboard models. In fact, they’re hosting an exclusive “Create your own live cinema performance” workshop this Saturday (25 March 2017)! So if you plan on catching 2062, you might want to book a ticket for this hands-on workshop too; you’ll be able to try your hand at animation, stop-motion and live cinema techniques, and – as its name suggests – come up with your own creative piece! I don’t want to spoil too much, just know that it will be a meaningful and fun experience that you wouldn’t want to miss, especially in considering how all these elements contribute to Karla and Andrés’ main piece for this year’s NUS Arts Festival: 2062 😃

And wait—so what is this 2062, and what is it about?

For starters, it is the product of nine months of research on storytelling, that has since culminated in a multi-disciplinary work different from other genres. It is a unique blend of visual arts, illustration and animation, video, sound and even shadow play, all of which come together to follow a storyline coloured by themes relating to memory and time. In particular, we’re always telling ourselves that we shouldn’t let history repeat itself, yet we don’t seem to see that this is exactly what happens: history is being repeated time and time again, just with varying forms and names. As the performance’s description sums up, “nothing changes but everything is different. Meanwhile we continue being the same”; we fail to realize that the present is, if anything, simply another version of a past that we’d sworn never to repeat. More pertinently, according to Karla, “This work was born from a need to talk about borders and migration in a globalized world. About borders that only exist for some people.”

In essence, 2062 addresses issues that are very much relevant in today’s world, presenting them in an insanely unique (and très cool) multi-faceted form. And as Karla points out, “If you want to have the real experience, you need to see the show live… there are so many levels of narration and actions that happen at the same time.”

Indeed, she’s absolutely right! There is no better way to appreciate a creative piece than to immerse yourself in it, especially when it comes to a performance that makes use of so many interesting elements. So what are you waiting for? Tickets for 2062 are available at http://www.apactix.com/events/detail/2062-by-karla-kracht-and-andres-beladiez, and are priced at only $19 each!

Heck, I know I’m definitely going—I’ll see you guys there 😉

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