LASALLE College of the Arts presents first student-led TEDx initiative by a local arts institution

Singapore – With a scintillating line-up of speakers from a plus-size model sharing her experiences on perception and identity, to a former documentary producer for Al Jazeera and Bloomberg TV reflecting on the challenges of her career, the inaugural edition of TEDxLASALLE on Sunday 4 February is set to live up to its tagline of Make Me: Make Me Question. Make Me Think. Make Me Act.

TEDxLASALLE is a TEDx initiative supported by LASALLE College of the Arts (LASALLE) and Haque Centre of Acting and Creativity (HCAC). It is the first TEDx initiative presented by an arts institution in Singapore, and is spearheaded by a team of BA(Hons) Arts Management students from LASALLE’s School of Creative Industries.

The half-day event, held at LASALLE’s McNally Campus in the heart of Singapore’s vibrant arts district, offers audiences an afternoon of fresh ideas, thoughts and stories from individuals that have travelled off the beaten path. The event will challenge mindsets, inspire innovation, and foster visionary ideas within a connected community by exploring diverse sectors of art, adventure, business, social science as well as science & technology.

“What sets LASALLE apart is that we have eight schools encompassing a wide range of art forms and inquiry right here under one roof, from fine arts to performing arts to film and more, and it’s also this interdisciplinary nature of LASALLE that makes it the perfect converging point for a platform like TEDx. As Arts Management students, LASALLE gives us many opportunities such as this to realise our ideas and gain invaluable hands-on experience organising arts events that make an impact,” said Ruth Chee, BA(Hons) Arts Management student, from the team leading TEDxLASALLE.

“TEDxLASALLE is an exciting platform to share ideas with the community in LASALLE College of the Arts and the public through meticulously curated topics, in hopes of providing insights to critical issues. Furthermore, the TEDxLASALLE initiative aims to be sustainable, foreseeing successful editions in the subsequent years.” said Sharon Jing Yi, co-producer of TEDxLASALLE: Make Me. As an alumnus of LASALLE College of the Arts, Sharon, in her early thirties, also saw this as an opportunity to serve her alma mater by leading her arts management juniors as a team mentor in the production process.

Starting off with talks exploring the perplexities of personal identities, this year’s TEDxLASALLE talks then move on to share experiences of social changes that stem from an individual level. Following this, the talks look into the effects of life choices and finally close with an examination on our fast-paced approach in our collective society. With a total of 7 speakers, TEDxLASALLE: Make Me will also feature a fringe activity called What Makes Me?, an interactive wall installation to encourage and enhance community sentiments quintessential to the TEDx spirit.

Redefining fashion in Singapore, plus-size model Priscilla Boh will be talking about the perceptions that shape our identity in this world. Speaking from her turbulent experiences in her adolescent years through adulthood, the delivery of her idea will be relatable to people at different stages in life. Another speaker at TEDxLASALLE: Make Me will be Sarah Bagharib, a former documentary producer/director who has worked on a wide range of programmes, from hard-hitting current affairs for Al Jazeera to a series on contemporary artists for Bloomberg TV, who will be sharing her reflections on the many struggles with self-doubt, and how it has taught her to overcome the hurdles in her life and career.

Other speakers at TEDxLASALLE: Make Me include:

Becca D’Bus - Drag Queen

Becca D'Bus is a drag queen host, performer, emcee and producer currently resident on Saturdays at LuLu's Lounge, and the producer and host of The Glory Hoes presented at The Projector.

Laurence Vandenborre - Art Therapist

Laurence Vandenborre is the Founder and Managing Director of The Red Pencil, an international humanitarian organisation with a mission to bring the power of arts therapy to children, adults and families who have been through traumatic life circumstances.

Muhd Ammar Nasrulhaq bin Abdul Karim - Dancer & Visual Creator

A visual creator both on the dance floor and through the lens, Ammar has spent most of his time creating magic for the audience. Driven by adrenaline, he loves pushing and transcending boundaries and believes in experiences more than certificates. He was born hearing but was hit with a high fever when he was an infant, resulting in his loss of hearing. Growing up in both Deaf and Hearing worlds, he witnessed and identifies with many differences and similarities in both worlds.

Sharda Harrison - Actress and Arts Educator

Sharda Harrison is a Singaporean actress and arts educator who resides in Singapore. Sharda runs her own theatre and education company, Pink Gajah Theatre which she founded in 2013. She has been nominated numerous times for Best Supporting Actress at the Life Theatre Awards and recently was part of the winning ensemble for ‘Hotel’ by W!ld Rice.

Pamela Ng - Arts Curator/Writer

Pamela Ng is a local arts curator and writer. Pamela is the curator and founder of “Celebrating Women”, an inaugural charity art exhibition highlighting the multi-facade of female beauty. Overall, an informative collective of works to empower and bring light to women and their perceived roles in society.

During the talks, there will be short performances by current LASALLE students:

Diploma in Contemporary Music

Krysta Joy
Desiree Orien Tay
BA(Hons) Music (specialising in Popular Performance Music)

Ilina Hattangady
Kevin Gregory Peter
Joshua Perera

Date: 1.00pm - 4.30pm,Sunday, February 4th, 2018
Venue: Flexible Performance Space, Block F Level 1,
LASALLE College of the Arts,
1 McNally Street, Singapore 187940

Stay in touch and up-to-date with TEDxLASALLE through email, website and social media channels:
Contact:tedxlasalle.sg@gmail.com
Website:https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/27159
Facebook: @tedxlasalle.sg
Instagram: @tedxlasalle

Official social media hashtags:
#TEDxLASALLE
#MakeMe2018

Tickets will be sold on the following admission basis:
Standard - S$28.00
Student - S$14.00*
LASALLE Student - S$12.00*

*Valid student pass must be presented during registration

Purchasing of tickets can be done on Peatix through the following link:https://tedxlasalle.peatix.com

All press requests should be sent to:Chen Cuifen, cuifen.chen@lasalle.edu.sg, 6496 5216, as the official media contact for TEDxLASALLE.

Please note that TEDx event organisers are not able to speak for the TED Conference. Any inquiry regarding TED should be sent to: Melody Serafino, TEDx Media Liaison, TEDxPR@ted.com

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About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or fewer) delivered by today's leading thinkers and doers. Many of these talks are given at TED's annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, and made available, free, on TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Monica Lewinsky, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman.

TED's open and free initiatives for spreading ideas include TED.com, where new TED Talk videos are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from thousands of volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed; the annual million-dollar TED Prize, which funds exceptional individuals with a "wish," or idea, to create change in the world; TEDx, which provides licenses to thousands of individuals and groups who host local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, which selects innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

About TEDx

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that supports independent organizers in putting together a TED-like experience and event in their community. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance and guidelines for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self organized. TEDx events are fully planned and coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis with the purpose of inspiring innovation, thought leadership and visionary insight. Though this initiative, TED’s mission of sharing of ideas can reach out to a wider and more diverse audience group. In Singapore, there has been an estimate of 140 TEDx events to date.

About TEDx University

TEDx University events are hosted at a college or university, and organized by current university administration staff, faculty or students. It gives universities the opportunity to share the unique innovation and ideas that their community is creating.

About LASALLE

LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore is a leading tertiary institution in cutting edge contemporary arts and design education and practice. The college offers more than 30 diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in fine arts, design communication, interior design, product design, film, animation, fashion, dance, music, theatre, arts management, arts pedagogy and practice, art therapy, Asian art histories, and creative writing.

Its faculty is led by a community of award-winning artists, designers, educators and researchers, and their practice-led research sets LASALLE apart as an international centre of excellence. Critically acclaimed alumni form the core of the cultural and creative sectors in Singapore and increasingly, internationally.

Founded in 1984 by De La Salle Brother Joseph McNally – a visionary artist and educator – LASALLE is a not-for-profit, private educational institution. LASALLE receives tuition grant support from the Singapore Ministry of Education. Its degree programmes are validated by Goldsmiths, University of London.

About Haque Centre of Acting & Creativity

Haque Centre of Acting & Creativity (HCAC) is the home of Method Acting in Asia. It is the first professional acting studio in English in Singapore. We empower people to unleash their creativity. Because we believe those who embrace their artistry – actors, writers, thinkers, dreamers, visionaries, entrepreneurs – are happier, more fulfilled and more successful individuals who make the world a better place.