The Oval Partnership, a Patron of the Singapore Night Festival 2023, presents a journey to Kampong Port Cities of the 14th Century through an exhibition, artists interpretation and a panel discussion.

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 11 August 2023- DORMANT stories of our land from 700 years ago — a woman village leader, sustainable kampung life, and street dancing — will be reawakened at the Singapore Night Festival 2023 (SNF). Through the magic of multimedia storytelling, visitors to "Singapore, the Great Port City" at SNF will be transformed into denizens of a "kampung city", to experience life in a pre-colonial era. The immersive journey upturns the narrative of this island's past as a sleepy fishing village, highlighting exemplary practices that continue to influence today's modern nation. Before it became Singapore, the island 700 years ago, was always part of Malay seafaring and trading. Its significance as a port came later, about 200 years ago, when the British restored power to the Sultans. The Oval Partnership's findings revealed the bustling port and trading cities in 14th Century Southeast Asia functioned as "decentralised kingdoms" in the region, even before the Dutch and Portuguese arrived in the 15th Century. Discoveries include traits about Malay culture prior to Singapore's modern identity, and how kampung living thrived across Melaka, and other parts of Malaysia and Indonesia. Reigniting nuances of heritage reduced to social media sound bites is critical to inspiring creative thought about the future, said Mr Chris Law, Founding Director of The Oval Partnership and visionary behind the exhibition. "This event recreates the experience of a bygone age, and enables attendees to explore how life was lived then," he said. "Now we have a clearer sight of where we came from, and how we were shaped. It deepens our understanding of the giants whose shoulders we stand on, so we can build a better world for the generations that come after us." BUILDING A CULTURE OF CO-CREATION The Oval Partnership collaborated with Singapore Management University (SMU) students, as well as Singapore Institute of Technology's (SIT) research group, to revisit cultural elements indicating sustainable practices, gender equality and cultural modernity. The Oval Partnership organized research workshops and visits to Kampong Lorong Buangkok and Pulau Ubin, where participants documented oral histories of villagers. The students then created their own artworks based on their experiences and responses, which will be displayed in Zone B (Present) as part of an exhibition. In addition, Oval invited a research group from SIT to present their project works and a published book titled "Project Kampong Lorong Buangkok." The exhibition of their works and book will also be featured in Zone B (Present). The SIT research group was led by Dr. Intan Azura Mokhtar, who is an Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the Community Leadership and Social Innovation Centre (CLASIC) at SIT. The group included Dr. Jawn Lim Tze-Hin, Dr. Charles Carroll, and Dr. Agnes Xue Lishan from SIT's Business, Communication, and Design Cluster. Works from SMU students who went for the site visit will also be presented at the exhibition's Zone B (Present). This initiative is just the beginning. The Oval Partnership's ongoing research collaborations with leading institutions of higher learning (IHLs), and co-creating with communities where it has a presence, reflects its mission to study and preserve the region's natural history. Working as a heritage ally to more IHLs and individuals with a stake in the pre-colonial history of Southeast Asia, it aims to restore fresh perspectives about the region, such as its position as a hub of constant activity including trading, deal-making, and an exchange of ideas. The Oval Partnership hopes to extend its work into Thai and Vietnamese cultures, and invites those interested in these cultures to participate by emailing Audrene Lam at audrenelam@ovalpartnership.com. ENTER A WORLD OF "LOST CITIES" Audiences stepping into the extraordinary world of the "Lost Cities Exhibition" will embark on an immersive journey into the Kampong Cities of 14th-century Southeast Asia — a progressive culture. Seven hundred years ago this region was already an international trading zone, where traders came with exquisite items that represented material wealth as much as knowledge—from Japan, China, India, Burma, the Arabian Gulf, and Venice. In this egalitarian setting, women had as many rights as men in most aspects. As SMU students documented stories about the last two kampungs in Singapore — Pulau Ubin and Kampong Lorong Buangkok — they further discovered their sustainable practices and ways of living. Over several months of fieldwork at Kampong Lorong Buangkok, they shaped the story of the exhibition's fictional protagonist, a village leader, on the captivating story of its landlady, Ms...