Panel: Healthy Ageing

30 Nov 2023 • 10:30 - 11:50

Flexible Performance Space, Block F Level 1 #F102, 1 McNally Street, Singapore 187940 • Map

Creative pursuits and artistic expression can positively impact health outcomes in later life through multiple pathways. They provide opportunities for social participation, communication, building self-confidence and self-mastery, as well as developing a sense of purpose and meaning – all important facilitators of good health. This panel features two artist-visionaries, Angela Liong, Artistic Director and Choreographer of The Arts Fission Company and Tan Beng Tian, an acclaimed and award-winning theatre practitioner. Angela and Beng Tian will share valuable and innovative insights about their respective interventions and philosophies that foster intergenerational engagement, wellbeing, and empowerment through the use of co-creative wellbeing projects and educational puppetry workshops.

Intergenerational Puppetry
Tan Beng Tian
Puppetry craft fosters creativity, promoting hands-on craftsmanship and artistic expression. It transcends language barriers, making it a universal form of entertainment. It also cultivates teamwork and collaboration, making it a valuable educational tool for all ages.

In May 2023, theatre practitioner Tan Beng Tian, following the completion of a series of intergenerational workshops at St. Joseph’s Home, will offer an illuminating glimpse into her puppetry workshop journey. Her sharing will touch on the nuances of crafting a curriculum that harmoniously harnesses the unique strengths of both older adults and children. Moreover, she will candidly address the challenges encountered during her workshops and provide observations regarding the participants’ responses, enriching our understanding of the profound impact of puppetry as a unifying and educational medium.

It Takes Two to Tango
Angela Liong
The ‘Artists of Care’ from Arts Fission share their creative impetus when designing projects or activities for older adults in various health conditions. The presentation highlights that providing well-being creative projects for older adults should not assume them as passive recipients, but rather regard them as working partners. The facilitation process resembles that of partner-dancing – one leads and the other responds to allow the dance duet to emerge. The presentation includes an experimental segment from one of Arts Fission’s well-being projects, The Kitchen Table Chronicle (an intergenerational gathering activity) and provides symposium participants a taste of the creative process.