With the recent spate of racist events and attacks in Singapore, New Naratif will be screening Brown Is Haram. A collaborative project developed by Kristian-Marc James Paul and Mysara Aljaru, and directed by Myle Yan Tay, this performance-lecture explores Brown narratives in Singapore, specifically Brown social mobility and masculinity. It is based on Kristian and Mysara’s research and workshops that were organised as part of The Substation’s artist residency programme, Concerned Citizens Programme (2019-2020) and the lived experiences of both artists and contributors of the project. Brown Is Haram was staged at The Substation’s final SeptFest earlier this year, before the closure of the institution.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with the three artists.
Contributor bio:
Kristian (he/him/his) is a member of SG Climate Rally. Apart from his work in climate activism, Kristian is also an associate member of AWARE and recently facilitated their community discussions with men on the government’s review of gender equality issues. He was also a contributing author for white: behind mental health stigma (2020), an anthology on mental health in Singapore.
Mysara Aljaru (she/her) is a writer, researcher and lens-based practitioner. Working on the intersections of art and academia, she explores the politics of space and power structures in the process of narrative making. She has also showcased and performed at Objectifs and ArtScience Museum. Mysara’s writing has been published in Growing Up Perempuan (2018), Budi Kritik (2018) and online/print publication Karyawan.
Myle Yan Tay (he/him) is a writer, actor, and director. His works include Master Race (2018), Overtime: An Original Musical (2017) co-created with Nathaniel Mah, and Lemmings (The Second Breakfast Company, 2017). He played Lucas in Zenda Tan’s Eat Duck (Checkpoint Theatre, 2019) and was a Citizen’s Reviewer for Centre 42 (2017-2019). He is an Associate Artist at Checkpoint Theatre.
