LIVING WELL
LEAVING WELL
About
Both Sides, Now is an arts-based community engagement project about what it means to live well, and leave well. Dying is a natural part of life, but many of us are afraid to talk about it. What are our options, if we want to die with dignity?
How can we plan for the end, regardless of our age? How can we talk to our loved ones about our values and choices?
It began with an immersive arts experience at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, designed to create awareness, encourage reflection and provoke end-of-life conversations among healthcare professionals, caregivers and the general public.
Visitors encountered artworks largely in the main foyer, which comprised a large-scale installation, short films, participatory artworks and performances which took place outdoors at the boardwalk.
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We headed to the public heartlands of Khatib and Toa Payoh and invited people to explore and delve into the topics of living and dying.
These were experienced through fun and creative approaches, such as participatory arts activities, dialogues, film, a forum theatre play Exit and a puppetry show The Wind Came Home.
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Toured a puppetry show The Wind Came Home to 50 senior centres across Singapore, and each show was followed by a facilitated conversation on end-of-life matters with the seniors.
A community-centric approach was applied because we wanted to deepen our level of engagement over a longer period of time. Chong Pang and Telok Blangah were the two chosen neighbourhoods and we collaborated with community partners Yishun Health (Wellness Kampung) and Montfort Care Good Life! respectively.
These neighborhoods were engaged biannually, through pop-up installations, performances and participatory activities. 80 residents were invited to reflect on end-of-life topics, and its significance to them, through workshops facilitated by artists over a duration of 3 – 6 months. Their artistic responses culminated in a unique Public Art Installation in Chong Pang (2018) and Telok Blangah (2019) held at their neighbourhoods’ void decks and common spaces, where a variety of artworks were showcased, such as films, posters, murals and installations.
Plays from the previous editions of Both Sides, Now were re-worked and staged in both communities over the years, and an original participatory performance Last Dance made its debut. Free talks and workshops were provided for those interested to learn more about end-of-life issues, from medical and legal concerns, to learning practical skills on how to broach these conversations with their loved ones.
The grand finale in Telok Blangah was a Both Sides, Now carnival with a plethora of activities and events, for every generation!
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Introducing
a multi-disciplinary team of creatives, researchers and resource panellists who have shaped the work of Both Sides, Now.
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Artistic Director
Kok Heng Leun
Drama Box
Lead Artist
Adib Kosnan
Lead Artist
Moli Mohter
Creative Producer
Ngiam Su-Lin
ArtsWok Collaborative
Creative Producer
Angeline Cheong
ArtsWok Collaborative
Creative Producer
Jo Lim
Drama Box
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Dr Ad Maulod (Lead Advisor)
Centre for Aging Research and Education (CARE), Duke-NUS Medical School
Normala Bte Manap
Age Matters Consultancy and Training
Siti Hazirah Bte Mohamad
Centre for Aging Research and Education (CARE), Duke-NUS Medical School
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Dr Mohamad Shamsuri Juhari
Dr Nur Farhan
Bte Mohammad Alami
Dr Ad Maulod
Siti Mariam Bte Mohamad Salim
Zahara Mahmood
Mohammad Rizuan
Bin Mohammad Yasin
Founded in 1990, Drama Box is a non-profit company known for creating theatre that inspires dialogue, reflection and change. A big part of Drama Box’s work is in bringing theatre to the community so that everyone can have the means to access and participate. By shining a spotlight on marginalised narratives and making space for the communal contemplation of complex issues, they seek to tell stories that provoke a deeper understanding of Singapore’s culture, history and identity.
Drama Box is a charity and Institution of Public Character (IPC) registered in Singapore, supported by the National Arts Council under the Major Company Scheme for the period of April 2020 to March 2023.
The work of ArtsWok Collaborative focuses on arts connecting communities by harnessing the power of the arts to create dialogue, invite social participation and build bridges across difference.
We work with multidisciplinary teams to design and implement innovative community-based arts programmes such as Both Sides, Now, an immersive arts experience that invites conversations about end-of-life issues, as well as IPS Prism, a civic-engagement piece which looked at governance in Singapore. In 2015, it launched the inaugural annual youth theatre festival Peer Pleasure, a platform for creative and open exchanges with young people through drama and dialogue. It developed and continues to facilitate The Greenhouse Sessions, a field-building initiative that catalyses learning through a community of practice as well as The Greenhouse Lab, an action-learning programme revolving around arts-based community development. It also conducts and shares research that builds legitimacy for the arts-based community development field. Our case studies and articles can be found on our website.
We are a charity and Institution of Public Character (IPC) registered in Singapore, supported by the National Arts Council under the Major Company Scheme for the period of April 2021 to March 2024.
Lepaskan Sesalan Press Release
August 20, 2022
Read OnKata-Kata Kita Variety Show
October 1, 2021
Read OnClosing a chapter & celebrating living with a public arts installation and a carnival in Telok Blanga
June 7, 2019
Read OnGetting CLOSER to thinking about life and death through arts engagement festival in Chong Pang
September 19, 2018
Read OnInteractive play and workshops to inspire meaningful end-of-life conversations
March 8, 2018
Read OnBuilding Communities That Understand How to Live Well and Leave Well
October 20, 2017
Read OnTalking about death is a community and family affair
September 19, 2014
Read OnContemplating life's exit with new meaning
November 18, 2013
Read OnReview: Both Sides, Now – Lepaskan Sesalan by Drama Box and ArtsWok Collaborative
28 October 2022
Read OnKOMENTAR: Jagaan akhir hayat yang bermakna, sedang penduduk S'pura semakin menua
14 November 2021
Read On"Arts group to engage Malay community in talking about death via upcoming stage production"
16 October 2021
Read On"Case Study - On Death and Dying: Vital Signs for a Healthy Civic Dialogue"
July 2018
Read On
Su-Lin is the co-founder and Executive Director of ArtsWok Collaborative and has been active in the arts scene for close to two decades, specifically in the areas of education, community, creative producing and interdisciplinary collaborations. She has worked with various arts organisations before co-founding ArtsWok in 2013.
Su-Lin has produced community theatre and festivals in collaboration with the public and private sectors, worked with numerous schools, social service, community and health organisations to incorporate arts processes and approaches into their programmes, including the development and writing of training toolkits. She has also developed, and facilitates capability development programmes and initiatives on arts-based community development. Su-Lin is also a trained counsellor, and believes that being human and fully alive is to be in life-giving relationships with self, and others, in community.
Angeline has worked in the government and community sectors for more than 15 years which include Ministry of Community Development (now known as Ministry of Social and Family Development), Central Singapore Community Development Council and the Centre for Non-Profit Leadership (now subsumed under National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre).
Trained in social work and theatre studies, she is curious to see the impact when arts, community and social work intersect. This curiosity started her volunteering journey with Both Sides, Now in 2014. She had been Volunteer Manager for the project since 2017, before eventually joining ArtsWok as staff.
Jo is a theatre producer and arts manager and has worked in the non-profit arts sector for the past decade. As a producer, she has led theatre festivals, produced musicals and intimate experimental theatre pieces; she has also worked collaboratively on platforms that facilitated creative processes and dialogues among artists across artforms, cultures and cities.
As an arts manager, she has managed arts organisations and worked with cultural institutions, corporations, and agencies to foster partnerships.
Jo has a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Studies from the National University of Singapore, as well as a master’s degree in Arts and Cultural Management from Goldsmith. She is keenly interested in how arts management practices support artmaking in small arts companies, as it is often the small arts entities that serve the unique and underserved segments of society.
Heng Leun is a prominent figure in the Singapore arts scene, having built his artistic career over many decades as a theatre director, playwright, dramaturg and educator. Heng Leun is known for his ability to engage the community on various issues through the arts, championing civil discourse across different segments of society. His explorations with multi-disciplinary engaged arts have produced works like Project Mending Sky, a series on environmental issues, Both Sides, Now a project that seeks to normalise end-of-life conversations and It Won't Be Too Long, which touched on the dynamics of space in Singapore.
His most recent work Tanah•Air 水•土：A Play In Two Parts was about the dispossession of the indigenous Malays and Orang Seletar of Singapore. Heng Leun's contributions to the arts have landed him awards from the Singapore National Arts Council – the Young Artist Award in 2000 and Cultural Fellowship in 2014. He also served as a Nominated Member of Parliament from 2016 to 2018, representing the arts sector.
Adib is a theatre practitioner, and currently an Associate Artist with Checkpoint Theatre. He acts, writes and directs, and has worked with companies like Teater Kami, Teater Ekamatra, TheatreWorks, The Necessary Stage, Drama Box and Buds Theatre, among others.
He was recently awarded Best Supporting Actor at the Life Theatre Awards 2020 for his role in Angkat by Nabilah Said and Noor Effendy Ibrahim, and was nominated in this same category for 0600 by Ground-Z0 in 2019. In 2018, his script 28.8 by Teater Kami was nominated for Best Original script.
He is also an arts educator and has mentored youths as part of Tumpil Yang Tampil, a theatre mentorship programme by Teater Kami. He has written, facilitated and directed numerous school assembly shows catering to a wide variety of levels from preschool to tertiary institutions. He is especially interested in improvisation and forum theatre as tools for creating awareness and enhancing communication.
Moli is a theatre practitioner whose vast experience spans between being an actor, educator, facilitator, as well as a writer and director.
She has written, directed and produced memorable works such as Penantian in 2013 and Sembelit Lagi in 2012. As an actor-facilitator, she was part of forum theatre play - Trick or Threat by Drama Box, and through that was given an opportunity to tour to the World Forum Theatre Festival in Austria in 2009.
As an arts educator, she works with Buds Theatre, Teater Kami, and Drama Box to teach children and youth. She has also worked with youths-at-risk in Singapore Girls’ Home, Singapore Boys’ Home, and the Institute of Technical Education.
Ad Maulod is a cultural anthropologist and Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Ageing Research and Education, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
Ad trains and leads a team of qualitative researchers using culture-centred approaches to explore the key determinants of meaningful and healthy ageing in Singapore. Ad’s research with older persons across different communities in Singapore examines the centrality of ‘placemaking’ in the development of age-in-place models in the community, particularly in the integration of care. Through a deeper engagement in these processes, Ad hopes to advance the development of research, policies and care-models that enhance health equity, social inclusion and community empowerment for older persons in Singapore.
Ad Maulod is a cultural anthropologist and Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Ageing Research and Education, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
Ad trains and leads a team of qualitative researchers using culture-centred approaches to explore the key determinants of meaningful and healthy ageing in Singapore. Ad’s research with older persons across different communities in Singapore examines the centrality of ‘placemaking’ in the development of age-in-place models in the community, particularly in the integration of care. Through a deeper engagement in these processes, Ad hopes to advance the development of research, policies and care-models that enhance health equity, social inclusion and community empowerment for older persons in Singapore.
Normala’s work in social development, with an emphasis on ageing, have spanned almost three decades. During this period, she has gained in-depth experience of the health and age care industries at all levels. She has worked across countries and cultures at different levels of programme and policy development from building innovative start-ups and managing operations to developing frameworks for national development. Normala’s work has also traversed across the realms of knowledge development – developing training programmes, organising workshops and conferences as well as more specialised platforms such as policy dialogues and roundtables. As an age care pioneer in Singapore, she was involved in building new care models, developing frameworks for care integration and setting standards.
Prior to setting up her own consultant practice, Age Matters, she was a Senior Associate Director at the Centre for Ageing Research and Education, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School.
Hazirah is a qualitative researcher at the Centre for Palliative Care within Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. She specializes in working with caregivers and health care professionals on issues including decision-making near the end-of-life. She has designed, conducted and published studies on topics, which range from tube-feeding to complex decision-making for caregivers of persons with life-limiting illnesses. Hazirah is also deeply passionate about and committed to improving the quality of life and care, both for persons with life-limiting illnesses and their caregivers.
Sham received his PhD in Education from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Prior to this, he attained his Bachelor of Arts and Masters in Applied Sociology from the National University of Singapore as well as a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education from the National Institute of Education. He is a Research Fellow with the Institute of Policy Studies where he focuses on issues relating to the Malay-Muslim community in the areas of youth development, education, family and social mobility.
His previous portfolios include being an Associate Lecturer with the Singapore University of Social Sciences; Principal of an international school; Director of the Centre for Research on Islamic and Malay Affairs, as well as Deputy Dean of Humanities at at a local International Baccalaureate institution.
Apart from his community involvement as a committee member of the M³ Town @Jurong, he also sits on the Board of Directors for Societus and the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s Films Appeal Committee.
Dr Nur Farhan Mohd Alami is a medical doctor in private practice. She is a specialist in Geriatric Medicine and practices at Raffles Hospital. Her qualifications include the Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree (Singapore) and Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (United Kingdom). Through her two decades of practice, she has accumulated experience in managing end of life issues in the elderly including end-stage organ disease, advanced care planning and palliative medicine.
Dr Farhan is passionate in promoting health awareness and prevention of disease. Her writing has been published in local newspapers including TODAY and The Straits Times. She has been interviewed on healthcare issues and ageing on various broadcasting channels including Channel News Asia. She is active on her social media pages @geriatrician.sg.
Siti is currently pursuing her interest and is doing a Master’s degree course in Art Therapy. She graduated with a Master of Grief and Palliative Care Counselling from the University of Adelaide, and also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in social work and psychology from the National University of Singapore.
She has over 20 years of social work experience in organisations, such as Pertapis and Muslim Converts' Association of Singapore, and 18 years in Singapore General Hospital and Sengkang General Hospital. Since 2012, she has been part of the Agency for Integrated Care’s Advance Care Planning (ACP) Training and Curriculum Workgroup, and started the ACP service in Sengkang General Hospital. She is also an educator and has provided training in counselling skills, dealing with grief, trauma, and end-of-life. She has also conducted research on diabetes and palliative care.
Zahara is the Principal Social Worker with the PPIS Family Service Centre. She has been in practice for the past 29 years, and has worked in both community and healthcare settings, while actively advocating for women's rights and healthcare needs for the underserved.
She was involved in the Singapore Bereavement Pilot Project by Assisi Hospice and the Lien Centre for Palliative Care, from January 2009 to December 2010, to train Community Workers on issues related to grief and loss. She was also amongst the pioneer batch of facilitators trained by the Gunderson Health System, Wisconsin, USA on “Respecting Choices” in Singapore in 2010.
She is also part of the Singapore International Foundation Specialist Team who was involved in the “Palliative Care for Children: Train-the-Trainers Programme” from 2017 to 2021. The Specialist Team went on to conduct training in Jakarta for nursing and medical teams on palliative care counselling and end-of-life issues.
Rizuan completed his pupillage at B. Rao & K.S. Rajah (now known as Emerald Law) under Mr Fazal Mohamed before he was called to the Singapore Bar as an Advocate and Solicitor. He thereafter practiced for some time at a mid-sized law firm, before returning to B Rao & KS Rajah. Rizuan practices a wide area of law including but not limited to Syariah Divorces/Muslim Estate Planning, Civil and Criminal Litigation and Family Law.
His professional engagements outside of work include serving as a Volunteer Speaker for the Law Awareness Week, as part of Law Society Pro Bono Services (2018 – Present), and an Assigned Solicitor at Legal Aid Bureau (2017 – Present). In addition, he is a Member of the Muslim Law Practice Committee, Law Society of Singapore (2020 - Present). He also serves as President of Singapore Muslim Students Overseas (2015 - 2017).
