Mars: The Red Mirror

This latest show at the ArtScience Museum is a bibliophile’s treat. Beautiful first editions of books by astronomers Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei and poet Dante Alighieri are among some of the mind-boggling antiquarian specimens, on loan from the University of Barcelona, on display here. 

Copernicus and Galileo, who wrote definitive astronomy texts of their time, offer early scientific takes on the show’s focus – the red planet of Mars. Dante’s The Divine Comedy is included because the fifth level of Heaven in this classic work is the sphere of Mars.

Mars: The Red Mirror contains as many rare artefacts as it does facsimiles of texts and artwork, and it proves to be an engagingly eclectic ramble which embraces religion, myth, science and pop culture in its exploration of mankind’s fascination with the planet. 

Beginning in deep history, the show picks up on Mars as an idea, a motif and a supernatural power in mythologies spanning the Greek, Roman, Chinese, Indian and Japanese cultures. So there are artefacts ranging from third-century BC bronze figurines to the beautifully carved lintel of an Indian temple. 

The show also weaves in non-Eurocentric narratives, so it includes nods to early astronomers such as 13th-century Persian Nasir Al-Din Tusi, who established the Maragheh Observatory which remained one of the most advanced scientific institutions in Iran and Asia Minor up to the 16th century.

The latter half of the show takes the story of Mars into modern times, with an exploration of the popular media of radio (patient visitors can listen to director Orson Welles’ 1938 radio adaptation of The War Of The Worlds, which caused mass panic), movies and comics. 

Where: ArtScience Museum, 10 Bayfront Avenue
MRT: Bayfront
When: Till April 7, 10am to 7pm daily
Admission: $20 for Singapore residents, $23 for tourists
Info: str.sg/ifJQ

FL/OW 

Get on your feet for three high-energy days of street dance at the Esplanade. 

From Dec 1 to 3, a whole range of dance crews are taking over spaces at the performing arts centre for the latest iteration of da:ns focus. 

Kicking things off on Dec 1 and 2 are four dance crews from around the world who will face off in Full Out! at the Esplanade Theatre. 

South Korea’s House Of Love, founded by dancer-choreographer Love Ran, is the largest kiki house in the country. Ran has also choreographed for K-pop acts Chungha, Weki Meki and Kwon Eun-bi, so expect precision voguing and accessible K-pop choreography.

Be prepared to be blown away by ILL-Abilities, an international crew of differently abled dancers whose feats will challenge preconceptions about dancers and their bodies. Local Remix, a team led by ScRach MarcS, will remix global street cultures in inimitably Singaporean fashion. 

Last but not least is New Zealand’s The Royal Family, three-time World Mega Crew Hip Hop Champions who will showcase their signature Polyswagg style. 

There are also free programmes throughout the weekend. Veteran dance studio O School is presenting 5.6.7.8, 30-minute showcases of home-grown choreographers and dancers at the DBS Foundation Theatre. If you want to show off some of your dance moves, check out the FL/OW After Party with live DJs at the Annexe Studio. 

Where: Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, 1 Esplanade Drive
MRT: Esplanade/City Hall
When: Dec 1 to 3, various times
Admission: Free and ticketed
Info: str.sg/ifJP

ECOncert

Ding Yi Music Company’s latest concert promises a multisensory experience. Resident conductor Dedric Wong and dramaturg-director Gloria Ang have brought together a team of young Singaporean creatives for this show celebrating art and nature. 

The ensemble will play original compositions by John Sharpley and Yii Kah Hoe amid set and art installations by Quek See Yee and Ferry. Works by visual artist Robert Zhao and Chong Li-Chuan’s soundscapes will also feature in this performance. Wong describes the event as a “combination of Chinese chamber music with arts installation, forest bathing and visuals”. 

Where: Esplanade Recital Studio
MRT: Esplanade/City Hall
When: Dec 15, 7.30pm
Admission: $28
Info: dingyimusic.com/econcert