28-30 AUGUST 2008
“Deep in the heart of MacRitchie Reservoir lie the ruins of the Syonan
Jinja, a Shinto shrine built during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore.
Envisioned first as a spiritual and recreational centre for the future
empire, then built by Australian POWs and Japanese craftsmen, today it
exists only as stone relics and fragments, swallowed up by the thick
tropical rainforest.

As young artists, we have embarked on a journey of discovery to reclaim this
forgotten monument. Its very existence is intriguing – a beautiful artefact
of civilisation from an age of blood and destruction. Its architects made
outlandish promises: that the site would be the greatest in the world after
the Meiji Shrine, that the area might be a future host for the Olympic
Games.

Perhaps most provoking is the love-hate relationship between Singapore and
the shrine. Historians and tourism promoters want it preserved, even
rebuilt to commemorate our national heritage. Ordinary citizens, however,
have violently objected to any celebration of former Japanese rule – even as
they happily consume Japanese commercial and cultural products.

Led by TheatreWorks’ Associate Artistic Director, Choy Ka Fai, we are an
ensemble of creative people from Singapore and Japan with roots in poetry,
dance, drama, architecture, sports and multimedia. We have made pilgrimages
to the jungle, probed the site scientifically, studied archival documents,
drawings and oral histories, and processed our own collective memories to
recreate and re-imagine the shrine as a sacred site.

Our performance, a tapestry of images, sound and movement, will be a drama
of recollection, an attempt to capture the Syonan Jinja’s sleeping spirit.”

Conceived + Directed + Multimedia by Choy Ka Fai
Written by Ng Yi-Sheng
Performed by Norico Sunayama + Rizman Putra + Patricia Toh
Sonic Compositions by Chong Li Chuan
Set and lighting design by Jiro Endo