An inclusive arts festival for children, with or without special needs
SINGAPORE — Mr Jovan Neo talks about equality a lot. “We are human beings, we are equal, but with different abilities,” he said multiple times during an interview with TODAY.
This is the message that the 20-year-old, who has autism, hopes to get across at the “Peekaboo!” inclusive arts festival, which is being held at the Rainbow Centre in Margaret Drive on every Saturday this month.
Mr Neo, a game design student at the Institute of Technical Education, is involved in two art projects and facilitating workshops at the festival.
“I want to help other children like myself, who might have trouble making new friends,” he said.
His art is his way of communicating. “Some people have problems with verbal (expression), so pictures and art show us how they feel and think.”
At the festival, families can take part in various workshops or embark on a free 90-minute interactive art tour that takes visitors through six artworks created by artists, students and staff members from the Rainbow Centre.
This is the first time since the school was established in 1987 that it is taking part in such an artistic collaboration to promote inclusion.
“(An arts festival) provides the space for us to put aside whether we have special needs or not. There’s no good or bad art, there’s just art waiting to be understood,” said Ms Jean Loo, the co-founder of Superhero Me, the non-profit company behind “Peekaboo!”.
The festival is the result of a five-month art residency where six artists and 20 facilitators worked with more than 300 children and staff members across all three Rainbow Centres to create the artworks and plan the workshops.
A series of workshops titled “Parents for Parents” will run concurrently. These aim to empower caregivers, impart practical skills for parents, and help organisations and businesses learn how to bridge the public with the special needs community.
HUMANISING THROUGH ART AND STORYTELLING
Visitors can go on an interactive tour, which allows the children to engage with and contribute to the storytelling process.
One of the projects in the tour, “Universe of feelings”, uses “experiential storytelling” that enables children to articulate and understand their emotions through physical expression and props. They also get tips like how to vent their anger and frustration in a constructive manner.
“When we are able to share stories of the children who take part in our projects, we are really humanising the cause of the inclusion — that they are no longer just a group of people with a disability,” Ms Loo said.
One of the facilitators at the festival, 29-year-old Mui Rui Yi, said: “Typical kids won’t have much contact with kids with special needs. I think it is very meaningful that through art, they can get a glimpse into the environment that special needs kids need to learn and study.”
The freelance graphic designer uses a wheelchair as she has Type Two spinal muscular atrophy. Despite her condition, she considers herself “privileged” because she has the freedom to verbalise her thoughts.
Asked about her hopes for the festival, Ms Mui said that she wants to “show other children who are wheelchair users that you can grow up to be useful”.
“I just hope that I could inspire that one kid whom I work with to be more confident and embrace him or herself for who they are, or that one person from the public to embrace inclusion,” she said.
Visit peekaboofestival.peatix.com for more information.
