“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.”

“Egypt has its pyramids, China its tomb of Shi Huang Ti, England its Stonehenge and
Indonesia its Borobudur. Why not Syonan Jinja for Singapore?
It has its fair share of history, mystery and romance.”
Report on Syonan Jinja Surveys September 1988. Records of Singapore Tourism Promotion Board.
National Archive of Singapore.

RESERVOIR
Date:  28 to 30 August 2008
Time: 8pm nightly / 3pm matinee on 30 August
Venue: 72-13, Mohamed Sultan Road
Tickets: $28 / $15 (Concessions for Students, NSF and Senior Citizens)

For ticket purchases, please call 6737 7213 during office hours
or email to tworks@singnet.com.sg

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

With Support From
National Arts Council, Arts-Fund, DesignSingapore Council, Hong Leong Foundation, 72-13.
Hotel partner<Hotel Royal@Queens>, Print partner<Double Six Press Pte Ltd>,
New Media partner<webvisions>, Official Radio Station<Power98Fm>