We keep revising our own stories, nudging certain memories into the light and pushing others into the shadows. How much of your past has been rewritten without you noticing, and which forgotten versions might still need room to breathe?
Another Version of Us
Ricky Sim (Artistic Director)
Hearing someone else remember the same moment
I find it strange when someone remembers an experience we shared very differently from me. Details I thought were important may not appear in their version at all. Something I had forgotten might be what they remember most clearly. Neither account necessarily feels false. It reminds me that our past is rarely a fixed record; perhaps we are continually rewriting it simply by remembering.
Rewritten, Erased or Scratched
Charlene Lim (Admin Executive)
How do we truly understand and present ourselves when we do not even have a complete picture of who we are? In retrospect, we revisit our decisions and actions, filling gaps in our understanding and justifying the people we once were. As the fog of doubt clears, we revise the script of what happened, shaping our memories into narratives that make sense to us.
Yet, some details remain blurred, obscured by time or forgotten altogether. They may linger in the shadows, awaiting a future revision that may never come, or gradually fade as new narratives overwrite the old. But do these revisions bring clarity to others, helping them better understand who we are, or do they only further complicate how we are perceived?
Blackout Poetry for William Golding’s Lord of the Flies
Image source
Light in the Dark
Audrey Desmond (Marketing Lead)
Human perception is so amusing to me. It’s like those ambiguous images where two completely different pictures exist in a single drawing—what I thought a memory was back then isn’t always what it really was. I’ve noticed I naturally cling to the good times and try to “forget” the darker ones.
But I’m learning to be okay with that darkness, because I’ve realised it holds its own warmth, too. Going back to those forgotten moments isn’t about reopening old wounds for me; it’s about finally understanding, learning, and seeing the full picture. And when I give myself permission to look again, it brings such a deep sense of relief.
Not Everything Needs an Ending
Esther Ong (Company Manager)
There is comfort in closure.
A quarrel feels like it should end with a resolution. A test should come with a pass or fail. A completed project should lead to an outcome. Having an answer makes things feel settled, as though every loose end has been neatly tied.
But life does not always offer that kind of ending.
Some conversations remain unresolved. Some questions are left unanswered. Some efforts do not lead to the outcome we imagined. The instinct is often to return, to understand, to fix, to find a way to complete what feels unfinished.
Perhaps unraveling is learning not to.
To leave a loose end without turning it into a knot. To accept that something can end without being resolved.
Maybe that is what lives in the untied space—not an answer, but the freedom of no longer needing one.
Chiharu Shiota, Uncertain Journey, 2016/2019.
Image/source: Chiharu Shiota
Dance of the machine
Matthew Goh (Company Dancer)
Artificial Intelligence can generate quirky and weird content that sometimes disrupts conventional norms and stereotypes. But how far can the unconventional be pushed before we perceive it as strange or awful? As we watch this ‘ballet,’ could we ponder whether this is still the classical form we know, or maybe it is the avant-garde counterpart—contemporary dance—or if it is even dance?
Transforming Disruption
Ricky Sim (Artistic Director)
A major disagreement, a change in priorities, or even a life event can throw a relationship off balance. It’s never easy. But I’ve come to see that disruption, as painful as it is, often leads to growth. These moments force us to face what we’ve been avoiding—our insecurities, needs, or unresolved issues. I’ve found that disruption can spark deeper conversations and bring about real change. In the end, it often makes the connection more honest and meaningful.