1. Friday, 23 January, 6.30pm - 9pm

6pm - Registration
6.30 - 9pm - Talk: Consuming the Other: Colonial Foodways in Malaya by Janice Loo
Culinary Creation Presentations by Lee Engsu, Robert Guth & CultureHackSG 1.0 participants

Janice Loo is an Associate Librarian with the National Library of Singapore. Her current research interest is focused on women in history, particularly their roles and contributions to the building of empire and nation. She will share on her research on cookbooks written for the European residents in Malaya.

Lee Engsu is a private dining chef and a restaurant owner. He has two Grand Diplomas from the French Culinary Institute, in Classic Culinary Arts and Classic Pastry Arts. In 2008, he worked with the director of Culinary Technology at the French Culinary Institute to develop new methods and technology for culinary use. He will present a cooking piece based on the International Cookery Book of Malaya, and share his thoughts on the project.

Robert Guth is best known for two things, firstly his ability to bake bread and secondly for his use of it as an integral part of participatory artworks (particularly swapping it for stuff). These works are guided by three underlying rules – Food will not be used symbolically. Food will feed people, and something other than the internal question of – is feeding people art? Starting with the cookbooks, Robert has researched recipes created to bridge the gap between Colonial Dutch food and the (sometimes Chinese) administrative classes in Yogjakarta. Robert’s presentation, Relish: active participation in the creation, promulgation and consumption of heritage will show how his research has been extended to incorporate the local Colonial British heritage and its interaction with Peranakan culture.

2. Saturday, 24 January, 6.30pm - 9pm

6pm - Registration
6.30 - 9pm - Talks: Of Currypuffs - Research Foodways by Bonny Tan
Seasons Greetings: Botanical Calendars in the Tropics by Dr Lai Chee Kien
Culinary Creation Presentation by P!D & CultureHackSG 1.0 participants

Bonny Tan is a Senior Librarian with the National Library of Singapore. She will talk about her newspaper research on the humble curry puff, and how it is a mix of British, Indian, Chinese and Malay elements.

Lai Chee Kien is at home in Southeast Asia, and relishes the histories of its art, architecture, settlements, urbanism, and landscapes. He muses on their ineluctable effects on contemporary life, and traverses its times and spaces whenever he can. Chee Kien’s presentation, Seasons Greetings: Botanical Calendars in the Tropics uses two examples to explore such transitions through botanical calendars for the overseas Chinese who migrated to Singapore.

P!D (Participate in Design) is a non-profit design organization dedicated to engaging and enabling people in shaping their everyday environments and local communities. Founded on the firm belief that everyone has the right to participate in and influence the design and planning processes that affect them, P!D provides services in designing and facilitating the public participation and engagement process for communities in Singapore. P!D and our CultureHackSG 1.0 participants will participate in a cookout at the NUS Baba House following 6 recipes from the cookbooks. The dining table will be the art installation for the co-creation which will showcase dishes cooked by participants and the stories behind them. These dishes and their accompanying stories will be shared with audience, evoking the experience of dining in a typical Peranakan household.

3. Sunday, 25 January, 2pm - 4.30pm

1.30pm - Registration
2 - 4.30pm - Talks: The Idea of Heritage: Between the Tangible and Intangible by Dr Wong Chee Meng
Edible Weeds in Singapore by Michelle Lai
Culinary Creation Presentation by CultureHackSG 1.0 participants
The Culinary History of Singapore Performance Art by Lina Adams

Wong Chee Meng received his PhD in heritage studies in BTU Cottbus, Germany with a thesis that explored the use of intangible heritage as a medium for intercultural dialogue in Singapore, by applying a framework derived from social systems theory. His research interests in the field of cultural studies also include theater, dance and film as an articulation of cultural identity, values and ideology. Dr Wong will discuss the notions of heritage in relation to what we view as tangible and intangible heritage.

Lina Adam is a multi-disciplinary artist and has used various mediums such as performance, printmaking and art installation. She is the co-founder of Fetterfield, Singapore Performance Art Event, a site-specific performance art festival (founded in 2006) and Your Mother Gallery, an alternative art space in Little India (founded in 2004). She is a committee member of The Artists Village since 1998. Lina will re-present The Culinary History of Singapore Performance Art , offering a carefully created tasting of various foods, focusing on the gustatory system, the sense, high culinary skills and good company.

Michelle Lai is from Edible Garden City which champions the “Grow Your Own Food” movement in land-scarce and import-dependent Singapore. She is passionate about food culture and identity, food politics, the local farming community, and the connection between us and the earth. Michelle will speak on the edible weed and forgotten plants in Singapore.