🏆 The show must go on(line)

Extract from Author

Like a bizarre dream, the snazzily lit stage comes alive with the usual song-and-dance routine, but there is no audience below it.

The applause is silent. It comes in digital waves of hearts, thumbs up and smiling face emoticons.

This Hungry Ghost Festival, traditionally held during the seventh lunar month, has none of the usual exuberance of past years as large-scale events are still not allowed to take place.

Author’s Reflection

What is your personal takeaway from your SOAP story?
For traditional acts like the getai, the year 2020 was “do or die”. After documenting migrant worker issues and work of frontline staff, I wanted to put a spotlight on how perennial events would play out in a very different year. The pandemic forced getai organisers and performers to adapt quickly for the show to, not only go on, but also go online. Through my lens and exchanges with getai performers, it was evident that adversity has brought not just change in the medium, but also opportunities such as live sales during a virtual getai show. The future remain uncertain, but some have retained quiet optimism for the getai scene moving forward given the reach and connectivity of social media.

Now that your story has been published for some time, do you have any reflections to share post-publishing?
I think it’s very important to continue to collect images and provide a visual record of how people and industry have reacted during times like this. Personally, it was somewhat heartening to know that there is a wave of curious and younger audience getai organisers can, with the help of social media and live-streaming over FB, attract and boost a less-than-certain future.

What did you hope to convey to readers through this story?
Positivity. Resilience. Adaptability.

How do you feel for being recognised for your work?
I’m humbled for this work to be recognised by the SOAP Awards. The true satisfaction, as always, was in the process of producing the story, be it visually or textual.

Written by
Kevin Lim,
The Straits Times

Monday,
31 August 2020

Visual of the Month, Winner