Silent Studio

Studio Experience

by Isabelle Lim (Singapore)

Studio Experience Dates:

Fridays and Saturdays

22 & 23 Aug 2025

5 & 6 Sep 2025

Time Slots:

• 7:30 PM - 8:10 PM (Touch Tour available)
• 8:30 PM - 9:10 PM
• 9:30 PM - 10:10 PM

Venue: Arts Resource Hub, 42 Waterloo Street, Singapore 187951

(Black Box, Level 2)

Duration: 40 min

Co-presented by The Listening Biennial and Art:Dis (Art & Disability) Singapore, a highlight of The Singapore Night Festival

Step into a world where spoken words take a back seat and all communication takes place in silence. Set within a photography studio environment, this participatory experience invites attendees to explore the nuances of non-speaking interaction through witnessing the intimate process of portrait photography. Photography participants have the opportunity to have their portraits photographed by Deaf photographer Isabelle Lim (Issy). Each portrait becomes a record of mutual connection. Highlighting the richness of Deaf culture, the experience creates space for introspection and sensory engagement, inviting attendees to immerse themselves in silence, be seen by others, and listen with our eyes.

There will be a sharing by the artists at The Listening Biennial LAB, Sat, 13 Sep at LASALLE College of the Arts. Singapore Sign Language (SgSL) provided during the Artist Talk.

For more information:

https://www.brack.sg/index.php/2025/07/12/the-listening-biennial-third-edition/

If you are unable to book a ticket via Eventbrite, please write to:

listeningbiennialsg@gmail.com

Photography Participant Notes:

• Please arrive at the venue 15 minutes before the experience start time.
• If you are late or unable to attend, please note that your experience slot will be allocated to another participant on the waitlist. No refunds will be provided.
• A pre-show welcome video will be shared with you via email.
• Participants will receive their digital portrait via email 7 working days after the session as a memento from this experience.
• By participating in this studio experience, you kindly grant the artist the permission to use your materials and photographs of you freely for artistic and research purposes.

Audience Notes:

• Attendees are invited to witness the studio experience. Photographer Issy will invite you to partake in parts of the experience.
• Please be advised that photographs will be taken at the event for marketing and publications. By entering this event, you consent to the artist and the organisers photographing and using your image and likeness.

Accessibility Notes:

• Touch tours for audiences with low-vision or blindness are available for the 7:30 PM studio experience. The 30 min Touch Tour will begin at 6:45 PM.
• Click to access the Easy-Read Guide of the experience
• Venue Guide with Visuals
• Screen-reader friendly Venue Guide (Text only).
• Relaxed area available on Level 1 inner courtyard.
• The Black Box is on the second floor of a heritage building which does not have elevators or escalators. Audiences can only access the Black Box via a flight of stairs.

Creative Team:

Artist: Isabelle Lim

Dramaturg: Grace Lee-Khoo

Spatial Design: Benedict Tay

Project Manager: Nur Azeera (ART:DIS)

Assistant Project Manager: Ng Xiao Zhen (ART:DIS)

Stage Production Manager: Izz Sumono

Interpreter: Muhammad Azzam Akbar

Interpreter (Process): Jacqui Lim

Documentation: Isabelle Tay

Artist Bios:

Isabelle Lim (Issy) is a compelling figure in the realm of photography, her work is characterised by a distinct narrative of resilience and perspective. An alumna of LASALLE College of the Arts and the inaugural recipient of the Dare to Dream scholarship, Isabelle has surmounted the challenges of transitioning from an education system for the Deaf to mainstream schooling, fortified by her independence and a supportive community of interpreters and peers. The founder of issyshoots, Isabelle specialises in portraiture and event photography, capturing poignant moments of life's milestones. Isabelle's imagery transcends the silence of her world; each photograph is a testament to her belief that identity is conveyed through creativity and connection, rather than limitations. Her dedication to her craft is unwavering, as she continually seeks to portray the depth of human emotion and experience.

Grace Lee-Khoo is the Founder of Access Path Productions, Singapore’s first disability-led theatre company. Grace was International Artist-in-residence at London’s Graeae Theatre Company in 2017 and currently Lead Artist of the Inclusive Young Company. A director, performer, producer, dramaturg, drama educator, audio describer and creative access consultant, her Directing credits include: Kaite O’Reilly’s The 9 Fridas, Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis, Hijinx Theatre’s Meet Fred, Glimpse, Self Portrait, desert of the ocean (doldrums) (Singapore Art Week 2024) and Patterns of Perception (Singapore Biennale 2023). Grace is an adjunct lecturer at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. Onscreen, she is the host of Channel News Asia’s The New Hire (2022) and The Assembly (2025).

Benedict Tay is an architecture graduate passionate about both design and art. His current work explores Singapore’s architectural history for a curated collection. Working mostly in watercolours and digital media, his art captures everyday local scenes, preserving their character and memory. At weekends, he explores the city with his sketchbook, painting on location as part of Urban Sketchers Singapore. For Benedict, both architecture and art are ways to tell stories, spark curiosity, and celebrate the places we live in.

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This programme is presented at 42 Waterloo Street with venue support from the Arts Resource Hub. The Arts Resource Hub supports arts Self-Employed Persons (SEPs) and freelance practitioners in Singapore to unlock new opportunities and grow meaningful careers.

The beanbags featured in the Silent Studio are part of the "Prints With Purpose" collection — a special collaboration between doob Bean Bags and ART:DIS Studio. These functional art pieces are designed by artists with disabilities and celebrate the power of art to transform everyday objects into expressive, inclusive design. We are grateful to doob and the featured artists for generously supporting this installation.

Our photographer may be taking photos and videos. By attending this programme, you consent to be photographed or filmed.

About The Listening Biennial, Singapore

Since 2021, The Listening Biennial has sought to foster research and discussion on listening, recognising its transformative power as key to enriching personal lives and social initiatives, and which supports ethical and political practices. As part of the Singapore Night Festival, the artists of The Listening Biennial invite you to enter the space of Third Listening, to listen out for a plurality of life-forms as well as pathways of interconnection between seemingly irreconcilable differences.

The Singapore edition is curated by artist Alecia Neo and co-programmed with publisher Ng Kah Gay of Ethos Books.

Read more: https://listeningbiennial.net/biennial-editions/third-edition

About ART:DIS (Art & Disability) Singapore

ART:DIS (Arts & Disability) Singapore is a non-profit organisation established in 1993, championing the learning and livelihood opportunities for persons with disabilities (PwDs) in the arts. We provide a wide range of programmes to enable PwDs to develop their artistic interests, grow their self-confidence and engage them as active members of a supported community.

Our parallel professional development pathways further supports sustainable & meaningful impact for PwDs to gain work experience, empowering them to live independently in the community.

https://artdis.org.sg