Monday 27 March, 2023

The lecture is open to the public and will be held at the ACM Ngee Ann Auditorium at 11am (SGT). 

EATING HERITAGE THROUGH TIME: FOODWAYS, SENSORY ENCOUNTERS AND EVERYDAY LIFE EXPERIENCES

Drawing from previous and current research, this talk unpacks how foodways, the senses, and everyday life experiences unfold over time. Heritage-making and how it is sustained, are anchored upon a welding of both sensory relations and gastronomic practices. Together, food heritage reflects a combination of personal, familial, as well as political identities that speak of communal ties and group affiliation which are demonstrated through everyday practices of food and foodways.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Kelvin E.Y. Low is Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the National University of Singapore. His research interests comprise sensory studies, social memory, heritage and historiography, migration and transnationalism, and food and foodways. He is the author or editor of 6 books, with the most recent being Sensory Anthropology: Culture and Experience in Asia (Cambridge University Press, 2023). He presently serves as a member of the Core Academic Panel of the National Museum of Singapore.  

Monday 03 April, 2023

This is an FOM member-only event. The lecture will be held on-line 11am-12 pm (SGT).  To register for the event please click here.

PIONEERING RUBBER AND ORCHID CULTIVATION IN SINGAPORE: A LEGACY OF THE SINGAPORE BOTANIC GARDENS AND THE TAN TOCK SENG FAMILY

Most of us think of the Singapore Botanic Gardens as the green lungs of a concrete metropolis and its botanical legacy is often relegated to the realms of botanists and historians. This talk spotlights the intersection of botanical research at the Gardens and the interests of Tan Tock Seng’s descendants that put Singapore on the world map for pioneering the cultivation of two plants – rubber and orchids. 

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Holding a MA in Museum Studies and Curatorial practices from NTU, Singapore, Ratika Shah Singh currently manages Events and Exhibitions at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. She has also consulted on research and content development for museums and galleries in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and India. Ratika has been an active contributor in the field of heritage and culture as a museum docent, researcher, writer, and trainer, specialising in global art histories of South and Southeast Asia, for nearly a decade. 

Monday 17 April, 2023

The lecture is open to the public and will be held at the ACM Ngee Ann Auditorium at 11am (SGT). 

WHAT'S YOUR BEEF?  A LINGUIST'S ANALYSIS OF THE TALK ABOUT ALTERNATIVE PROTEINS

This talk will discuss the emerging trends in global food culture, specifically the trend toward plant-based and lab-produced alternative meat/protein sources. An analysis of the conversation produced and circulated in the media will lend insight about the cultural, social, and economic factors influencing consumer behavior and receptivity toward these novel foods. 

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

1) Keri Matwick, PhD, teaches at Nanyang Technological University. A linguist, Keri conducts research on the language of food in the media. She has published academic articles, news articles, and a book on a range of topics, including cooking shows, culinary diplomacy, food radio, and storytelling. She recently gave a TEDxNTU talk on the power of humor in teaching. 

2) Kelsi Matwick, PhD, teaches at the University of Florida. A food and language scholar, Kelsi explores how we communicate about food, through food, and around food. Cookbooks, cooking shows, food radio, food politics, and storytelling inspire her research and publications in academic journals, newspapers, and book co-authored with her twin sister. Kelsi teaches a course on the future of food with topics including sustainability, food waste, and food production. 

Monday 08 May, 2023

This is an FOM member-only event. The lecture will be held on-line 11am-12 pm (SGT).  To register for the event please click here.

HINDU DEITIES AND SANSKRIT IN JAPAN

Most people are not aware that at least a score of Hindu deities are very actively worshipped in Japan. In fact, there are hundreds of shrines to Saraswati alone. There are innumerable representations of Lakshmi, Indra, Brahma, Ganesha, Garuda and other deities. In fact, even deities practically forgotten in India, such as Vayu and Varuna, are still worshipped in Japan.  Join this lecture and short film screening to learn more.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Benoy K Behl is a film-maker, art-historian and photographer who is known for his tireless and prolific output of work over the past 47 years. He has taken over 53,000 photographs of Asian monuments and art heritage and made 146 documentaries which are regularly screened at major cultural institutions worldwide. His photographic exhibitions have been warmly received in 74 countries around the world. These have been inaugurated by ministers of the governments of various countries, ambassadors, archbishops, HH the Dalai Lama and others dignitaries. He holds the Limca Book Record for being the most travelled photographer and art historian.