Pioneering grassroots conference, DEEP CUTS, to take place at Peace Centre

DEEP CUTS, the pioneering Asian grassroots conference series for the creative community, is set to debut in Singapore at Peace Centre from January 13-14, 2024.

Featuring over 20 curated programs, the event aims to explore the diverse facets of Singapore’s independent creative scenes, bringing together 40 liminal voices from music and nightlife, visual arts, street arts, dance, and more.

The conference seeks to delve into the current realities and envisioned futures of the local grassroots community.

Peace Centre, slated for demolition late this month, stands as a symbol of memories from Singapore's past amid rapid economic development.

“This interim period before Peace Centre is demolished has allowed collectives, artists, and partygoers to experience and play around with new urban spaces, which is important for keeping the party culture fresh and exciting. While putting up events in run-down places presents its own set of challenges, it also encourages the DIY ethos to come out, ever-important in super clean and modern Singapore,” states DEEP CUTS co-founder, Anastasiya Varenytsya.

With Peace Centre as its backdrop, DEEP CUTS aims to showcase a thriving local grassroots scene, emphasizing the importance of empowering individuals and collectives to forge their paths to cultural resilience.

Through panel discussions, presentations, workshops, and showcases, the event explores the roots of identity, space, and community, fostering insightful discussions about the future of creative niches in the local industry.

“The inspiration for the programming was influenced by our own experiences being involved in various arts scenes, as well as by other scene experts who we consulted in preparation for the conference. We hope that it serves as an entry point for people to get nerdy about the arts and to view the grassroots arts scene from a more critical lens. We also hope to facilitate inter/intra-generational and inter/intra-scene sharing so that new insights can be gleaned from old lessons and stories and we can move forward collectively,” explains co-founder Wan Jie Che.

One of the programmes is Deep Dives; intimate keynotes resembling live podcast sessions, featuring speakers like butoh practitioner and choreographer Xue, street art collective DPLMT (who designed the afterparty event flyer below; main conference flyer designed by Kelley), artist-scholar Ginette Chittick, and more.

Panels and presentations offer perspectives on industry experience, creative identity, and paths towards forging a unique artistic signature. Closed-door workshops and roundtables cater to smaller focus groups, providing engaging discussions on topics like building safer nightlife spaces and intentional party-making.

When asked about the ideal envisioned futures of local the grassroots community in Singapore, co-founder Dione Keh answers: “One where decision-makers, influential organisations, and people with capital recognize the value of the creative community in Singapore and invest into it in a way that enables a self-sustaining and exciting creative ecosystem to flourish.”

DEEP CUTS will conclude with an official afterparty hosted by Life in Arpeggio founder Kevin Ho and supported by Mixmag Asia, featuring a diverse line-up of collectives and names from Singapore's nightlife scene.

To support local creative grassroots communities, a portion of DEEP CUTS ticket revenues will go back to speakers and collaborators for their respective contributions.

Get tickets to the event here.