Cultural Connections – Volume 6 (2021)
Culture and Crisis
Last updated 7 November 2025
Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the sixth edition of Cultural Connections delves into the broader question of crises and their impact on the arts and culture sector. This edition presents the perspectives and experiences of arts and cultural luminaries and thought leaders from Australia, Japan, Singapore and the UK – providing a pause for reflection.
Step back in time with us as we uncover how institutions, governments and communities have weathered turmoil through the years, transforming crises into lessons and hope for future generations.
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Foreword and Editor-in-Chief's Note
Rosa Daniel, Dean, Culture Academy and Thangamma Karthigesu, Editor-in-Chief. [PDF, 53KB]
Culture and Crisis
Professor Tan Tai Yong, President, Yale-NUS College [PDF, 188 KB]
The Four Horsemen
Ravi Menon, Managing Director, Monetary Authority of Singapore [PDF, 353 KB]
War and Its Art in Southeast Asia
Kwa Chong Guan, Senior Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies [PDF, 679 KB]
The Syonan Symphony Orchestra: A Case of Musical Collaboration in Wartime Singapore
Phan Ming Yen, Chief Operating Officer, The RICE Company Limited [PDF, 238 KB]
Arts and Culture as a Source of Well-being
Dr Wong Tien Hua, Council Member, National Arts Council [PDF, 187 KB]
Museums as Spaces for Well-Being
Suenne Megan Tan, Senior Director, Museum Planning & Audience Engagement, National Gallery Singapore [PDF, 190 KB]
The Crisis of Normality
Dr Eugene Tan, Director, National Gallery Singapore and Singapore Art Museum [PDF, 3,845 KB]
Culture and Climate Change: The Value of Local Collections in Addressing Climate Change
Professor Robyn Sloggett, Director and Cripps Foundation Chair in Cultural Materials Conservation, The Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation, The University of Melbourne [PDF, 200 KB]
Endless Dreams of Cro-Magnon or a Perpetual Feast?
Professor Mitsuru Haga, Special Advisor for Promotion of Diversity and Professor, Institute for Excellence in Higher Education, Tohoku University [PDF, 295 KB]
A Changing World: Culture Disrupted
Peter Tullin, Co-founder, REMIX Summits [PDF, 233 KB]
Cultural and Technological Disruptions
Jervais Choo, Deputy Director, Organisational Design and Innovation, NHB [PDF, 201 KB]
A Larger Reality
Dr Susie Lingham, Writer, Artist, Educator [PDF, 545 KB]
Re-imagining the National Museum of Singapore’s Role in a Post-pandemic World
Chung May Khuen, Director, National Museum of Singapore [PDF, 1,641 KB]
For Wh(Art) it’s Worth?
Zulhaqem Bin Zulkifli, Foresight Analyst, Centre for Strategic Futures [PDF, 209 KB]
Culture and Crisis—What Lies Ahead?
Sir Geoff Mulgan, Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy and Social Innovation, University College London [PDF 206 KB]