Lawrence Koh (from Singapore) – International sand art virtuoso specialized in both the visual art and the performing art. Utilizing an awe-inspiring combination of sand, music and light, Lawrence created countless stories as a sand artist during his local and international performances as well as prestigious events.
I am happy to share with you another sand art short film created by myself! This time, its about the famous ancient epic "Ramayana". *I think this is the most epic sand art film I have ever created*
Let me now take you on an epic journey of timeless love, courage, magic and the battle of good vs evil......
The Ramayana or Rāmāyaṇa (Sanskrit: रामायणम्, Rāmāyaṇam), is the first of two Sanskrit itihāsas (ancient Indian heroic epic poem) traditionally ascribed to the Hindu muni (sage) Vālmīki—the other one being the Mahābhārata attributed to Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa.
The epic narrates the life of Rāma, a legendary rāja-kumāra (prince) of Kośala, his banishment from his kingdom by his father king Daśaratha, his travels across forests in India with his wife Sītā and brother Lakṣmaṇa, the kidnap of his wife by his enemies, resulting in a war with Rāvaṇa (the king of the island of Laṅkā) and eventual return to Ayodhya to be crowned king.
The Ramayana is one of the largest ancient epics in world literature. It is comprised nearly 24,000 verses (mostly set in the śloka meter), divided into seven Kāṇḍas (books) and about 500 sargas (chapters). In Hindu tradition, it is considered to be the ādi-kāvya (first kāvya poem). It depicts the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal father, the ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal wife and the ideal king. The Ramayana was an important influence on later Sanskrit poetry and Hindu life and culture. Like the Mahabharata, the Ramayana is not just a story: it presents the teachings of ancient Hindu sages in narrative allegory, interspersing philosophical and ethical elements. The characters Rāma, Sītā, Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata, Hanumān and Rāvaṇa are all fundamental to the cultural consciousness of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and south-east Asian countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia.
There are many other versions of the Ramayana in Indian languages, besides Buddhist and Jain adaptations; and also Cambodian, Indonesian, Filipino, Thai, Lao, Burmese, and Malaysian versions of the tale.
"When these subtle thoughts of jealousy and pride remain unrecognized, they grow into overwhelming emotions that cling to one's own happiness and to hostility toward others. The root of all this is the grasping at a self. Because we strongly believe in this self, we feel alarmed by everything that threatens it. When others criticize us, we get angry."
“I was amazed at your talent and just good you were with your performance. It must have taken many hours of practice.” – Emeritus Senior Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong to Sand Artist Lawrence Koh
Lawrence Koh – International sand art virtuoso and multi-disciplinary artist specialized in both the visual art and the performing art. Utilizing an awe-inspiring combination of sand, music and light, Lawrence has created countless stories as a sand artist during his local and international performances as well as prestigious events such as award ceremonies, official launch, grand opening, dinner & dance, festive celebrations, meetings, seminars and anniversary celebrations. Lawrence’s performance is often graced by foreign delegates, local VIPs and international guests; while also received positive responses from notable guests such as the Former President of Singapore Mr S.R Nathan, Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong, Emeritus Senior Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong, Mr Teo Chee Hean, Minister Lee Yi Shyan, Minister Heng Swee Keat, Dr Ng Eng Hen, Mr Lawrence Wong, International Model Sonia Couling, Dr Chan Mei Yoke, MP Low Yen Ling and Film Director Eric Khoo.
Some of Lawrence’s notable performances: MSH International Official Thailand Opening, Gourmet Abu Dhabi, Platts Top 250, Monetary Authority of Singapore Inter Central Bank Games, OCBC Regional Seminar, United Engineers 100 Years Anniversary, Shell Groundbreaking Ceremony, National University Health System Charity Gala Dinner at Gardens by the Bay, Lee Ming Wei’s Luminous Depths Installation Opening the Peranakan Museum, NTUC U Picnic, People’s Association’s New Year Countdown, Singapore Turf Club’s SIA Cup, BCA Awards, Institute of Mental Health 85th Anniversary, Kajima 25th Anniversary, Zurich Global Life Awards, BCI Asia Awards, Daido (Japan) 110th Anniversary Commendation Ceremony and many more.
Some of Lawrence’s previous clients: Mandarin Oriental, KFC, Pizza Hut, Panasonic, Singapore Armed Forces, National Heritage Board, Singapore College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Arts Council, Lian Beng Group Ltd, 7 Eleven, Abbott, Daikin, Melchers, Singex, National Library Board Singapore, Singapore Expo, Bosch, Ministry of Education, Sentosa, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority, GlaxoSmithKline, National Healthcare Group, Sonangol, Mediacorp.
Being a celebrated artist in Singapore’s entertainment and art scene, Lawrence’s career spans across theatre productions, cultural fusion performances, short films, corporate videos, television programmes, television commercials, documentaries and live concerts. Lawrence was given the honour to have a special collaboration with the renowned Bhaskar’s Arts Academy during their major theatre production “CHAKRA”, featuring a captivating fusion of Indian dance, ballet, live Indian orchestra and sand art. The performance was graced by the presence of former president Mr. S.R Nathan and the tickets sold out completely; receiving standing ovation from the audience. Under National Arts Council’s request and support, “CHAKRA” was restaged once again at the Toa Payoh Amphitheatre with Lawrence being part of the National Arts Council’s “Arts for All” programme. Lawrence’s collaboration journey with Bhaskar’s Arts Academy also includes “Nalanda” a multi-disciplinary theatre production at the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay and “Ramayana” during the Diwali Festival of Lights Performance in Wellington, New Zealand.
Lawrence captivated the audience once again with veteran storyteller Kamini Ramachandran and live fusion musicians (keyboardist Serene, bansuri flutist Ragha and table player Kumaran) during two sold out performances of “Forest Fables” – a multi-disciplinary English theatre production presented by Esplanade Theatres on the Bay. Under the invitation from Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, Lawrence performed his very own live concerts with the amazing “Tze N Looking Glass Orchestra” with talented string ensemble from ACS Independent during “Celebrate December 2013”. The performance was extremely well-received with full house for all three shows. With great excitement, Lawrence was given the honour to collaborate with the Singapore Philharmonic Winds Orchestra during the sold out concert – “Fun with Music” at the Esplanade Concert Hall as a guest soloist performing Eric Whitacre’s “Cloudburst”. Amidst his sand art journey, Lawrence and his sand art has received numerous article features and write-ups on Straits Times, Lian He Zao Bao, Business Times, AsiaOne.com, 8 Days Magazine and Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery’s “Awaken Magazine”.
Lawrence and his sand art were also featured extensively on Singapore’s television programmes. He was featured as a guest artist on Mediacorp Okto channel’s “Art Bites” and “Arts.Music.Performances”; in which he performed his original sand art with DJ Shawn Fluctuate. Subsequently, Lawrence’s sand art also caught the attention of Mediacorp’s “Artless Travelled Season 2” – an award winning international documentary about the lesser seen art forms of Asia, with Lawrence and his performances being featured on the show as one of Singapore’s unique art forms. Other television involvements of Lawrence includes the McDonald’s Wholegrain McMuffin television commercial, Starhub E-City’s television commercials as well as Mediacorp Channel 5 and Suria Channel’s “Remembering SARS” – a telemovie that featured Lawrence’s sand art portraying the stories of Singapore’s battle against SARS.
With great privilege, Lawrence’s original sand animation tribute film to Singapore was featured on Vasantham Central’s Tamil News, Channel NewsAsia’s official Facebook page, as well as Channel NewsAsia’s “Singapore @ 6” and “Singapore Tonight”. On top of that, Lawrence was also invited to be the guest artist on Channel NewsAsia’s “AM Live!” and “Artyfacts”. He is also honored to be invited to perform on Mediacorp Suria Channel’s “Fiesta Muzik” – a prestigious live telecast music concert featuring popular artists from Singapore and Indonesia. Mr Aubeck Kam, Singapore’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) and Dr Basuki Yusuf Iskandar, Indonesia’s Secretary-General of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, attended “Fiesta Muzik” as the Guests-of-Honour. “Fiesta Muzik” was broadcasted as a live telecast on Singapore and Indonesia’s TV channels with Lawrence’s performance receiving excellent responses.
-
What is Sand Art?
"In Buddhism, they say attachment to anything only leads to suffering. So when we laugh, it's our way of saying, 'I'm unattached to that.' You're tickled by it, it makes your lobes do something on their own. So humor is very important to me. I always take that to the stage first." - Jason Mraz
Sand animation, also known as sand art, is a term which has two meanings. It is the name given to a style of live performance art and to a type of animation. In the former, an artist creates a series of images using sand, a process which is achieved by applying sand to a surface and then rendering images by drawing lines and figures in the sand with one's hands. A sand animation performer will often use the aid of an overhead projector or lightbox (similar to one used by photographers to view translucent films). In the latter, animators move around sand on a backlighted or frontlighted piece of glass to create each frame for their animated films.
Sand Painting of the World:
Tibet - The Sand Mandala (Tibetan: ???????????, Wylie: dkyil 'khor; Chinese: ???; pinyin: Sha Tánchéng) is a Tibetan Buddhist tradition involving the creation and destruction of mandalas made from colored sand. A sand mandala is ritualistically dismantled once it has been completed and its accompanying ceremonies and viewing are finished to symbolize the Buddhist doctrinal belief in the transitory nature of material life.
Native American - In the sandpainting of southwestern Native Americans (the most famous of which are the Navajo (known as the Diné)), the Medicine Man (or Hatalii) paints loosely upon the ground of a hogan, where the ceremony takes place, or on a buckskin or cloth tarpaulin, by letting the coloured sands flow through his fingers with control and skill. There are 600 to 1,000 different traditional designs for sandpaintings known to the Navajo. They do not view the paintings as static objects, but as spiritual, living beings to be treated with great respect. More than 30 different sandpaintings may be associated with one ceremony.
Indigenous Australian - Indigenous Australian art has a history which covers more than 30,000 years, and a wide range of native traditions and styles. These have been studied in recent decades and their complexity has gained increased international recognition.[2] Aboriginal Art covers a wide variety of media, including sandpainting, painting on leaves, wood carving, rock carving, sculpture, and ceremonial clothing, as well as artistic embellishments found on weaponry and also tools. Art is one of the key rituals of Aboriginal culture. It was and still is, used to mark territory, record history, and tell stories about "The Dreaming".
Japanese tray pictures - From the 15th century in Japan, Buddhist artists in the times of the shoguns practiced the craft of bonseki by sprinkling dry colored sand and pebbles onto the surface of plain black lacquered trays. They used bird feathers as brushes to form the sandy surface into seascapes and landscapes. These tray pictures were used in religious ceremonies. Japanese esoteric Buddhism was transmitted from East Central Asia after the 8th century, and thus these Japanese Buddhist sandpaintings may share earlier historical roots with the more intricate brightly coloured Buddhist sand mandalas created by Tibetan Buddhist monks.
Table decking - During the 17th and 18th centuries, the royal courts of Europe employed "table deckers", who decorated the side tables at royal banquets having adapted the craft of 'bonseki' from the Japanese. The table deckers sprinkled coloured sands, marble dust, sugars, etc. upon the surface of plain white tablecloths to create unfixed pictures of fruit, flowers, birds and rustic scenery. In between each design spaces were left for fruit bowls and sweetmeat dishes so that the diners could refresh themselves in between the main courses of the feast. These ornate pictures were discarded along with the debris of the feast.
Georgian sandpainting - Sandpainting as a craft was inspired by King George III, who was a skilled watchmaker and craftsman in his own right, and took an interest in the skills demonstrated by royal functionaries, known as Table Deckers, who decorated the white table-cloths at royal banquets with ornate centre-pieces decorated by using coloured sands and sugars as 'paint', and a bird's feather as a 'brush' a craft introduced by a European traveller who had observed the craftsmen at work in Japan.
Victorian sand picture souvenirs - Thousands of sites exist where it is possible to collect natural coloured sands for craftwork, with an enormous range of colours being available around the globe varying with the contents of the mineral charged waters leaching through the sands. But for the tourist the vertical sand cliffs at Alum Bay on the Isle of Wight form the central portion of a visual geological phenomenon (best viewed after a shower of rain) which encapsulates the impressive chalk spires of The Needles and Tennyson Downs. Aspiring sand crafters are now banned from risking their lives climbing the cliffs to collect the 21 coloured sands available in the bay, and to prevent excessive damage to the environment, but the sand kiosks have in the past been there to supply their needs.
Senegal - In the 1860s to 1890s Andrew Clemens a deaf mute born in Dubuque, Iowa, USA became famous for his craft of creating unfixed pictures using multicoloured sands compressed inside glass bottles or ornate chemist jars. The sand was collected from the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi. The subjects of his sand bottles included ornately decorated sentimental verses, sailing ships, plants, animals and portraits.
Chinese New Year Sand Art Short Film - "The Legend of Nian" by Sand Artist Lawrence Koh:
"Nian" is a mystical beast that terrorizes the village during the lunar new year period. The villagers tried various unsuccessful methods with the hope of subduing the great beast. Until a wise old man advised the villagers that the beast is fearful of loud noise & bright red colour. Hence, the use of firecrackers, loud gong sound / loud instruments as well as having bright red colour on their doorstep successfully ward off the beast forever!
Today, the legend of the mystical "Nian" has evolved into the Chinese Lion Dance we see today; together with the use of firecracker, drum, cymbals, & gong as auspicious accompaniments to the performance of lion dance. While the colour red became an auspicious colour of the Chinese Lunar New Year.
“I was amazed at your talent and just good you were with your performance. It must have taken many hours of practice.” – Emeritus Senior Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong to Sand Artist Lawrence Koh
Lawrence Koh – International sand art virtuoso and multi-disciplinary artist specialized in both the visual art and the performing art. Utilizing an awe-inspiring combination of sand, music and light, Lawrence has created countless stories as a sand artist during his local and international performances as well as prestigious events such as award ceremonies, official launch, grand opening, dinner & dance, festive celebrations, meetings, seminars and anniversary celebrations. Lawrence’s performance is often graced by foreign delegates, local VIPs and international guests; while also received positive responses from notable guests such as the Former President of Singapore Mr S.R Nathan, Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong, Emeritus Senior Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong, Mr Teo Chee Hean, Minister Lee Yi Shyan, Minister Heng Swee Keat, Dr Ng Eng Hen, Mr Lawrence Wong, International Model Sonia Couling, Dr Chan Mei Yoke, MP Low Yen Ling and Film Director Eric Khoo.
Some of Lawrence’s notable performances: MSH International Official Thailand Opening, Gourmet Abu Dhabi, Platts Top 250, Monetary Authority of Singapore Inter Central Bank Games, OCBC Regional Seminar, United Engineers 100 Years Anniversary, Shell Groundbreaking Ceremony, National University Health System Charity Gala Dinner at Gardens by the Bay, Lee Ming Wei’s Luminous Depths Installation Opening the Peranakan Museum, NTUC U Picnic, People’s Association’s New Year Countdown, Singapore Turf Club’s SIA Cup, BCA Awards, Institute of Mental Health 85th Anniversary, Kajima 25th Anniversary, Zurich Global Life Awards, BCI Asia Awards, Daido (Japan) 110th Anniversary Commendation Ceremony and many more.
Some of Lawrence’s previous clients: Mandarin Oriental, KFC, Pizza Hut, Panasonic, Singapore Armed Forces, National Heritage Board, Singapore College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Arts Council, Lian Beng Group Ltd, 7 Eleven, Abbott, Daikin, Melchers, Singex, National Library Board Singapore, Singapore Expo, Bosch, Ministry of Education, Sentosa, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority, GlaxoSmithKline, National Healthcare Group, Sonangol, Mediacorp.
Being a celebrated artist in Singapore’s entertainment and art scene, Lawrence’s career spans across theatre productions, cultural fusion performances, short films, corporate videos, television programmes, television commercials, documentaries and live concerts. Lawrence was given the honour to have a special collaboration with the renowned Bhaskar’s Arts Academy during their major theatre production “CHAKRA”, featuring a captivating fusion of Indian dance, ballet, live Indian orchestra and sand art. The performance was graced by the presence of former president Mr. S.R Nathan and the tickets sold out completely; receiving standing ovation from the audience. Under National Arts Council’s request and support, “CHAKRA” was restaged once again at the Toa Payoh Amphitheatre with Lawrence being part of the National Arts Council’s “Arts for All” programme. Lawrence’s collaboration journey with Bhaskar’s Arts Academy also includes “Nalanda” a multi-disciplinary theatre production at the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay and “Ramayana” during the Diwali Festival of Lights Performance in Wellington, New Zealand.
Lawrence captivated the audience once again with veteran storyteller Kamini Ramachandran and live fusion musicians (keyboardist Serene, bansuri flutist Ragha and table player Kumaran) during two sold out performances of “Forest Fables” – a multi-disciplinary English theatre production presented by Esplanade Theatres on the Bay. Under the invitation from Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, Lawrence performed his very own live concerts with the amazing “Tze N Looking Glass Orchestra” with talented string ensemble from ACS Independent during “Celebrate December 2013”. The performance was extremely well-received with full house for all three shows. With great excitement, Lawrence was given the honour to collaborate with the Singapore Philharmonic Winds Orchestra during the sold out concert – “Fun with Music” at the Esplanade Concert Hall as a guest soloist performing Eric Whitacre’s “Cloudburst”. Amidst his sand art journey, Lawrence and his sand art has received numerous article features and write-ups on Straits Times, Lian He Zao Bao, Business Times, AsiaOne.com, 8 Days Magazine and Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery’s “Awaken Magazine”.
Lawrence and his sand art were also featured extensively on Singapore’s television programmes. He was featured as a guest artist on Mediacorp Okto channel’s “Art Bites” and “Arts.Music.Performances”; in which he performed his original sand art with DJ Shawn Fluctuate. Subsequently, Lawrence’s sand art also caught the attention of Mediacorp’s “Artless Travelled Season 2” – an award winning international documentary about the lesser seen art forms of Asia, with Lawrence and his performances being featured on the show as one of Singapore’s unique art forms. Other television involvements of Lawrence includes the McDonald’s Wholegrain McMuffin television commercial, Starhub E-City’s television commercials as well as Mediacorp Channel 5 and Suria Channel’s “Remembering SARS” – a telemovie that featured Lawrence’s sand art portraying the stories of Singapore’s battle against SARS.
With great privilege, Lawrence’s original sand animation tribute film to Singapore was featured on Vasantham Central’s Tamil News, Channel NewsAsia’s official Facebook page, as well as Channel NewsAsia’s “Singapore @ 6” and “Singapore Tonight”. On top of that, Lawrence was also invited to be the guest artist on Channel NewsAsia’s “AM Live!” and “Artyfacts”. He is also honored to be invited to perform on Mediacorp Suria Channel’s “Fiesta Muzik” – a prestigious live telecast music concert featuring popular artists from Singapore and Indonesia. Mr Aubeck Kam, Singapore’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) and Dr Basuki Yusuf Iskandar, Indonesia’s Secretary-General of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, attended “Fiesta Muzik” as the Guests-of-Honour. “Fiesta Muzik” was broadcasted as a live telecast on Singapore and Indonesia’s TV channels with Lawrence’s performance receiving excellent responses.
---
What is Sand Art?
"In Buddhism, they say attachment to anything only leads to suffering. So when we
laugh, it's our way of saying, 'I'm unattached to that.' You're tickled by it, it makes
your lobes do something on their own. So humor is very important to me. I always take
that to the stage first." - Jason Mraz
Sand animation, also known as sand art, is a term which has two meanings. It is the
name given to a style of live performance art and to a type of animation. In the
former, an artist creates a series of images using sand, a process which is achieved by
applying sand to a surface and then rendering images by drawing lines and figures in
the sand with one's hands. A sand animation performer will often use the aid of an
overhead projector or lightbox (similar to one used by photographers to view
translucent films). In the latter, animators move around sand on a backlighted or
frontlighted piece of glass to create each frame for their animated films.
Sand Painting of the World:
Tibet - The Sand Mandala (Tibetan: ???????????, Wylie: dkyil 'khor; Chinese: ???;
pinyin: Sha Tánchéng) is a Tibetan Buddhist tradition involving the creation and
destruction of mandalas made from colored sand. A sand mandala is ritualistically
dismantled once it has been completed and its accompanying ceremonies and viewing are
finished to symbolize the Buddhist doctrinal belief in the transitory nature of
material life.
Native American - In the sandpainting of southwestern Native Americans (the most famous
of which are the Navajo (known as the Diné)), the Medicine Man (or Hatalii) paints
loosely upon the ground of a hogan, where the ceremony takes place, or on a buckskin or
cloth tarpaulin, by letting the coloured sands flow through his fingers with control
and skill. There are 600 to 1,000 different traditional designs for sandpaintings known
to the Navajo. They do not view the paintings as static objects, but as spiritual,
living beings to be treated with great respect. More than 30 different sandpaintings
may be associated with one ceremony.
Indigenous Australian - Indigenous Australian art has a history which covers more than
30,000 years, and a wide range of native traditions and styles. These have been studied
in recent decades and their complexity has gained increased international recognition.
[2] Aboriginal Art covers a wide variety of media, including sandpainting, painting on
leaves, wood carving, rock carving, sculpture, and ceremonial clothing, as well as
artistic embellishments found on weaponry and also tools. Art is one of the key rituals
of Aboriginal culture. It was and still is, used to mark territory, record history, and
tell stories about "The Dreaming".
Japanese tray pictures - From the 15th century in Japan, Buddhist artists in the times
of the shoguns practiced the craft of bonseki by sprinkling dry colored sand and
pebbles onto the surface of plain black lacquered trays. They used bird feathers as
brushes to form the sandy surface into seascapes and landscapes. These tray pictures
were used in religious ceremonies. Japanese esoteric Buddhism was transmitted from East
Central Asia after the 8th century, and thus these Japanese Buddhist sandpaintings may
share earlier historical roots with the more intricate brightly coloured Buddhist sand
mandalas created by Tibetan Buddhist monks.
Table decking - During the 17th and 18th centuries, the royal courts of Europe employed
"table deckers", who decorated the side tables at royal banquets having adapted the
craft of 'bonseki' from the Japanese. The table deckers sprinkled coloured sands,
marble dust, sugars, etc. upon the surface of plain white tablecloths to create unfixed
pictures of fruit, flowers, birds and rustic scenery. In between each design spaces
were left for fruit bowls and sweetmeat dishes so that the diners could refresh
themselves in between the main courses of the feast. These ornate pictures were
discarded along with the debris of the feast.
Georgian sandpainting - Sandpainting as a craft was inspired by King George III, who
was a skilled watchmaker and craftsman in his own right, and took an interest in the
skills demonstrated by royal functionaries, known as Table Deckers, who decorated the
white table-cloths at royal banquets with ornate centre-pieces decorated by using
coloured sands and sugars as 'paint', and a bird's feather as a 'brush' a craft
introduced by a European traveller who had observed the craftsmen at work in Japan.
Victorian sand picture souvenirs - Thousands of sites exist where it is possible to
collect natural coloured sands for craftwork, with an enormous range of colours being
available around the globe varying with the contents of the mineral charged waters
leaching through the sands. But for the tourist the vertical sand cliffs at Alum Bay on
the Isle of Wight form the central portion of a visual geological phenomenon (best
viewed after a shower of rain) which encapsulates the impressive chalk spires of The
Needles and Tennyson Downs. Aspiring sand crafters are now banned from risking their
lives climbing the cliffs to collect the 21 coloured sands available in the bay, and to
prevent excessive damage to the environment, but the sand kiosks have in the past been
there to supply their needs.
Senegal - In the 1860s to 1890s Andrew Clemens a deaf mute born in Dubuque, Iowa, USA
became famous for his craft of creating unfixed pictures using multicoloured sands
compressed inside glass bottles or ornate chemist jars. The sand was collected from the
bluffs overlooking the Mississippi. The subjects of his sand bottles included ornately
decorated sentimental verses, sailing ships, plants, animals and portraits.
"In Buddhism, they say attachment to anything only leads to suffering. So when we laugh, it's our way of saying, 'I'm unattached to that.' You're tickled by it, it makes your lobes do something on their own. So humor is very important to me. I always take that to the stage first." - Jason Mraz
Sand animation, also known as sand art, is a term which has two meanings. It is the name given to a style of live performance art and to a type of animation. In the former, an artist creates a series of images using sand, a process which is achieved by applying sand to a surface and then rendering images by drawing lines and figures in the sand with one's hands. A sand animation performer will often use the aid of an overhead projector or lightbox (similar to one used by photographers to view translucent films). In the latter, animators move around sand on a backlighted or frontlighted piece of glass to create each frame for their animated films.
Sand Painting of the World:
Tibet - The Sand Mandala (Tibetan: དཀྱིལ་འཁོར།, Wylie: dkyil 'khor; Chinese: 沙坛城; pinyin: Shā Tánchéng) is a Tibetan Buddhist tradition involving the creation and destruction of mandalas made from colored sand. A sand mandala is ritualistically dismantled once it has been completed and its accompanying ceremonies and viewing are finished to symbolize the Buddhist doctrinal belief in the transitory nature of material life.
Native American - In the sandpainting of southwestern Native Americans (the most famous of which are the Navajo (known as the Diné)), the Medicine Man (or Hatałii) paints loosely upon the ground of a hogan, where the ceremony takes place, or on a buckskin or cloth tarpaulin, by letting the coloured sands flow through his fingers with control and skill. There are 600 to 1,000 different traditional designs for sandpaintings known to the Navajo. They do not view the paintings as static objects, but as spiritual, living beings to be treated with great respect. More than 30 different sandpaintings may be associated with one ceremony.
Indigenous Australian - Indigenous Australian art has a history which covers more than 30,000 years, and a wide range of native traditions and styles. These have been studied in recent decades and their complexity has gained increased international recognition.[2] Aboriginal Art covers a wide variety of media, including sandpainting, painting on leaves, wood carving, rock carving, sculpture, and ceremonial clothing, as well as artistic embellishments found on weaponry and also tools. Art is one of the key rituals of Aboriginal culture. It was and still is, used to mark territory, record history, and tell stories about "The Dreaming".
Japanese tray pictures - From the 15th century in Japan, Buddhist artists in the times of the shoguns practiced the craft of bonseki by sprinkling dry colored sand and pebbles onto the surface of plain black lacquered trays. They used bird feathers as brushes to form the sandy surface into seascapes and landscapes. These tray pictures were used in religious ceremonies. Japanese esoteric Buddhism was transmitted from East Central Asia after the 8th century, and thus these Japanese Buddhist sandpaintings may share earlier historical roots with the more intricate brightly coloured Buddhist sand mandalas created by Tibetan Buddhist monks.
Table decking - During the 17th and 18th centuries, the royal courts of Europe employed "table deckers", who decorated the side tables at royal banquets having adapted the craft of 'bonseki' from the Japanese. The table deckers sprinkled coloured sands, marble dust, sugars, etc. upon the surface of plain white tablecloths to create unfixed pictures of fruit, flowers, birds and rustic scenery. In between each design spaces were left for fruit bowls and sweetmeat dishes so that the diners could refresh themselves in between the main courses of the feast. These ornate pictures were discarded along with the debris of the feast.
Georgian sandpainting - Sandpainting as a craft was inspired by King George III, who was a skilled watchmaker and craftsman in his own right, and took an interest in the skills demonstrated by royal functionaries, known as Table Deckers, who decorated the white table-cloths at royal banquets with ornate centre-pieces decorated by using coloured sands and sugars as 'paint', and a bird's feather as a 'brush' a craft introduced by a European traveller who had observed the craftsmen at work in Japan.
Victorian sand picture souvenirs - Thousands of sites exist where it is possible to collect natural coloured sands for craftwork, with an enormous range of colours being available around the globe varying with the contents of the mineral charged waters leaching through the sands. But for the tourist the vertical sand cliffs at Alum Bay on the Isle of Wight form the central portion of a visual geological phenomenon (best viewed after a shower of rain) which encapsulates the impressive chalk spires of The Needles and Tennyson Downs. Aspiring sand crafters are now banned from risking their lives climbing the cliffs to collect the 21 coloured sands available in the bay, and to prevent excessive damage to the environment, but the sand kiosks have in the past been there to supply their needs.
Senegal - In the 1860s to 1890s Andrew Clemens a deaf mute born in Dubuque, Iowa, USA became famous for his craft of creating unfixed pictures using multicoloured sands compressed inside glass bottles or ornate chemist jars. The sand was collected from the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi. The subjects of his sand bottles included ornately decorated sentimental verses, sailing ships, plants, animals and portraits.
“I was amazed at your talent and just good you were with your performance. It must have taken many hours of practice.” – Emeritus Senior Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong to Sand Artist Lawrence Koh
Lawrence Koh – International sand art virtuoso and multi-disciplinary artist specialized in both the visual art and the performing art. Utilizing an awe-inspiring combination of sand, music and light, Lawrence has created countless stories as a sand artist during his local and international performances as well as prestigious events such as award ceremonies, official launch, grand opening, dinner & dance, festive celebrations, meetings, seminars and anniversary celebrations. Lawrence’s performance is often graced by foreign delegates, local VIPs and international guests; while also received positive responses from notable guests such as the Former President of Singapore Mr S.R Nathan, Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong, Emeritus Senior Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong, Mr Teo Chee Hean, Minister Lee Yi Shyan, Minister Heng Swee Keat, Dr Ng Eng Hen, Mr Lawrence Wong, International Model Sonia Couling, Dr Chan Mei Yoke, MP Low Yen Ling and Film Director Eric Khoo.
Some of Lawrence’s notable performances: MSH International Official Thailand Opening, Gourmet Abu Dhabi, Platts Top 250, Monetary Authority of Singapore Inter Central Bank Games, OCBC Regional Seminar, United Engineers 100 Years Anniversary, Shell Groundbreaking Ceremony, National University Health System Charity Gala Dinner at Gardens by the Bay, Lee Ming Wei’s Luminous Depths Installation Opening the Peranakan Museum, NTUC U Picnic, People’s Association’s New Year Countdown, Singapore Turf Club’s SIA Cup, BCA Awards, Institute of Mental Health 85th Anniversary, Kajima 25th Anniversary, Zurich Global Life Awards, BCI Asia Awards, Daido (Japan) 110th Anniversary Commendation Ceremony and many more.
Some of Lawrence’s previous clients: Mandarin Oriental, KFC, Pizza Hut, Panasonic, Singapore Armed Forces, National Heritage Board, Singapore College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Arts Council, Lian Beng Group Ltd, 7 Eleven, Abbott, Daikin, Melchers, Singex, National Library Board Singapore, Singapore Expo, Bosch, Ministry of Education, Sentosa, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority, GlaxoSmithKline, National Healthcare Group, Sonangol, Mediacorp.
Being a celebrated artist in Singapore’s entertainment and art scene, Lawrence’s career spans across theatre productions, cultural fusion performances, short films, corporate videos, television programmes, television commercials, documentaries and live concerts. Lawrence was given the honour to have a special collaboration with the renowned Bhaskar’s Arts Academy during their major theatre production “CHAKRA”, featuring a captivating fusion of Indian dance, ballet, live Indian orchestra and sand art. The performance was graced by the presence of former president Mr. S.R Nathan and the tickets sold out completely; receiving standing ovation from the audience. Under National Arts Council’s request and support, “CHAKRA” was restaged once again at the Toa Payoh Amphitheatre with Lawrence being part of the National Arts Council’s “Arts for All” programme. Lawrence’s collaboration journey with Bhaskar’s Arts Academy also includes “Nalanda” a multi-disciplinary theatre production at the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay and “Ramayana” during the Diwali Festival of Lights Performance in Wellington, New Zealand.
Lawrence captivated the audience once again with veteran storyteller Kamini Ramachandran and live fusion musicians (keyboardist Serene, bansuri flutist Ragha and table player Kumaran) during two sold out performances of “Forest Fables” – a multi-disciplinary English theatre production presented by Esplanade Theatres on the Bay. Under the invitation from Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, Lawrence performed his very own live concerts with the amazing “Tze N Looking Glass Orchestra” with talented string ensemble from ACS Independent during “Celebrate December 2013”. The performance was extremely well-received with full house for all three shows. With great excitement, Lawrence was given the honour to collaborate with the Singapore Philharmonic Winds Orchestra during the sold out concert – “Fun with Music” at the Esplanade Concert Hall as a guest soloist performing Eric Whitacre’s “Cloudburst”. Amidst his sand art journey, Lawrence and his sand art has received numerous article features and write-ups on Straits Times, Lian He Zao Bao, Business Times, AsiaOne.com, 8 Days Magazine and Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery’s “Awaken Magazine”.
Lawrence and his sand art were also featured extensively on Singapore’s television programmes. He was featured as a guest artist on Mediacorp Okto channel’s “Art Bites” and “Arts.Music.Performances”; in which he performed his original sand art with DJ Shawn Fluctuate. Subsequently, Lawrence’s sand art also caught the attention of Mediacorp’s “Artless Travelled Season 2” – an award winning international documentary about the lesser seen art forms of Asia, with Lawrence and his performances being featured on the show as one of Singapore’s unique art forms. Other television involvements of Lawrence includes the McDonald’s Wholegrain McMuffin television commercial, Starhub E-City’s television commercials as well as Mediacorp Channel 5 and Suria Channel’s “Remembering SARS” – a telemovie that featured Lawrence’s sand art portraying the stories of Singapore’s battle against SARS.
With great privilege, Lawrence’s original sand animation tribute film to Singapore was featured on Vasantham Central’s Tamil News, Channel NewsAsia’s official Facebook page, as well as Channel NewsAsia’s “Singapore @ 6” and “Singapore Tonight”. On top of that, Lawrence was also invited to be the guest artist on Channel NewsAsia’s “AM Live!” and “Artyfacts”. He is also honored to be invited to perform on Mediacorp Suria Channel’s “Fiesta Muzik” – a prestigious live telecast music concert featuring popular artists from Singapore and Indonesia. Mr Aubeck Kam, Singapore’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) and Dr Basuki Yusuf Iskandar, Indonesia’s Secretary-General of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, attended “Fiesta Muzik” as the Guests-of-Honour. “Fiesta Muzik” was broadcasted as a live telecast on Singapore and Indonesia’s TV channels with Lawrence’s performance receiving excellent responses.
A Sand Art Tribute to His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche, one of the most extraordinary teacher from Tibet with an awe-inspiring spiritual journey & a life for the benefit of all beings...
This short film is also made to promote the new building funds of Drigar Thubten Dargye Ling! Support if you can! Big thanks to you in advance!
SG50’s Sand Animation Short Film – “Sands of Our Fathers” [Proudly Supported by Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY)]:
A unique hybrid of dance, music, sand animation & special effects; this is a SG50 tribute short film!
Synopsis:... Sand as white as snow, signifying the purity & youth of our homeland... With blood, sweat & tear, a man crafted a future where peace & prosperity prevails... An ethereal story of fear, hopes & dreams told through the elegance of a young dreamer in a land we called home... A timeless journey of our founding father’s inconceivable effort & dedication; whose vision transforms this tiny island into a land of possibilities… A land called “Singapore".
When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.…
– 14th Dalai Lama
SG50’s Multi-Disciplinary Short Film (proudly supported by MCCY) – “Sands of Our Fathers”:
With the combined “magic” of Erik Goh (director), Glen Tiaw (producer), Lawrence Koh (sand artist), Lisha Chin (dancer), Tze Toh (composer), musicians Lazar T.Sebastine & Teo Boon Chye, special effect team & a team of truly amazing crews; comes this multi-disciplinary short film made by Singapore’s very own talents.
A unique hybrid of dance, music, sand animation & special effects; this is a SG50 tribute short film never seen before!
Synopsis: Sand as white as snow, signifying the purity & youth of our homeland… With blood, sweat & tear, a man crafted a future where peace & prosperity prevails… An ethereal story of fear, hopes & dreams told through the elegance of a young dreamer in a land we called home… A timeless journey of our founding father’s inconceivable effort & dedication; whose vision transforms this tiny island into a land of possibilities… A land called “Singapore”.
After sacrificing my sleep day after day (by sleeping around 7am or 8am…), I’m very very proud to share with you my most detailed and strenuous sand animation art film to date; portraying more than 20 scenes in this very film using sand.
Since I was small all the way till today, my dearest grandma would often share with me the stories and facts of her past. Which can be funny, sad and nostalgic. To me, her precious sharings are not just like a time travelling machine that brings me back into her past; but also a glimpse of her life as a homegrown SINGAPOREAN.
Many people asked me, why a tribute to Singapore all of a sudden? Is it because of national day? – No. National day is not the only day in which I recognize myself as a Singaporean; and in this case a Singaporean artist. This sand animation art tribute to Singapore was made with this dream of being able to portray all the beautiful treasures of Singapore for the whole world to enjoy through my imagination, vision and art. This sand animation art film did not exactly portray the stories that my grandma shared with me; but instead, it portrays what it feels like to take a little moment to stop for awhile and listen to the stories of the older generation as their words trigger thoughts of nostalgia, inspiration and timeless wonders…
I sincerely hope that this sand animation art film can be something that touches your heart (be it whether you are a Singaporean or not). And most importantly, a reminder for you to open your heart and embrace the wonderful stories from the older generation. Who knows? You might just discover some real hidden treasures that could change your life forever!
WE LOVE SINGAPORE!!!!!! Thank you everyone for joining us at the Esplanade’s SG50 National Day 2015 Celebration!!! It was such a wonderful & epic experience performing with the magnificent fusion music group “NEN” during our original show “Vision of the Prince”!
