In honour of Brother Joseph McNally, founder of LASALLE College of the Arts, this floral art installation on LASALLE's iconic Sky Bridge — made out of upcycled plastic bottles — symbolises the vibrant diversity of the ecosystem of arts and creative practitioners who have graduated from the institution since its founding in 1984. In keeping with the spirit of sustainability and turning disposed materials into works of beauty, all the plastic flowers used in the installation on the Sky Bridge were salvaged from a larger-than-life decorative Christmas tree that was a collaboration between LASALLE and Steven Lim commissioned by UBS in 2019. Additional "blossoms" created during a four-hour long workshop and the installation, which took three days, were done together with volunteers from the public and the LASALLE community.
Spend some time on the bridge admiring the different flowers amidst the gorgeous campus view — the experience differs from day to night due to the change in ambience as the sun sets. When the wind blows, the "petals" dance along and mimic a garden full of growth and abundance.
This installation is part of LASALLE's year-long Brother Joseph McNally Centenary Celebrations from August 2023 to August 2024 and Singapore Art Week 2024. Blossoms for Brother Joe will remain on the Sky Bridge until 16 February 2024.
About the artist:
Steven Lim is a renowned sculpture artist who has curated installations that intrigue the public. With a background in ship designing and engineering, he has used his experience to handle several large public art installations for LASALLE. An alumnus of LASALLE from the 2011 Masters in Fine Arts programme, Steven has taught fine arts in LASALLE and mentored many aspiring artists to guide them on best practices for public installations and artworks.
Brother Joseph McNally: A Comparative History of One Life marks the centenary celebrations of one of Singapore’s foremost artist-educators, Brother Joseph McNally (1923–2002).
The exhibition undertakes a visual chronicle of Brother McNally’s developmental journey—from a young Irishman arriving in Southeast Asia as an educator in the 1940s, to the founding of LASALLE College of the Arts in the 1980s upon his retirement. Curated by Cultural Medallion recipient Milenko Prvački, the exhibition features artefacts, materials, documents and artworks, offering a glimpse into Brother McNally’s devotion to arts education, insights into his educational philosophy and why he remains a great influence on the development of the Singapore arts scene.
Supported by
Join master storyteller Kamini Ramachandran for a special guided tour of Brother Joseph McNally: A Comparative History of One Life. To book a place for a tour, email sureni.salgadoe@lasalle.edu.sg.
Supported by
Encounters: Practising Innovation, Shaping Futures explores the expansive nature of design as an experience, process and worldview. Part of Singapore Design Week, the exhibition showcases projects by design staff and students from LASALLE’s Faculty of Design. It investigates the role of designers in imagining our collective future, and recounts the journey of design education at LASALLE as pioneered by its founder Brother Joseph McNally.
The Tracing Steps, Learning Journey exhibition pays tribute to LASALLE founder Brother Joseph McNally’s journey from Ireland to Singapore. It features a series of drawings responding to a trip to Brother McNally’s birthplace of Ballintubber in County Mayo, Ireland, in June and July 2023.
The works by artist-designers Edmund Chia and Vicente Delgado, lecturers from LASALLE’s Faculty of Design, are developed from sources that include ephemera collected from local charity shops and the natural elements of the land. Physical and digital drawings re-interpret what they have gathered from their visit to showcase a range of approaches, materials and techniques. This encapsulates the ethos of placing drawing as a ‘medium’ as an engine of design pedagogy at LASALLE – reflective of Brother McNally's spirit of exploration and experimentation.
Supported by
Commissioned by LASALLE College of the Arts with support from The Ireland Funds Singapore, Brother Joe is a haunting, elegiac look into the life of a man of the cloth who dared to dream beyond borders, both geographical and spiritual. He made the formalisation of contemporary arts education his personal mission in Singapore, and his faith and gumption forever revolutionised the landscape of learning for generations of artists, creatives and performers.
Purchase a ticket here.
Join LASALLE’s community of staff, students and alumni in paying tribute to Brother Joseph McNally at the closing party for the Brother Joseph McNally: A Comparative History of One Life exhibition. Hear them share personal stories and memories of Brother McNally and get to know the true spirit of the man behind the robe.
Fancy a tipple while a dandy gentleman serenades you with a familiar show tune from a famous Broadway musical? Or maybe you would rather be wowed by a dressed-to-the-nines diva who’s performing at such close quarters to you that you can practically catch a whiff of her perfume? Why not have it all by catching this intimate event where the cast will aim to please with a promise to sweep you off your feet with their high Cs and impeccable stage presence!
Join us in this community art workshop led by LASALLE alumnus Steven Lim to transform recycled materials into beautiful blooms.
Be a part of the collaborative creation of art installation Blossoms for Brother Joe and be part of a special group of 'gardeners' to 'leaf' messages of hope. The completed work will be on public display at LASALLE's Sky Bridge from January to February 2024 as part of Singapore Art Week.
Directed by Kaye Tuckerman
Choreographed by Kaye Tuckerman and Gaby Rae
Musical direction by Aloysius Foong
Once on This Island is a coming-of-age one-act stage musical with a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. It tells the story of a peasant girl in the French Antilles who falls in love with a rich boy and makes a deal with the gods to save his life. Featuring all three cohorts of the students from the BA (Hons) Musical Theatre programme, in collaboration with the Diploma in Theatre Production and Management programme.
Support our College's fundraising for the Brother Joseph McNally Student Care Fund by purchasing a donation ticket at $100 to this performance on either Friday 19 April at 8pm or Saturday 20 April at 2.30pm (matinee) or 8pm.
Email your ticket purchase request to givetolasalle@lasalle.edu.sg and indicate the total number of tickets that you would like to purchase. Each donation ticket at $100 entitles you to a token of appreciation as well as tax deduction benefits.