Release Date : 18 Jan 2012
Singapore, 18 January 2012 – Singaporeans will be treated to a cultural feast at the Germany Bite-Sized Exhibition held in the Central Public Library from 18 January to 7 February.
Jointly organised by the National Library Board (NLB) and Goethe-Institut Singapore, visitors to this light-hearted, creative and interactive sculptural exhibition will learn about German culture, history and politics. Nuggets of information on Germany will be presented on 26 giant alphabet sculptures.
Visitors of all ages can participate in exciting programmes, such as the screening of German films, language workshops, and guided exhibition tours. Please refer to Annex for more details.
“Our libraries are social spaces for discovery and learning, and we are very happy to partner Goethe-Institut Singapore in this cultural initiative. We hope the Germany Bite-Sized Exhibition and its activities will encourage patrons to understand other cultures better,” shared Mrs Elaine Ng, Chief Executive Officer of the NLB.
Mrs Anja Geissel, Deputy Director of Goethe-Institut Singapore, commented, “Our aim is to promote international cultural understanding by reaching out to members of the public with programmes that offer a comprehensive picture of Germany's culture, history and politics. By partnering the NLB, we hope to provide a window to those who are interested to learn more about other cultures and widen their knowledge in this aspect.”
Before Singapore, the Germany Bite-Sized Exhibition travelled to Europe, China, Taiwan, South Africa, the United States of America, Canada, the Philippines, New Zealand and Indonesia. It will be heading to Cairo next.
Annex
Highlights of Germany Bite-Sized Exhibition
1. Germany Bite-Sized Exhibition
Learn the ABCs of German culture through a showcase of 26 giant and colourful alphabet sculptures. Visitors to the Germany Bite-Sized Exhibition will be able to take away nuggets of information on German culture, history and politics. Lots of freebies such as postcards, posters, rubber bracelets, pins, mini notebooks, pens will be given away to visitors of the exhibition.
Date: 18 January 2012 – 7 February 2012
Time: 10.00am – 9.00pm
Venue: Central Public Library
100 Victoria Street, #B1-01, S (188064)
2. Guided Tours
Members of the public can find out more about Germany by joining the guided tours at the following dates and times:
| Date | Time |
| 19 January | 11.00am – 11.30am, 2.00pm – 2.30pm |
| 20 – 22 January | 10.00am – 10.30am, 2.00pm – 2.30pm |
| 25 – 27 January | 11.00am – 11.30am, 2.00pm – 2.30pm |
| 28 – 29 January | 10.00am – 10.30am, 2.00pm – 2,30pm |
| 30 January – 3 February | 11.00am – 11.30am, 2.00pm – 2.30pm |
| 4 – 5 February | 10.00am – 10.30am, 2.00pm – 2.30pm |
| 6 – 7 February | 11.00am – 11.30am, 2.00pm – 2.30pm |
Venue: Central Public Library
100 Victoria Street, #B1-01, S (188064)
Registration: Members of the public can register for the Guided Tours at the library counter.
3. Germany Bite-Sized Competition
Participants of this competition can stand a chance to win a four-week language course in Germany with flight and accommodation included. They can simply take a picture with their favourite alphabet in the exhibition and fill up a form available at the Central Public Library counter to participate in this contest. The photo can then be emailed to germanybite-sized@singapore.goethe.org. Goethe-Institut Singapore will collate and upload the photos onto their Facebook page. For more details, please visit:http://www.goethe.de/singapore.
Date: 18 January – 7 February
Time: 10.00am – 9.00pm
Venue: Central Public Library
100 Victoria Street, #B1-01, S (188064)
4. "Taster" Course
Members of the public to the Germany Bite-Sized exhibition can learn more about the German language from volunteers of the Goethe-Institut Singapore. Pick up useful and common German phrases and expressions and discover how much fun the German language can be! Freebies such as notebooks and pens will be given away.
| Date | Time |
| 20 January | 3.00pm – 4.00pm |
| 21 – 22 January | 11.00am – 12.00pm, 3.00pm – 4.00pm |
| 28 – 29 January | 11.00am – 12.00pm, 3.00pm – 4.00pm |
| 4 – 5 February | 11.00am – 12.00pm, 3.00pm – 4.00pm |
Venue: Central Public Library
100 Victoria Street, #B1-01, S (188064)
Register: Members of the public can register for the “Taster” Courses at the library counter.
5. German Films
Venue: Multi Purpose Room, Central Public Library
100 Victoria Street, #B1-01, S (188064)
| Date | Time | Film Synopsis | Duration/Minutes |
| 25 January | 12.00pm | The Little Ghost | 86 minutes |
| 26 January | 12.00pm | The Little Magic Flute | 92 minutes |
| 27 January | 12.00pm | The Football Under Cover Ghost | 86 minutes |
| 28 January | 6.00pm | The Flying Classroom | 110 minutes |
| 29 January | 6.00pm | Lottie and Lisa | 105 minutes |
| 30 January | 12.00pm | Animals United | 93 minutes |
| 1 February | 12.00pm | Polska Love Serenade | 75 minutes |
| 2 February | 12.00pm | Children of the Moon | 90 minutes |
| 3 February | 12.00pm | The Little Magic Flute | 92 minutes |
| 4 February | 12.00pm | Karl May | 45 minutes |
| 4 February | 6.00pm | Animals United | 93 minutes |
| 5 February | 6.00pm | Emil and the Detectives | 111 minutes |
| 6 February | 12.00pm | Krabat | 115 minutes |
6. Schultüten basteln - Make your own German school cone!
A “Schultüte” is a large and colourful cardboard cone filled with sweets and presents given to children in Germany on their first day of school. In this workshop, children can make their own “Schultüte”, together with their parents or on their own. This workshop is for children aged 4 to 8 and is limited to 20 children for each workshop.
Date: Sunday, 29 January
Time: 11.00am – 12.00pm
Venue: Multipurpose Room, Central Public Library
100 Victoria Street, #B1-01, S (188064)
Registration: Registration is required. Members of the public can register through http://golibrary.nlb.gov.sg or library eKiosks.
7. German Folk Songs with Anja and Holger
Learn German children and folk songs. This parent-child workshop is for children aged 4 to 8 years old and is limited to 30 children per workshop.
Date: Sunday, 29 January
Time: 1.00pm – 2.00pm
Venue: Multipurpose Room, Central Public Library
100 Victoria Street, #B1-01, S (188064)
Registration: Registration is required. Members of the public can register through http://golibrary.nlb.gov.sg or library eKiosks.
8. German Puppet Show
Kasperle and his friends, Seppel and Gretel, want to visit Grandma to celebrate her birthday with a big cake. However, on their way to her house, the cake gets stolen and this group of friends has to think of fantastic ways to get their precious cake back! This show is for children (aged 4 to 8 years old).
Date: Saturday, 4 February and Sunday, 5 February
Time: 2.00pm – 3.00pm
Venue: Multipurpose Room, Central Public Library
100 Victoria Street, #B1-01, S (188064)
Registration: Registration is required. Members of the public can register through http://golibrary.nlb.gov.sg or library eKiosks.
9. Germany Today
Join this lecture and discussion with Dr Benno Fischer as he explains how Germany became what it is now and the role it plays in the European context.
Date: Sunday, 5 February
Time: 10.00am – 12.00pm
Venue: Multipurpose Room, Central Public Library
100 Victoria Street, #B1-01, S (188064)
Registration: Registration is required. Members of the public can register through http://golibrary.nlb.gov.sg or library eKiosks.
About the Speaker:
Dr Benno Fischer is an educator with over 30 years of experience. He specialises in the modern history and politics of Germany and Berlin in the 20th and 21th century. He lectures worldwide in countries such as Britain, France, Russia, Sweden and the Czech Republic.
10. Special Programme for Schools
More programmes and guided tours in German and English can be organised for school classes. For further information and registrations please email: germanybite-sized@singapore.goethe.org