You’ve heard about shopping with a conscience, how about dining with a conscience?
If the folks are in Singapore for Thanksgiving, take them to see the sights, have a sit-down meal and get them something nice. What’s the occasion, you ask? Grandparents Day is on 26 November! You can celebrate by heading to one of our certified river haunts, SPRMRKT Kitchen & Bar and check out the exhibition for Dining With A Conscience. This year, Dining With A Conscience features photographer Isabelle Lim’s photo essay titled ‘Living With Grace’, inspired by her elderly grandmother (pictured up top).
This year’s Dining with a Conscience aims to raise awareness and increase understanding of people with special needs and their profound abilities to live meaningfully. All proceeds will go towards the TODAY Enable Fund, of which Isabelle is a beneficiary. The fund seeks to enhance the education, skills and employment prospects of people with disabilities as well as foster greater empathy and inclusion in the wider community.
Isabelle Lim, LASALLE graduate and recipient of the Dare to Dream scholarship, was born with Nager syndrome, a rare condition that affects development of the face, hands and arms. Isabelle has faced lifelong difficulties carrying out simple tasks we take for granted such as hearing, eating, and even breathing. But none of this has affected her natural talent with a camera to draw out the beauty in everyday life.
Presented as a silent video, ‘Living with Grace’ documents the daily life of Isabelle’s 96-year-old grandmother, fondly known as Old Mama. Isabelle is deaf, but she has managed to bridge the language gap between herself and Old Mama, who only speaks Teochew. She has also bridged the generation gap by drawing parallels between the struggles of old age and living with disability – both hold a strong stigma and are often categorised as helpless. As Isabelle has succeeded despite numerous setbacks, ‘Living with Grace’ portrays her grandmother as resilient and ageing gracefully. (We can’t decide if we want her to be our grandma or if we aspire to be her.)
A public exhibition will be held from 23 to 30 November 2017 where a hand-picked photograph titled ‘At Ease’ from the ‘Living With Grace’ series will be displayed alongside the video at Here\Now, SPRMRKT Daily on Level 1.
Two closed-door fund-raising dinners will be held on 23 and 24 November featuring ‘Living With Grace’ as a silent video, followed by a silent auction of four unique photographs on both nights. SPRMRKT’s Chef-Owner Joseph Yeo has created a 6-course menu to complement the photo exhibition inspired by Isabelle’s own foodie journey. He will present her favourite foods such as Hainanese Chicken Rice and Black Bean Beef Hor Fun in fantastic contemporary renditions. The dinners will be open to the public on 25 and 28-30 November 2017 at $188++ per person.
Net proceeds from all dinners from 23-25 and 28-30 November and the silent auctions, as well as the full pledges, will be contributed to the TODAY Enable Fund and are tax deductible.
Dining with a Conscience SPRMRKT’s Founder and Managing Partner, Sue-Shan Quek says they hope “to spread the message of building greater communication among each other and creating impact through a restaurant, while inspiring other chefs, restaurateurs and home cooks who could all potentially start a movement together.”
We’re with you Sue-Shan, Isabelle and SPRMRKT! First, we need to go ring up our grandparents and tell them we love them lots…
WHAT: Dining with a Conscience
WHEN: Dinners 25 and 28-30 November; exhibition held 23-30 November
WHERE: Fund-raising dinners SPRMRKT Kitchen & Bar, #02-01, 41 Robertson Quay, 238236; exhibition held at Here\Now, SPRMRKT Daily, #01-01, 41 Robertson Quay, 238236.
COST: Dinners cost $188++ per person, entry to exhibition is free.
RESERVATIONS: www.sprmrkt.com.sg
Top image: “At Ease” photography by Isabelle Lim.
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