LET’S PLAY!
The Art and Design of Asian Games

This event is free, but registration (with $10 refundable deposit) is required.
Click here to register


Games are among humanity’s oldest shared experiences – a source of challenge, entertainment, and connection for thousands of years. Across Asia they have developed in remarkably diverse ways, from the fast-paced rhythms of congkak to the contemplative strategy of go. They have entertained and educated, reflected power and status, and served as metaphors for life.

This symposium brings together scholars to explore the development, visual culture, and craftsmanship of games in Asia. From ancient boards and gaming pieces to contemporary design traditions, the talks examine how games have travelled across cultures and remain part of living communities today.

Programme Schedule

10am
Registration

11am
Opening address
Clement Onn
Director, Asian Civilisations Museum and Peranakan Museum

KEYNOTE ADDRESS
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11:05am – 12pm
Crossing Borders: Games Across Europe and Asia
Dr Ulrich Schädler
Classical archaeologist and games historian

12pm – 1:15pm
Lunch

PANEL 1:
THE EVOLUTION AND TRANSMISSION OF GAMES IN ASIA
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1:15pm – 1:45pm
Shouting “Five White!”: The Mysterious Game of Liubo
Dr Colin Mackenzie
Former curator of Chinese art at the Art Institute of Chicago

1:45pm – 2:15pm
Back To Square One: The Origin of Snakes & Ladders and Ludo
Dr Jacob Schmidt-Madsen
Postdoctoral scholar, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin
*presenting online

2:15pm – 2:45pm
A Brief History of Chess in Singapore, 1890s–2020s
Olimpiu Urcan
Chess historian and author

2:45pm – 3pm
Panel discussion

3pm – 3:30pm
Tea break

PANEL 2:
GAMES, ART, AND DESIGN
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3:30pm – 4pm
Elephants, Chariots and Foot Soldiers; Kings, Rooks, and Pawns: The Transformation of the Islamic Chess Set
Ms Deborah Freeman Fahid
Independent scholar and author

4pm – 4:30pm
Timeless Indian Games: From Strategy to Artistic Expression
Dr Anamika Pathak
Former curator of decorative arts, National Museum, New Delhi
*presenting online

4:30pm – 5pm
Proto-Scripts: Game-playing and Rule-making
Priyanka Shah
Founder and creative director of SHED, Surat, India
*presenting online

5pm – 5:15pm
Panel discussion

5:15pm – 5:25pm
Closing Remarks
Noorashikin Zulkifli
Deputy director and principal curator, ACM and Peranakan Museum

5.30pm
End of symposium


_{Image: Chess set with board table. Sri Lanka, 18th century. Wood, ivory. Private collection, Portugal}

This talk is organised in conjunction with