Amidst the posturing over climate change at the ongoing COP26 (2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference) in Glasgow, the newly opened exhibition The Waste Refinery is taking on a different approach to the biggest issue of our lifetime.

Curated by creative agency Kinetic Singapore, the exhibition brings together international and local brands, designers, artists and schools to show how thoughtful design can play an important role in tackling critical global issues.

For example, students at Lasalle College of the Arts’ Visual Studies Programme (Level 1, 2018) were challenged to create insect sculptures out of found objects and materials. An exercise in the twin processes of deconstruction and reconstruction, the resulting artworks also demonstrate how imagination and creativity are crucial qualities that can transform commonly overlooked scraps.

Meanwhile, Filipino firm Ananas Anam has created a leather-esque textile out of pineapple leaves (which are usually thrown away after the fruit is harvested) known as Pinatex – and brands ranging from Nike to Hugo Boss have started integrating it into their products.

Singapore crochet artist Kelly Limerick, on the other hand, created mini landscapes (pictured) that incorporate various personal keepsakes that do not serve any function, yet are too precious to throw. By doing so, the work aims to highlight the thin line between ‘trash’ and ‘treasure’, with the ‘worthless’ given value and a second life – and reinforcing the notion that beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.

Ongoing till January 16 at National Design Centre, 111 Middle Road

Photography and film space Objectifs is putting on its sixth edition of their Women in Film & Photography programme. This year’s edition explores the theme of “inheritance”. Through rich and varied stories about familial connections and memories, identity and loss, and public and private histories, the works in Inheritance seek to understand who we are, surely a pertinent topic for these topsy turvy times.

The programme is divided into several segments – namely several short film showcases, one of which focuses on presenting LGBTQ+ stories by Asian filmmakers who identify as female, queer, non-binary womxn, guided by guest curator Darunee Terdtoontaveedej.

Other highlights to look out for include Phase/less, a short film by Singaporean artist Amrita Chandradas, commissioned by Objectifs for Women in Film & Photography 2021. The film was made in collaboration with artists Aarthi Sankar and Ruby Jeyaseelan and it delves into generational traumas, superstitions, rituals and womanhood in the Tamil-Singaporean community.

Lastly, there’s also a group exhibition of works by 10 artists, including multidisciplinary collective A Stubborn Bloom. Comprising artist Stephanie Jane Burt and fashion academic Daniela Monasterios-Tan, they will be presenting a gauzy video work titled Home Economics (pictured), which examines gender tropes found in old textbooks used in Singaporean schools in the ’70s and ’80s.

On now till December 19 at Objectifs, 155 Middle Road

The annual Voilah! France Singapore Festival is always a popular affair and this year, they’ve gone for a simple yet perfectly spot on theme of “Feel Good”. There are more than 50 programmes available, touching on topics ranging from food (naturally) to culture, education, science and lifestyle.

Highlights include the festival opener The Little Prince – A Musical Journey, which features the music of French composer Thierry Huillet, and presented in memory of maestro Adrian Tan. Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s evergreen text will be narrated by Hossan Leong and in a twist, the musical extravaganza includes the use of hologram technology, marking a first in a Singapore theatre production.

Of course, there’s also the accompanying French Film Festival which kicks off this week. This year’s edition sports a bigger line-up than ever, with 35 feature films (an increase of 25 per cent compared to 2020) in total. Crafted to complement this year’s theme, the focus is on a selection of French comedies alongside beloved genres such as action, romance, drama, sci-fi and family.

Many of the films in the programme were presented at the last Cannes Film Festival including Aline (by Valerie Lemercier) Bigger Than Us (by Flore Vasseur), Tralala (by Arnaud & Jean-Marie Larrieu) Deception (by Arnaud Desplechin), Peaceful (by Emmanuelle Bercot) and The Divide which won the Queer Prize of the 2021 edition.

And of course, what’s a French film festival without talking about the works of the seminal Agnes Varda, godmother of the French New Wave film movement? A selection of the late auteur’s films will be showcased at The Projector and selected screenings will be preceded by presentations by her daughter, Rosalie Varda, who produced the documentary Faces Places, for which she received an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature nomination at Oscars in 2018.

Check out the full line-up here.

November 11 to November 28 at various locations