Dialing Dahlia: Celebrating Connection and Community on International Women’s Day
Written by Rachel Lim
On International Women’s Day, we gathered in an elegant Joo Chiat shophouse for Dialing Dahlia—an event organized by CHERISHED, supported by the Singapore Global Network, and celebrating female creatives and entrepreneurs.
Crane’s cosy rooms were the perfect setting for a meaningful evening focused on conversation, collaboration, and community.
The experience began with an art engagement booth, which invited viewers to pen their thoughts about the kinds of art they liked best. Some singled out mediums, like sculpture or photography, while others favoured art that expressed the artist’s personality or told a story. Guests could also donate to a charity campaign to receive intricate works by local artist Maureen Pestana.
Australian artist Chaiwii exhibited a series of restful prints depicting cloudy skies, while up-and-coming makers hawked their wares at the pop-up craft market, selling charms, keychains, crystals, preloved clothes, and painstakingly handcrafted crochet goods. Additionally, Cinnabun Crafts had crocheted door gifts for the first 50 registered guests.
The makers, who are polytechnic friends and classmates, had taken the leap to turn their interests and hobbies into small businesses, and had come to Dialing Dahlia because one of them met our organiser, Shauna, while working at a cafe.
Indeed, serendipitous yet fruitful meetings, as well as productive, collaborative friendships, seemed to be themes of the night.
Kicking off the scheduled programmes was a screening of the short film We Look the Same, directed by Zo Fan. Centred on Amélie Tang, a French-born Chinese girl working in a Parisian bookstore, and her strained encounter with a Chinese tourist, the film explores the complexities and heartaches surrounding racism, diaspora, and identity.
The screening was followed by a Q&A and discussion session. Hailing from diverse fields such as business and research, the guests shared candidly about their gendered experiences in the workplace, from hiring practices to unequal power dynamics, and considered how women could support and empower each other. Through their honesty and vulnerability, they created a sense of solidarity in a room full of what had at first been strangers.
Thus far, the evening’s soundtrack had been a playlist curated by Gabby, a 21-year-old singer-songwriter. But for the rest of the night, the crowd grooved to an energetic DJ set by Hammy and Aleezon, part of the collective That’s Why.
Hammy learnt spinning skills from Aleezon after the two met as roommates, while the duo met Shauna through a mutual friend and at their first performance for Singapore Art Week.
Their set provided a rousing closer to the evening, as guests continued to chat, mingle, and forge new connections over cool Silver Heinekens and mini mochi donuts from Dochi Dochi.
Supporting female creatives and bonding over shared experiences made for an International Women’s Day well spent.
After the event, we reached out to some creators and guests on Instagram to gather their thoughts on the night. Said Hammy: “...it was a really nice intimate setting for IWD and [I] felt really welcomed by everyone who was a part of the event!”
Janet Oh, who was attending an event alone for the first time, reflected: “I was a little nervous and excited to meet like-minded people. It turned out to be a night of inspiring conversations and exchanges.”
Hopefully, the connections made during Dialing Dahlia will continue to blossom and bear fruit in days to come.