ICDS 2013

We get the lowdown on ICDS 2013, happening this Sunday at *Scape, from cosplayer Tessie Tan.

1. What is ICDS all about?

ICDS is short for International Cosplay Day Singapore. It is a day where fans celebrate their love for pop culture. This is the 2nd year that Neo Tokyo Project is organizing this. Last year the event was held at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. This year we've moved closer to town, to *Scape.

2. I don't cosplay. Why should I attend?

As long as you are a fan of pop culture, both East and West, you should attend. Not only will there be cosplayers for you to take photos with, there will also be booths set up by local artists selling their works, and performances by local singers and dance groups, and panels with invited guests. This year's event also included a segment known as ConQuest to inject more interactivity in the activities. One of the main highlight of the event is a 2hour stage show known as "Cosplay Chess", where characters from the factions of Science and Magic will battle it out. This year, con-goers who take part in the ConQuest mini-missions, can actually influence the outcome of the chess match.

3. Who will be there?

We have invited Alodia Gosiengfiao, a cosplayer, actress, model and now a recording artist in Tokyo as part of the Jpop idol group called Super Dolls. We have also invited the photographer Jay Tablante, who have worked with Marvel and D.C. Jay will also be holding a photography panel to share with the audience about his experience. Locally, we also have our own share of stars. Invited as a guest and also as a performer in CosChess, we have Yuanie, a cosplayer who have represented Singapore in an international competition known as the World Cosplay Summit. We also have Clive Lee, who is known both locally and internationally as a renowned mecha and armour cosplayer. He is also on the advisory panel for various cosplay conventions, such as the upcoming Singapore Toys, Games and Comics Convention at the end of this month.

Personally, I will be changing into 3 costumes on Sunday - 1 for the Blizzard Cosplay Runway, and 2 for the CosChess performance. Let's see if you can spot me in all 3 of my costumes!

4. What is there to buy?

Fan art, fan products, handcrafted jewellery etc. For a small country, we have some amazing artists here in Singapore, and quite a lot of them are going to be at the Artisan's Alley at ICDS. Not only do you get to bring home fan products inspired by your current favourite anime series (Shingeki no Kyojin, Free!, etc) you also get to support the local art scene!! (Despite the fact that most things there are not expensive, I end up buying enough to amount to a small fortune anyway.)

5. Okay, I am sold. When and where is it?

It will be held this Sunday, 25 August, at *Scape Warehouse, from 10 am to 8 pm. For more information, please check out the website here http://neotokyoproject.com/icds/

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