THE INITIATIVE: lucky hall

FOR THE PAST SIX MONTHS OR SO, THIS UNUSUAL SET-UP HAS BEEN GIVING YOUNG CREATIVES A LEG UP IN ORGANISING THEIR OWN EVENTS (INDUSTRY ADVICE, SERVICES AT CONCESSION RATES, ZERO RENT). SOON, THE CURTAINS WILL COME DOWN ON IT. HERE'S WHY IT REMAINS THE MAIN EVENT.

-  IMRAN JALAL

"MY ADVICE IS TO START SMCCAND FOCUS ON CREATING SOMETK YOU PERSONALLY LOVE D AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN TO SHARE YOUR VISION, THENSELTOW THINGS UNFOLD."- CHRIS SHEA FOUNDER OF COMMUNITY SPACE LUCKY HALL

As you read this, there is one month or less to the closure of Lucky Hall, the community wellness space set up by Briton Chris Shearmon in a sunny, second-floor unit at 195 Pearl's Hill Terrace this February. You see, the venue - a former dance studio spanning a cavernous 4,500 sq ft and lined with playful, rainbow-tinted window panes - is offered to its occupants free of charge, with master tenant Jerry Tan even covering the utility bills.

The arrangement is to allow "as many artists and community users to utilise the space at no cost, as long as what they do in it benefits the community", says Tan, adding that he used to rent it out for more than $8,000 a month. Come September, a project spotlighting pre-loved goods to raise awareness about environmental sustainability will take over. Tan stresses: "Until the lease for 195 Pearl's Hill Terrace is up, I'll continue to provide this space for free for meaningful community usage on either an event or periodic basis." For now though, Lucky Hall has got to go.

Knowing from the get-go that Lucky Hall comes with an expiry date has never stopped the 39-year-old Shearmon from giving it his all though. A former corporate professional experienced in team-building and executive search who has been living in Singapore for 12 years, he's a familiar face in the building, operating Wild Pearl - a venue where DJs can practise and perform - in a third-floor unit with his business partner Andy Lines since 2022. (This is one of his commercial ventures, whose space he does pay rent for.)