When the Singapore Night Festival returns this month for its 12th edition, it’ll bring with it plenty of light art installations, performances, and activities presented by local and international artists in the Bras Basah.Bugis area.
Expect to see 16 light art works at the annual Night Lights, including the whimsical Keep Dreaming installation by French group Spectaculaires brightening up the National Museum’s façade. Meanwhile, the Stamford Court clock tower will host a colorful projection titled Tropicana by Australia’s The Electric Canvas, and the Armenian Church will display interactive projection S.C.U.L.P.T. by French artist Yann Nguema.
Plus, since it’s the nation’s bicentennial, the spotlight will be on works with a Southeast Asian connection, such as folklore and traditions from around the region.
Look out for The Legend of Ramayana, a projection by Spectaculaires inspired by the Indian epic poem, which will take over the National Museum’s banyan tree. The work will be complemented by a gamelan instrumental performance from Aug 29 to 31.
Along the same line, Indian dance-theater company Apsaras Arts will put on a production telling the tale of Prince Rama rescuing his wife, Sita. Anjaneyam – Hanuman’s Ramayana is a joint effort between artists from Singapore, India, and Indonesia, and the group will also perform a storytelling show called Sita’s Magical Forest for the little ones at Dhoby Ghaut Green.
Besides local musicians like Motus, Flame of the Forest, and Neon Feast, Southeast Asian bands like Malaysia’s Sonuo, MenAcoustic from the Philippines, and Thailand’s The Note will take the stage at Dhoby Ghaut Green, too. And at Chijmes, you can expect an animated projection called Waves of Time that reimagines Singapore’s legend of a prince who crossed the seas to visit our island.
Already open to the public before the festival kicks off, three installations currently feature at the National Museum.
Light Society’s Whispers transforms the Gallery Theatre into an experiential installation space, Collapse! by French filmmaker Luc Jacquet delves into the effects of global warming with an audio experience of collapsing ice glaciers in Antarctica, and Intergalactic Dreams by local artist Jahan Loh explores alternative homes in a three-part work that imagines what it would be like if we could no longer live on Earth.
If you’re thinking of popping by on the second weekend (Aug 29-31), you’ll be strolling past more than 40 performances and roving acts in the district. A must-see is Argentinean troupe Fuerza Bruta’s 360-degree show, which features suspended “stages”, aerial acts, and bucket loads of confetti at Cathay Green.
The Singapore-based Sweet Tooth by Cake returns to the fest as well, this time with MMO, its first roaming act of ethereal beings along Queen Street, National Design Centre, and SMU Campus Green.
Oh, and the Festival Village makes a comeback too, with jazzy bands, tap dancing groups, and loads more at Dhoby Ghaut Green and Armenian Street Park.
Other highlights to keep an eye out for include Aux Media Group’s Disco Walkway along Stamford Road; the UV-activated slime zone that is Glow Away by Sansys Collective; Lunisolar Beats by ZingO Festival Drum Group, which combines drumming, martial arts, and dance choreography; and pop-up Project:Dome, which features five new works hatched from the festival’s first Creators’ Masterclass in January this year.
FIND IT:
Singapore Night Festival is on from Aug 23-31 at various venues around the Bras Basah.Bugis area. Performance nights on Aug 29-31, Festival Villages open on Aug 23-24 & 29-31.
Free entry, with selected ticketed programs.
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