The annual festival lighting up the Civic District is back and equipped with more than 60 programs this year.
National Gallery Singapore’s Light to Night Festival has lit up its new set of immersive day-to-night light installations from artists over the world from now till Jan. 26.
This year’s theme Here and Now urges the public to reflect on time and the environment through the new large-scale interactive art installations, the iconic projections on buildings’ facades, and the return of Art X Social Festival Market that has over 50 food and drinks booths, crafts and workshops.
“Enjoy the present and live in the here and now,” organizers said at a media preview recently.
The programs are scattered across the banks of the historic Singapore River in the National Gallery, Asian Civilisations Museum, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, The Arts House, Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the Victoria Theatre & Victoria Concert Hall.
Here are some of the festival’s highlights. Timings for all installations may vary.
Hearing Padang by Sai
Two curved metal structures bring an acoustic immersive experience to viewers on the fields where they are able to make conversations from one end to another. Because of its curvature, sound will travel from the ends and certain spots turn it into an echo chamber.
It is inspired by events in court where it resolves disputes between people through hearings.
Till Jan. 26 at the Padang Field.
Ephemeral by Atelier Sisu
Reminisce about your childhood with Sydney-based design studio Atelier Sisu whose bubble artwork invokes nostalgia. The giant bubble balls, where one structure is its first debut outside of Australia, change colors throughout the day.
Till Jan. 26 at the Padang Field.
Botanica by Studio McGuire
One of the large-scale light projections across the Civic District featured one in the gallery’s famous Rotunda Library & Archive. The dome is projected with macroscopic and hypnotic botanical flowers growing and dancing.
Till Jan. 26 at the gallery’s Rotunda Library & Archive in Supreme Court Wing on Level 3.
Yen Yen by Lolay x KOBORED
Out on the gallery’s facade is a series of illuminating projection works. One of them is by Thai artist Lolay whose signature quirky drawings represent life emerging from mundaneness and lifeless objects.
Till Jan. 26 from 7:30pm to midnight at the gallery’s facade.
Residual Memory of the Walls by Budi Agung Kuswara x Studio Batu
Another is done by Indonesian artist Budi Agung Kuswara where it traces back to when Singapore was a port city with ships moving in and out of the Straits of Singapore.
Till Jan. 26 from 7:30pm to midnight at the gallery’s facade.
Dreamer by Ari Dykier
Polish artist Ari Dykier’s projection on The Arts House is made of elements and symbols related to the history of art and literature.
Till Jan. 26 from 7:30pm to midnight at The Arts House facade.
There Is A Window In My Eye If You Look In You Will See The Sky by Dawn Ng
Singaporean artist Dawn Ng’s work showcases her obsession with time and the ephemeral through lenticular panels that show the color gradients of Singapore skies from dawn to dusk. Viewers will see a change in the colors as they walk around the artwork which creates their own circadian rhythm.
Till March 26 at the gallery’s Padang Atrium in the Supreme Court Wing on Level 1.
Glimpse by Access Path Productions & RJ Thomson
Studios from Singapore, United Kingdom and Hong Kong worked together to give a glimpse of four artists working with their disabilities. They include a cosplayer, a movement artist, a theatre maker and a musician.
The installations aim to reframe what people think about disability and choose how we view it. Full audio descriptions and creative captioning are incorporated.
Admission is free but registration is required. Check out their website for performance timings and dates.
Till Feb. 5 at the gallery’s Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium Foyer in the City Hall Wing on Level B1.
And there’s more!
Besides the lights, there are live performances with artists like Aisyah Aziz, Lalit Kumar, a Kolektif Trivia Night with pop culture and scientific questions, art dialogues, standup shows,
Also, don’t miss the Victoria Concert Hall which is hosting a bunch of classical music performances including acclaimed light painter Lawrence Koh.
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