The Marina Bay precinct is ready to shine with an expanded line-up of artists featured in the sophomore edition of Asia’s first and only sustainable light art festival.
Organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), with festival direction provided by Smart Light, Asia’s first and only sustainable light art festival will be returning with a showcase of 30 innovative and environmentally sustainable light art installations by artists and designers from 17 countries and territories. These interactive and dynamic artworks will illuminate the Marina Bay precinct between 9 March and 1 April 2012.
Commenting on the line-up of artworks, Ms Mary-Anne Kyriakou, Festival Director of i Light Marina Bay 2012, said: “These 30 artworks were selected from some 100 submitted entries. We were thrilled that there was a significant increase in interest among artists to participate in this edition of i Light. Of these, 20 are new commissions specially designed for the Festival. We are confident that these artworks will not only create a visual feast that will inspire and capture the imagination of all our visitors, but also serve as a fitting testament to the importance of using energy-efficient lighting technology.”
In line with this year’s theme “Light Meets Asia”, 21 of the 30 artworks are created by artists and designers based in Asia. They include Cambodia-based artist Marine Ky, whose installation ‘Receptacle’ challenges the rhythms of modern life and invites visitors to connect over shared experiences; Thai sculptor Be Takerng Pattanopas, whose work ‘Gap the Mind’ makes use of the visual language of Thai culture to create a sense of tranquility in the urban environment; and Hong-Kong based LED artist Teddy Lo, whose LED light work MEGAPOV explores the subject of global sustainability and draws attention to concerns of rapid growth in 21st century Asian societies.
Ten Singaporean artists will also be featured at the festival. Joining the Singaporean line-up are installation artist Angela Chong, whose contemplative site-specific installation ‘Tree Stories’ draws on the history of Singapore’s parks and green spaces; leading sound artist Zulkifle Mahmod, whose interactive work ‘Deck Journey’ invites visitors to recline on lit deck chairs and enjoy views of Marina Bay while listening to a specially created soundscape; and sculptor Tay Swee Siong, whose interactive sculpture composed of discarded and recycled materials pulsates with colour according to the volume of visitors’ voices.
A festival highlight is After Light, a towering installation presented by the award-winning New Zealand-based production and design studio StoryBox. Located at The Promontory, After Light features 26 shipping containers, some of which will be mounted with projection screens showing film footage shot in Singapore specially for the festival. Four containers will also contain interactive art installations presented in collaboration with Singapore’s LASALLE College of the Arts and School of the Arts, and the New Zealand-based art collective Interrupt.
Portuguese multimedia design studio OCUBO will be mounting an ambitious interactive projection work called ‘Light of the Merlion’. Visitors will be able to cast colourful light projections on the surface of this iconic sculpture through an interactive touch-screen located at Merlion Park.
i Light Marina Bay 2012 will showcase a work from Lyon’s Fête des Lumières, the internationally-renowned public light art festival; this arrangement was released in collaboration with the organisers of the festival, and will feature Groupe LAPS, a Paris-based design studio. Groupe LAPS will be showcasing Key Frames, a multimedia light and sound installation which will be sure to thrill audiences as it did in Lyon last December.
The festival is pleased to partner the Singapore Art Museum in presenting a video projection work titled ‘Uh…’ by the Vietnam-based art collective The Propeller Group. Also included in the line-up is a Singapore Student Showcase featuring works from two local art schools, LASALLE College of the Arts and School of the Arts Singapore.
i Light Marina Bay will open nightly from 7.30pm to 11.00pm from 9 March to 1 April 2012. For more information, please visit http://www.marina-bay.sg/ilightmarinabay
