With a sizable food street and festive village, visiting Light to Night Festival 2023 was like stepping into an artistic playground.
Light to Night Festival is back! And like the Chinese New Year festivities over at Chinatown, with barely any social restrictions and limitations.
Feels to me that there are to be various thoughtful improvements too. The light projections, art installations, and performances are at the usual spots, but the placement of the Art X Social festive village and food street somehow makes everything easier to enjoy. For a start, you can sit on a bench, have a drink, and leisurely enjoy three of the light projections. The three largest ones too.
The entire experience is like visiting an artsy carnival.
As for art installations, there aren’t that many this year. But with all but one of them huge and with multiple facets, going through all will fill up an hour. Especially if you are taking photographs.
The light projections are at the same Civic District monuments as last year—five locations in all. There aren’t just five different shows, though, as the façade for the National Gallery Civic Wing Hall is the stage for three different projections.
In the words of the festive message, this year’s theme of Here & Now also encourages us to “reflect on one’s time and the environment.” Many programmes, projections, and installations thus showcase new ideas and different perspectives, as well as give voice to the less-represented.
This is Residual Memory of the Walls at the City Hall Wing façade of the National Gallery. Presented by Budi Agung Kuswara and Studio Batu, it pays homage to Singapore’s heritage as a port city, when the former Supreme Court was a hotel with a busy sea view.Yen Yen by Lolay & KOBORED has a strong graffiti art feel. One that is quirky and playful.Changing Landscapes by Axel Serik, Flex Chew, and Han Sai Por has a more techno and gritty tone. Appropriate as the projection highlights the loss of biodiversity brought about by urban development. (In this shot, the “green” is being swept out by the concrete “grey”)
The light projections extend to the façade of the Supreme Court wing. The dancing patterns form atmospheric backdrops for the diners at the food street along St Andrew’s Road.
The dreamy Botanica by Studio McGuire is the only indoor projection—it’s at the Level 3 Rotunda of the NGS Supreme Court Wing, As you can see, this projection is inspired by Southeast Asian botany art.
About Botanica, the projection is indoors and within a chamber, and so only a certain number of visitors can enter at one go. If you’re visiting during peak hours, you probably have to queue for a while. (I had to)
Dreamer by Ari Dykier is my favourite light projection of Light to Night Fest 2023! I love the otherworldly energy and images. This projection was also created using acute video mapping techniques and with imagery inspired by literature.Over at the ACM, Here and Now by Students of School of the Arts presents a heartwarming story of a cat finding a new owner, after encountering a certain mythological creature.At Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall, PULSE by digital artist Felix Frank uses black and white graphic elements to mesmerise the diners gathered on the lawn before it.
Art Installations
Like I mentioned earlier, nearly all of these are huge. That makes them easy to enjoy and photograph even when crowded.
There Is A Window In My Eye If You Look In You Will See The Sky by Dawn Ng (long name!!) looks simple but turns out great in photos! It reflects the theme of the festival and the colour gradients of the Singaporean sky. It is also one of two installations inside the NGS, the other being Glimpse.Hearing Padang by Sai consists of two, what’s the word … listening walls? (They work. I could hear people giggling at another end). Its inspiration is brilliant too. It references how the former Supreme Court was a place for both sides of a story to be heard.The awesome Ephemeral by Atelier Sisu transforms half of the Padang into a fantasy landscape. (One that is reminiscent of the Netflix Anime, Bubble?)Gracing the Art House and the Asian Civilisations Museum, Dwelling by Vince Ong Choon Hoe (VOCH) and Look to the Heavens by Cake Theatrical Productions respectivelySTARDUST by Muhammad Izdi is away from the festive grounds—it’s at the underpass connecting Funan and The Capitol. It’s worth the slight detour to see for the murals are vibrant, lively, and in a way, CNY festive.
Art X Social 2023
I’m sure an Art X Social without the need for masks is one of the highlights of this year’s Light to Night Festival!
It was certainly great sitting at the festive village too. With a drink in hand and listening to music, while watching the geometric patterns dance on the Victoria Theatre façade.
There’s a food street, merchandise stalls, and lots of seats.
Check out my video for more shots of Art X Social (in the second half)
Light to Night Festival 2023 lasts three weeks. All the way to Jan 26, 2023. Please check the Festive Calendar for timings of performances.
Light to Night Festival 2023 (Video) | The Scribbling Geek
Description
Light to Night 2023 Festival pictures. Themed “Here & Now,” this year’s festival examines our relation with the environment as well as spotlights diverse perspectives.
Geek, gamer, writer, movie lover, photographer, and occasional graphic artist. I like to consider myself a one-stop content creator of sorts. But the truth is, I obsess over too many hobbies.
