These Light Art Installations Popping Up At Marina Bay Will Make You See Nature In A Whole New Light
i Light Marina Bay is back for its fifth edition, featuring 20 light-art installations from 9 different countries.
Although this year, there are 5 less installations from i Light 2016’s 25, this year’s festival will feature three festival hubs and a collaboration with international light festivals.
Urchin
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By night, the lace structure inspired by the sea urchin illuminates the viewer. By day, intricate shadows are cast by the sunlight onto the boardwalk and passers-by. (Photo Credits: Choi+Shine Architects)[/caption]
Themed ‘Light & Nature’, i Light Marina Bay 2017 explores the intriguing tension between Singapore the concrete jungle and the ever present light and nature in our garden city.
Three New Festival Hubs
This year, the annual event caters more to families with its three festival hubs that feature sustainability workshops, activities for kids, and several F&B outlets.
Located at The Promontory @ Marina Bay, The Float @ Marina Bay and the Bayfront Event Space, parents can bring their children to each of these three areas for some family-friendly fun!
The Colourful Garden of Light
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Brightly lit flower and butterfly sculptures tower over the viewer, celebrating the coming of Spring in the midst of our urban lives. (Photo Credits: Tilt)[/caption]
For the tiny tots, parents of toddlers can head to The Float @ Marina Bay for the Art Zoo, where the children can go crazy on the inflatable playground, set majestically in a colourful zoological garden. With giant inflatable animal sculptures, this is a hands-on experience not to be missed by both Mummy and Baby.
Want to teach your older kids about recycling, urban farming and kinetic energy? The Promontory @ Marina Bay is the place for you! It features the Fantastical World of eco.me, a learning experience made fun by The Rice Company, an arts and cultural non-profit organisation in Singapore.
To satisfy your tummies after a long day of learning and interacting with the installations, the Bayfront Event Space will provide you with a spread of yummy treats. To round up the day, you and your tired kids can also enjoy the live music performances!
Ocean Pavilion
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20,000 crowd-sourced recycled plastic bottles will be added to the original metal structure, which will be lit with energy-efficient LED light. This immense light-art piece shows us the beauty in being green. (Photo Credits: Luke Jerram)[/caption]
The introduction of the three family-friendly festival hubs is meant to help “reinforce the position of Marina Bay as a sustainable precinct”, says festival Director and Director (Place Management) of URA, Mr Jason Chen.
With the main focus of the i Light Marina Bay festival being environmental stability, Mr Chen adds that the URA is “glad to be able to involve our local community and younger generation to contribute to this meaningful festival.”
Ultra (Light)
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Made from 150 3D-printed nodes, this structure stands at 2.5m tall and allows viewers to get up close and personal with it. (Photo Credits: Felix Raspall, Carlos Banon, Manuel Garrido and Mohan Elara)[/caption]
International light-art installations
Along with the new festival hubs are light-art installations from 9 countries, including France, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
i Light Marina Bay 2017 will also be collaborating with international light festivals, namely the Bella Skyway Festival in Poland, the Scottsdale Canal Convergence in the United States and the Amsterdam Light Festival in The Netherlands.
In return for three wonderful installations, we will be sending an installation by local artist Lee Yun Qin.
Moonflower
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Using solar-powered LED light to glow in the dark, this beautiful display shows the strangely complementary relationship between nature and technology, especially in our tiny tech-focused nation. (Photo Credits: Lee Yun Qin)[/caption]
Her installation, ‘Moonflower’, featuring over 800 luminescent flowers made of wire mesh, will be showcased at the Scottsdale Canal Convergence 2017 in the United States.
For a minimum price of $5, these 800 over stalks of flowers will be up for grabs to the public, with all proceeds going to the Garden City Fund, a charity supporting urban biodiversity and landscaping efforts in Singapore.
Northern Lights
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A symbol of friendship, Stockholm-based artist Aleksandra programmed her light-art installation to create an unpredictable curtain of light. (Photo Credits: Aleksandra Stratimirovic)[/caption]
In exchange, we in Singapore will be the happy recipients of Northern Lights by Swedish artist Aleksandra Stratimirovic, HYBYCOZO by American artist Yelena Filipchuk and Canadian artist Serge Beaulieu, and Home by Anna Galas from Poland.
Home
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Using only light, Anna reimagines a simple sketch of Home as a 3D light display. (Photo Credits: Anna Galas)[/caption]
When asked for the inspiration behind the international collaborations this year, Festival Curator and Principal Architect of Zarch Collaboratives, Mr Randy Chan, said that through collaboration, they hope to “bring our local artists to an international level”, as well as to “give a larger footprint to what i Light Marina Bay can do, not just in Singapore itself”.
HYBYCOZO
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Inspired by it’s creators’ favourite book, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, this structure is a dazzling harmony between by science, technology and geometry. (Photo Credits: Yelena Filipchuk and Serge Beaulieu)[/caption]
Noting that the theme of Light & Nature was a perfect fit with “the backdrop of the garden city we live in,” Mr Chan added that “[it] is encouraging to see continued interest and participation from local and international artists and [he] hope[s] the art work will inspire visitors to kick-start their personal sustainable journey.”
Lending a strange beauty to the Marina Bay waterfront promenade this year, the i Light festival is an event you won’t want to miss! Come on down from March 3-26 to check out these incredible, educational and environmentally-conscious art-light installations! You definitely won’t regret bringing your friends and family to check out i Light Marina Bay 2017.
i Light Marina Bay
3-26th March 2017
Marina Bay Waterfront: Free Admission*
Main event 7:30PM to 11:00PM (extended to 12:00mn on Fri & Sat nights)
*Charges apply for some attractions. See i Light Marina Bay website for more details.
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