Dazzling Installations You Must Not Miss at i Light Marina Bay 2016

Media Invite

One of my favourite Marina Bay events returns!

Over the next 3 weeks, the Marina Bay waterfront transforms into a colourful outdoor spectacle as i Light Marina Bay 2016 returns for its fourth edition. From 4 to 27 March 2016, a whopping 25 sustainable light art installations will dot and light up the areas around the Promontory @ Marina Bay, the Marina Bay waterfront promenade and the Float @ Marina Bay.

Originally held once every two years, i Light Marina Bay has proven to be so successful that it is now going to be staged ANNUALLY!

This year's theme is ‘In Praise of Shadows’, inviting visitors to reimaginethe fundamentals, forms and roles of light. Challenging the obsession that brighter is better and seeking to reframe perceptions of light and sustainability, the team hopes to inspire artists and festival-goers to re-imagine and reconsider sustainability issues in a new light and come together to create and sustain a harmonious relationship with our environment.

There will be tons of other fringe events too - like an Uncle Ringo Carnival! - but just strolling through the installations is going to be a treat for the whole family.

The bulk of the light installations are congregated at two main areas - The Promontory/Bayfront Event Space (beside Marina Bay City Gallery) AND The Floating Platform.

I got a sneak peek to some of the key light installations and from first impressions, these year's installations are highly more interactive than previous years... which means they perfectly suit the itchy fingers that kids possess! So if you are planning a fun night out by Marina Bay, here are some of the installations that families should not miss:

The Promontory Area

C'SCAPE

C’scape is an installation where form folds into a space reminiscent of the city. The central feature is a time-lapse light display evoking the synergy between the sun and the moon. On the perimeter, geometric forms represent the city skyline. As the sun sets, these screens animate the night scene at a city scale.

MOON HAZE

Beyond its delightful representation of the full moon, Moon Haze also functions as a monitoring system for air pollutants, picking up and responding to the ambient air quality – the better the air quality, the brighter the installation!

LAMPSHADE

Lampshade is made of simple bamboo structures covered in photovoltaic cells to prevent sunlight from entering its interior in the day, while lighting up intensively at night with solar energy enough to power a thousand lamps. Made to be both socially and environmentally friendly, the lamps used in this installation will be donated to communities in Myanmar after its display while the bamboo structure and its light fixtures will be recycled as construction scaffolding.

SHADOW BATH

Shadow Bath is a luminous inflated bathhouse with coloured light and air casting spectacular patterns inside and out, bathing visitors in dynamic patterned shades. The pneumatic form is a mathematical toroidal space, signifying the geometry of the universe. During certain periods, visitors will be able to enter the bathhouse for a unique light show*.

*NOTE: Due to technical issues, visitors are no longer allowed to enter the installation until further notice. i Light Marina Bay 2016 apologises for the inconvenience.

TORRENT

TORRENT aims to transport users into a dreamlike landscape. As users walk past the screen, they find their movements reflected on a screen against an icy landscape, as if a virtual shadow with a swarm of trailing particles, with their motions mirrored but their forms vague.

BOLT

Inspired by the form and behaviour of lightning, the installation comprises an intricate network of LED tubes resting on steel legs that flare up when touched. Bolt not only mimics the ethereal nature of lightning, but also allows people to experience direct visceral connections.

ANGELS OF FREEDOM

Five sets of giant, colourful wings invite visitors to come close and interact with the symbolic angels. This installation seeks to remind visitors of their true selves and to always remain connected to loved ones and those who matter. Judging from the preview, I forsee this installation to be a huge hit with the crowd!

And true enough, it was a hit with the monkies!

Bayfront Event Space

(beside Marina Bay City Gallery)

CYCLE HOUSE

Cycle House is a mobile workstation combining temporary shelter and cycling. Two cycle houses have been created: the stationary house invites visitors to cycle to light up the piece while expressing their ideas of exploration by drawing on the canvas wall; the mobile house brings a more energetic, disco-themed performance to the bay.

LIGHT WALK

Light Walk consists of thirty-six custom made modules presented here borrows the form of the existing Mist Walk at the Marina Bay waterfront promenade. Together, they create an entirely new, immersive and playful experience. Just like plucking the string of a harp, passing underneath through the beams triggers its circuitry and sensors to emit melodic notes and project glowing interactive lights.

Clockwork Stories

*BUBBLES ALERT!*
Clockwork Stories consists of environmental receptors which breathe out bubbles when roused. The surrounding light sources and other elements such as wind, water currents and human interaction activate these receptors.

One of the receptors is The Swing and the Bubbling Turbines, which invites visitors to swing on it, working the turbines to breathe out bubbles which capture and transform light into a spectrum of colours as they fly and disappear into the air. This will DEFINITELY be a HIT with the kids!

GROOVE LIGHT

Groove Light generates geometric shadow patterns when a point light source is shone through five 3D printed lanterns, creating a carpet of light giving physical dimension – in the complex forms of the lanterns – to virtual projections. The suspended lanterns are positioned with precision to create a continuous lightscape which visitors can modify by moving the lanterns.

EMOGRAPH

The mysterious Emograph measures the visitor’s pulse and transforms it into a bright mosaic of colours and sound when a finger is inserted into the installation. The pulse triggers a motorised kaleidoscope into action, projecting the image onto a facade, at the same time converting the pulse into a complementary soundtrack.

The Floating Platform

WHAT A LOVING & BEAUTIFUL WORLD @ ARTSCIENCE MUSEUM

Whatever you do, DO NOT miss this light show. Projected on the facade of the ArtScience Museum, anyone can participate by ‘swiping’ the Chinese characters onto the facade of the building using your smartphone! Yes, the public gets to decide on what images appear.

The result is a colourful, multi-sensory experience that continuously evolves as images are released from these Chinese characters, while influencing and changing each other within its own immersive, computer-generated world. Interact with this artwork at ilight.team-lab.com.

GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR TOM

A fun piece that hopes to bring out the child in us and our fascination of space, the rocket is a glimmering, colour-changing piece by day, and a multi-coloured lantern casting light onto its surroundings by night. The installation loosely interprets this interplay of darkness and light in space, and seeks to allay fears of what human beings do not totally understand.

SONICTOWER

SONICtower comprises four zones with a total of 320 solenoids and LED lights to create a rhythmic sound and light scape within the confines of the scaffolds. It invites visitors to listen and discover unique compositions as they explore different pockets of the artwork.

DANDELION

Dandelion is a low-fi interactive sphere consisting of 320 3D-printed flip panels and a singular light source installed at its core, projecting shadows on surrounding surfaces. Visitors are invited to open and close the panels to create different configurations of light and shadows.

UNSEEN: TOUCH FIELD

Unfolding like an endless topographical illustration within a floating tunnel, Unseen: Touch Field depicts the cityscapes of Singapore and Taipei as a drawing that is meant to be ‘seen’ in the dark, using the touch of the hand instead of the gaze of the eye. The work invites visitors to experience the reality of visually-impaired individuals.

OTHER FAMILY-FRIENDLY EVENTS

Families can also bond through a timeless carnival by Uncle Ringo and an outdoor camping trip under the city skyline; music lovers can groove to the beat of roving drums and music performances; while foodies can enjoy the wide array of offerings from gourmet market PasarBella and food trucks. Festival goers can also look forward to complimentary events and activities such as educational talks, seminars and sporting activities. Some of the highlights include:

i Light Carnival at the Bay
4 – 27 March
The Float @ Marina Bay - 6.00pm – 10.30pm
Bayfront Event Space - 6.00pm – 10.30pm (weekdays), 5.00pm – 11.00pm (weekends)
Located at 2 sites, Uncle Ringo is a name that is synonymous with good old fashioned carnival fun. Expect plenty of carnival rides such as bumper cars, haunted house ride and the all-time fave, carousel!

Even the tall Helter Skelter slide - last seen at Gardens by the Bay's Winter Wonderland last Christmas - is back!

Expect plenty of retro and nostalgia-themed carnival rides too!

Festival Village
4 – 27 March, Every Friday – Sunday | 7.30pm – 11.00pm | The Promontory @ Marina Bay
Visitors can enjoy the first Festival Village at The Promontory @ Marina Bay with dining options from the likes of Harry's and Haagen Dazs daily, Coffee Bandits (12-13, 19-20, 25-27 March), Kerbside Gourmet (6, 13, 20 March), Old Chang Kee (5-6, 12-13 March) and The Travelling C.O.W. (4, 6, 11, 13, 18-20, 25-27 March) food trucks. There are also activities like stargazing and community performances over the weekends.

Play It Forward Singapore
4 – 27 March | Around Marina Bay
Play it Forward Singapore is initiated by a group of passionate local artists and designers to transform old, unwanted pianos into art pieces and place them in public spaces for all to enjoy. Leading up to the festival, artists will be transforming the public pianos in a studio space at the URA Centre where visitors can participate in the process. Visit https://www.facebook.com/playitforwardsg/ for updates.

KamPONG
4 – 27 March | Mist Walk (between the Marina Bay City Gallery and Marina Bay Sands)
The initiative by Innoverde brings locally designed and custom fabricated ping pong tables to public spaces for the public to play anytime. Since last year, the KamPONG tables have roved around Singapore to revive the kampung spirit with a friendly game of ping pong.

Marina Waterfront Bazaar
4 – 27 March | 5.30pm – 10.30pm | Event Square
Feel the soothing breeze and admire possibly the world's most spectacular skyline as you shop at the Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade. The Marina Waterfront Bazaar offers a wide variety of products including handicrafts, LED products, fashion apparels, gadgets and not forgetting your favourite street snacks too!

MegaFash Art Market
5 – 6, 12 – 13, 19 – 20, 26 – 27 March, Every Saturday and Sunday | 7.30pm – 11.00pm The Float @ Marina Bay (under the Seating Gallery)
MegaFash Art Market provides a shopping experience with products from underground markets and shopping districts around the world.

Very Wishing Exhibition 2.0
5, 12, 19, 26 March, Every Saturday | 7.00pm – 10.30pm | The Promontory @ Marina Bay
Join in this interactive light typography installation of light balls, glow sticks and lighted bottles and let your imagination go wild to create your dream.

LED Kites Aerial Performance
11 – 12, 18 – 19, 25 – 26 March, Friday and Saturday | 9.00pm – 11.00pm | Bayfront Event Space | Free admission
Illuminating the night sky with LED-lighted kites flying in tandem to the music, the aerial light performance presents a colourful display of lights dancing in the air, made possible by the creative use of traditional kite design and modern ultra-light high intensity LED lights. With the strings removed from the kites and powered by a small electric motor, kites can soar freely and dance gracefully in the sky, even without wind.

PasarBella Goes To Town
11 March – 3 April | Every Monday – Friday: 4:00pm – 11:00pm | Every Saturday – Sunday: 4.00pm – 12.00mn | Marina Bay Sands Event Plaza
Offering seafood, meat, dairy, fresh produce, wines and more, this market will be a fresh experience for the public to learn more from traders about their love for food.

Stargazing at Marina Bay
12 and 26 March, Saturday | 8.00pm – 10.00pm The Promontory @ Marina Bay
Science Centre Singapore brings the wonders of the night sky closer to visitors at i Light Marina Bay. Visitors can watch the moon and Jupiter through telescopes and find the constellation Leo, if weather permits.


Useful Information

i Light Marina Bay 2016
Dates: 4 to 27 March 2016
Time: 7.30pm to 11pm daily, with an extension to 12mn on Fridays and Saturdays
Venue: Marina Bay waterfront promenade
Admission: Free
Website: www.ilightmarinabay.sg