Light and art share plenty of similarities – from colourful cathedral windows to modern light sculptures. Today, light art festivals such as Vivid Sydney have illuminated public spaces with inventiveness and the true test of science and sustainability.
Singapore’s i Light Marina Bay follows in successive vein, with the biennale light art festival in the Marina Bay precinct promoting environmental sustainability since its inaugural edition in 2010. Now in its fourth edition, the popular festival will be held annually starting this year. i Light Marina Bay benefits from energy savings by partners and business owners around the area who are encouraged to switch off non-essential lighting and turn up air-conditioning temperatures.
Amid the myriad of fringe activities such as flea markets and outdoor dining, Singapore and international artists will converge in the Marina Bay precinct in a display of light art by incorporating sustainable elements such as recyclable materials and energy-efficient lighting technologies.
In a line you can tweet (140 characters, woohoo!), these ten artworks on display at i Light Marina Bay 2016 show just how far science and light come together in an illuminating cornucopia. (And it makes for a good photo moment too.)
Lampshade
The brainchild of Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta, a simple bamboo structure is covered by photovoltaic cells (that’s the scientific term for a solar cell) that harness sunlight in the day, but illuminate the interior at night with energy enough to power a thousand lamps. Here’s the best part: the lamps used in Lampshade will be donated to off-grid communities while the bamboo structure will be reused to benefit others in an effort to prolong material usage. Yes!
IN 140 CHARACTERS: “Shade by day, lamp by night: Stand under the solar-cell covered Lampshade in light powerful enough to power a thousand lamps!”
Light Walk
The existing Mist Walk at the Marina Bay waterfront promenade is set to be turned into a new motion experience by American artist Jen Lewin, whose body of work in the past 15 years has allowed her to create large-scale interactive sculptures for public usage. Passing through the pillars of the Mist Walk triggers circuitry and sensors to emit melodic notes and project glowing interactive lights.
IN 140 CHARACTERS: “Snapchat this: walk through Light Walk at the Marina Bay waterfront promenade as melodic notes and pulsing lights emit with every step!”
The Cloud
Kenny Hong, founder of design studio 11H, and Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research, co-created this lighting installation, which combines the flexibility of plastic and metal foil with the thinness of electroluminescent lighting to create curvilinear plane interaction. Electrically functional inks give rise to uniformly-diffused light across the planes, reminiscent of the various parts of a cloud.
IN 140 CHARACTERS: “Watch The Cloud light up and bend as inks light up through electricity in various shapes and forms!”
Cycle House
How about cycling and illuminating your very own house at the same time? Singapore artist, Hafiz Osman combines his temporary shelter and cycling in a nomadic “Cycle House” – either hop onto the stationary house and light it up through cycling or join in the energetic, disco-theme performance at the mobile house. And perhaps, you’ll feel like the wanderer the artist hopes to evoke with his work – one always in search of new adventures.
IN 140 CHARACTERS: “Power your very own movable house through cycling, as Cycle House allows you to reflect on nomadic lives and the power of kinetic energy.”
Clockwork Stories
In this artwork from Nanyang Polytechnic’s Spatial Investigation Department, surrounding light sources combine with elements such as human interaction and wind to activate creatures which breathe out bubbles when provoked.
IN 140 CHARACTERS: “Swing and work the Bubbling Turbines to breathe out bubbles which transform light into a spectrum of colours!”
Marine Constellations
Watch out for the beams of light crossing the Marina Bay waterfront, as if creating a new cityscape constellation, and wish upon a shooting star in this artwork by Singapore and Japan artists. Every time a camera in Chiang Mai captures a shooting star, messages made in Singapore will be sent to the recipient of your choice with an image of the star on the Marina Bay waterfront!
IN 140 CHARACTERS: “Wish upon a star and watch your message fly with a shooting star amid the Marina Bay waterfront in the Marine Constellations piece!”
Ground Control to Major Tom
A glimmering, colour-changing piece by day, this artwork from Rohan Abdullah and Stanley Yeo transforms into a multi-coloured lantern by night casting its rays onto the Marina Bay waterfront streetscape.
IN 140 CHARACTERS: “Marvel at Ground Control to Major Tom as colourful bursts of light shine from a rocket sculpture ready for take-off.”
What A Loving & Beautiful World
Japan’s teamLAB has created an artwork that allows you to interact with the facade of the ArtScience Museum. Simply download an app, and swipe up a Chinese character which will project on the museum’s exterior, releasing related images that influence the visual experience.
IN 140 CHARACTERS: “Watch as a Chinese character unravels a world of interaction when you swipe it up from your phone to the What A Loving & Beautiful World – ArtScience Museum artwork.”
Light Origami
KAZ Shirane constructed over 320 origami shapes in aluminium composite panels to show what light look like when folded in paper.
IN 140 CHARACTERS: “Be amazed by Light Origami as changing spectrums form a kaleidoscope of light.”
Ode to the Wind
By harnessing wind energy, the installation calculates wind datasets globally through algorithms to represent gusts across continents via the colours and brightness of the artwork’s LED columns. Created by the Interactive Media program from Nanyang Technological University’s School of Art, Design and Media, we won’t blame you if you observe this artwork for more than just a few seconds.
IN 140 CHARACTERS: “The city that blows? Find out which city is sweeping people off their feet at Ode to the Wind’s LED column installation.”
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There indeed is much to see and marvel over. Through the confluence of science, art and sustainability, the i Light Marina Bay festival provides a greater hope that in a world of conflict, nothing is too much to handle if cooperation is the guiding light.
i Light Marina Bay 2016
March 4 – 27, 2016
7.30 – 11pm daily, until 12mn on Fridays and Saturdays
Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade
Admission is free
Visit their website, Facebook or Instagram for more info
Hashtag: #ilightmarinabay
All photos by i Light Marina Bay 2016. This was a sponsored post.
