From 10 to 19 January, Civic District’s iconic landmarks will glow with the Light to Night Festival 2020. The first festival of the new decade extends art beyond the walls of the institutions as part of Singapore Art Week. Here are some useful things to know before making your way down to Light to Night Festival 2020.
Theme: Invisible Cities
The theme of the fourth edition of Light to Night Festival 2020 is Invisible Cities. This draws on a novel published in 1972 about an imaginary conversation between Kublai Khan and Marco Polo where the latter describes cities he has visited. For Light to Night Festival 2020, local poets responded to these stories with four poems which formed the basis of the art installations on display.
Four Zones
The Festival is divided into four main zones, each responding the one of the four poems. At a glance, these are:
Zone A: National Gallery Singapore & the Padang
Zone B: The Arts House & Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall
Zone C: Asian Civilisations Museum & Singapore River
Zone D: Esplanade Park & Esplanade
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Seven Art Skins
A highlight of Light to Night Festival 2020 are the light projections on the buildings around the Civic District. This year, there are total of seven light projections which will transform the facades of National Gallery Singapore, Asian Civilisations Museum, Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall and The Arts House into imaginary cities.
Catch Art Skins on Monuments from 10 to 19 January 2020 at these times:
Sun to Thu: 8 pm to 10 pm
Fri to Sat: 8 pm to midnight
Interact with City Hall
The City Hall Wing of National Gallery Singapore will feature an interactive artwork which you can contribute to.
Scan a QR code (found at the Padang or online), follow the instructions to create a digital tile and see it displayed on the historic monument.
10 Art Installations
There are 10 art installations found throughout the Civic District, some of which are interactive. These were developed by artists in response to the locally-penned poems. Some highlights to look out for include:
Floating City by Nipek x KNOTS at National Gallery Singapore,
the interactive Optical Maze by OTTOTTO at the Padang, and
Light Lane by Felix Marzell, DIX au carré at the Esplanade Park sidewalk.
Other works include Clement Space, Light to Night Signage (National Gallery Singapore), Between Two Worlds (Esplanade Park), Open Books: The Worlds of Haruki Murakami, Justice for All (The Arts House), and Shadows of Dust and Clouds (Asian Civilisations Museum Green).
Four Nights at the Museums
In conjunction with the Festival, the Museums will be open till late on Fridays and Saturdays 10, 11, 17 and 18 Jan 2020. Some of family-friendly activities include I Was Here at National Gallery Singapore, Future Cities – Printmaking for Kids at The Arts House and interactive stations at Asian Civilisations Museum.
There will also be music, stage and comedy performances and tours over the two weekends at the five cultural institutions that are participating in the Festival.
Unfortunately, tickets for True Lies – Secrets of the Gallery, an escape room game at National Gallery Singapore, have been sold out.
Streets Turn into Festival Grounds
The roads around the Civic District will also close on 10, 11, 17 and 18 January for Light to Night Festival 2020. Head to Art X Social, the festival village in front of National Gallery Singapore for food, craft vendors and performances. Another chill out spot can be found at the lawn in front of Victoria Concert Hall.
Get more details of Light to Night Festival 2020 here.
Light to Night Festival 2020
When: 10 to 19 January 2020
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