Having been to Singapore Night Festival for the past few years, I honestly felt that it was pretty underwhelming this year. I’ve been to the festival ever since 2016, and I felt that the previous years were better,
Nevertheless, I think the amount of effort and thought put into the artwork of the artists was still pretty commendable by all.
STORY OF THE FOREST BY TEAM LAB
This artwork isn’t exactly under Singapore Night Festival, but more of National Museum of Singapore.
As this installation is done in National Museum’s Rotunda, it fully utilises the shape of the space, the Dome and having participants walk around and down to the final view where they see the whole forest.
The entrance of the installation is at the top of the dome, and viewers see the dome ceiling with flowers blooming and changing over time. Crossing the bridge through the falling flowers of the dome, participants will descend down the passageway through a vast interactive forest inhabited by the animals of Singapore. As they walk down, the forest changes from morning to night, and with dry and wet seasons of Singapore. When they enter the base of the dome, they get a bigger view of the dome, with the flowers blooming at the top, and having animals and forest coming up when the participants move nearer to the wall. This artwork is very relevant to National Museum, where it talks about Singapore History – more heavily dedicated to William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings.
The artwork is depicted in real time by a computer program, and offers interactivity to a certain level. The first part of interaction with the artwork is more passive, whereby we are just walking into the rotunda and looking at the flowers. The only interaction we had initially, was walking around the dome. But it became slightly more reactive, when we reached the base of the dome and we could see how having participant’s presence, how it could change the work.
I felt that this artwork was a very interesting way of depicting Singapore, as it’s seldom thought about singapore being related to animals and forest as it’s more of an urban city. It was also a learning journey for us, where we get to know more about species relevant to Singapore.
This artwork spoke to me as it’s the artist’s take on Singapore on a different approach, and making it interactive for participants, so that they won’t just feel bored walking around the dome.
Although it’s not officially under Singapore Night Festival, I think this artwork is an honourable mention as amazing artworks can be found within the interior of the museum, instead of just the outskirts surrounding!
Leap of Faith by Teng Kai Wei
This is the second artwork I’d like to talk about from Singapore Night Festival.
The intention created for the participants is for them to take a leap of faith and jump from step to step, to signify literally jumping to take a leap of faith.
The intention of this interaction is for participants to take a “leap of faith”, by jumping from a step to the other. While participants jump, the lights of the step changes, and there are several variations on the lights. This artwork is reactive and has high interactivity level, as participants have to make an action for a reaction to the artwork. But that being said, in the middle of the interaction, there is a light sculpture whereby interactivity is not needed.
The anatomy of this interactive system was very simple, with steps that lights up whenever we step on it. There are several rims of colours on the step, and it lights up differently.
And that’s it for my trip to Singapore Night Festival 2018!
Till then,
Flazéda!
jamz
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