ANNEX A
Light+HeART
In this edition of i Light Marina Bay, the curatorial team has introduced the theme of “Light+HeART” to convey that “in the heart of the sustainability matters, is the matter of the heart”. Through this edition, we hope to inspire a collective change in our attitude and a widening of our perspective towards issues relating to sustainability.
The coming edition is therefore about creating unique, happy and heart-felt installations to delight the audience while driving home the sustainability message. Using Marina Bay as a backdrop, the curatorial team has put together a line-up of 28 light art installations to transform Marina Bay into one huge public art gallery.
At i Light Marina Bay 2014 , art will draw attention to the existing practices that are unsustainable, and help the public re-envision a more harmonious co-existence between man and the environment.
i Light Marina Bay 2014 Friday, 7 March to Sunday, 30 March 2014 7.30pm to 11.00pm Marina Bay waterfront Free Admission www.ilightmarinabay.sg LIST OF ARTISTS AND INSTALLATIONS
Interactivity through Collaborations
These artworks demonstrate the creative use of technology to provoke an emotive awareness towards ourselves and our environment. These works will invite all to question how humans behave in the environment, how we interact with light, and how integrating art with technologies can influence how light art is presented.
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Ryf Zaini (Singapore)
Location: Marina Bay waterfront promenade, near the Breeze Shelter (A11 on map)
About the artwork
**Insert Caption Please is a giant speech bubble that displays thoughts and messages akin to comic strips. Our social interaction has often shifted to screen-based interfaces as our primary form of communication. If these speech bubbles could be representations of our thoughts, everyone would be walking around with hovering speech bubbles above their heads. But these messages are different. They are autonomous, generating random quotes and texts. With this, it beckons the audience to react to these heart-felt comments that are thought-provoking, witty and at times, humorous.
About the artist
Following his double diploma in Engineering and Media Arts, Ryf pursued a degree in Interactive Media Arts, attaining a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) degree. Since 2006, he has been creating artworks that involve public participation, by inviting audiences to question social issues and norms. Ryf’s work reflects his attempt to understand how technology is affecting our society.
HeartBeat City Lights
Egied Simons (The Netherlands)
Location: Esplanade Bridge (B7 on map)
About the artwork
HeartBeat City Lights is inspired by this year’s theme, “Light+HeART”. Looking at Singapore’s traffic as our blood circulatory system, Simons sees traffic signs as “heartbeats” that regulate the car flow of the nation. At night, the moving traffic creates streams of white and red lights. When seen through a video camera with a lens set out of focus, the car lights become a colourful dance of circles. This phenomenon is filmed by a camera on top of the Esplanade Bridge and projected onto a underside of the bridge, allowing visitors strolling under the bridge to enjoy the vibrant “heartbeat” of the city.
About the artist
Egied Simons likes to use dynamic processes in his immediate environment as a basis for his work, including movements caused by the wind, small organisms, spectators and vehicular traffic.
Floating Hearts Travesias De Luz (Spain)
Location: Marina Bay waterfront promenade, near Marina Bay Link Mall pop-up structure (A10 on map)
About the artwork
Floating Hearts is presented as a wall of illuminated hearts, which invites people to play with it to form new visual spectacles with each contact. With its scale and tactile method of engagement, this unique installation also provides an interesting situation where everyone, whether strangers or families, can come together to interact, dialogue, and be delighted.
About the artist
Travesias De Luz is a group of artists from Spain who are inspired by the participatory process in the presentation of arts, and how their works take on a different visual character through public interaction,. Their works have always encouraged play through light, creating a magical experience for all.
iSwarm
Professor Thomas Schroepfer and Professor Suranga Nanayakkara, together with their team from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) (Singapore)
Location: In Marina Bay, near Bayfront water taxi stop (A3 on map)
Co-created by SUTD with Philips Lighting
About the artwork iSwarm is a swarm of luminous “sea creatures” that interact with passers-by. Subtle and hardly visible by day, iSwarm comes alive at night. As daylight fades, the cells of iSwarm illuminate the waters of Marina Bay with fluorescent light reminiscent of natural phenomena such as bioluminescent algae or the Aurora Borealis. iSwarm reacts to groups of visitors by detecting human presence and greeting them with subtle modulation of its light patterns.
This is the first time a team from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Advanced Architecture Laboratory and Augmented Senses Group is participating in i Light Marina Bay 2014 . Created by them, the ingenuity of this installation, which is uniquely sited in the water, demonstrates the creativity of the team and is exemplary in its advancement into a new frontier in light art installation presentation, where collaborative efforts and research are needed to enrich the experience of interactive arts in today’s context.
About the artist
Prior to joining SUTD as a tenured faculty member and Associate Head of Pillar of Architecture and Sustainable Design, Professor Thomas Schroepfer was an Associate Professor of Architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD) where he taught for seven years in the areas of architectural design, materials, and construction. He is joined by Professor Suranga Nanayakkara who teaches at the Engineering Product Development Pillar of SUTD. As head of the Augmented Senses Group at SUTD, Suranga’s vision is to create new interaction technologies that seamlessly integrate with users’ minds, bodies and behaviour, providing them an enhanced perception of their environment/themselves.
Mimosa
Jason Bruges Studio (United Kingdom)
Location: Marina Bay City Gallery (A7 on map)
About the artwork
Mimosa is an interactive artwork displaying behaviour that mimics responsive plant systems. The piece was inspired by the Mimosa family of plants, which change kinetically to suit their environmental conditions. The studio used the slim form of individual organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) to represent the delicate light petals of flowers, which appear to dance with its petals opening and closing in response to visitors’ hand movements. This installation presents a perfect combination of art and technology, where the most innovative lighting technology - OLED - is integrated into a dynamic installation that reacts to people’s hand motions, forming a magical experience.
About the artist
Formed in 2002, Jason Bruges Studio designs and builds artworks that create innovative and engaging spaces which connect people with their environment. The design studio and in-house workshop is based in Old Street, London, the hub of the creative and digital industry in Europe. Made up of a multi-disciplinary team of architects, lighting designers, electronic engineers, programmers, visualisers, industrial designers and mechanical engineers, the studio's vision, passion and desire to find groundbreaking creative solutions is clearly evident in its work.
JouJou-Ours Uno Lai (Taiwan)
Technical Design: Sunnia Cheng, Jeff Hung
Interactive Design: Jasper Tseng, innoCirque New Media
Location: Beside Marina Bay City Gallery (A9 on map)
Brought to you by Traxon Technologies/OSRAM
About the artwork
Uno believes that interactive arts are not just about technology, but it should reflect simple acts to express love. Inspired by childhood memories of hugging soft toys to sleep, Joujou-Ours is an installation that encourages all to come close and embrace these light installations, and with these close physical interactions, the embedded lights will create a magical kaleidoscope of colours.
About the artist
Uno Lai, an accomplished lighting designer and lighting artist, was born in Taiwan. In his design profession, he finds inspiration through his training in a variety of art forms from photography, theatre design and interior design. Uno travels to many other cities to give lectures and contributes articles to international publications to share his passion.
Scribbledribblequibble Soh Ee Shaun, Chong Li-Chuan, Kenneth Cheong and Kashmira Kasmuri (Singapore)
Location: The Float @ Marina Bay, under the Seating Gallery (B4 on map)
About the artwork
Scribbledribblequibble is a fun, site-specific video and sonic installation that explores the notion of street art and graffiti as a transient and sustainable art form in our city-state. It hopes to change the negative notion of graffiti into an ephemeral art form, and one that does not leave marks in our cities but is a complete experience of light, sound and motion. The installation suggests that the possibility of digitalising graffiti into short, playful animations projected onto an urban façade may be the new, eco-friendly way of keeping the city graffiti-free, yet allowing people to have the freedom of expression through temporary graffiti.
About the artist
This installation is presented by a collective of creatives, creating a magical experience of interactive light- art-soundscape. Ee Shaun is a Singaporean artist, illustrator and lecturer at the Republic Polytechnic. His largest public art installation, ‘Move!’, which comprises three murals at the Bishan Circle Line, was commissioned by the Land Transport Authority of Singapore. Li-Chuan is a musician by training, composer by choice, an academic at large, and a consultant in user experience and strategic design. Kenneth spent his earlier years of experience in fashion and commercial photography before finding his niche in documentaries. Kashmira is a motion graphic designer who believes that inspiration, motivation and a pinch of creativity lead to enthusiasm in design.
Collective is Strength (Community or social orientated works)
These works show beauty and strength in unity, either through the component parts forming a whole, or through group interaction with the piece to create symphonies of light. These artworks seek to involve the public, spread subtle messages of sustainability, and encourage visitors to join in and make a difference.
The Wishing! Tree
The Living! Project (Singapore)
Location: Marina Bay Sands, side entrance of Marina Bay Shoppes (A2 on map)
About the artwork
The Wishing! Tree represents the positive hopes and dreams of visitors wishing the best for our world. It encourages everyone to imagine what their perfect world could be like and wish for it on the tree
About the artist
Conceived by Allan Lim and Kenny Eng with renowned Singapore sculptor Sun Yu-li, The Living! Project aims to draw direct connections between an individual’s action with the needs of a sustainable urban city through the intensive use of recycled materials and involving the community to create positive social behavioural change. The Living! Project was the first Asian country to be invited to present a site specific installation for the world famous Fête des lumières, in Lyon, France in 2012.
The Pool
Jen Lewin Studio (USA)
Location: Marina Bay waterfront promenade, near The Promontory @ Marina Bay (A14 on map)
About the artwork
The Pool is an group of giant, concentric circles created from interactive circular pads. By entering The Pool, visitors enter a world where play and collaborative movement create swirling effects of light and color. Imagine a giant canvas where you can paint and splash light collaboratively. This installation is best enjoyed and is most beautiful when a group of people play with the different pads together.
About the artist
For the last 15 years, Jen Lewin has been creating large, immersive, interactive art pieces for the public. From interactive sound and light sculptures that inspire people into play, to woven fiber video curtains that reflect movement, or giant, robotic, ethereal moths that dance based on human touch. Lewin’s ability to utilise technology as a medium is rare and unprecedented. She brings an organic, feminine quality to her electronic work that leaves viewers enchanted and surprised. As a trained architect, Lewin’s pieces are often the scale of buildings and rooms. She creates experiences and environments that are both part of, and integrated into a physical space.
#WeHeartLight
Light Collective (United Kingdom)
Location: Marina Bay City Gallery (A8 on map)
About the artwork
Making light is open to everybody and Light Collective demonstrates this by teaching about 200 locals to each make a simple light box, personalised with images and text, with red as the predominant colour for half of these boxes. When assembled together, the light boxes make up the installation, #WeHeartLight . Light Collective worked closely with students from different schools in Singapore, to build the first installation for i Light Marina Bay that is made and inspired entirely by the people who live in Singapore. This installation is created through a series of workshops where students play an important role in the making and design of the artwork. The process of constructing this installation helps to emphasise the role of education in guiding our future generation towards a more sustainable future. About the artist
The aspiration of Light Collective is to understand, interpret and work with light in all of its contexts – artistic, social, architectural, commercial, cultural, physiological and psychological. The objective is for like- minded and inspired people to collaborate in a multitude of ways. From architectural lighting design, light installations and film, to education, community engagement, professional development and marketing, Light Collective is a home for and the foundation from which many projects can be constructed – all with the medium that fundamentally drives us as the heart – LIGHT.
CLOUD
Caitlind r.c. Brown & Wayne Garrett (Canada)
Location: The Float @ Marina Bay (B9 on map)
About the artwork
CLOUD illuminates the curatorial themes of i Light Marina Bay 2014 on a number of levels. As the sculpture is created from both new and recycled materials, combining the aesthetic of incandescent light bulbs with the brilliance of energy-efficient bulbs, CLOUD creates a playful commentary about the changing face of sustainability. While the piece is bright and attractive to audiences, the internal contrast of old and new light technologies provides a critical dialogue about energy, sources of light and sustainable progress, while maintaining an optimistic tone of magic, hope, and beauty.
CLOUD invites strangers to come together beneath a dazzling raincloud and play. The edition planned for the Festival will be a unique evolution of CLOUD incorporating a more playful system of interaction than previous incarnations, encouraging a "light hearted" spirit of exploration and discovery. By pulling on a switch, the viewer is able to trigger a quantifiable shift within the greater aesthetic of CLOUD, visually highlighting the power of an individual's ability to impact progress and achieve significant change. However, the real magic happens when multiple viewers work as a community towards a unified shift.
About the artists
Exploring themes of public interaction, art in unexpected spaces, community collaboration and play, Brown & Garrett began building artificial light works in 2010. For them, light is a social medium, a universal language, and an optimistic evidence of civilisation in a sometimes all too dark world.
The Wheels of Industry
Twist Design (United Kingdom)
Location: Near Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay (B5 on map)
About the artwork
The Wheels of Industry presents an unexpected fusion of a matt black three-wheeled Reliant Robin with colourful stained glass panels reworked from the vehicle’s original windows which are illuminated by visitors using a kinetic bicycle. Inspired by the industrial heritage of the northeast of England (where the piece was originally commissioned by Artichoke for Lumiere Durham 2013), the installation chronicles the development of the region from coal mining to locomotive power, culminating in the depiction of Antony Gormley’s Angel of The North - the symbol of a cleaner, more sustainable and digitally driven population. The addition of a kinetic bicycle used by visitors to power the lighting of the installation provides a wholly interactive opportunity, allowing one to feel part of the magic while showcasing the potential of emission free human-powered electricity. This installation not only presents the development of modern technology and how technology had offered an advanced mode of living for all, but hopes to inspire questions if we should depend on a non-renewable source of energy for our daily mode of travel, and if a car should be only seen as a mode of transport or whether it can be a source of idea communication.
About the artist
Stuart Langley and Matt Sayle head the Middlesbrough-based design agency, Twist Design. Established for over ten years, the studio focuses on print, ambient and exhibition output. They strive to make the ordinary extraordinary in creating exciting and memorable visuals locally and on an international stage.
3D Tic-Tac-Toe
Angela Chong (Singapore) & Sonny Windstrup (Denmark)
Location: The Float @ Marina Bay, under the Seating Gallery (B3 on map)
About the artwork
3D Tic-Tac-Toe is an art installation that takes reference from a game that most people will find familiar - Tic Tac Toe. It is presented as a multi-player game, retaining the original concept of winning by getting three in a row, straight or diagonal. Having 27 cubes instead of just nine squares and teams of two playing against each other make the game more challenging with less chances of winning. The light structure is made hollow to allow players to see the different layers of cubes from all directions. Simple for all ages to enjoy, it brings strangers together to share new experiences. This installation seeks to introduce the concept of play into urban art, and how interactive art has the ability to dissolve the invisible barriers between strangers in our fast-paced society, and allow them to just play and dialog whilst having fun.
About the artist
Installation artist Angela Chong uses light and darkness to entice the audience into questioning emotional attachments between the object and its owner, through history and site-specificity. She has worked on public commissioned works for Art Around SAM, i Light Marina Bay 2010 and 2012. Sonny Windstrup is a resident engineer and product developer with an interest in design and production of original art installation technology for light and audience interaction.
Sustaining Future Local Talents
Five artists in Singapore will take part for the first time as i Light Marina Bay seeks to increase its outreach to, and serve as a platform for more local artists to showcase their works. The artists range from local talents presenting work that is different from what they have done before, to students showcasing their work for the very first time. Vertical Submarine, a local art collective will also be presenting an installation once again this year as part of the Festival line- up, hence reinforcing i Light Marina Bay’s intention of sustaining local talents.
LiveLight
Oz Collective (Singapore and France)
Location: The Float @ Marina Bay, under the Seating Gallery (B2 on map)
About the artwork
LiveLight is a space for live light painting. Oz Collective invites the public to have some light-hearted fun by painting on the projected canvas with the movement of your bodies and light sources. Everyday objects become delightful paint brushes in LiveLight: mobile phone LED light and screen, torch lights, luminescent toys. Use coloured cellophane paper to change the hue of the torchlight; shine light on objects, bodies and faces to use them as brushes; go closer to the camera for a bigger impact; paint your silhouette by backlighting; run across the space in groups to draw lines and waves. The ephemeral light paintings in LiveLight fade and blend from one to another, capturing the immateriality and impermanence of light.
About the artist
Oz Collective is a collective of architects and artists trained in Ecole Spéciale d'Architecture, Paris. In i Light Marina Bay 2014 , the collective is represented by Alexandre Pachiaudi (Paris) and Quck Zhong Yi (Singapore). Zai Tang (London and Singapore) is the invited sound artist for this installation.
Beat
Arup (Singapore)
Location: In front of Marina Bay Sands (A1 on map)
Brought to you by Arup (Singapore) with Phillips Lighting, BEGA and CS Lighting(S) Pte. Ltd.
About the artwork
Translucent shapes displayed slowly throb with a relaxed light pulse to draw attention. As the intrigued mind approaches the objects, an instinctive impulse to touch prevails, stimulating the object to respond. Answering visually, the object intensifies and adopts a human heart beat light pulse. Once visitors interact and get together, the installation is synchronised, becoming a single thoughtful act where it glows as a single BEAT . The installation is designed to be inclusive, fun and light-hearted while promoting a sustainable message - “It only takes one to initiate change and collectively, change can be realised”.
About the artist
The global team of Arup brings art, science and technology together. The designers create expressive, sustainable and award-winning concepts in light. They understand the interplay of structural form and lighting, and work with architects to provide original conceptual designs. Activating public spaces locally and internationally, the team’s passion for light and technical skills are demonstrated in all their light art installation projects.
Flash Nathan Yong with OTTO Solutions Pte Ltd (Singapore)
Location: Near The Helix Bridge (B12 on map)
Brought to you by OTTO Solutions Pte. Ltd.
About the artwork
The concept of Flash revolves around the epithet "Little Red Dot". Light emits through small gaps around the outer ring, creating a glowing effect in the night light whilst the inner ring serves as a main light source for the structure. Set at The Helix Bridge, the red ring helps to construct a point of interest and at the same time, acts as a light source for night photography. This installation helps set the stage for different uses and perception of an object in an urban setting, where it can form a picture frame, or a place where a couple can take a seat and enjoy the sights at Marina Bay.
About the artist
Nathan Yong’s work is inspired by simple visual memories from everyday life, pared down with the lightness of restraints thus creating fresh styles and functions that fit effortlessly into the user's life. Based in Singapore, Nathan currently runs a multi-disciplinary design consultancy practice. His work spans across industrial design, graphics, interior design, architectural design, strategic planning in product development, manufacturing processes and branding. Although Nathan is a renowned product designer who won the Singapore President’s Design Award, Designer of the Year in 2008, this is the first year that Nathan is presenting a light art installation, demonstrating his versatility and rich design ideas that transverse disciplines.
A Land of Reverie
Sheryl Ng and Nigel Ho (Singapore)
Location: Under The Helix Bridge, near Marina Bay Sands (B13 on map)
About the artwork
Using fluorescent paint and UV lighting, A Land of Reverie tells the story of a girl, Sapphire and her journey through a new world. The installation seeks to inspire everyone to play a part in creating an eco- friendly environment, and hopes to inspire all through an interesting journey towards a better future for all. This heart-felt piece sharing the message of sustainability is presented by students.
About the artist
Both Sheryl and Nigel are currently students at Republic Polytechnic, pursuing a Diploma of Design for Interactivity. Sheryl is passionate about design and enjoys doodling in her sketchbook. A fan of sleek minimalistic design, Nigel fancies street art and never ceases to look for more inspirations to improve himself as an artist. This is the first time both students are presenting a work of art that is designed and conceptualised by them at a national event.
Celebration of Life
Justin Lee with Dorier Asia Pte. Ltd. (Singapore and Switzerland)
Location: ArtScience Museum (B14 on map)
Co-created by Marina Bay Sands and Panasonic Systems Asia Pacific
About the A rtwork
Celebration of Life is a playful commentary on the role and value of traditional culture in our contemporary society, Through the use of Pop-art as a playful medium in this work, this installation celebrates Asian values in our modern society through a tongue-in-cheek manner. In this 3D projection installation for the ArtScience Museum, Justin playfully blends traditional Eastern iconography with modern-day symbols of our global capitalist culture. This approach suggests cultural resilience – the ability of Asian culture, to survive, to withstand, to endure, and to adapt to the changing contemporary society.
About the Artist
Justin Lee Justin’s art reflects a fine sense of contemporary design flavored with an essence of Singapore traditions. He is a recipient of the Georgette-Chen Arts Scholarship and completed his Diploma in Fine Arts at the LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts in 1999. An active artist since 1996, Justin held his first solo exhibition Double Happiness, A Fantasy in Red in 2003, and has participated in several exhibitions and art competitions such as the UOB Art competition as well as the ASEAN Art Awards.
Dorier Asia Pte Ltd Established in 2003, Perfectus AV was founded to cater to the audio-visual, technical design and production aspects of the events industry, based on the need to provide a higher level of service in this niche industry. Perfectus is now a major player in AV technical consultancy for corporate and association conferences, exhibitions and special events. Perfectus is owned by Dorier SA, a Swiss based company, with footprints in Europe, Asia and Africa.
Fool’s Gold
Vertical Submarine (Singapore)
Location: The Promontory (A13 on map)
A NHB Collection- In collaboration with Singapore Art Museum
About the Artwork
Vertical Submarine created this installation featuring a huge arrow-shaped signboard lit up by neon lights pointing towards the ground with yellow letters reading: NO GOLD BURIED HERE. The work alludes to a Chinese Idiom about a fool who tries to hide his gold, but made its hiding-place even more conspicuous by erecting a sign on its burial spot disclaiming its existence.
About the Artist
Vertical Submarine is an art collective comprising members Joshua Yang, Justin Loke and Fiona Koh. The artistic collective’s tongue-in-cheek, mixed media works often incorporate text and wordplay. Their art is a witty, punning critique of contemporary popular culture, strategically employing the visual tropes of the culture or practice they intend to critique, in order to highlight its idiosyncrasies and shortcomings. Vertical Submarine received the inaugural President’s Young Talents 2009 Credit Suisse Artist Residency Award, Singapore and the Celeste Art Prize 2011, New York.
Questioning Different Dimensions of Nature through our Hearts
Inspired by nature, these works bring a slice of the real jungle into our dense concrete one. Some of the installations bring to mind simple natural phenomena (rain drops, shadows, lights, and rainbows) which most city dwellers ‘neglect’, and in their presentation, let visitors see nature through a different ‘light’.
Giant Dandelions
Olivia d’Aboville (Philippines)
Location: Near Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay (B6 on map)
About the artwork
Giant Dandelions is a forest of 90 larger-than-life light flowers where people can freely walk through. The installation features flowers of varying heights. The 90 dandelion heads are made from close to 9,000 recycled water bottles that are cut and connected to one another by a nylon weave. Each flower is lit by an energy efficient bulb in order to create intensity variations within the forest. It is the second time Olivia is partnering “Hope in a Bottle”, a Filipino brand of water bottle which gives proceeds from their sales to building new public schools around the Philippines. The exaggerated scale of the Dandelions through the presentation of this installation creates an interesting landscape of light, and through the creative re-using of the discarded plastic bottles, it sends out a bigger message of inspiration and hope to the less- privileged.
About the artist
Olivia d'Aboville, a French-Filipino artist based in Manila, has been exploring sculpting with textile techniques and had her first solo show in 2010. Practicing recycling in her art since she was a student in textile design, Olivia manipulates and recycles materials to create new work. She is very sensitive to light, fluidity and movement and is mostly known for her works inspired by the theme of the ocean. She tries to raise awareness of the importance of preserving nature.
The Guardian Angels
Maro Avrabou and Dimitri Xenakis (Greece and France
Location: Marina Bay waterfront promenade, near Breeze Shelter (A12 on map)
About the artwork
The Guardian Angels echoes the preservation of the garden and plants and by extension, nature. It highlights the role of the human and pays an indirect tribute to gardeners and artificially created nature. The work also points out that the growth of plants and trees is only possible with the contribution of three natural elements: light (sun), water and earth. The transformation of an everyday industrial item into a poetic object stops and challenges the passer-by. Unexpected and surprising, these watering-lanterns are a gesture of protection to our environment, but also a suggestion to give a second life to an object after use.
About the artist
Maro Avrabou, visual artist and light designer, works in both the fields of visual arts and those of theater, dance, and opera. Dimitri Xenakis, also a visual artist, is working in and with the landscape, constantly renewing his artistic language to interact with the environment. The two collaborate on works that question living spaces, points of view, forms and light. Together they work to create the link between the existing and artistic intervention.
Digital Wattle
Out of the Dark (New Zealand)
Location: Near The Float @ Marina Bay (B11 on map)
About the artwork
Golden Wattle, Australia’s floral emblem, inspires this installation as the artists translate an iconic element of nature from their homeland into an installation. Hence, adapting the form of the Golden Wattle into a series of light installations, the Digital Wattle is a device to explore the interplay between individual ethnic groups co-existing in one city. When the flowers sway gently in the wind, they will slowly change from pure white to different colours to represent the new mix of cultures residing in the city. In the process, it brings a slice of nature into our urban environment.
About the artist
Out of the Dark is a company that specialises in creative solutions and treatments of space through design, installation and place making. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, Out of the Dark has worked on a number of local and international projects. Sustainability is a key aim for all of Out of the Dark projects, offering solutions with minimal impact to the environment and where possible, the use of low energy consumption products.
Light Rain
Troika (United Kingdom)
Location: The Float @ Marina Bay, under the Seating Gallery (B1 on map)
About the artwork
In Light Rain , the source of the droplets of light are small engines suspended from the ceiling above, each carrying a simple lens, a motor and an LED that is moved rhythmically closer to and further away from the lens. This projects a drop of light down onto the floor that rhythmically grows and radiates outwards, reminiscent of a rain drop hitting the ground. Watching small drops of light falling from the canopy down onto the concrete floor, the visitor is immersed in what appears to be rain of light, each droplet encircled by a vibrant halo of rainbow colors. This installation visualises rain drops through lights, visualising some of these wonders of nature which most have neglected, and in the process, question the idea of nature in our city.
About the artist
Troika (Sebastien Noel, Eva Rucki, and Conny Freyer) is known for developing new vocabularies at the intersection of sculpture, architecture and contemporary installation. They met while studying at the Royal College of Art, London, and subsequently started working together in 2003, emerging as a practice that creates work collectively through observation, dialogue and research, in turn, revealing the limits of rational thought as a wondrous and unique asset of the human mind to decipher our reality.
Happy Croco
Bibi (France)
Location: Marina Bay waterfront promenade, near Mist Walk (A4 on map)
About the artwork
Happy Croco sees a luminous 20m long sculpture, whose backbone is made of traffic cones. This urban crocodile uses two types of LEDs and low energy light bulbs. It is a puzzle made up of different objects; a playful and funny installation that carries a heavier but clear significance. Happy Croco is both a work of land art, design, a light source and a visual art installation. This installation’s relation to the theme comes from the delightful crocodile that the artist brings into the city, but upon closer examination, it is made from our everyday discarded items that have been given a new lease of, and a most delightful, life.
About the artist
Since 1992, by using daily life objects made of plastic, Bibi’s artworks have explored our relationship to our environment, as well as our capacity to face up to our contradictions with regard to the waste we produce. To give plastic the place it deserves – the sixth element – Bibi has fought especially hard against two universally distributed icons: the polyethylene container and the traffic cone. Today our planet is threatened on all sides by many contaminations, in particular invasion by plastic waste. His artworks discuss this with derision and make ironic responses.
1.26 Singapore
Janet Echelman (USA)
Studio Echelman Project Manager: Melissa Henry
Lighting Design: Martin Professional
Design Engineer: Peter Heppel Associates (Paris)
Location: The Float @ Marina Bay (B10 on map)
Co-created by Martin Professional Pte. Ltd. and Kurihara Kogyo Co., Ltd.
About the artwork
Sustainability can relate to the memory and preservation of the traditional craftsmanship and in 1.26, we see an extremely innovative way of preserving a craft that might be seen as obsolete by most. Janet Echelman has been inspired by the traditional craftsmanship of fish net weaving and lace making in the construct of her urban sculptures and has re-intepreted the technique to new heights through the technology that she had utilised, allowing all to appreciate traditional crafts in a new form.
In the piece for i Light Marina Bay 2014 , Janet Echelman’s luminous 1.26 sculpture will suspend over the floating platform. The form and content has been drawn from observing Earth’s interconnected systems. Echelman used laboratory research from NASA and NOAA which documented the effects of the 2010 earthquake in Chile — the historic shock resulted in the shortening of the earth’s day by 1.26 microseconds, which became the influence for the installation’s name. The colorful volumetric piece takes the shape of a tsunami sweeping across the ocean. In her studio, she generated a three-dimensional model of the tsunami that resulted from Chile’s earthquake, then used software to create an outline of the rendering’s highest amplitude area, realising the silhouette as a sculptural form. The material underscores connectivity — Echelman’s work utilises Honeywell Spectra fibre, a material that is 15 times stronger than steel by weight. The knotted mesh can withstand high winds, but is engineered specifically to imitate the intricacy of handmade lace.
This piece not only reminds us of today's ever changing face of the earth and the effects natural disasters have on people, but it is also a piece that highlights the courageousness of the survivors and the interconnected populations who are fighting against these effects of climate change in today's context.
About the artist
American artist Janet Echelman builds living, breathing sculpture environments that respond to the forces of nature - wind, water and light - and become inviting focal points for civic life. Echelman combines ancient craft with cutting-edge technology to create sculpture at the scale of buildings.
Lightscape Catcher
Arup (Shanghai)
Location: Marina Bay waterfront promenade, near Mist Walk (A6 on map)
About the artwork
Lightscape Catcher is an exploration of the expectations we have of lighting and how they have been transformed through time. The installation uses mirror panels attached with cylinders. The reflections on the panels will capture the cityscape of Marina Bay, borrowing illumination from the surrounding environment and high-rise towers. The cylinders attached to the reflecting panels are designed with different lengths, veiling the peripheral reflected image and producing an extraordinary vision to the urban lightscape. This installation is designed to bring attention to the appeal of measure, to the fact that a memorable sight can found by simply changing one’s perspective, and in this way reflect on the cultural dimension of sustainability. It is a zero-energy installation that is dedicated to an urban environment, aiming to provide a new perspective and experience for viewing the city.
About the artist
Lighting at Arup brings together art, science and technology. Their team of designers create thoughtful, sustainable and award winning concepts with light. With expertise ranging from architectural lighting and media facades, to daylighting design and integration, Arup’s commitment to sustainability is deeply rooted in the practice’s core values. The team for i Light Marina Bay 2014 comprises four lighting designers based in Shanghai, namely Junko Inomoto, Santiago Torres, Wenqing Guo and Jim Zhang.
Bedazzled
Meinhardt Light Studio Pte. Ltd. (Singapore)
Location: Lower boardwalk, near Mist Walk (A5 on map)
Brought to you by Meinhardt Light Studio Pte. Ltd. with Luxlight Pte. Ltd., Strongly Pte. Ltd., Metalmek Asia Pte. Ltd.and Traxon Technologies/OSRAM
About the Artwork
As a city grows, the amount of light that is switched on during the night also increases. Lighting provides visibility for us to conduct our activities and is an attractive benefit for our communities. While light gives us a feeling of safety or even excitement, we also miss the dark starry skies without the interference of city lights.
Bedazzled brings people closer to the natural starry night sky that has been gradually lost due to light pollution. Experience the wonder of stars in a truly dark sky with animated constellations as you step into the installation, showcasing the importance of the richness that the universe offers and what we can offer the universe in return.
About the Artist
Meinhardt Light Studio (MLS) Pte Ltd is an independent specialist lighting design consultancy providing a complete lighting design service. Specialising in architectural and urban integration, innovative natural day lighting and artificial lighting, MLS’ environmental design philosophy aims to integrate and accentuate lighting as part of the whole spatial experience
Skeletal Retreat No. 1
Michael Lee (Singapore)
Location: Esplanade Bridge (E8 on map)
About the Artwork
Skeletal Retreat No. 1 is a three-dimensional sketch of the idea of a tree house. Its interpretation is meant to be open: Is it a house under construction? Or the aftermath of destruction? Perhaps it is what it seems — complete in its incomplete state? This installation suggests that going back to basics does not necessarily mean compromising on quality.
The chosen neon green for the work references the ongoing ecological challenges that the earth faces, without prescribing any specific solution. In the day, it sticks out from its urban environment. At night, when illuminated by specific light conditions, it casts dramatic shadows, extending its significance beyond its physical form.
This installation aims to inspire questions among all to rethink the idea of constructed space and its relation to man, and how environment has gradually changed the way we think about familiar icons – tree houses, or even the skeletal structure of a habitat.
About the Artist
Michael Lee is an artist, curator and publisher based in Berlin and Singapore. He researches urban memory and fiction, and transforms his observations into objects, diagrams, situations, curations or texts. He has staged solo exhibitions at Künstlerhaus Bethanien (Berlin) and Hanart TZ Gallery (Hong Kong) and has participated in various biennales and other major international exhibitions.