Light to Night Singapore is set to return to the Civic District for another edition of captivating arts and lifestyle programmes from 19 Jan to 8 Feb 2024!
Venue: Around the Civic District
Dates: 19 Jan - 8 Feb 2024
Admission: Free with ticketed programmes
Presented by National Gallery Singapore, Light to Night Singapore 2024 features a line-up of over 60 artworks and programmes spread across the Civic District. Working closely with cultural institutions and collaborators in the precinct, the visual arts festival is themed ‘Reimagine’, and promises a multitude of sensorial experiences inspired by history, origin, and artworks from the National Collection, and encourage audiences to engage, approach, and participate in art through fresh perspectives
Families can expect interactive art installations, interdisciplinary programmes, mesmerising light projections, and live performances that will set the Civic District abuzz. With free and ticketed experiences for all to enjoy, festival-goers can pre-book their tickets for select programmes to secure their slots.
Interactive Works
Expect interactive works that invite audiences to become part of the artwork. Festival-goers can indulge in an unorthodox game of table tennis at local performance artist Lee Wen’s Ping Pong Go-Round, where friends, families and strangers circle around the table and activate the artwork together.
Other must-see interactive works include a multi-room installation, where festival-goers can discover unexpected textures and sounds by taking part in an ASMR video at Wishful Thinking by Whisperlodge at National Gallery Singapore. The Arts House will feature 8-Bit Word Clouds: Cloudscape of Literary Arts Reimagined by Justin Loke, a new installation crafted with pixelated elements reminiscent of early video game graphics that invites visitors to find the missing letters and explore the interplay of words and imagination.
The Padang will be activated by Malaysian-born Singaporean contemporary artist Kumari Nahappan’s 6-metre high installation, Wings of Change. The saga seed, which is the artist’s first foray into working with inflatable materials, will light up after sunset, glowing against the evening sky and nighttime city lights.
Hanging from the ceiling of the National Gallery, Rapture is an artwork that consists of eight life-sized human figure wire sculptures.
Art Skins on Monuments Returns
The crowd-favourite Art Skins on Monuments returns to adorn the façades of historical monuments in the Civic District with brand new commissioned artworks from local and international artists. Veteran and budding artists have gone beyond their mediums to produce projection mapping artworks for the first time.
The buildings that will light up include National Gallery Singapore, Asian Civilisations Museum, The Arts House and Victoria Theatre & Victoria Concert Hall.
National Gallery Singapore
Time: 7.30 pm - midnight
The facade of the National Gallery will be the canvas for 2 art projection mappings. This include the Temple of Love and Teo Eng Seng: Living the Life. Both works are really exciting and fast paced, with accompanying music that will make you bob your head to the beat.
Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall
Time: 7.30 pm - midnight
Embroidered Landscapes draws inspiration from the costumes and music of 街戏, or jie xi, a type of Chinese Opera, which is disappearing from the streets of Singapore. Each opera costume is like a landscape in and of itself. Using animated visuals and electronic music, this project reimagines the Victoria Theatre façade to create new cityscapes combining vernacular and contemporary art forms.
The Arts House
Time: 7.30 pm - midnight
Follow the space-going cat on an adventure at Winter Sonata, Summer Mookata! You will be going on a surreal and mind-bending journey that explores the intricacies of human existence and spiritual consciousness with trippy visual imagery.
Asian Civilisation Museum
Time: 7.30 pm - midnight
Passage was inspired by objects found in the Asian Civilisations Museum, including ceramic bowls from the Tang Shipwreck, as well as iconic blue porcelain and Peranakan ceramics. The colourful motifs and delightful patterns within each bowl playfully showcase Singapore’s metamorphosis from a trading port to an independent city.
Rotunda Library & Archive
Time: Mon – Thurs 5.30 – 7 pm | Fri – Sun 5.30 – 11 pm
Inspired by archival text, Symphony of Order explores the intricate interplay of “order” and “unspoken laws” within social settings. The captivating fictional narrative within this immersive experience is brought to life with a meticulously staged dining scene, captured using a 360-degree camera.
Festive Village
The Art X Social Festival Village returns at St Andrew Road, serving as a pit-stop for festival-goers to grab a bite or a drink at the various F&B options, before they continue exploring the Civic District. Inside the Gallery, live performances will fill the Padang Atrium, and art-curious festival-goers can join conversations and tours that prompt the reimagination of art.
At the Asian Civilisation Museum
Welcome to ACM’s Entertainment Plaza, inspired by the unconventional theme parks of yesteryear. Get ready to embark on a thrilling journey with fantastical art installations, retro arcade games and cabaret performances.
- Party Pavilion by Howie Kim (19 Jan - 8 Feb, 10 am - 12 am, Free Admission): Immerse in dancing lights and vibrant colours at theParty Pavilion, where imagination and nostalgia converge.
- The Odditorium (26 & 27 Jan, 2 & 3 Feb, 7 pm - 11 pm, Free Admission): Step right up to a spectacle like no other at the museum! Experience a dazzling array of circus acts, traditional martial arts, and unexpected oddities!
- The Arcade (19, 20, 26 & 27 Jan, 2 & 3 Feb, 7 pm - 11 pm, Free Admission): Enter a time warp of gaming greatness with retro arcade games! Experience epic adventures and chase high scores in a blast from the past.
At Funan
The Gachapartment Complex features a riotous and colourful guide for viewers that runs along the Funan B2 Underground Pedestrian Link. The Complex offers a glimpse into a hidden utopia where toys live complex lives akin to ours. Take out your mobile phones and scan the QR codes to enter their world through the use of augmented reality.
Ticketed Experiences
Admission for ticketed programmes for new experiences such as Dungeons & Dragons sessions ($20/pax for a 45-minute session) and Storytelling Tours ( $8/pax for a 30-minute session) inspired by the National Collection and a sensory ASMR experience, is available for pre-booking at lighttonight.sg on a while stock last basis.
Festive Details
Light to Night Singapore will be happening across the Civic District from 19 January to 8 February 2024.
During festival weekends (Friday to Sunday), National Gallery Singapore will extend its opening hours until 11pm and offer free entry to all the exhibitions including its year-end blockbuster, Tropical: Stories from Southeast Asia and Latin America.
