i Light Singapore has always been a popular affair particularly among
the Millennials and Gen Zs who flock the open spaces of Marina Bay each
year to snap Instagram-worthy shots. After the pandemic-induced
two-year hiatus, this immersive, outdoor art experience is back, with a
bigger focus on sustainability.
Operating from 3 to 26 June, the festival is organised by the Urban
Redevelopment Authority (URA), and features 20 light art installations
by artists from 14 countries. The creators include new media artists,
engineers, designers, students and fresh graduates.
Admission to i Light Singapore 2022 is free for all. The
installations will be lit up every day from 7:30pm to 11pm, and during
Fridays and Saturdays, festival hours are extended to midnight. Besides
taking stunning photos with the installations, visitors of i Light
Singapore 2022 can also expect a kid’s playground, carnival games, and a
series of workshops and talks addressing environmental issues.
This massive open-air art exhibition has been held every year for
three weeks since 2010, and has now cemented its position as one of
Singapore’s most anticipated festivals. Jason Chen, festival director
and director of place management at URA says that visitorship for i
Light Singapore has steadily increased over the years. In 2018 and 2019,
it received over two million and three million visitors respectively.
Art installations will take visitors from a firefly field to the
inside of a whale. Here are some of the more notable and picturesque
installations.
Firefly Field
Photo Credit: i Light Singapore
Made
up of 500 electronic fireflies, the Firefly Field simulates the
flickering bioluminescence of fireflies flittering around after dark
with the use of cleverly designed rhythm of lights and movement. Find
the Firefly Field at The Promontory at Marina Bay.
Fallen
Photo Credit: i Light Singapore
This alien jellyfish installation tells the tale of an otherworldly
being that ate a ‘star’ in space, got too heavy and crashed landed on
Earth. It would turn out that the ‘star’ it ate was in fact an
accumulation of trash sent out into orbit by humans who ran out of
disposal space for garbage. Find the Fallen at the Lawn next to One
Marina Boulevard.
Plastic Whale
Photo Credit: i Light Singapore
Visitors can walk into a giant inflatable whale and experience the
scale at which this endangered creature exists while hearing it
laborious breaths of distress. The whale is lit up on the inside with
various lights programmed to turn on at different intervals, showcasing
the whale’s struggles as it attempts to breathe in a sea of plastic
waste. This life-size installation aims to depict the plight of whales
and other marine creatures struggling to survive in the increasingly
polluted oceans. Find the Plastic Whale at the Marina Bay Sands Event
Plaza.