Singapore Night Festival: Local acts light up the town

These local artists believe the best ideas often come to us in the shower.

That is why the group of nine Singapore University of Technology and Design students created #showerthoughts, a light installation exhibited at this year's Singapore Night Festival.

The installation, which is on tonight and next Friday and Saturday, invites visitors to relax as if they were in a psychedelic rain shower.

The team hung 45 triangular and square glass spheres on 32 mirror panels to create an infinity illusion of bubbles filling the entire room.

COST OF PROGRESS: Local artist Jonathan Hwang and Max Pagel, who relocated from Germany to Singapore, modelled their piece, :Samara, after a banyan tree. The installation is located at the Armenian Church. 

Set in a dark, enclosed room, the colourful spheres illuminate to the tune of a soothing shower playlist curated by the students.

Their exhibit was chosen from the first open call for submissions launched by festival organiser, the National Museum of Singapore.

The festival's creative director, Ms Christie Chua, said: "Open call is a new thing we pushed out this year to reach out to the wider community.

"It is also a platform for young talent to showcase their work alongside established artists."

About 30 submissions were received.

OVER 86 PROGRAMMES

Ten out of the 15 night light installations were also by local artists. The night light installations will continue to be displayed for the next two weeks of the festival.

LOVE ON THE GO: The Wheel House is an acrobatic love story that unfolds inside and around a wheel. It is staged at the entrance of the National Museum today.

Visitors will be treated to more than 86 programmes, including interactive theatrical performances in the Bras Basah and Bugis area.

Ms Chua said these shows will allow audiences to be in on the action.

For example, House Of Curiousities is an immersive two-hour ticketed show based on the storyline of The Mechanical Heart, a story about an inventor who travels back in time with his son to an underwater cave.

Actors weave their way among audience members, stage props decorate the field and a roving narrator snakes among the crowd to give spectators a 360-degree experience.

MAGICAL ADVENTURE: Journey is a stunning light projection by NOVAK, from the UK, across the facade of the Singapore Art Museum. It is inspired by the world of Victorian novelist, Jules Verne. The projection features a soundtrack by Ed Carter. 

The show is at the Cathay Green, opposite the School of the Arts. Tickets are $16 from Sistic.

The Singapore Night Festival opened yesterday and its highlights will go on for three more nights - tonight, next Friday and Saturday.

Armenian Street will be closed during the festival, which drew a record 600,000 visitors last year.

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STAY THE NIGHT

What: SGNIGHTFEST 2016

When: Today, and Aug 26 and 27

Time: 7:30pm to 2am

Where: Bras Basah and Bugis.

Free admission, but with several ticketed performances. For more information and event schedules, visit www.nightfest.sg