Thursday, August 28, 2014

Singapore Night Festival 2014: The second weekend

William Close and the Earth Harp.
Photo courtesy of Belinda Tan.

Have you caught a glimpse of William Close's performance on the first weekend of the Singapore Night Festival? On the second weekend of the Singapore, William Close will present a new set of performances together with Austrian-based collection, Phoenix.

Phoenix. Photo credit: Bras Basah.Bugis.Precinct


According to the festival guide, Phoenix's fiery and gravity-defying performances will be accompanied by William Close's "Earth Harp" that transforms the museum into a giant instrument. It looks like audience who will be attending the second weekend of the Singapore Night Festival will be treated to aerial dances and LED light performances.

Check this out:
William Close Featuring Phoenix (USA/AUT)
Front Lawn, National Museum of Singapore

Fri and Sat, 29 and 30 Aug 2014
7.30 p.m. - 11.45 p.m. (with breaks between)

7.30 p.m.: William Close and Phoenix (Aerial performance)
8.45 p.m. William Close and Phoenix (LED light performance)
10.00 p.m.: Phoenix (Fire performance)
11.15 p.m. William Close and Phoenix (Grand finale)

Each show is 30 minutes long.

In the meantime, if you have missed the Singapore Night Festival 2014 last weekend and would like some recommendations, here is a link to some of my picks for the Singapore Night Festival 2014: Bold and Beautiful.


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Singapore Night Festival 2014
22 and 23 Aug 2014
29 and 30 Aug 2014
8 p.m. - 2 a.m.
Free admission
www.sgnightfest.sg

https://www.facebook.com/brasbasahbugis
https://twitter.com/brasbasahbugis
http://instagram.com/brasbasahbugis
http://pinterest.com/sgnightfest

Festival Venues:
- Basah.Bugis Precinct (5 zones)
- National Museum of Singapore
- Armenian Street (including Peranakan Museum, The Substation and Armenian Church)
- Singapore Art Museum and Queen Street (including National Design Centre)
- Singapore Management University and School of the Arts
- Cathay Green (Opposite SOTA)
Nearby MRT stations: Dhoby Ghaut, Bras Basah, City Hall MRT stations



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Other articles on the Singapore Night Festival 2014:
Singapore Night Festival kicks off, CNA.
10 Things to Check Out at the Singapore Night Festival 2014, by Bandwagon. Words by Delfina Utomo.
Singapore Night Festival 2014 - Bold and Beautiful By Johnny Chen
Bold and Beautiful - let's Harp on it by Jerome Lim, The Long and Winding Road.

Friday, August 22, 2014

Singapore Night Festival 2014: Bold and Beautiful


The Singapore Night Festival 2014 is set to impress with performances, light art and activities anchoring on this year's theme, Bold and Beautiful.

After a quick browse of the festival guide, these will be my personal picks for the Singapore Night Festival 2014:
William Close and Earth Harp
William Close and the Earth Harp at the National Museum's front lawn.
Photo courtesy of Belinda Tan.
Special thanks to her for the permission to use her photos taken at the media preview.


William Close Featuring ZingO and Sound of Sirens
National Museum of Singapore, Front Lawn
Fri 22 and Sat 23 Aug 2014
7.30 p.m. : ZingO
8.00 p.m. : William Close and ZingO
9.15 p.m. : William Close
10.30 p.m. : Sound of Sirens
11.45 p.m. : William Close and Sound of Sirens
(Each show is about 30 minutes long in duration. )

This set of specially commissioned performances is a collaboration between international artist, William Close (United States), and Singapore's Sound of Sirens and the local trailblazing drum group ZingO.

I am curious to witness the larger-than-life instrument, "Earth Harp", that William Close has invented to explore the connection between architecture and music. According to the festival guide, William Close, is inspired by the renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright's belief that "architecture is frozen music".

ZingO. Singapore Night Festival 2014.
Photo courtesy of Belinda Tan.

Night Lights
I was told that compared to previous years of the Singapore Night Festival, this year's Night Festival has the most number of Night Lights projects. This year, the Singapore Night Festival pays tribute to the power of nature and the creation of light.

For more information, please visit www.sgnightfest.sg

Night Lights
Night Lights. Taken near the National Museum of Singapore.
Photo courtesy of Belinda Tan.

ALSOS* By Scenocosme (France)
Armenian Church
This interactive installation will give me enough reasons to visit the Armenian Church. In this interactive installation, visitors are equipped with flashlights as they walk into a clearing that is hypnotically lit. From the descriptions printed on the festival guide, it seemed like visitors have to prepare ourselves for surreal experiences which involve light and sound.
ALSOS
ALSOS, Armenian Church. Photo courtesy of Belinda Tan.


Dresses of Memory (France/Korea) By Taegon Kim
Armenian Church
Who would have thought that the dresses floating in the dark would be made of fibre optic cables? Each dress tells its own story. This night light installation seems enthralling.

Dresses of Memory. Singapore Night Festival 2014.
Photo courtesy of Belinda Tan
At the Armenian Church. Singapore Night Festival 2014.
Photo courtesy of Belinda Tan.


Divine Trees By Clément Briend (France)
National Museum of Singapore, Main Ground
The festival guide cautioned "As you approach the Main Ground in front of the National Museum, don't be alarmed if you see a majestic visage of a divine figure looking down at you." These surreal light projections onto objects of nature are said to be a study of the divine and the spiritual in the world.

Divine Trees by Clément Briend.
National Museum of Singapore, Main Ground.
Photo courtesy of Belinda Tan.

Greenhouse Effect By Maro Avrabou and Dimitri Xenakis (France)
SMU Walkway (Opposite Kopitiam along Bras Basah Road)
This light installation questions the impact of industrialisation on our environment and what we perceive to be nature. Possibly a tongue-in-cheek installation to discuss about serious environmental issues.

At SMU Walkway. Singapore Night Festival. Greenhouse Effect.
Photo courtesy of Belinda Tan.

Festival Village
Cathay Green (Opposite School of the Arts)
7 p.m. - 2 a.m.
After feeding the soul with good art, remember about feeding the stomach with good food too. This year, the Festival Village at Cathay Green is a dedicated zone for festival-goers to chill out, eat, drink and be merry. This is the place to listen to the performances of local bands and to catch film screenings.

I recommend that festival-goers go for the delicious and fresh salad made with love by Spinacas. It is possible to enjoy delicious food that is healthy too at the Singapore Night Festival. Many of my friends who have eaten the salads from Spinacas have given positive reviews of the salads. I heard from a friend who has attended the media preview of the Singapore Night Festival that the meatballs that went with the salads from Spinacas were very good. The truth is, this Singapore Night Festival 2014 will be my first time eating the salads from Spinacas. I hope I will be able to get a serving of it before the salads are sold out!

Delicious and healthy salad from Spinacas.
Photo courtesy of Belinda Tan.

Singapore Night Festival 2014
22 and 23 Aug 2014
29 and 30 Aug 2014
8 p.m. - 2 a.m.
Free admission
www.sgnightfest.sg

https://www.facebook.com/brasbasahbugis
https://twitter.com/brasbasahbugis
http://instagram.com/brasbasahbugis
http://pinterest.com/sgnightfest

Festival Venues:
- Basah.Bugis Precinct (5 zones)
- National Museum of Singapore
- Armenian Street (including Peranakan Museum, The Substation and Armenian Church)
- Singapore Art Museum and Queen Street (including National Design Centre)
- Singapore Management University and School of the Arts
- Cathay Green (Opposite SOTA)
Nearby MRT stations: Dhoby Ghaut, Bras Basah, City Hall MRT stations



----
Other articles on the Singapore Night Festival 2014:
Singapore Night Festival kicks off, CNA.
10 Things to Check Out at the Singapore Night Festival 2014, by Bandwagon. Words by Delfina Utomo.
Singapore Night Festival 2014 - Bold and Beautiful By Johnny Chen
Bold and Beautiful - let's Harp on it by Jerome Lim, The Long and Winding Road.