Singapore Night Festival 2014

Singapore Night Festival 2014

http://www.brasbasahbugis.sg/SNFPortal/


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Now into its 7th year, the Singapore Night Festival has once again turned the urban downtown landscape of Singapore into a whimsical lighted playground. Organised by the National Heritage Board, the Singapore Night Festival 2014 is bigger and brighter than ever before, with its 'Bold And Beautiful' theme showcasing an eclectic mix of local and international artists.

The Singapore Night Festival features performances on the weekends of 22 - 23 August 2014, and 29 - 30 August 2014, with all perfomances taking place between 7pm - 2am, around the Bras Basah and Bugis area. The Night Lights are on display throughout the week, from 24 - 28 August, from 7pm - 11pm, also within the same area.

The festival grounds of the Singapore Night Festival are divided into 5 key zones. They include: Pretty Arty (Zone 1), Young Hearts (Zone 2), Block Party (Zone 3), Festival Village (Zone 4), and Roundabout Midnight (Zone 5).

Singapore Night Festival Balloon Globe Signage

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Roundabout Midnight (Zone 5), at the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and Queen Street, features a curation of enigmatic and imaginative works.

In 'Flights Of Fancy', carefully positioned coloured lights and shadows create a sea of shimmering, glowing butterflies heading towards the skies.

Flights Of Fancy By Singapore University Of Technology And Design (SUTD)

In 'Home?', the artist explores the influx of technology into our lives.

Home? By Ng Wei Zhen

In 'Very Light Exhibition - Be Present', you'll feel like a child as you walk through this quirky mini exhibit of movable white helium balloons, illuminated from within by flashing coloured neon lights. The experience is surreal.

Very Light Exhibition - Be Present By Very Small Exhibition

In 'Your Canvas', lights, shadows, and water combine to create a playful effect, where special lily pads transform the ripples of the water into reflections of light bouncing off the surrounding walls.

Your Canvas By Singapore University Of Technology And Design (SUTD)

Colourful, energetic word balloons make the surrounding industrial steel pop, while commemorating Singapore's 49th National Day in 2014.




Noise Singapore 2014 features a line-up of emerging Singaporean musicians and bands. Dedicated to making 'noise' about the creativity of these under 35 years old talents, the line-up features 10 music acts throughout the Singapore Night Festival.

Caught the perfomance of Doves & Ravens, a pop-rock band founded in 2013 by lead singer and acoustic guitarist Kenneth Qua, with vocalist and electric guitarist Edwin Wong. Together with drummer Rohan Lal, bassist Moses Jadon Wong, and keyboardist Benjamin Chia, Doves & Ravens channels the spirit of the 80s and 90s into their vintage, radio-friendly sound, mixing it with modern pop-rock influences.

Noise Singapore 2014 - Doves & Ravens

Slacklining is a spin-off sport from rock climbing, practised by the climbing community to hone their balancing skills. Elephant Slacklines is a Singaporean slacklining company with slackline equipment produced exclusively in Germany, and their team of athletes was present to put on a display at the Singapore Night Festival.

Slacklining - Elephant Slacklines

The Kerbside Gourmet Food Truck, affectionately known as 'Kerby', is Singapore's and Asia's first social enterprise food truck. Founded by Ms. Ee Poh Luan in 2013, the Kerbside Gourmet Food Truck / Kerby serves a small fusion cuisine menu, using fresh, sustainable ingredients prepared in the slow-food philosophy. Each restaurant quality dish sold also benefits the less privileged in Singapore, as part of the 'Buy-A-Meal-Give-A-Meal (BAMGAM)' charity movement.

Kerbside Gourmet Food Truck

Among the standout attractions at the Singapore Night Festival is the multimedia extravaganza 'Spirits Of Nature' By French artists WeComeInPeace. With the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) as its canvas, lights, sound, and video combine to bring the elements of nature to life... winds howl and rains fall, fireflies and spirits dart about, trees grow over stone, juxtaposed with mathematical precision.









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Young Hearts (Zone 2), at the Singapore Management University (SMU) and School Of The Arts (SOTA), features budding artists showcasing playful and thought-provoking works.

Starlight Alchemy is Singapore’s premier fire and light performance group, and with 'Into The Starlight', they showcase Fire Theatre, Illuminated Dance and Flow Arts using illuminated LED light tools and neon glow paint.

Into The Starlight By Starlight Alchemy

A signature of the Singapore Night Festival, HOMEMADE is a showcase celebrating originality and local Singaporean musical talent. For Singapore Night Festival 2014, urban beats and local rock take centre stage.

Caught the perfomance of Singaporean rapper / songwriter / producer ShiGGa Shay. Love his amazing stage presence and live sets charged with electrifying energy, as well as his witty, heavy-hitting, and intricate lyrics laced with personal stories. The infectious melody of the ShiGGa Shay song 'Lion City Kia' stood out for me.









With 'Umbrellas', the School Of The Arts (SOTA) And Lighting Planners Associates, have set up giant umbrellas doting the grand staircase in front of SOTA. These brilliant clusters of light invite passer-bys to stop and seek shelter, to linger and watch the world pass.

Umbrellas By School Of The Arts (SOTA) And Lighting Planners Associates

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Pretty Arty (Zone 1), at the National Museum Of Singapore, features an ensemble of grand and vivid performances.

The backdrop of the National Museum Of Singapore acted as the canvas for the Singapore Night Festival 2014 Night Lights, and marks out the mid-point of the various Night Lights scattered throughout the Bras Basah and Bugis area.

Singapore Night Festival 2014 Night Lights

The Singapore Night Festival 2014 was headlined by international musician, and founder of the MASS Ensemble, Mr. William Close. Known for his musical installations that incoporate architecture as part of the musical instrument, and having developed over 100 new types of musical instruments installations (including the Drum Orb, the Percussion Jacket, and the Aquatar), William Close turned the National Museum Of Singapore into a giant Earth Harp. The Earth Harp itself was invented by William Close in 1999, where the body of the instrument rests on stage, while the strings travel out over the audience heads, and attach to the building facade.

William Close performed several pieces together with the ZingO Drum Group, and the Sound Of Sirens. The ZingO Drum Group was founded in 2004 by Roch Ong, and is a trailblazer in the Singapore Chinese drum scene, with a modern yet traditional approach to music. The Sound Of Sirens is a musical quartet of 4 of Singapore's best known voices in Jazz, Soul, and R & B music; Ywenna Carollin, Alemay Fernandez, Vanessa Fernandez, and Dawn Ho; each an acclaimed artist in their own right.












Various hand-held and takeaway food items being sold on the streets, all designed to Grab 'N' Go. Ranging from Nachos & Cheese, to Hot Dogs and Corn Dogs, to various types of Sandwiches, to Burgers And Fries, and even Pasta In A Bowl! Wash it all down with Beers, also being sold on the streets!








The surreal, ghostly light projections of the 'Divine Trees' is the brainchild of French artist Clément Briend. The texture of the leaves, shadows of the night, and carefully projected light combine to bring to life magnificent images of divine beings / deities known within the Asian culture. The huge, scaled pictures of faces float in the air, above the crowd, looking both spooky and awesome at once.










French artist Agathe De Bailliencourt creates an ephemeral, bioluminescent playground in 'Landscape By Landscape', where visitors are encourage to play with glow-in-the-dark pebbles on the ground, using them to form and create in new and curious ways. The ethereal environment is enhanced by strains of the mysterious melodies of 'Crippled Symmetry' By Morton Feldman. Both infinite yet comforting, visitors are drawn into this strange 'Avatar'-like world.

Landscape By Landscape By Agathe De Bailliencourt

What random set of messages will appear on the giant LED speech bubble in 'Insert Caption Please' By Ryf? You'll never know... and these funny, whimsical messages make great photo opportunities!






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Block Party (Zone 3), at Armenian Street, features eclectic performances and raucous musical gigs.

Roving Performance Artists showcase various pieces, according to the theme of 'Spread The Love'. Their interpretations bring a catalyst for meaningful encounters to the Singapore Night Festival.








A couple of Roving Brass Band parade down the street, playing catchy jazz numbers with jumping percussion beats. Caught Brass Nation, an 8 piece brass ensemble which incorporates elements of soul, funk, hip-hop, rock, and pop music. Brass Nation features Jefferson on Alto Saxophone, Vignesh & Erik on Trumpet, Thomas & Eddie on Trombone, Faiz & Marvin on Percussion, and Hao on Tuba.

Roving Brass Band - Brass Nation

The Tribal Gathering Of Jaw Benders brings together the best of live indie music, performed by alternative bands and musicians. Caught the Obedient Wives Club, a quintet known for their lo-fi fuzzpop / fuzzy pop music.

Tribal Gathering Of Jaw Benders - Obedient Wives Club

The exhibit 'Dresses Of Memory' By Taegon Kim is somewhat surreal, somewhat spooky in the darkness. These breath-taking, colour changing dresses are woven from 40 kilometres of fibre optic cables, and appear floating in mid-air, glowing softly throughout the night.








Shine a light onto the bioluminescent flowers in 'Alsos' By Scenocosme, and enchanting melodies fill the air within this glow-in-the-dark forest.






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Festival Village (Zone 4), at Cathay Green, features a smorgasbord of artisinal food and beverage, and a quirky flea market.

An illuminated jellyfish or a living lamp? 'Cyanea' By Cumulus channels the whimsical with a curtain of lit tentacles, glowing softly with multi-coloured lights.






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Various other arts and music groups that aren't part of the official line-up of the Singapore Night Festival 2014 also joined in, adding to the already vibrant and energetic atmosphere, and showcasing the variety of the arts scene in Singapore. If you're planning a visit to the Singapore Night Festival, do note that General Admission is Free only for this period, allocate between 1 - 5 hours for proper viewing, and bring a good pair of walking shoes, and water to hydrate.




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