Come March, the Marina Bay waterfront in Singapore will transform into a spectacular lighting extravaganza complete with sustainable light art installations, performances and activities that the public can enjoy.

i Light Marina Bay 2014 – The Guardian Angels by Maro Avrabou and Dimitri Xenakis (Greece, France)

The third edition of i Light Marina Bay – which runs for three weeks – will be powered by energy savings from the ‘Switch Off, Turn Up’ campaign involving stakeholders around the bay that turn off non-essential lighting and turn up air conditioning temperatures during office hours.

Festival-goers an expect over 25 large-scale outdoor works by artists from 11 countries such as Singapore, China, Philippines, New Zealand, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and the USA.

From 2012 – Key Frames by Groupe LAPS. Photo: Darren Chin

This year’s curatorial team is helmed by the design team from ONG&ONG. The firm’s Group Managing Director, Tai Lee Siang, says, “Visitors will be able to interact with many of the displays and literally become a part of the artworks.” He also explains that the team wanted “to create a memory, an experience for citizens and visitors to remember” and to “sensitize” them to the use of light in a city like Singapore where “the streets are so bright that you walk through them without having any feelings for the environment.”

2012 event – Light of the Merlion by OCUBO. Photo: Guo Xingxin Jeremy

This year’s theme is “Light+HeART”, and while the festival is meant to be a fun-filled event, fellow curatorial team member from ONG&ONG, Ong Swee Hong, says that i Light is also meant to provoke thought and inspire. “We did not want something that [just explored the topic of sustainability] on a surface level; we wanted [to offer] a deeper understanding of this idea of sustainability.”

“It’s really about involving the heart which is why ‘light’ and ‘heart’ come together to form basically all the installations that we are presenting at the bay.”

The curators say that the scale of this year’s art installations will bigger than the previous edition. It will also see more local participation as well as more interdisciplinary collaboration between artists. “[There will be] a convergence of expertise, a convergence of thought and creativity, and I think this is going to be a very exciting event,” says Tai.

Top image: i Light Marina Bay 2014 – LiveLight performance by Oz Collective (France/Singapore). Photo: Max Pagel

i Light Marina Bay will be held from 7 – 30 March, 7.30pm – 11pm nightly at the Marina Bay Waterfront. The event will also include F&B offerings from PasarBella, Savour, Kerbside Gourmet and Travelling C.O.W, as well as a slew of complementary activities. Visit ilightmarinabay.sg for more information and updates.