Arts Weekend Civic District is back in 2019, stepping it up with a series of performances, exhibitions and more hosted by iconic institutions in the heart of Singapore’s civic district. As the Singapore Art Week and Light to Night Festival also takes off this month, take a peek into what you can expect in the upcoming weekend’s instalment from Jan 25 to 27.
Sticks by Sebastian Chun
Rediscover two ubiquitous hallmarks of Singapore in yesteryear at Asian Civilisations Museum Green, inspired by the childhood game “pick-up sticks” and bakau piling, a technique once commonly used to construct scaffolding. Come by and take in the views as the sculptures come alive at night. Jan 18-Feb 24, from 10am daily
open books by Tell Your Children, MESSYMSXI and The Merry Men Works
Reimagine your favourite books from your childhood as artists take on new interpretations and illustrations at The Arts House Lawn. Inspired by fantasy fiction such as Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities, these larger-than-life book covers offer colourful visual dioramas, co-designed and built by The Merry Men Works. Jan 18-Feb 24, from 10am daily
Art Skins on Monuments: The Odyssey
Watch as colours unfold across seven facades at four iconic institutions including National Gallery Singapore, The Arts House, Victoria Theatre & Victoria Concert Hall and the Asian Civilisations Museum, and experience Singapore’s biggest facade light show to date. Feast your eyes on works featuring Singaporean and Singapore-based artists including Djohan Johari, Sam Lo, SOAK, Speak Cryptic and TMRWW. Jan 18-27, from 8pm daily
Under the Five Trees
Specially commissioned for Light to Night 2019, Under the Five Trees is set at the scenic Esplanade Park and taps into the history of its area with site-specific audio and environmental installations that combine sound, music, poetry, narrative and landscape design. Explore five trees, five songs and five eye-opening stories and scan the QR codes there using the Gallery Explorer App or your QR code scanner. Jan 18-Apr 30, all day, daily
Art X Social
What’s a festival without the feast? Bring your own picnic mats and round up best mates as The Empress Lawn and St. Andrew’s Road transforms into the ultimate feeding ground with a wide array of food and craft stalls. This may possibly be the best spot to view the colourful facade projections happening across the Civic District. Jan 25-26 & Feb 1-2, from 6pm
Pitch Black
An unforgettable aural and visual journey awaits at Victoria Theatre & Victoria Concert Hall with the Singapore National Youth Orchestra Percussion Ensemble, as they beckon to explore silence, sound and spectacle. Be sure to register for the half an hour sets specially created to leave you in awe. Jan 26, 8.30pm & 9.30pm
