We were so excited when the National Gallery Singapore opened its doors to the public last year. We got to check out what this former Supreme Court building and Prime Minister’s office looks like on the inside (after a long period of restoration works) thanks to the two-week free entry, that huge opening festival that took place at the Padang and the various Southeast Asian art pieces that were on display. To celebrate their one year anniversary, they’re throwing the Gallery Light to Night Festival across two weekends, from Nov 25-27 and Dec 2-4. The best part? Most of the activities are free! If you prefer planning your schedule ahead of time, here are a couple of things you might want to check out.
1. Affinity
Just like mimosas, this interactive sculpture by Australian creative technology agency, S1T2, responds when you touch it. The interconneected orbs, which look like the molecules you used to draw in chemistry class, will respond and change its color of illumination through touch and movement.
When: Throughout the festival
Where: City Hall Chamber, Level 3
How much: Free
2. Art and Design Market
Head over to this market where you will find designers, local artists and craft makers like Artisan’s Garden, who uses soy wax to make fragrant melts for rooms, the Lorem Ipsum Store, who make handcrafted jewelry and accessories using polymer clay, the art of Sandy Lau, who is a cartoonist, and makes greeting cards and prints, and many more local, one-of-a-kind products.
When: Nov 26-27, Dec 3-4, 10am-5pm
Where: Supreme Court Terrace
How much: Free
3. Disco Ball Pit
Yes, just what we needed—more adult-sized things that come from a time where life was much easier. Revisit your childhood and dive into the Gallery’s disco ball pit, which can accomodate 30 people at any one time. Fun fact: there are a total of 178,597 balls in the pit, which also happens to be the gallery’s postal code.
When: Nov 25, 27 and Dec 4, 10am-7pm / Nov 26, Dec 2 and 3, 10am-11pm / Nov 28-Dec 1, 2pm-6pm
Where: Glass Room
How much: Free
4. Façade Show
One of the biggest highlights of the festival is the Gallery’s Façade Show, which is back by popular demand (and we can see why). The Gallery’s front façade will see an extravagant project mapping display of picture frames, paint tubes, machines and art desks, all of which are inspired by the abstract artwork from their collection, thanks to Australian creative studio Spinifex Group.
When: Nov 25-26, Dec 2-3, 8pm onwards
Where: Gallery Façade, St. Andrews Road
How much: Free
5. Festival Food Street & other treats
What’s a festival without some grub? Make sure you keep yourself energized so you can make the most out of the festival at the Festival Food Street, where you can enjoy a nice cup of hand-mdae gelato or popsicle to beat the heat, or local dishes like laksa and other kuih from Owl Cafe. There’ll also be other food markets you can check out—Tiny Bite and Bites After Hours—at the Padang Atrium.
When: Festival Food Street: Nov 25-26, Dec 2-3, 5pm-11:30pm / Tiny Bite: Nov 26-27, Dec 3-4, 10am-5pm / Bites After Hours: Nov 25-26, Dec 2-3, 7pm-2:30am
Where: St. Andrews Road and Padang Atrium
How much: Free
6. Music Performances
Poptart
It’s a day-to-night kind of affair, with an exciting line-up of performances from the likes of Bloco Singapoura, Nathan Hartono (yes, the Milo truck will be there too), Evanturetime, .gif and others, as well as DJ sets by DJ Rah/Senja, Duri-O and Poptart.
When: Nov 26-27, Dec 3-4, various timings between 9am-2:30am
Where: Padang Atrium
How much: Free
7. Painting with Light: South East Asian Film Series
A River Changes Course
Apart from a selection of film screenings for the 27th Singapore International Film Festival (the Gallery is a venue partner), we’re particularly excited with the Gallery’s on-going Painting With Light series, which features of of Southeast Asia’s best cinematic works over the past 100 years. The Light to Night festival will see the screening of two Cambodian films—The People of Angkor and A River Changes Course.
When: The People of Angkor – Dec 3, 7:30pm / A River Changes Course – Dec 4, 3pm
Where: The Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium
How much: $10 each
8. Pecha Kucha Night Singapore: Rojak.Digital
If you’re looking to get inspired at the festival, head over to the PechaKucha night the Supreme Court Terrace where you can meet some of the most creative minds of Singapore, where they’ll be presenting their works and stories in 20 slides (each slide is displayed for 20 seconds).
When: Dec 2, 7pm until late
Where: Supreme Court Terrace
How much: Free
9. Shimmering Treetops
Photo credit: Lasalle College of the Arts
This highly Instagrammable installation is a collaboration between the Lasalle College of the Arts and Swarovski that’s definitely going to be a must-see during the festival. Walk through the Shimmering Treetops and be mesmerized by visual phenemenon of light falling through the slew of Swarovski crystals that have been arranged to look like canopies.
When: Throughout the festival
Where: Supreme Court Atrium Balcony, Level 4
How much: Free
For a full lineup and more information about these events and other events, do check out the National Galery Singapore’s website.
