Old Kallang Airport will soon host a crazy retro rave

Once the pride and joy of Singapore civil aviation, and the island’s first commercial international airport, Old Kallang Airport hasn’t seen proper foot traffic in many years. That all changes in July, when The O.P.E.N. festival throws a good, old-fashioned rave on its grounds. Club Malam takes place Jul 7-9, from 6:30-11pm, and brings together eight producers from Singapore, Indonesia and Germany, for a nostalgic rave sesh alongside digital installations, performance art and more.

The musical highlights include Indonesia’s contemporary rock duo, Senyawa, famous for their self-made instruments like the bamboo wukir,  a stringed bamboo spear hooked to an amplifier. Singapore’s Malay dance club nostalgists NADA (featuring Rizman Putra and Safuan Johari) will spin tunes once heard at New World Park’s 1950s dance club Bunga Tanjong.

Keeping with the blast from the past theme, visual artist Speak Cryptic (aka Farizwan Fajari) will present The Tribe. an ambitious performance with 100 artists, an interactive mobile listening booth and an augmented reality presentation. Two art installations by Berlin artists Mark Formanek and Julius von Bismark will greet you at the door: “Standard Time” involves workers manually adjusting a wooden installation representing digital time and “Clockwork” is comprised of twelve concrete mixers parked together in a circle. Marc Brandenburg will be on hand to place urban temporary tattoos on your skin. 

Admission is free with the O.P.E.N. Pass ($45), and single-event tickets are $10 from SISTICand in limited quantity at the door.