Singapore Tourism Board organised a three-day experiential festival showcasing the works of Singaporean talents in the fields of art, music and food.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB), in partnership with St+art India Foundation and Impressario Group, marked the second phase of its brand campaign ‘Passion Made Possible’ with a three-day experiential festival – Singapore Weekender. The festival showcased the talents of a dozen Singaporean artists through a mix of art installations, wall murals, interactive workshops and live performances in New Delhi.
South Delhi neighbourhood Lodhi Colony saw a burst of colours as the artists transformed the walls into life-size murals and integrating Augmented Reality (AR) in art forms to create new dimensions. The Singaporean artists, Yip Yew Chong, Eugene Soh, Yok & Sheryo and Sam Lo incorporated their perspectives of the world in their artwork as they gave the Indian audience a glimpse into the Lion City’s arts and culture. Visitors to the ‘Singapore Weekender’ also had a chance to view ‘Atypical Singapore’, an art and AR technology showcase which is part of the STB’s ‘Passion Made Possible’ latest wave of global campaign, at Kona in Jor Bagh.
Singaporean installation artist, Tan Zi Xi won a lot of appreciation for her work
Tan Zi Xi’s was exhibited in two parts – a courtyard mural and an installation room. While the mural focused on a multi-dimensional perspective of pollution on earth, the installation looked at a dystopian world of mankind’s new living spaces in the following centuries.
“India is a country with so many cultures and stories. Being a part of the Singapore Weekender for the second time has been a phenomenal experience for me.”
Sharing her experience of being a part of the festival, she said, “India is a country with so many cultures and stories. Being a part of the Singapore Weekender for the second time has been a phenomenal experience for me. I learn about the similarities both the countries have when it comes to a global issue like pollution and the problems faced by mankind. In 2017, when I came to India for the first edition of the festival, I created the Plastic Ocean to give the Indian audience a perspective of the growing issue of contamination in water bodies across the globe. My passion for the environment and the language of art helps me put across my perspective as an installation that would resonate the same.”
Tech Guru, Brandon Tay, had set up an interactive art installation using CGI called – Façade. It depicted a series of faces that changed basis the time of the day and the movement of people across the installation space.
Talking about their work, artists Yok & Sheryo said, “In this digital era, we barely understand how much is real and how much is created. We have built a dependency on social media and the digital framework of our gadgets and have lost ourselves in them. Our installation depicts this interdependent freedom that we have built for ourselves and talk about how this is a commonly shared problem across the world. Although we are heavily inspired by the South East Asian culture, we see a close similarity in Indian art. Singapore and India are not so different when it comes to the expression of their heritage and art and it is the inclusivity of a global perspective that makes this experience a lot more enjoyable.”
Atypical Singapore, a showcase commissioned by the STB put together a diverse array of interactive events and brought in a seamless blend of modern and traditional art by incorporating the use of augmented reality, moving images, illustrations and visual effects. This travelling showcase has been to Russia and Myanmar before arriving in India.
Seamless blend of modern and traditional art by incorporating the use of augmented reality, moving images, illustrations and Visual effects
Reviving the art of creating Zines, were the dynamic duo Knuckles and Notch who collaborated with Bombay Underground and Delhi-based Working Hours Collective. While interacting with the audience and giving them a glimpse of their work during their workshop, they went on to talk about the importance of bringing Zines back into the literary art scene as a unique storytelling medium.
