Light to Night Festival ‘21
The Light to Night Festival, is one of the marquee events of Singapore Art Week and an annual highlight in the Singapore cultural calendar, is an urban art event that celebrates the stunning Civic District of Singapore.
The Arts House Ltd invited us to present an outdoor experiential art installation that takes inspiration from Singaporean author, Wesley Leon Aroozoo's non-fiction novel 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦. The novel tells the story of Yasuo Takamatsu, who receives a message from his wife during the sounding of a tsunami alarm: "𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦". Since that very day, Mr. Takamatsu dives in the sea every week in search of her.
The book provides a glimpse into the strength of human resilience and how love may manifest itself in times of crisis; at the same time documenting a man’s recovery process after experiencing loss and his sheer determination to reunite with his loved one. This evokes the message of the Festival’s theme, where in-progress is interpreted as an ongoing process and the importance of love, hope, and determination to drive a recovery process forward.
Neon Light Installation
Haro (waves) is an outdoor neon installation. The “Seigaiha” wave patterns of layered concentric circles is a symbolic Japanese visual signifying power and resilience - strengths embodied by Yasuo Takamatsu in his continuous daily search for his wife.
Key Visuals
The key visual design is a visual interpretation of the narrative with inspiration from Japanese art, the place the story originates from. Both Mr. Takamatsu, clad in diving equipment, and his wife are depicted, facing away from each other to reflect his ongoing search for his wife's body, while the waves portray the cause of her displacement and passing.
Interactive Projection
The story of Mr.Takamatsu diving into the ocean determined to reunite with his lost wife is one of hope, recovery, and love. The past year has challenged each of us to dive within and seek a deeper understanding of ourselves in relation to our environment and others.
Luminescence is an interactive audio-visual installation that responds to the participant's hand gestures, inviting them to contemplate grief and loss - a universal experience that bonds all of us together--as a form of self-reflection. Here, his regular dives are also reimagined as abstract journeys within his own psyche to find closure, and to be closer to the love of his life.
Soundscape:
As Mr Takamatsu makes his weekly diving trip, he is prepared to enter a world that is vastly different. There underwater is silent. There would be nothing but his heartbeat and breathing.
3D Relief Installation
Featuring a familiar setting of Japanese homes and shops along a street, this 3D mural relief visualises what Onagawa was before it was destroyed by the tsunami. When one googles Onagawa, mostly images of a disaster-stricken dilapidated town appear. Rather than only being reminded of tragedy, the mural hopes to evoke feelings of home, family and love with the reconstruction of a nostalgic hometown.
Soundscape:
Afternoon teas, classical music, and birdsongs from the window outside. This is an aural snapshot of Mr. Takamatsu’s 4 pm with his wife if she were with him today. Though these things are easily replicable, the precious company is not.
SEEK | Neon Installation
