Singapore Night Festival

July 11 and 10th was supposed to be Singapore's much touted "Night Festival". This was essentially an artistic showcase of cultures and performances for free at the Singapore Museum and the outer courtyard of SMU.
I was there partially as a curious bystander and also to enjoy soaking in the "artistic culture" of it all since it was the arts festival and all. Most importantly, i was there to see if i actually had any inkling of what "art" really is and to see if a bloke like myself can enjoy the artistic showcase they have prepared.

Museum at Night

The museum certainly took on a different charm at night with its well placed lighting. It's no wonder the place is a haven for shutterbugs.

Smu

Packed with People

The performance commences

The Sounding of Thunder

It started off pretty well with nice ambient music and a rousing commentary. The first performance turned out to be from a group of musicians specializing in drums and percussion instruments. The music certainly got us pumping but the view did not because it was completely obscured by photographers standing up and blocking the view. It's also a wierd choice for the performers to be at ground level instead of on stage.
The following performances on stage didn't fare much better since our view from the back is still nicely blocked by photographers and patrons trying to shadow the photographers to see the performance. For goodness sake, yes, we know you're trying to get good pictures but please spare a thought for people behind you trying to enjoy the same show.

The rain that washed it all away

And it rained and it rained

As the complaining continued, a quiet cumulonimbus cloud has already crept above our heads silently and began issuing warning of the rain thats about to come. True enough, the rain came in drizzles at first before it started to pour mercilessly at the performers and patrons alike. We were all drenched but the stage personnel had it worst. The cumbersome and heavy props needed to be kept and there's no other way except to brave the rain to salvage the equipment. The show has stopped and was unlikely to continue.
The rain continued to pour for about an hour or so after this.

The puppet show goes on

Kids found joy in a little shadow puppet show that carried on in the relentless rain. And as i was contemplating my luck and bad choices, the rain began to let up.

Static Artworks - The Tree

Static Artworks - The Beginning

Static Artworks - Love Tank

The attraction i never got to see in action - The Loop Of Fortune

With the rain beginning to let up, we proceeded to take some shots of the static art pieces you can see above. The displays of light amidst the darkness was comforting but not enough to brighten the dark mood that has set in my mind that day. I had come for performances and got nothing but wet shoes, smoke filled lobbies and a sense of disappointment.
The loop of fortune was a pyrotechnics showcase by PAN.OPTIKUM (Germany) which was one of the highlights of the show. Pity they staged it at a rather late time slot of 1030pm to 11pm which i was no longer enthralled enough to wait for. Given the wet situation we were in, i'm pretty sure the show did not go on as well.

In the end, the show was an unrealized potential for me on this Saturday evening. There was so much talent in there but the weather simply came along...and washed it all away.
No matter, there's always the next year for the show and i will come better prepared the next time.