Relax - Enter a New World at Night Festival

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INSTEAD of shooting moving targets such as rubber ducks in an amusement park, visitors will be "shot" at in the Abusement Park.

The Abusement Park, an interactive display by Singapore art trio Vertical Submarine, which "tortures" visitors and encourages them to laugh at themselves, will be up at the National Museum during the Night Festival: New World 2010.

The festival, which is in its third year, will be held on July 16 and 17, from 7.30pm to 2am. During these times, admission to the National Museum, Singapore Art Museum, Peranakan Museum and The Substation will be free.

Shows will be held at eight sites in the Bras Basah area.

The area from the National Museum to Fort Canning Green will be lit and transformed into an entertainment arena, with acts from the 1960s, modern entertainment and futuristic shows.

This year's theme was inspired by amusement parks of the 1960s, such as New World.

The festival will showcase the arts, sports and entertainment that made up nightlife in the past, and aims to change the perception that nightlife here revolves solely around partying.

Ms Lee Chor Lin, the director of the National Museum, said: "In many ways, the 1960s was representative of an era of entertainment in Singapore's past - a decade that saw us through our independence. People were not wealthy then, but they sure had a good time."

Many of the festival's 40-plus shows are by South-east Asian artists, which is in keeping with the theme, as many entertainers back in those days were migrants from the region, she added.

Among the items is Putho! by Cambodian dance troupe Phare Ponleu Selpak, which is about teen relationships.

Another highlight is Paraboles 2.0, a light display on six satellite dishes, with a soprano singing to live music, by French performance group Compagnie Off and Singapore film-maker and video artist Victric Thng.

This year, the museum hopes to draw 80,000 people to the festival, compared to last year's 52,000.

Youth worker Esther Chang, 23, said that she was particularly interested in the festival's music gigs. She said: "Although I won't stay too late as I don't drive, I will take a look as there is hype about the event."

Free Happenings

ABUSEMENT PARK

Where: Singapore Art Museum, 8Q Courtyard and basement

When: 8pm to 2am, July 16 and 17

PARABOLES 2.0

Where: National Museum

When: 10.30pm and 11.30pm on July 16, 12am and 1am on July 17 PUTHO!

Where: Singapore Management University Campus Green

When: 9.30pm on July 16, 9.30pm and 10.30pm on July 17

WORLD'S SLOWEST SMS BILLBOARD

What: Selected text messages sent by the audience to a given mobile number will be projected onto Singapore Art Museum's facade

Where: Singapore Art Museum

When: 7pm to 2am, July 16 and 17 For more information, go to www.nationalmuseum.sg

Enter a New World at Night Festival

By Annabelle Liang, my paper | Wed, Jun 30 2010

An interactive display by Singapore art trio Vertical Submarine will be up at the Night Festival:New World 2010.

Keywords

vertical submarine

art

light display