Lights, Design, Illumination!
Everybody dreams of doing something big someday. Artists dream of doing unique stuff, of things that others could only dream of, and yet accomplished through sheer ingenuity and skills. And often, the results of their efforts are so stunning that others could only look in wonder, exposed to the light of their creators’ inventive light and stupendous imagination to get them off the ground, so to speak.
So yes, it is not always you’d come across a relatively unheard of profession in hectic Singapore, a place where the “play it safe” rule is still very much inculcated in the mindsets of the locals. “Thinking out of the box” has always been encouraged, but creating and displaying thing out of the ordinary is perhaps a risk few local artists are willing to dare venture.
TILT – the group that hails from France – is a team of three light installation artists who have a bigger dream to illuminate: to light up building structures and urban landscapes. If you’ve passed by Marina Bay recently, you would have seen the gorgeous myriads of luminous light displays they have put up for i Light Marina Bay, an interesting yet hauntingly beautiful lighted shapes that stand in sharp contrast to Singapore’s concrete jungle. We speak to the team to find out what their inspiration is behind their works and if they do see any “light” at the end of the tunnel – for Singapore, that is.
My Public Garden by TILT, France at i Light Marina Bay
My Public Garden by TILT, France at i Light Marina Bay
How did you land yourselves into what you are doing today?
We both started out as lighting technicians and worked in the field of theatre and street theater and step by step came the desire to create our own art.
Why the obsession with lighting art?
Lighting is a fascinating mean of communicating with people and it offers us so many possibilities.
What are some of your biggest inspirations?
Everything can become a source of inspiration but we do get inspired a lot by nature and travels.
How important is creativity as a role in what you guys are doing? And do you ever run out of ideas?
Creativity has a major role as it keeps us going. We never run out of ideas and try to keep ourselves at least three months per year to work on new projects intensely.
What are your thoughts on technology and how has it helped you in your pursuits?
Of course technologies are important in our work and it helps us improve some of our sculptures; we were for instance able to reduce our energy consumption a lot thanks to LED or new lamps; but we do not jump on every new technology, we prefer selecting the ones that will match our work and work well.
How did your childhood and backgrounds help shape your interests in this field?
The fact that we worked in the field of theatre, music and street theatre as technicians gave us a lot of inspiration and taught us that when you want to do something creative, you have to do it.
Are there any major obstacles that you faced while pursuing your interests?
Not really, the only thing we are very careful and that requires more work is to make sure of the safety of each piece for the public, but with work we always find good solutions.
Is there any infrastructure or place that you dream to illuminate?
The Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spain would be a good place!
Describe yourself in three words:
Smile, happy, passionate.
– Edited by T.C. Seow
