Colourful start to SG Heart Map Festival
SINGAPORE — The SG Heart Map Festival was officially launched tonight (Nov 26) with a light wave formation involving about 3,000 people.
The four-day festival, held at the Marina Bay floating platform, concludes a year-long crowdsourcing efforts to document Singaporeans’ stories of cherished places, such as Changi Village and Singapore Botanic Gardens.
One of the festival’s highlights is a literary playground featuring 20 literary art works in the form of prose and poetry authored by a team of 10 established local writers. At the playground, visitors can look forward to giant inflatables, a merry-go-round and a seesaw as they reflect on the places they loved as a child.
An audio installation led by leading sound artist Zul Mahmod will showcase SonicMemories, which are recordings that reflect familiar experiences and personal interpretations of special occasions that have taken place in the heartlands, such as Bedok Reservoir and Whampoa.
Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu, who was at the launch, said: “It’s a grand way to wrap up the whole SG Heart Map project.”
She noted that the project had started with the idea about honouring the places that made “our hearts go faster”.
“But it has taken a life of its own, we have so many Singaporeans giving us their stories ... So tonight, we are bringing all the places, presented in a variety of medium and genre ..and we are here to appreciate the 50 years that we have become a nation; we have built a wonderful environment in Singapore,” said Ms Fu, co-chair of the SG50 Environment and Infrastructure Committee overseeing the Heart Map project.
Also present at the launch was Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, chairman of the SG50 Steering Committee; and National Development Minister Lawrence Wong, chairman of the SG50 Programme Office.
Housewife Alice Ong, 65, told TODAY that she enjoyed the five-minute fireworks display and a film about Singapore by Mr William Chan, A Beautiful Day, which was projected inside a specially-made dome.
“It’s very, very nice. I experienced the different buildings of Singapore,” she said.
Ms Gie Chew, a 44-year-old housewife who learnt about the festival from the Internet, came with her family.
She said: “They did a very good job with everything around (here).”
