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It’s the day before the opening of the Fete des Lumieres! All 79 festival artists are busy getting their artwork up and running, and we are no exception! Even though most of the work has been completed, there were still some important touch ups that needed to be done. But more on that later.

This morning, we welcomed back our friends from Premier Film School, who returned for another day of recycled art workshops with us. It was great to see them again, and to see that they were just as enthused as they were the day before! Aside from continuing to make recycled windmills, the students also tried their hand at making decorative recyclable lights. The material they used were swirled plastic strips crafted out of plastic bottles.

 

The result was a artistic hanging piece with beautiful sparking lights in it! It’s truly amazing what one can do with simple items, with a spoonful of imagination and a dash of creativity. The students’ effort will be proudly displayed in their school, to inspire them to do lots more with recycled art.

There were also two gorgeous examples of how else plastic bottles can be used to make lamps, which were previously done by the team. It’s amazing to know that this is possible!

 

It was a joy having the students around, and seeing how curious and sociable they were. Despite the language barrier, they asked us questions, wanting to find out more about everything from our age to our favourite television shows. We taught each other basics from our respective languages; this didn’t particularly help much with communication, but at least we each learnt something new! There even was a spontaneous dance session, as classic French music filled the workshop.

 

We wanted the students to feel a sense of ownership in what they have done with us in the last two days, because they were most certainly a part of of our art. So, as a final gesture, we invited them to each insert a windmill into the sculpture, to signify the collaboration between Singapore and Lyon. The drizzle proved to be no hinderance as each student stepped up to the sculpture to add their contribution.

     

With our parting gifts of windmills for each of the students, and caps courtesy of *SCAPE, we bid our new friends au revoir around the sculpture. It is our hope that all that they have learnt and experienced from us in the past two days will be a positive change that will resonate with them for a long time to come.

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There is no other way to put this next sentence – but ‘In Celebration’ is finally complete! The final touches of swirled plastic strips and blue LED lights were put to the base earlier in the afternoon, giving the entire sculpture a much fuller glow. For the next four days, Plaza de la Paiz will be magnificently bathed in blue, ‘In Celebration’ of Singapore’s contribution to this year’s Fete des Lumieres. What a sight indeed!

    

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2011′s Fete des Lumieres will finally premiere tomorrow, and for the next four days, the city of Lyon will be transformed into a dreamy menagerie of lights and colours and art. There was a practice run of the light installation just outside our workspace in Place des Terreaux, and it was a sight to behold! We can’t wait to see more awesome artworks around the city.

As this blog post is being typed, the team is working hard to make more flower windmills for tomorrow. Most of these windmills will be donated to the Festival’s adopted charity, UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund), for them to raise funds for their cause. We hope that our humble contribution will aid UNICEF in doing more for the children they reach out to.

The Living! Project is proud to be a part of this year’s Festival – but above all, we are even more honoured for the opportunity to represent our Lion City all the way in Lyon! Celebrate with us as we bring you highlights from our time at the Festival over the next four days!

 

-Michelle

for The Living! Project

in Lyon, France