The Arts House Returns with Light to Night 2021

The annual Light to Night festival returns in January 2021 as a much needed, illuminating start to the new year. Literary fans have much to cheer about as The Arts House will also present its signature outdoor installation – open books on the front porch, in conjunction with Light to Night 2021.

Step into a literal open book display

Some of us may recall the open books: The Worlds of Haruki Murakami and its magical realism inspired diorama installation during last year’s Light to Night 2020 festival at The Arts House. The installation was an imaginative feat that allowed audiences to experience the whimsical world of Haruki Murakami through the eyes of visual artists.

This time around with open books: I Want To Go Home, The Art House will take audiences through an experiential art installation that draws inspiration from local author and filmmaker Wesley Leon Aroozoo’s non-fiction novel, I Want To Go Home.

I Want To Go Home tells a poignant tale of a grieving widow and his path to recovery

The last text message Mr Yasuo Takamatsu received from his wife, Yuko, before losing her to the tsunami during the Great East Japan earthquake consisted of these very words: “I want to go home”. He has been diving in the sea every week in search of her ever since. 

For most of us, home is where the heart is and a place where we live, love and rest. In the book I Want To Go Home, the concept of home takes on a metaphorical meaning as readers are invited on the journey of Mr Takamatsu’s recovery process after experiencing the loss of his loved one, and how tender love, hope and determination can help with the healing process. 

“It is telling of human experience, and the human spirit, that grief so often gives rise to beautiful expressions of creativity and perseverance. With these installations we invite our audiences to contemplate loss and beauty, in tribute to the documentary work of Wesley Leon Aroozoo, to the enduring love of Mr Takamatsu and his late wife, and the tenderness in the face of suffering that unites us all,’’ says Rupert Thomson, Head of Artistic Programmes, AHL Venues.

Evoking emotions through a merger of traditional art painting and multimedia elements

Responding to the chosen text, open books: I Want To Go Home is a collaborative project involving local artists and is designed by Mural Lingo, a local multi-disciplinary art group. There will also be a commissioned mural art painting that integrates multimedia elements to create an intimate projection experience with soundscape and footage from the documentary film featuring the interview with Mr Takamatsu. 

Through this multi-sensory art installation, audiences will be treated to an intimate nautical underwater projection and mural art. They will also be able to read and tune into selected excerpts from the book, as part of an audio-visual experience.

Open books: I Want To Go Home marks Wesley Leon Aroozoo’s third form of expression for the extraordinary story of Mr Takamatsu, after the literary work and film rendition, which was nominated for the Mecenat Award at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) 2017.

The outdoor installation will be available at The Art House front porch from 22 January to 28 February 2021. Admission is free.

For more updates on Light to Night Festival 2021 line up, please follow https://www.facebook.com/LTN2021/.