November 2017, PETALING JAYA – For the next 6 weeks, Mah Sing Group’s (Mah Sing) Arts and Lights in Icon City will be every Instagrammer’s and photographer’s dream as Malaysia’s first interactive pop-up art and technology experience is set to take over social media pages. Arts and Lights will be open to the public every Saturday and Sunday from 19 November to 24 December 2017, 12pm to 9pm and admission into this sensory journey is completely free. Visitors only need to reserve their tickets at www.artsandlights.com.my
Mah Sing’s Group Managing Director Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Leong Hoy Kum shared “Over 30,000 sq ft of space in Icon City has been turned into creative installations, interactive props and colourful rooms with captivating immersive environments. Some of our installations such as the Vista Interactive Space wall, where you can actually scan your drawing into an interactive large-scale space display is the first of its kind in Malaysia and will be of huge interest for children and parents.”
Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Leong Hoy Kum continued “The 12 distinctive art and technology installations in Icon City’s Central Park, Tower 3 and Tower 5 have unique themes targeted to creatively engage audiences and manufacture new experiences especially for the millennials. The installations are designed to be Instagram and photo friendly and we encourage visitors to immerse themselves into the installations when taking photos. Make sure to reserve your tickets as we are expecting a good response from Malaysians.”
Malaysia’s first interactive pop-up art and technology experience – Making art relevant in a digital age
Mah Sing’s Senior General Manager of Group Strategy and Operations, Rachel Leong shared “Arts and Lights is inspired by the consistently sold-out ‘made for Instagram’ Museum of Ice Cream, New York and Colour Factory, San Francisco. We wanted to bring this experience to Malaysia and inspire visitors to appreciate art in a social media empowered world. Hence, we came up with Arts and Lights an event that offers a one of a kind experiential journey that rejuvenates the interest for arts and learning for youths as well as parents. We also made the event completely free for admission as we believe arts, technology and learning should be made accessible to the public from all economic backgrounds.”
Arts and Lights innovative concept has seen large corporations tie-up as sponsors for the event. Among the sponsors are Digi Telecommunications, Zalora Malaysia, GRAB, Fave and Fujifilm. “We want to work with partners who are aligned with us on their innovative international business practices and brands that will enhance the overall visitor experience of Arts and Lights. We have also selected local start-up businesses to take part in Arts and Lights, providing them the perfect platform to approach young consumers and build their brand presence,” shared Rachel Leong.
12 Art and Technology ‘Insta-worthy’ installations that taps into childhood nostalgia
Arts and Lights has 12 installations which include Vista Interactive Space Wall, Planet Vertica, Galaxy of Centura, D’sara Music and Lights, Southville Space Party, Dimension Room, Flying Over Meridin East, Anti-Gravity, Lakeville Rolling Comets, Aruna in the Sky, Moons of Meridin and Digi Wishing Tree*.
A recurring theme for the installations is childhood nostalgia as each installation is enjoyable by both children and adults. “How often do you get to be a kid again? The vibrancy and energy of the art and technology installations with its full spectrum of hues, shades, and Instagrammable backdrops will draw in adults and encourage children to explore their curiosity,” said Rachel Leong.
She added “Traditionally, we are often taught to focus on answering questions instead of asking them. Mah Sing aims to reinvent the learning platform for children and adults with Arts and Lights as our radiating exhibits invite visitors to explore and experiment to the fullest potential of their curiosity. We want this exhibitions to inspire viewers to consider how online image sharing has changed the role of art and creativity in the digital age.”
In addition to the Vista Interactive Space Wall, which is the first of its kind in Malaysia, among the most eye catching installations in Arts and Lights is the Galaxy of Centura, a room filled with giant inflatables that burst into colours and sounds when they are tapped. In Tower 5, there are 4 rooms; Southville Space Party, Dimension Room, Flying Over Meridin East and Anti-Gravity, which have been designed as ‘selfie’ rooms. Each room has fun and quirky props that encourages visitors to interact and get photo frenzied.
There are also other unique installations such as Flying Over Meridin East where visitors explore a confetti-filled room that feels like being inside a rainbow snow globe. There is also a huge floor to ceiling height colouring wall where visitors can leave their own mark in Arts and Lights. Each installation has a way of speaking to its audience or in other words, it invites individuals to view art from new and different perspectives.
Arts and Lights will pay a visit to other parts of KL, Johor and Penang
After the inaugural event for Arts and Lights in Icon City, Petaling Jaya, the exhibition will travel to different sales galleries of Mah Sing in Kuala Lumpur, Johor and Penang. “We want to invite more Malaysians to hop on this exciting journey of experiencing Arts and Lights. We will be taking the exhibition to our different sales galleries across the country over the next 8 months,” shared Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Leong Hoy Kum.
Mah Sing’s Icon City is the perfect location to host the first Arts and Lights Exhibition for its strategic location in Petaling Jaya makes it easily accessible for visitors. The venue itself also has ample space to be transformed into a dreamy world of art installations. The concept is also in line with Mah Sing’s tagline ‘Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life’ as Mah Sing has transformed Icon City into Malaysia’s first pop-up arts and technology exhibition for visitors to explore and enjoy.