i Light for climate action

Pangzi eyed my spray can suspiciously as we made our way to Marina Bay for the annual sustainable i Light festival.

“Daddy, what are you planning to do with the spray can?” he demanded to know. “You’re not doing anything improper, right?”

”Of course I’m not,” I said. “But you are!”

What??!

“You know there’s a spate of recent incidents at world-renowned tourist spots circulating like wildfire on TikTok and all?” I continued.

“Yes, I saw that. Someone defaced Mona Lisa at the Louvre and someone else turned the Trevi Fountain in Rome black. Why?” Pangzi didn’t like where this was heading.

“Isn’t that inspiring? Finally some climate activists decided to do the right thing!”

“But they are criminals. They destroy public property.”

“That’s overreacting,” I explained. “The French have a great sense of humour. Mona Lisa needs to smile more and that’s exactly what the heroes did. In Italy, they make superb squid ink pasta. The fountain merely became an illustration of their famous cuisine.”

“Okay, what has this got to do with the spray can?” he asked fearfully.

“Don’t you get it? i Light stands for sustainable lighting. The perfect setting for making a statement on climate change.”

“But how?”

“This is no ordinary spray. It contains luminous paint. I want you to spray some powerful words. This year i Light has 14 new installations. Choose a good spot for your masterpiece.”

“Daddy, that’s vandalism! Why me?”

“Because I need to film it down and make it go viral. Believe me, this will go down as one of the most significant turning points in climate action. The world will take notice!”

“I don’t want to go to jail!”

“You’re going to be on Time magazine, and remembered for generations. Presidents will line up to thank you.”

“Suppose I agree…” Pangzi said hesitantly. “What powerful words do you want me to spray?”

“Hmmm, I haven’t really thought about this. How about ‘From climate to climax’? Or ‘Switch off, turn up’? Maybe ‘Behave and save’? Really powerful. I like the last one. It rhymes so well!”

Pangzi never executed the plan in the end. I think he’s ignoring the climate crisis like everyone else.

i Light is happening from now till June 25, 2023 along with side event GastroBeats next to Marina Bay Sands.

We were here: