When Covid-19 hit, everyone had to make drastic changes to their daily lives as pretty much the entire world came to an unsettling standstill.
It was a dark and difficult time. But as the great Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Only in the darkness can you see the stars.”
That is the theme of Project Lionheart, a ground-up initiative that celebrates the Singaporean Spirit that shone through the darkness of the pandemic by collecting inspiring stories from the ground. Everyone can catch a glimpse of these stories in a series of roving exhibitions across the country.
Image courtesy of Project Lionheart
Presented by We Are Majulah, Project Lionheart will feature art installations, murals, music and theatre performances, as well as short films in various locations around Singapore from now till Jan 2023.
Project Lionheart works like a very wholesome and uplifting encyclopedia, filled with intimate stories of Singaporeans’ challenges and courageous acts displayed during the pandemic.
Image courtesy of Project Lionheart
Led by We Are Majulah founder Divian Nair, Project Lionheart aims to highlight five core qualities – Hope, Duty, Invention, Strength and Compassion – through accounts from people from all walks of life.
Image courtesy of Project Lionheart
Healthcare workers, young parents, security personnel, chefs, and even streamers have poured their hearts out, revealing intimate tales and their innermost thoughts from a difficult time.
Image courtesy of Project Lionheart
It can be a story of newfound hope, a story about selfless duty to the Nation or their community, a story of how necessity birthed invention, or a tale of how not to give up — whatever it is, they all highlight what others went through during the pandemic.
Alongside these compelling stories that live online, Project Lionheart has also been carrying the messages from their website into physical spaces since Oct 2022.
Image courtesy of Project Lionheart
The first exhibition was successfully launched at Ang Mo Kio Central Stage. 18 of the stories were placed on sleek metal cylinders for guests to easily browse through and leave feeling inspired by Singaporeans’ selfless actions, efforts, and deeds during a challenging period.
Image courtesy of Project Lionheart
This is also where local artist Lee Wei Lieh, aka Wei, debuted his Beacon of Hope art installation, which was created by transforming his renowned LOVE light art sculpture into the word HOPE in dazzling rainbow hues.
Image courtesy of Project Lionheart
If you missed this exhibition, fret not as Project Lionheart will continue to pop up in many other locations around Singapore until January 2023, so you’ll still have plenty of opportunities to drop by.
In addition to Beacon of Hope, Wei created four other art installations to represent the five core qualities of Project Lionheart. They are:
As the project’s key artist, Wei says he resonates with its meaning and message. He said,
The five words that represent the five pillars are hope, invention, compassion, duty, and strength. So it kind of covers the whole spectrum of what is needed as a country and as a nation to work together to overcome this pandemic.
Source: Project Lionheart SG on Facebook
Tasked to bring these ideals to life, the mastermind behind experimental project space Very Small Exhibition made it his mission to create recognisable – not to mention very Instagrammable – art installations that would resonate with guests.
Take the Lantern of Duty, for example.
Image courtesy of Project Lionheart
The kaleidoscopic amalgamation of lamps in the shape of holographic see-through masks symbolises the selflessness of those who served on the frontlines, working tirelessly to keep our nation’s core functions running.
Mirror Of Invention resembles a model of a futuristic kingdom, with tiny skyscrapers encased in a mirrored glass cube with flashing lights.
Image courtesy of Project Lionheart
It celebrates the courage to attempt new things in unknown situations and represents how creativity can thrive with the right environment and support.
Canopy Of Compassion sees lush white paper flowers blooming under the protection of iridescent umbrellas. This represents how the compassion of healthcare and welfare sector workers (the umbrellas) allows those under their care (the flowers) to recover and flourish.
Image courtesy of Project Lionheart
The fifth and final installation, Tower of Strength, will be unveiled for the first time on 2 Dec at Our Tampines Hub.
Wei posted a sneak preview of him building the display, which is the largest of all the installations and is so tall that it reaches past his apartment ceiling, so you’ll be sure to be wowed by the final result.
As lovely as these photos may be, they don’t quite do these art installations justice, let alone the inspiring words and stories penned by our fellow Singaporeans. So, of course, it’d be better to make a trip down to see them for yourself.
If you missed the earlier exhibitions, you’ll be excited to know that there are three more coming up this month.
After making stops at various health institutions and community spaces like Singapore General Hospital, Tan Tock Seck Hospital, and Chong Pang City Atrium, Project Lionheart will be lighting up the following locations over the next few weeks:
And yes, admission is free for all.
There, you’ll get to admire Wei’s art installations in person, as well as check out wall murals and short films that paint a more vivid picture of the Singapore Spirit.
Image courtesy of Project Lionheart
Music lovers can look forward to live performances by Weish, Dru Chen, Nyali, and Wheelsmith, who will each set up stage at different locations, or enjoy theatre shows too.
Not to be missed is Jo Tan’s micro-mini musical Unmute, which debuts on 10 Dec. Audiences will get to watch three actors re-enact true stories of how they got through the pandemic while enjoying remixes of classic pop and rock hits with new lyrics that reflect 2020s Singapore.
Image courtesy of Project Lionheart
If you can’t find the time to get to any of these exhibitions or will be out of town for the holidays, you can still read all the inspiring stories and watch the short films on Project Lionheart’s official website.
Have your own moving tale to tell or know someone else who does? Share it with Project Lionheart too. Hopefully, this will inspire more of such ground-up initiatives by the SG Strong Fund, which has received a pledge of S$100,000 from The Majurity Trust to support this very purpose.
To keep up to date with all future happenings and exhibitions, follow Project Lionheart on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.
In some ways, the pandemic can be seen as a blessing in disguise.
Too often do we settle into a routine that doesn’t challenge us to go out of our comfort zones to help others or accomplish things we never thought we were capable of. But as these stories demonstrate, Covid-19 changed that for many folks.
With so much negativity on the news and social media, it’s more important than ever to highlight positive and uplifting content instead — the world will certainly be all the better for it.
This post was brought to you in collaboration with Project Lionheart.
Featured image courtesy of Project Lionheart.
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