6TH May 2020, Singapore: On 7th May 2020 at 2000hrs SGT, Singaporeans displayed their solidarity against COVID-19 by turning key landmarks blue. As the circuit breaker places more priority to stay home, mental health issues are becoming a real concern. To show Singaporeans that they are not alone during this humanitarian crisis, Singapore will host a light show every Thursday, starting tomorrow night with the launch of the Singapore campaign #SeeItBlue.
Thirty-Three key landmarks turned the skies into a beacon of blue across the Little Red Dot. The display of blue is to remind Singaporeans of three things. Firstly, it is an act of solidarity, secondly, it is to highlight the importance of mental wellbeing during this time and lastly, it served as another opportunity to thank all key workers on the frontline.
These venues that were be part of the display include:
ArtScience Museum, Cavenagh Bridge, Coleman Bridge, Clarke Quay Central, Clemenceau Bridge, Elgin Bridge, Esplanade, Faber Peak Singapore, Fullerton Hotel, Gardens by the Bay, Helix Bridge, ION Orchard, Marina Bay Sands, Marina Square, Marina Bay Financial Centre*, Marina One*, Maybank Tower*, Millenia Tower, National Gallery Singapore, Ocean Financial Centre, One Raffles Quay*, One Raffles Place*, Orchard Central, OUE Bayfront*, Pan Pacific Singapore*, PARKROYAL Collection Marina Bay*, PARKROYAL Collection Pickering*, Raffles Hotel Singapore*, Republic Plaza, Sentosa, Suntec City, The Arts House*, Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall.
The #MakeItBlue campaign started in the UK and is currently in 17 countries. It has inspired several ‘it blue’ initiatives working with celebrities and organisations across the globe to help with the pandemic. The most prominent initiative is #LightItBlue. Here in Singapore, the inaugural movement is called #SeeItBlue which will launch nationwide on 7th May 2020 and will focus on mental health. Leading experiential and communications agencies joined together to plan and spearhead this initiative in Singapore: Hill + Knowlton Strategies, Lumina Live, Mercury Live and Mercury PR. Gary White, who co-started the campaign in the UK said: “Apart from staying at home, we wanted to say thank you for all those who are at the frontline. These are medical staff who are risking their lives daily, but also stores, restaurants, cleaners, bus and train drivers, food delivery services – all who are risking their own health to care for others during the COVID-19 pandemic. But more importantly we wanted to remind people to self-care. Mental health is a priority for everyone, and we want to encourage people to seek help and not suffer in silence.”
What is #SeeItBlue, Singapore?
To draw more awareness for mental health, we generated a nationwide light show, illuminating iconic Singaporean tourist hotspots and historic buildings. Famous places such as ArtScience Museum, Esplanade, Faber Peak Singapore, (pictured) Gardens by the Bay, ION Orchard, Marina Bay Sands, National Gallery Singapore, Sentosa, Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall will light up blue every Thursday at 2000 hrs until the end of the circuit breaker till June 1, 2020. #SeeItBlue will be adding more buildings and prominent areas over the next few weeks.
The battle with COVID-19 is not just a physical or medical challenge but also a mental one. It is widely acknowledged that working from home, separation from family, supervising Home-Based Learning, and work suspension is causing immense mental stress. #SeeItBlue seeks to encourage people to ‘see’ and acknowledge the importance of mental well-being during these unprecedented times. For anyone experiencing any mental health issues, #SeeItBlue recommends calling the National CARE Hotline.
The National CARE Hotline provides emotional and psychological support for all who are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and is manned 24/7 by trained volunteers. If you need someone to talk to, please call the Hotline at 1800-202-6868.
Order Directly from FCowan Media, $20.00 includes postage. Email your address to fcowanmedia@gmail.com and you will be billed via Pay Pal