Field Notes: Grey Days 2026 Live Portraits in Singapore
Grey Days always feels like stepping into a space where movement and atmosphere take over the city for a moment.
This year in Singapore, Clarke Quay was filled with runners, music, and people flowing through the space in different rhythms. Some warming up, some finishing runs, some just there to take it all in. There was a constant sense of motion everywhere you looked.
We were there as part of the event, creating live portraits throughout selected sessions. Sitting at the table, sketching as people came and went, I found myself really enjoying the pace of it. The quick shifts between strangers, the small pauses before someone decides to sit down, the brief moments of stillness while a portrait takes shape.
There’s something interesting about drawing in the middle of an environment like this. Everything around you is moving, but the act of sketching slows things down in a different way. For a few minutes, someone who was just running, talking, or walking through the event becomes completely still.
And in that stillness, you get to notice small things like their expressions, posture, energy. These are the things that usually pass by too quickly.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DYJ9pY4ESiA/?img_index=1
The grey palette of the event also stood out to me. Subtle, grounded, and consistent throughout the space. It created a kind of visual calm against all the movement happening around it. Working in graphite and monochrome tones felt naturally aligned with that atmosphere.
Throughout the day, there were many small interactions that stayed with me.
People watching quietly as their portrait came together.
Friends reacting when they saw the finished drawing.
Someone returning later just to show their illustration to others.
Nothing overly dramatic. Just small, human moments that give meaning to live work like this. Live art is something I always find myself drawn back to. By the end of the day, what stays with me isn’t just the portraits we created, but the feeling of having been inside that flow of movement and people for a while... documenting it as it unfolded.
These are my field notes from Grey Days 2026 🩶
Love, Weiying
