World Expo 2025, Osaka

I composed the music for Magic Hour, a daily light show at the Singapore Pavilion for World Expo 2025, Osaka, a global exhibition that began in 1851 and has long served as a platform for cultural exchange and future-facing ideas.

Alongside the light show, I also designed the ambient soundscape for the pavilion space. The sound design draws on local nature recordings and organic textures, shaping an atmosphere that complements the architecture and encourages a slow, immersive way of listening.

Both the music and sound design were developed in close dialogue with the lighting and spatial design, allowing sound and light to function as a single, continuous experience rather than separate elements.

I also edited voice-over for announcements played before and after the show.

Credits

Executive Directors: Madeline Lee and Oei Chie Yang (Kingsmen)

Creative Director: Beatrice Chia-Richmond (Presplay)

Designers: Gerald Leow and Clara Yee (Magicfruit)

Lighting Designers: Michael Chan (Lighting Insomnia) and Ron Tu (Auxilio Studio)
Composer & Sound Designer: Avik Chari

Performers:
Niranjan Pandian — Bansuri
Soh Swee Kiat — Sheng

David Loke Kai Yuan — Violin, Viola
Bekhzod Oblayorov — Cello

Voice-Over Artists: Beatrice Chia-Richmond (English), Ryna Smile (Japanese)

Audio Consultant: Edric Hwang