SINGAPORE - The night skies over the Gardens by the Bay will become the stage for a unique aerial light show over the next two weekends in January.

The 'performers'? Sixteen light-bearing unmanned drones, which will fly in formations representing key national icons, such as the Singapore Flyer and the star of the state flag.

The six-minute performance is put up as part of the ongoing The Future of Us exhibition, which shows what daily living might be like in Singapore in 2030.

The aerial displays, which are open to the public, will be held outside the Marketplace and will run over two weekends, on Jan 8, 9, 15, 16.

There will be two shows at 7.20pm and 8.20pm on each day, subject to weather conditions.

The show took more than a year to put together, involving complex programming of the drones so each had its own flight path, and did not collide with one another.

It is believed to be the first time in Singapore so many unmanned drones are flown together in an outdoor setting for public display.

The project involved 11 research staff and students from Temasek Laboratories at the National University of Singapore, the Nanyang Technological University, and the Singapore University of Technology and Design.

It is also supported by the Ministry of Defence's Future Systems and Technology Directorate.