Notice the 10 “fingers” that is reminiscent of the lotus flower? Well, how can you not? The iconic architecture is one of the first things you notice when approaching Marina Bay Sands.
Referred to as “The Welcoming Hand of Singapore”, it is the world’s first ArtScience Museum that debuted in 2011. Inside this building is a host of gallery spaces that explores creative processes at the heart of art, science, technology, and culture, and their influence on society over the years. Recently, we were invited to get a first-hand experience on some of these exhibitions, namely Future World and Art From The Streets.
Future World: Where Art Meets Science
Future World is a combination of arts and science in the most spectacular ways. Like its name suggests, this 1,500 square metre place makes you feel like you’ve been transported into a futuristic world of high-tech interactive artworks. Co-curated with award-winning Tokyo-based art collective teamLab, Future World has since expanded up to 16 interactive art installations that are divided into 4 central themes – Nature, Town, Park, and Space.
1. Nature
The adventure begins through Nature. Here visitors might be inspired to ponder and reflect the relationship humans have with the natural world. The first stop is a mouthful. “Crows are Chased and the Chasing Crows are destined to be Chased as well, Transcending Space” depicts the creation of life. The subject is a three-legged crow (Yatagarasu) that is believed to be the embodiment of the Sun from the Japanese mythology.
The second gallery is the Nature section is “Black Waves”. The juxtaposition of traditional Japanese art and contemporary scientific data results in a movement that gives the impression as though the water itself is alive. Take a few short minutes and imagine yourself in a zen environment, moving with the waves and becoming part of the water.
In between the Nature and Town sections is “Sliding through the Fruit Field”. It’s a newly-designed slide that allows kids to glide down the colourful slope. As your body come in contact with slide, the energy will be “transferred” into the Fruit Field and you’ll get to witness fruits and flowers bloom and grow.
2. Town
6 of teamLab’s projects are located here. Town is an urban setting that encourages family bonding between parents and kids. The main objective is to engage children in learning through play. How fun!
- Graffiti Nature – an ecosystem of colourful flora and fauna
- Sketch Town – use crayons and paper to draw a building, a car, or a plane and watch it turn into 3D animated objects
- Sketch Town Paper Craft – turn 3D digital drawings into physical paper craft models and take them home as souvenirs
- Connecting! Block Town – development of transportation and infrastructure
- Media Block Chair – connect glowing blocks together and watch them change colours
- A Table Where Little People Live – the “little people” (miniature characters) come to life when you take part in the game
3. Park
After experiencing the hustle and bustle of the urban areas in Town, get invigorated by nature and recreational play in Park. The parks in this section take on forms like nature preserves and recreational activities to bring ourselves closer to nature.
- Universe of Water Particles – an seven-metre tall virtual waterfall
- Create! Hopscotch for Geniuses – customised your own hopscotch game with circular, triangular, and square shapes
- Light Ball Orchestra – touch or roll any beach ball-sized globes to change the colour and sound of the balls
- Sketch Aquarium – colour drawings of sea creatures and watch them come to life
- Story of the Time When Gods Were Everywhere – touch the hieroglyphic characters and watch them transform into animals and other natural elements
4. Space
Crystal Universe is easily one of the most Insta-worthy in Future World. Upon entering the exhibit housing infinite number of light particles, it’ll feel as though you’ve been enveloped and transported into a dreamworld. Over 170,000 LED lights inside this domain gives the illusion of stars moving in space.
Describing it in mere words won’t do it justice, one has to visit ArtScience Museum in order to immerse in the full experience.
More information here.
Art From The Streets
Do street arts only belong in the streets? Originated from the streets with the intention to be heard and seen, artists would create graffiti and tongue-in-cheek artworks as a form of expression or to make a statement. Last month, ArtScience Museum’s new exhibition, Art From The Streets was launch.
Curated by street art expert Magda Danysz, Art From The Streets seeks to showcase street art in a new light in today’s contemporary art world. Organised into 6 themed sections, visitors will get to see the different facets of street art and how it has evolved to become “acceptable” in the mainstream movement.
Here, you will get to view some of the most renowned artists in the field, such as Banksy, Shepard Fairey (Obey), Futura, Invader, JR, Blek le Rat, and Vhils. Of course, if we’re going to talk about the revolutionary artworks by the greats from yesteryears, we need to shine the spotlight on the 10 newer talents as well – which is what we really want to highlight.
The 10 prominent street artists that were invited to create new site-specific artworks for Art From The Streets are:
1. Zevs
- Artwork: After liquidated Logo McDonald’s
- French street artist
It’s hard to miss the McDonald’s sign when you’re in the exhibition. Using art as a way for protest was Zevs’ way of speaking against the McDonaldisation of society. As you can see from his liquidated icons series, Zevs targets famous advertising companies by melting or liquifying the corporate logos.
2. Remi Rough
- Artwork: Concise
- UK’s post-graffiti artist
Inspired by Futura, Remi Rough is well-known for his minimalism and abstractive style. The Brit’s geometric mural, “Concise”, is actually a contemporary continuation from his previous graffiti work. He tends to respond to destruction and would paint on walls where there have been obstruction. Fun fact: he knows Banksy personally. How cool is that?
You can also find his art in Sinapore’s Little India.
3. Felipe Pantone
- Artwork: Chromadynamica
- Argentinian-Spanish artist
As the youngest artist to create an on-site artwork for Art From The Streets, Felipe Pantone has been working on his craft since he was 12. The avant-garde “Chromadynamica” signifies the current digital age where everything happens instantaneously. Pantone was able to beat Remi Rough in a friendly competition during their time together. Like his peer, Pantone was also one of the three artists commissioned to create another mural in Singapore.
4. Sheryo & Yok
- Artwork: Outlaws of Style
- Singaporean urban artists
At first glance, Sheryo and Yok’s “Outlaws of Style” looks like it has a Chinese New Year feel to it thanks to the bright red colour. Lighthearted and fun, the duo from Singapore (now based in Brooklyn) had a whimsical approach to their storytelling. In a post-apocalyptic Singapore, we see animals taking over the city (and coexisting with vehicles).
5. Ludo
- Artwork: Nympheas
- French street artist
Inspired by Monet’s “Nympheas”, Ludo tackles current issues by drawing attention to the contrast between organic imagery and technological elements. As you can see, the module is placed on lotus flowers to demonstrate how the city is crushing nature.
6. M-City
- Artwork: M-city 1011 (Shipyard)
- Polish graphic designer and illustrator
In “M-city 1011”, M-City (a.k.a. Mariusz Waras) draws parallels between the shipyards of his hometown (Gdansk) and the Port of Singapore. His detailing in piecing together hundreds of stencils to form an imagined cityscape is pretty remarkable.
7. Tarek Benaoum
- Artwork: Gigamesh: The Quest for Immortality
- Paris-based Moroccan artist
What’s unique about “Gigamesh: The Quest for Immortality” is Tarek Benaoum’s extraordinary mastery of calligraffiti (combining graffiti with calligraphy). Completed within one-and-a-half days, the Arabic script was even painted meticulously directly on the wall. Another interesting thing to note is the gold leaf material used; it’s to showcase that work itself is fleeting.
8. Speak Cryptic
- Artwork: A State of Decline
- Singaporean artist
In addition to his commission to do a large-scale artwork on a public bus, Speak Cryptic (or Farizwan Fajari)’s “A State of Decline” follows his ongoing series on heartbreak. Using his experience as a Malay growing up in Singapore, the tribe of people are seen with their eyes close (as a form of introspective), standing in front of the Substation.
9. Eko Nguroho
- Artwork: Garden Full of Blooming Democracy
- Indonesian artist
Share, Peace, and Love are some of the words that be spotted easily on Eko Nguroho’s “Garden Full of Blooming Democracy”. The artist from Yogyakarta uses the presence of positivity to depict his garden that reflects the current demographic in Indonesia.
10. YZ
- Artwork: Empress Ngatini
- French street artist
YZ – pronounced “eyes” – have often painted portrayals of women from history. For “Empress Ngatini”, we see the emphasis in the headgear and accessories that represents women of different ethnicities. Many of the items on this art were recycled from trash, while the necklace was made suing bicycle tyres. The object? To implore us to reuse what we have created and be conscious of our environment.
As amazing and dynamic these artworks are, they will only be available in Art From The Streets until 3rd June 2018. That means you have 5 more months to check these creations out before they will be erased forever.
More information here.
BONUS:
Treasures Of The Natural World
When we think of treasures, money and gold usually come to mind. But the real treasures are actually scientific specimens and animals from the natural world. Inside this exhibition (available till 29th April 2018), you can unlock answers to the rich history of discoveries from famous naturalists such as Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace.
More information here.
