#whereartmeetsscience

About Art Science Museum…

Since its opening in February 2011, the Art Science Museum has staged major exhibitions by some of the world’s leading artists including Leonardi da Vinci, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol  and Vincent Van Gogh as well as major exhibitions which explore aspects of scientific history, including “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition”, “Harry Potter: The Exhibition”, “Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal”; “Dali: Mind of a Genius” and “Van Gogh Alive”. Through its programmes of exhibitions, events, performances and education activities, it shows how the world around us is transformed by art, science, technology and culture.

The museums combination of striking architecture, award-winning design, strong curation and intellectual discussions makes it unique internationally. Featuring 21 gallery spaces totalling 51,000 square feet, the iconic lotus-inspired building has played host to major international touring exhibitions from renowned collections world over.

I visited it on 12th March which was the first day of the new exhibition called Future World. The name itself caught my attention. Any idea how our future world would like? With the same thought in my mind, I entered the grand lotus-like structure. I had not purchased tickets online, but I was lucky enough not to do so. The lady at the ticket counter gave us a 50% discount and in return, all we had to do was like the facebook page of Art Science Museum. So after the discount, the per head ticket cost was all of 7 SGD (approx INR 350).

Little did I know, I was about to enter a world of high-tech artworks and interactive digital experiences. 15 cutting edge digital installations awaited me. These were created in collaboration with teamLab, a globally renowned Japanese group of ultra-technologists and multi-award winning art collective. Follow me on the journey exploring the future world through Nature, Town, Park and Space.

My adventure began with an enchanting stroll through Nature. An interactive world of flora and fauna created through digital technology awaited me. I drowned myself and become one with the digitally created nature. I felt as though I was walking through a never ending field of flowers. Depending on where you stand in this field, the flowers would either blossom before your eyes or fade away, recreating nature’s endless cycle of growth and decay.

I moved on from here to the ‘100 years sea animation diorama’. Depicting the environmental effects of climate change, this lovely larger than life installation film is an amazing way to educate the younger generations about the impact of climate change. At the end of the film the borders between the screen and the people standing around it fade away to give one the sense of being swallowed by the sea.

After the thought provoking film I walked into Town. ‘The Sketch Town’ was one of the most fantastic things that I have witnessed. On the tables were lots of ‘make your own’ 2-dimensional papers. Pick them and make your own paper drawings of buildings, cars, planes, and even fantastical vehicles like spaceships and UFOs. Place your two-dimensional pictures on the scanner after you are done and they appear on the screen alongside in a 3D fictional town.

Alongside was a table with moving objects. The installation termed as ‘A Table Where Little People Live’, had little objects projected on the table that ‘move’ around. Place your hand or an object on it and the little people in the projection will notice and jump onto it.

The ‘Media Block Chair’ installation comprised of blocks which glow and change when you connect them together.

I then moved from the urban city to the Park, a space inspired by nature and recreational play. A simulation of a waterfall that actually looked so real awaited me on one side. On the other side, I could see beachball-sized globes of multicoloured light and sound. In addition, the walls around me had digitally projected environment with animals, wind, rain, trees and mountains.

  I finally walked into Space. I liked this installation the most. I felt like I was part of one of the sci-fi films like Interstellar or Gravity. Named the crystal universe, this installation included a seemingly infinite number of light particles created with 4-D Vision technology and more than 170,000 LED lights, giving the illusion of stars moving in space.

As I walked out from the art and science museum, I was amazed at the creative forces behind such beautiful artwork. Each exhibition at the Art Science Museum lasts for about 2 weeks, so I am eagerly waiting to see the next exhibition. I am sure it would be equally exciting.