● Tree Man by ENESS (Australia)
Encircling a sapling in his arms, Tree Man provides sanctuary for a young tree while carving out an inner sanctum for visitors. Falling into his arms feels so warm, so protected as though hugging a real-life BayMax, so comfy to just lean against it.
As one enters the arms of Tree Man, light switches across a spectrum of colours, and sparse melodies on top of a forest-inspired soundtrack are triggered, leaving one to wonder if we can ever find a balance between the digital and natural world. The act of nurturing and connecting with our environment is emphasised in these whimsical light sculptures. Emitting light with heads that are shaped like digital screens, the artwork invites reflection on humans’ insatiable preoccupation with devices, which could be detrimental to our circadian rhythms.
● Glacier Dreams by Refik Anadol Studio (USA) and Julius Baer
Location: Façade of ArtScience Museum
Inspired by both the beauty and fragility of glaciers, Glacier Dreams is the result of a groundbreaking, long-term research project involving machine learning, environmental studies, and multi-sensory media art. Visual materials collated from publicly available data and institutional archives, together with glacier images personally collected by Refik Anadol in Iceland, are processed through machine learning algorithms and transformed into Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based multi-sensory narratives.
The artist, together with his Los Angeles-based team, hopes to raise awareness of climate change and rising sea levels through poetic glacier-themed experiences, and also contribute to the study of glaciers with their existing AI tools.
● Trumpet Flowers by Amigo & Amigo (Australia)
Location: Clifford Square
Inspired by gramophones, these super-sized flowers burst to life occasionally with a specially commissioned musical score by Otis Studio, accompanied by some of Sydney’s finest jazz musicians. Immerse yourself in this playful and fun musical garden using the interactive keys and try to activate to "whole band". I love how everyone comes together to create a beautiful piece of music, bring in your friends or simply work with the other visitors...
● Résonances by Louis-Philippe Rondeau in collaboration with ELEKTRA (Canada)
Location: Open Plaza, OUE Bayfront
Résonances is an interactive installation that embodies the inexorable passage of time. It seeks to reveal the limit between present and past. As an arch of light appears in darkness, a temporal portal emerges. When visitors cross this threshold, their image will be projected onto the adjacent wall and seem deployed in time through the slit-scan technique. In this visual metaphor, the past constantly takes over the present, and visitors will see their own image fade inexorably into the oblivion of white light. The artwork emphasises that all light is the manifestation of events that have already occurred; the twinkle we see in the night sky is but a bygone snapshot of the stars. Try walking through the portal in different poses, with different people and create your very own timeline artwork.
● Show III by Chen Jiawen, Lai Ling Ling Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Singapore) and James Cook University (Singapore)
Location: South Beach Main Entrance (next to JW Marriott Singapore South Beach drop-off point)
What does one usually think about in the shower? Let's take a quick one in public?
Inspired by a belief that showers are perfect settings for self-contemplation, Show III is an invitation to unwind outdoors by soaking in its calming blue light, with the company of a composed soundscape and virtual water droplets. The act of showering without water serves as a reminder for visitors to reflect on their water usage. It also aims to provide an alternative environment where one can be free of worries in the bustle of the city.