Things To Do In Singapore: A New VR Gallery, An Arts Festival Confronting Women's Taboo Topics & More
Our weekly edit of things to do in Singapore.
By Keng Yang Shuen,
This week, ArtScience Museum kicks off a monumental new undertaking in the form of its inaugural VR (virtual reality) gallery as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations, with artworks by the likes of Marina Abramovic, Anish Kapoor and Olafur Eliasson.
Over at local theatre outfit T:>Works, they're putting on the third edition of their signature arts festival, Festival Of Women, N.O.W. (Not Ordinary Work). It's an all-digital affair that uses arts to confront "taboo" topics that women face, such as circumcision, the female body and ageing.
And finally, music and booze fiends get the best of both worlds at Rootstock, a music festival that specialises in supporting emerging musicians.
The ArtScience Museum has always had interesting exhibitions but the newest event at the museum is not just an exhibition but a new permanent gallery dedicated to VR (virtual reality).
Located on the fourth floor, the new gallery celebrates curiosity, innovation and experimentation through VR artworks – and as a way to commemorate the museum's 10th anniversary. It opens on July 10 with Hyperrealities – a presentation presented in collaboration with tech art organisation Acute Art. The showcase features artworks by three of contemporary art's most notable names: Marina Abramovic, Anish Kapoor and Olafur Eliasson.
Interestingly, the artworks in the showcase are the three art titans' first attempts at incorporating VR into their respective practices.
Eliasson's Rainbow (2017) creates the effect of magicking a rainbow into existence through a curtain of falling water for a multi-sensorial ASMR treat. Fans of Abramovic get to "interact" with the artist – she appears in a glass tank, while the water level slowly rises. Her work Rising (2018), pictured here, is a nod towards rising sea levels caused by climate change. Then, there's Kapoor's Into Yourself, Fall (2018), which takes one through a labyrinthian forest, where visitors are encouraged to lose themselves in another realm.
Read more about the new VR gallery here.
Opens July 10, 6 Bayfront Avenue
While we may not yet be able to mosh to live music gigs just yet, here's a great alternative: check out Rootstock.
If you're unfamiliar with the name, it's a music festival that supports emerging musicians and acts – so in other words, indie heads should definitely check it out. It gets better by pairing music with wine: Rootstock is partnering with wine experiences platform Vivant to offer a full 48 hours of great booze and music.
The line-up includes the soulful solo act Victor Solf (pictured), disco band L’Imperatrice, French rock band Last Train, Brussels-based pop band Great Mountain Fire, singer-songwriter Theo Lawrence and heavy psych band Moundrag.
Access to the 48 hours of music and wine experiences is free of charge with a complimentary Music Pass. To enjoy the whole experience, guests can purchase a Wine & Music Pass directly on Vivant, which includes a tasting kit featuring six of France’s best sustainably produced wines, each chosen to perfectly complement the headliners' performances.
July 10 to July 11, various times. Catch the festival online here
As the saying goes, art should disturb those who are too comfortable and Festival Of Women, N.O.W. (Not Ordinary Work), the signature arts festival by beloved local theatre outfit T:>Works (formerly known as Theatreworks), is aiming to do so by confronting "taboo" topics such as circumcision, the female body and ageing.
Curated by artistic director Noorlinah Mohamed, the festival consists of live-streamed productions, digital exhibitions, online conversations and workshops, with each project within this all-digital festival spotlighting topics that have long needed open discussion: from the invisibility of Tamil women to narratives of joy within historically marginalised communities, and to raising uncomfortable questions on intimacy, desire and well-being in ageing bodies.
This festival is also a pay-as-donation fundraising event in support of T:>Works’ art-making endeavour, as well as three other beneficiaries. They are Krsna's Free Meals, a soup kitchen serving the historic Little India area; ReadAble, an organisation running weekly literacy programmes in an underserved community; and The T Project, Singapore’s first and only social service for the transgender community.
Check out the full line-up here.
July 13 to July 31, at various times