The summer showers are back in full force, but the new Sensorium 360° exhibit in the Singapore Art Museum will make sure staying indoors won’t dampen your spirits one bit.
Exploring how sensory experiences affect the knowing of the self, 11 artists from Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, the Phillippines, Indonesia, and China present a multitude of artworks that move beyond imagery and visualisation. Here’s a sneak peek, plus five things you must do to get the most out of this highly interactive space:
1. Bust out silly moves in front of an anti-mirror.
Tad Ermitaño’s Twinning Machine 4.0 will make you question your kinesthetic expressions, as his “anti-mirror” projects a delayed reflection of your movements. Watch your virtual doppelganger move in a different, temporal reality, and examine the cognitive dissonance that arises when you see this (strange) version of you on the other side.
2. Get a lizard’s-eye view of things.
Delve into the world of augmented reality with Eugene Soh’s The Overview Installation. The pair of modified goggles provided will replace your normal viewpoint with three distinct perspectives: the ‘god view’, the second-person view, and lateral vision (which is what most animals and reptiles possess). Test how well your motor skills are as you navigate a simple maze with your new set of “eyes” – the result is hilarious.
3. Take the plunge into a sea of plushy boobs.
Pinaree Sanpitak’s noon-nom is a tactile exhibition that invites you to get up close and personal with the epitome of sensuality: the female breast. Take your shoes off and wade your way into this soothing, pastel-hued arena, which aims to reassert the significance of the female breast as a symbol of nourishment and comfort.
4. Create your own symphony of scents.
Can musical notes be tagged to specific smells? To artist Christina Poblador, yes. In May Puno sa Dibdib ng Kamatayan (There is a tree in the heart of death), discover the phenomenon of synesthesia, where one sense is perceived via another sense. Sonic notes are translated into olfactory ones, creating scent compositions that resonate with the artist’s favourite tunes. Head to the adjoining room to create your own scent composition from a ‘keyboard’ of 30 perfume notes.
5. Navigate your way through a laser maze.
Here’s your chance to feel like a super-spy a la James Bond. Navigate your way through Li Hui’s The Cage, which cleverly uses green lasers to create two virtual cages in a dark room. These immaterial beams of light play on the imaginary boundaries that we create for ourselves, and triggers innate responses like disorientation or anxiety when ‘trapped’.
Sensorium 360° opens 31 July and runs till 19 October 2014. The exhibition is held at the Singapore Art Museum, 71 Bras Basah Road, Singapore 189555. Opens Monday to Sunday, 10am-7pm, with free entry on Friday evenings from 6pm-9pm. Singapore citizens, PRs, and children under six enter free, while adults pay $10 and senior citizens and foreign students pay $5.
Images: Singapore Art Museum