#FutureTogether Art Installations @ Gardens by the Bay

A beautiful start for Year 2020 as Gardens by the Bay presents #futuretogether - an immersive art exhibition featuring seven exhibits of digital art installations. Organised in support of the Singapore Bicentennial commemoration, it is jointly presented by Gardens by the Bay and GIC, with art by Japan's renowned teamLab.

The seven exhibits are span across both indoor and outdoor spaces of Bayfront Plaza which encompass three themes - Aspirations, Connectivity and Possibilities - that relate to how Singaporeans look forward to the futures as the bicentennial year comes to a close.

INDOOR EXHIBITS

(Theme: Possibilities)

Animals of Flowers, Symbiotic Lives

Located within Bayfront Pavilion, we entered into a realm of animals with flowers growing on their bodies which come and go. Touch the animals and the flower petals scatter... if you touch the animals too much, all the flowers will scatter and the animals will fade away (die).

Flowers grow and bloom on the animals' bodies and in time, the petals scatter, wither and die symbolizing the cycle of life and death.

Take a closer look and among the animals are those inhabiting Singapore - the Malayan tapir, Sambar deer, oriental pied hornbill, leopard cat, smooth-coated otter and the Malayan Sun bear which bloom with flowers including local orchids - Vanda Miss Joaquim and Arachnis Hookeriana.

Flowers Bloom in an Infinite Universe Inside a Teacup

Tea sampling and enjoyment has taken to a new level with EN TEA HOUSE. Make tea and witness the flowers bloom inside the teacup! Visitors can pick from two different flavours of tea - Hot Teh Tarik or Cold brew Green Tea with Yuzu. (Additional charge of SGD3 applies for Singapore residents and SGD7 for Standard rate)

Flowers continue to bloom as long as there are tea inside the teacup! Which is why we were so reluctant to finish our tea! Tea is a transformation liquid and the amount of tea in the cup will change the size of the tea surface which also change the size of the flower. Even if tea is spilled from the cup, flowers will also bloom in the spilt liquid!

This amazing work is rendered in real time by a computer program and not a pre-recorded video. The artwork is influenced by the viewers, where their actions causes change and transformation.

Play with your tea! 

Once you have your tea served, be mesmerized by the flowers blooming in the teacup! Lift/move your teacup away and the petals start to scatter and another flower start to bloom in the teacup! Each time, different type of flowers will bloom.

Enso - Gold Light

While waiting for my tea to be served, check out the stroke on the wall. This artwork depicts an Enso - Zen practice of drawing a circle in a single brush stroke. 

Reversible Rotation - Black in White

Spatial Calligraphy rotates in this space. 

Continuous Life and Death at the Now of Eternity II

Similar to the Animals of Flowers, as flowers bloom, in the course of time they will wither and die. The artwork becomes brighter with sunrise and darker as the sun sets. The flowers that bloom change throughout the year and hence it is not a pre-recorded image.

OUTDOOR EXHIBITS

(Theme: Aspirations)

Message Pillar - The Singapore Bicentennial

Send your well wishes for Singapore on the Message Pillar. As the messages are virtual, it can only be viewed through a smartphone app. To enjoy this unique experience, download the 'Message Pillar' app from App Store or Google Play. Direct your smartphone canera to the pole of the pillar and you will start to see message floating around the pillar. You can also enter your own messages and see it floating together with the posted messages to form a tree.

Flowers and People - Giant Lattice Mass, A Whole Year per Hour

The outdoor installations are best viewed at night. If you have time, check out this installation where flowers bloom and scatter on the giant lattice. A year of seasonal flowers will bloom over the course of an hour. Again, when people came close and move around, the flowers scatter.  When people approaced and reamin still, the flowers bloom more abundantly.

(Theme: Connectivity)

Autonomous Reasonating Life on the Water and Resonating Trees - Dragonfly Lake

Dragonfly Lake has 334 gigantic 'eggs' floating on its water. The ovoids of light shines brightly and then fade slowly, as if its breathing. The entire lake looks extremely gorgeous as we witness the changing lights.

Apart from the majority of ovoids in the waters, there are some on the boardwalk. As night falls, the ones floating in the water change colour as soon as the ovoids on the platform are pushed. So don't be shy and start pushing as the eggs won't crack!

#FUTURETOGETHER

Date: Dec 15, 2019 - Mar 15, 2020 

Address: Gardens by the Bay's Bayfront Plaza, 18 Marina Gardens Drive, Singapore

Outdoor Artworks

Hours: 19:00 - 24:00 every day, free of charge.

Indoor Artworks & EN TEA HOUSE 

Hours: 9:00 - 21:00 every day (Last Entry 20:30)

Admission

No admission charge to the indoor exhibits for Singapore residents. However, visitors must pre-book your time slow online at www.gardenbythebay.com.sg. 

If you like to try some magical tea, there is a fee of SGD$3, with all proceeds going to a good cause - the Gift of Gardens community outreach programme. It allows individuals without the means to do so to enjoy Gardens by the Bay for free.