It's been a while since our last trip to the
ArtScience Musuem, but when I heard that they have a new exhibition named "
Beyond Earth", I knew I had to bring my kids.
My elder girl, especially, has been showing keen interest in things of the outer space, black hole, planets etc. It's surprising that she is suddenly into all those stuffs, but I also think it's very cool for a teenager to want to find out more about the mysterious outer space that have boggled human beings for millions of years.
I was especially excited about this new VR show that they have - Spacewalkers - where you will literally step into the shoes of astronauts from the famed Apollo missions and explore the future of space travel. It sounded way too cool and I needed to experience it for myself! It turned out to be super mesmerizing and I was really impressed with it, to be honest. It was my first VR experience and it was nothing short of amazing! (Do note that Spacewalkers is a ticketed attraction on top of the museum admission ticket, so get your tickets online before you visit the museum)
We arrived on time for our scheduled slot and entered the Gallery. The setup was adorable! I had envisioned that I would be standing throughout the show, but every person got a comfortable egg-like seat. It was comfortable and cosy, and felt very private.
After we put on the VR headsets, we started on a 30-minute journey to outer space, as we followed the setting off of the rocket from Earth, arriving in the outer space and eventually landing on the Moon and then Mars. The whole show featured two VR artworks, which both debuted at the first-ever Expanded section of the Venice Film Festival 2020. These works were painstakingly moulded using exclusive archival footage and recordings from NASA on the Apollo missions.
In that 30 minutes, I was completely mesmerized. I looked everywhere - it was like a 360-degree movie! I could look up, down, left, right and all the way to the back - The special chair allows swiveling for that purpose! It felt as real as possible - standing on the Moon and Mars, staring into an endless space. It was breathtaking to say the least, and very impactful for me. I definitely recommend this attraction at ArtScience Museum. =D
After the show ended, we took a walk through some of the current exhibitions at the museum as well. They have a very interesting one named Örchestral Manoeuvres: See Sound, feel sound, be sound. This is basically art exhibited in sounds and movements and every artwork was interesting to watch. There was even this big space where you can be seated right in the centre with speakers facing you from all angles. The result is a surround-sound orchestra performance - except the sounds are all made up of voices of people and chatters from all directions. It was quite a treat for the senses, I must say! And very fun indeed.
And of course, we couldn't miss the Future World: Where Art Meets Science exhibition. Walking through it is always enjoyable.
I've always enjoyed a visit to the ArtScience museum - It's just a great treat for all my senses! And very therapeutic as well, as I walk around appreciating the beautiful and delicate fusion of art and science in this space. Before the school holiday comes to an end, bring your family and spend some time there!
Tickets can be purchased online from their
website.
