Second Digimuse Presents exhibition opens in Singapore

Source: National Museum of Singapore. Randy Chan, Sonic Womb, 2019, Interactive mixed media installation. Image courtesy of the artist.

As part of its aim to lead digital innovation in the cultural sector, the National Museum of Singapore has exhibited seven projects that bring to life the amalgamation of art, culture and technology in its latest edition of DigiMuse Presents, launched on 18 January in conjunction with Singapore Art Week 2019. Co-created by digital designers and creative professionals in partnership with cultural institutions and technology companies, DigiMuse Presents will enable visitors to explore new perspectives of art, culture and heritage via immersive and interactive exhibits, dynamic conversations enabled by artificial intelligence, and more.

Iman Ismail, Curator, National Museum of Singapore, said, “The second edition of DigiMuse Presents will explore the creative use of technology, art, and even sound, to create immersive experiences for museum-goers. The showcase demonstrates the exciting potential of marrying digital innovation with culture and the arts, to create playful and thoughtful interactions with our audiences.”

As a progressive cultural institute, the museum encourages the use of technology-driven storytelling to create moments of self-reflection and meaningful exchanges for its visitors. This new edition of DigiMuse Presents will feature Face of the Day (FOTD), a platform that showcases fresh digital and visual content daily. Using social media as one of its key mediums, FOTD fuses photography, videography, fashion, culture, arts and trends to share wry, witty and wondrous moments of everyday life.

Another highlight of DigiMuse Presents is Sonic Womb, an inhabitable suspended tensile womb structure and soundscape that allows visitors to explore the process of human gestation. As visitors walk, crawl and lie within the responsive “womb”, they will experience a reactive audio system that mimics the way a fetus would experience sound. The immersive, interactive exhibit was inspired by the organic process of human exploration, cognition and response.

Featuring contributions from local designers like Yang Derong and Randy Chan to internationally acclaimed artists and choreographers such as Justine Emard and Hiraoki Umeda, DigiMuse Presents and the larger DigiMuse initiative are the result of the National Museum’s partnerships multiple organisations.

Through Co(AI)xistence, museum-goers will get the chance to discover an artistic interface between data and human motion. The video artwork by Justine Emard shows an artificial life system created by Ishiguro Lab (Osaka University) and programmed by Ikegami Lab (Tokyo University) interacting with Mirai Moriyama, a Japanese actor and dancer embodying a non-anthropomorphic way of understanding things.

In a series of 3D-printed garments, Beeing Human by design label Baëlf Design pays tribute to the wonders of nature. Inspired by the honeycomb, a fusion of geometric, architectural and organic forms overlaying the human body brings to light the relationship between humans and nature.

Giving new meaning to the phrase ‘high-fashion’, Galina Mihaleva’s work Talking Cheongsams showcases Singapore’s DNA through clothing and textiles hung from the museum’s glass rotunda. In what is set to be a feast for the eyes, her work at the Banyan Tree, Pulse, is a tactile playground for visitors to experience digital interpretations of today’s urban landscape.

In the visual installation Dual Blur, Hiroaki Umeda takes reference from the museum’s William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings, deconstructing and distorting images from the collection. Interacting with the audience in real-time, sensors within the installation detect movement from the audience, presenting visitors with a fresh and dynamic perspective of the collection.


This showcase is part of the wider DigiMuse initiative, which was launched with the goal of building a vibrant cultural sector that is invested in digital innovation. The museum was among the first cultural institutions worldwide to launch an initiative of this scale.

Details:

DigiMuse Presents will be on view till 17 February 2019 at various locations within the National Museum and its galleries, between 10 am to 7 pm daily. Visitor access to the featured projects is free with a General Admission ticket.

A look at culture and heritage through the lens of technology

The National Museum of Singapore will launch DigiMuse Presents on 4 August, comprising digitally-led prototype projects that blend history, art and technology.

Co-created with digital designers and creative professionals in partnership with cultural institutions and technology companies, DigiMuse Presents enable visitors to offer new perspectives of culture and heritage via immersive virtual and augmented reality exhibits, dynamic conversations enabled by artificial intelligence, and more.

The newest edition to the wider DigiMuse programme, an initiative by the National Museum of Singapore to lead a vibrant cultural sector invested in digital innovation, DigiMuse Presents highlights seven prototype projects shortlisted from the inaugural DigiMuse Open Call for digital art and innovation concepts that concluded in April this year.

Director of the National Museum of Singapore Angelita Teo said, “We welcome thoughtful applications of technology that strengthen our visitors’ cognitive and emotional connections with Singapore’s history and heritage. Through creative integrations of culture and technology, along with collaborative industry partnerships, we hope to offer even more experiences that resonate with and inspire our visitors. We continue to be committed to growing the museum as a progressive cultural institution that challenges the boundaries of what is possible, driving innovation for the sector in our contributions to Singapore’s vibrant cultural landscape.”

As part of DigiMuse Presents, the museum is introducing the use of wearable mixed reality technology HoloLens for local museum experiences under Project Insight, where visitors can enjoy a unique look into the process of conserving artworks. 

In another first for the cultural scene, DigiMuse Presents will feature a new virtual reality experience, An Excavation Through Time, which allows visitors to “dig up” and uncover buried artefacts from Singapore’s Temasek period. The project by iMMERSiVELY will first be featured at the National Museum this month, with plans for it to be showcased at other local cultural institutions later. 

In addition to An Excavation Through Time, look out for:

- The app-based programme Multiplicity, developed by Singapore social startup Big Red Button, which enables visitors to discover different viewpoints from historical characters to form their own conclusions. 

Source: National Museum of Singapore. The Ask William project.

- Artificial intelligence messenger platform Ask William, created by Internet of Things messaging company Unified Inbox, offers visitors informative nuggets about the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings from “William” himself. This project is also showcased at the exhibition Siapa Nama Kamu? Art in Singapore Since the 19th Century at National Gallery Singapore.

- Beeing Human by design label Baëlf Design re-imagines the museum’s collection of traditional cheongsam dresses and Peranakan accessories with digital 3D-printing technology. 

Source: National Museum of Singapore. A rickshaw game, part of the Museum Experiential Guide.

- The Museum Experiential Guide is a mobile-oriented augmented reality experience developed by Singapore multimedia production house Digimagic and Nanyang Technological University’s School of Art, Design and Media. The interactive exhibit at the Crown Colony section of the Singapore History Gallery will bring visitors back in time on a vivid journey charting Singapore’s development as a centre for trade in Southeast Asia. 

- A Harbour of History by 360VR Asia invites visitors to search for historical figures hidden in a gigapixel map of modern-day Singapore, then find out more about their lives.

- Project Insight by HelloHolo enables anyone to try their hand at being a conservator with the help of the Microsoft HoloLens. This experience focuses on the conservation process, and allows participants to try conserving a painting in mixed reality.

Source: National Museum of Singapore. Project Insight focuses on art conservation.

The Digital Conversations: Open Call 2018 talk organised as part of DigiMuse Presents will explore interventions in digital and cultural spaces. As a follow up dialogue to the featured prototype projects, local and international speakers will share their experience of developing projects with museums and cultural institutions during the talk. 

Programme Director of the DigiMuse Project, Jervais Choo said, “The DigiMuse initiative explores the intersection of technology and culture and opens a gateway for discovering our past to inspire future possibilities. By incorporating a spectrum of digital technologies to communicate our heritage and history in new perspectives, the innovative projects featured in DigiMuse Presents are both educational and enthralling, demonstrating potential instances of how we may interact meaningfully with Singapore’s rich culture and heritage enabled by frontier technologies.”

DigiMuse Presents is presented by the National Museum of Singapore, an institution of the National Heritage Board, in collaboration with the Asian Civilisations Museum, Autodesk, Da Vinci Kids, Heritage Conservation Centre, The Keris Collector, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, the National Archives of Singapore, the National Gallery Singapore, and the National Parks Board.

Details:

DigiMuse Presents will be on view from 4 to 26 August 2018 at the National Museum between 10 am and 7 pm daily. 

Visitor access to the featured projects is free with general admission.

Sharjah Calligraphy Museum hosts Southeast Asian calligraphy from students of Bil'eed AlHameedy

Source: Sharjah Museums Department.

The Sharjah Calligraphy Museum is hosting Letters & Ornamentation from Southeast Asia, an exhibition for the students of the Moroccan calligrapher Bil'eed AlHameedy from Indonesia, Malaysia, China and the Philippines. Each artist has contributed up to five pieces of his or her best work.

AlHameedy is also hosting Arabic calligraphy workshops in conjunction with the exhibition.

Interested?

The exhibition continues till 3 March 2017.

The Sharjah Calligraphy Museum is in the Hamad Al Midfaa building in the Sharjah Heritage Area (Heart of Sharjah). Tickets are AED5 for those aged 13 and above. Entry is free for children aged 12 and below. Family tickets cost AED10.

Opening hours:
Saturday to Thursday 8am to 8pm
Friday 4pm to 8pm

Call +971 6 569 4561 with enquiries

Hashtag: #SharjahCalligraphyMuseum

The magic of port cities unveiled at the Asian Civilisations Museum

Source: ACM website. View of Singapore from Mount Wallich, Singapore, 1856, by Percy Carpenter, is one of the exhibits at Port Cities: Multicultural Emporiums of Asia, 1500 –1900.

 Traders and migrants, jewellery and cottons, languages and commerce – port cities mix people, merchandise, and ideas. The Port Cities: Multicultural Emporiums of Asia, 1500 –1900
special exhibition paints a picture of life through photographs, paintings, fashion, luxury goods, and everyday objects at the Asian Civilisations Museum. 

Interested?

The exhibition ends 19 February 2017. The Asian Civilisations Museum is open from 10am to 7pm (daily) other than on Fridays, when it opens from 10am to 9pm. 

Watch the video introducing Port Cities: Multicultural Emporiums of Asia, 1500 –1900

Check ticket prices

Download the programme booklet (PDF) 

Petra, Desert Wonder exhibition in Sharjah, brings Nabatean culture to life

Source: Sharjah Museums Department. Sheikh Fahim with Khouri.

Sculptures, architectural relics and more from the ancient city of Petra, Jordan, are on show at the Sharjah Archaeology Museum till March 16, 2017. The exhibition, a collaboration between Sharjah Museums Department and the Department of Antiquities in Jordan, is the first show of its kind in the Gulf and is considered integral in promoting cross-cultural exchange between Arab societies.

Petra, Desert Wonder runs from November 23, 2016, to offering visitors a unique insight into the groundbreaking artistic and architectural heritage of the civilisation of the Arab Nabataeans and their ‘Rose City’.

The exhibition was officially inaugurated by Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Department of Government Relations. It was attended by HE Jumaa Al Abbadi, Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the UAE, and HE Baraa Al Zoubi, General Consul of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in the UAE, HE Manal Ataya, Director General of Sharjah Museums Department, Dr Munther Jamhawi, Director General of the Department of Antiquities in Jordan, and Samia Khouri, Director of Museums and Public Awareness in the Department of Antiquities in Jordan.

Visitors can explore the relationship and connections that linked Petra as a centre of trade with other settlements in the Arabian Peninsula, including Sharjah’s most significant archaeological site, Mleiha.

Manal Ataya, Director General of Sharjah Museums Department, said at the time of the launch: "From today, visitors will gain an understanding into one of the most important civilisations in the region and the groundbreaking artistic and architectural heritage integral to their capital.

“Sharjah Museums Department plays a vital role as a vehicle for the promotion of cross-cultural exchange. Exhibiting such a wealth of pieces in this region for the first time helps to greatly expand knowledge of this great city, which in turn preserves the cultural heritage of a major Arab civilisation.”

Petra, Desert Wonder presents a unique collection of rare archaeological finds from the Nabataean city of Petra, which is hidden among steep red rocks of sandstone in the southern Jordan, and also showcases examples of Nabataean achievements in the fields of industry, engineering and art. From 300 BC to 106 AD, Petra was the capital of a wealthy and powerful kingdom, as well as a political and economic metropolis.

The artefacts chosen for the exhibition highlight that the history and culture of the Nabataean kingdom was linked with Mleiha in Sharjah via established trade routes. Thanks to its strategic location, the Petra dominated trade links affiliated with the passage of caravans transporting incense, frankincense and spices. Today, the city stands out as the only Arab archaeological site among the ‘new wonders of the world’, recognised internationally as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985.

“This exhibition is part of Sharjah Museums Department’s long-term objective to shed light on the history of the UAE and the Arab world,” said Ataya. “It also aims to highlight the ties linking local population centers in the UAE and settlements in the historical city of Petra. Such urban hubs were crucial in enriching human civilisation in ancient times."

Museum of Islamic Art pays tribute to Muhammad Ali this July

Source: Museum of Islamic Art Facebook page. View of boxing gloves.

Muhammad Ali: Tribute to a Legend is an exhibition dedicated posthumously to world boxing legend Muhammad Ali (1942 to 2016). The temporary exhibition is curated by Qatar Museums’ 3-2-1 Olympic and Sports Museum and will present a collection of artefacts from the boxing legend’s career, including photography from Ali’s outdoor exhibition bout at the Doha Stadium in 1971; memorabilia spanning his journey to the 1960 Rome Olympics; Ali’s world title winning bout against Sonny Liston in 1964 and his final world title winning fight against Leon Spinks in New Orleans in 1978.

The museum has also developed augmented reality features for its app that can be used with the Muhammad Ali exhibition.

Interested?

The exhibition, at the Eastern Gallery, 4th Floor, Museum of Islamic Art, runs till the end of July. Admission is free.

View the video on the augmented reality app 

Download the augmented reality app for iOS 

Hashtag: #LegendAli