Body, Heart & Soul is a sublime art installation that will be launched on 26 March at Marina Square.
Image credits YUME Architects
Last updated: 29 Mar 2022
Venue & Date:Â
- March - May: Marina Square
- May - June: Millenia Walk
- July - August: South Beach
- September - November: Suntec City
Body, Heart & Soul is an initiative by Marina Central district that is headlined by an interactive installation designed by Dr Jason Lim of Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and Ar Asami Takahashi of YUME Architects, in collaboration with TinkerTanker.
The installation which first made its debut at the prestigious Venice Biennale in 2018 is now reimagined and will travel from Marina Square to Millenia Walk, South Beach and Suntec City over a period of eight months from March to November 2022, transforming itself each time.
Body, Heart & Soul explores how light can be used to affect our perception. Four mirrored cubes are specially configured at each location, creating an illusory world of reflections. Each cube can sense human presence and recognise gestures and respond by transmitting light of varying colour and intensity through a transparent crystal structure. At each stop, the cubes are programmed with different lighting behaviours, according to the theme: Body, Heart & Soul.
The exhibit is further guided by two ideas - to humanise technology and minimise waste.Â
Body, Heart & Soul is also accompanied by numerous workshops that amplify the intent of the exhibit. They are run in collaboration with SUTD.Â
Body at Play
Image credits YUME Architects
Body, Heart & Soul kicks off with the first theme — Body at Play, in the central atrium of Marina Square from 26 March till 18 May.
Visible from all four entries, the interactive cubes draw shoppers, young and old alike, into their vicinity and light up in response to playful poses and gestures. Through their body movements, audiences are invited to control projections of shadow puppetry. Integrating art and technology in a tangible way, this installation is the setting for new memorable experiences, further enhancing Marina Square’s reputation as the space for fun and merry-making with its diversity of amusement tenants including Pororo Park, Kiztopia and the world’s first NERF Action Xperience.Â
Workshop: Programmable ShadowsÂ
Date: 16 Apr & 7 May 2022
Time: 11 am - 12.15 pm | 3 pm - 4.15 pm | 5 pm - 6.15 pm
Fee: $10/parent and child (6 years and up) pair
To complement the experience, children and adults can participate in a workshop entitled, Programmable Shadows. The workshop at Marina Square will tie in with Body, Heart & Soul’s key motive of ‘humanising technology’ as visitors learn to create their very own digital shadow artwork. Workshop participants will be able to draw their own artwork and transform them into shadows that respond to their body motions.
The workshop is suitable for children from 6 years old and adults, and it is a great activity for parent-child bonding.
Heartfelt
In mid-May, Body, Heart & Soul will be transformed and transported to the next mall, Millenia Walk. Themed Heartfelt, the cubes will create passages for visitors to walk through. Upon sensing the presence of its audiences, the cubes will pulse with light in a measured rhythm, creating an immersive atmosphere along with the additional transformational projections in the arena.
To offer an intimate insight into designing the heart of the installation, the interactive animated lights — Dr Jason Lim will be facilitating a Heart of Computing workshop. The workshop offers participants a hands-on experience to learn how to express their creativity with the aid of technology by learning how to build an electronic circuit and compose a computer programme for light animation.Â
In the Mood
In July, the installation will arrive at South Beach themed In the Mood. The installation will take on an audiovisual format and be displayed across the open air plaza to allow visitors a more intimate and multi-sensory experience as they respond to audio cues to effect change in the illuminating cubes.
Carrying forward Body, Heart & Soul’s sustainable initiative, and in a bid to normalise sustainable design in our everyday lives, visitors can also sign up for the Origami Upcycling workshop and learn to turn used paper products into beautiful Origami art.
Collective Soul
The installation makes its final stop at Suntec City in mid-September 2022 with the theme Collective Soul. Visitors will be enthralled by synchronised displays of light designed to accentuate vibrancy.
Visitors will also be encouraged to make their mark on the installation with their Instagram photos by tagging @marinacentralsg. The collage of photos contributed by visitors will aptly epitomise the ‘Collective Soul’ of Marina Central district’s Body, Heart & Soul.
Adding to the experience and in line with the district’s aim of ‘galvanising sustainability’, the Second-life Electronics workshop seeks to impart vital skills of transforming used electronics into art and breathe new life into electronic junk, thereby saving them from landfills.
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