“Access to and participation in cultural life is essential to our well-being. If development is to be fair, inclusive and truly sustainable, people and their cultures must be placed at its heart.” Ernesto Ottone Ramírez, Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO

Public art humanises the built environment. It provides opportunities for telling stories of culture and placemaking that connect the past with the present, and potentially the future. In Singapore, the Central Business District around Tanjong Pagar and Raffles Place is home to public art created by some of Singapore’s pioneer artists.

Harnessing the storytelling power of augmented reality technology, AR.T Trail invites the public to immerse themselves in the stories of six public artworks in this district. AR.T Trail is Singapore’s first-ever public art walking trail powered by Spark AR from Facebook. The trail is the result of a three-month-long collaboration between leading Singapore artists and creative technologists at MeshMinds. Re-discover the cultural and historical narratives through physical and digital layers and reconnect with the stories hidden in our urban environment.

Participating artists include Chua Boon Kee, Grace Tan, Han Sai Por, Kumari Nahappan, Robert Zhao and Yeo Chee Kiong.

AR.T Trail is presented by The MeshMinds Foundation. Supported by Facebook and National Arts Council, part of Singapore Art Week 2020. Tours are supported by Artwalk Singapore, Monster Day Tours.

Facebook includes the Analog Research Lab (ARL) and Creative Engagement programmes as well as the Artist in Residence (AIR) programme. These share a collective mission to encourage creativity, innovation, openness, and connectivity through art and design. Facebook also presents public-facing programmes and partnerships, and supports projects that bring together diverse communities in real life: to encourage the exploration of creative and critical thinking.

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Public Programmes
[Tour] AR.T Trail Walking Tours by Artwalk Singapore and Monster Day Tours
11–19 January 2020, 90 minutes each, various timings daily
Venue: Raffles Place and Tanjong Pagar district
Meeting Point: Raffles Place Park, outside Raffles Place MRT Exit B

For free weekend walking tours, sign up here.
For free weekday walking tours, sign up here.

[Tour] SculptureWalk@Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre
18 and 19 January 2020, 10am–10.45am
To sign up for the free walking tour, please visit here.
If you have any Access requirements (eg. wheelchair accessibility, sign language interpretation, special guidance), please write to Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre.

Led by the Singapore Sculpture Society artists Yeo Chee Kiong, Chua Boon Kee, Chang Wei, Lim Soo Ngee and Sun Yu Li, the walk will take you through the inspirations and ideas behind their sculptures at Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre. Two of the sculptures also feature augmented reality experiences, and the walk will touch on the collaboration between the pioneer sculptors and creative technologists at MeshMinds.

[Talk] The Convergence of History and Contemporary: Public Art and Immersive Media
18 January 2020, Saturday, 11.30pm–1pm
To sign up for the free walking tour, please contact mesh@meshminds.com.
Venue: Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre Zhong Sheng Jian Recital Studio, Level 6
Free admission

An artist sharing session centered around the creative use cases of immersive media in activating history and culture, especially in urban environments such as Singapore. The session will feature Yeo Chee Kiong, award-winning contemporary sculptor and installation artist, along with Tristan Lim, creative technologist and representative of The MeshMinds Foundation. The two featured speakers will share their experiences on the roles technology can play in telling historical and cultural stories. Light refreshments will be provided before the session.

Image courtesy of The MeshMinds Foundation