World’s first Artscience museum opened

The world’s first ArtScience Museum opened on February 17 at Mariana Bay Sands, Singapore with a spectacular show.The iconic lotus-inspired structure which spans 50,000-square feet will feature a permanent exhibition as well as major international touring exhibitions from renowned collections around the world.

Made up of’ ‘10 fingers’ and opening up to the skies, the museum is reffered to by some as the ‘welcoming hand of Singapore’. Using natural light to fill the galleries, rainwater is also channelled from the roof and down through the centre of the four-storeyed structure.

There are 21 gallery spaces taking up the 50,000 square feet of the ArtScience Museum which has been designed by internationaly renowned architect Moshe Safdie to foster the interplay of art and science.

It aims to show that the creative processes between arts and science can be similar.

A Journey Through Creativity will be the Museum’s showpiece exhibition featuring a series of permanent exhibits that anchors the iconic venue at the forefront of technology, design and culture. On the two highest floors stands the permanent ArtScience exhibition which is separated into three galleries;Curiosity, Inspiration and Expression.

The three galleries begin at the ‘floating stairs’ on Level 3 and spans the entire Level 4 galleries.

Curiosity is located on the third floor of the Museum where visitors will be introduced to a unique space by an ascending ‘floating’ staircase.

The gallery challenges guests with questions that have motivated artistic and scientific innovators through time via translucent scrolls hanging from the museum’s huge sloping ceiling.Inspiriation features six large suspended artefacts representing famous inventions such as Leonardo da Vinci’s Flying Machine, a Kongming Lantern, a high-tech Robitic Fish, a model of the ArtScience Museum, a molecular model of a ‘Buckyball’ and an Ancient Chinese Scroll.

Expression combines lighting effects, sound and moving images. A multimedia gallery of kinetic images that follow the journeys of great art/scientists across time and culture and artefacts that represent an array of disciplines light up on cue during the presentation.

“The museum is never done, we will never be finished with this space, we will never be finished with the entire place, it is a museum built on a concept, it does not mean the content, the physical boxes or the text that is written on the wall are going to be the same every time. “We will continue to change it month after month. New exhibitions will come in; different types of exhibition from fine art to pop culture,” said museum director Tom Zaller.The four opening exhibitions include ArtScience: A Journey Through Creativity, Traveling the Silk Road: Ancient Pathway to the Modern World, Genghis Khan: The Exhibition and Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds.The largest collection of artefacts, more than 200 authentic treasures from Genghis Khan’s reign were on display . Courtesy: Internet

NEWS IN BRIEF

by Rohana JAYALAL

Anti-mosquito Breeding Act to be amended

The Ministry of Health has taken measures to amend the country’s Anti-Mosquito Breeding Act to provide more powers to the health officials, Ministry of Health sources said.

According to the Ministry, the amendments are needed to take stern action against people who maintain environments conducive to breeding mosquitoes. The public health officials have complained to the Ministry that they face resistance from the owners when they try to enter private properties to carry out inspection and take legal action against such mosquito breeding places in their property.

The officials say they were manhandled or harassed by the property owners on a number of occasions in the recent past.

According to Ministry sources, the Ministry of Health has appointed a committee chaired by Sunil Hettinayaka, a medical professional to propose amendments to the Act.

Planting of coconut saplings

The Government has launched a programme to plant four million coconut saplings in the country, the Coconut Development Ministry sources said.The programme is expected to be a long term solution to the current coconut shortage faced by the country.

The Coconut Development Ministry is to commence the programme at different levels. It is to be implemented through the Grama Niladhari offices and the Divisional Secretariats.

In a bid to address the coconut shortage faced by the country, the Government even imposed legislation preventing the felling of coconut trees without approval.