A sublime art installation, workshops and experiences await at Marina Central district
Singapore, 28 March 2022 — This March to November, align your Body, Heart & Soul at
Marina Central district, where interactive installations, workshops and boundless
experiences are set to vivify possibilities across arts, business and leisure. Debuted on
26 March, the travelling initiative Body, Heart & Soul will be unveiled at Marina Square
as its first stop and will subsequently be popping up across Millenia Walk, South Beach
and Suntec City.
Interweaving the district’s values of collaboration, innovation and sustainability to create
a profound digital experience, the photogenic series of installations are designed to
transform interactions in public spaces with new themes and experiences at each stop,
vitalising the district into a thriving, interconnected community for the common good.
Marina Central Business Improvement District (BID)
Marina Central Business Improvement District was established as a joint effort by
four stakeholders, Marina Square, Millenia Walk, South Beach and Suntec City, and
community partner, Esplanade — Theatres on the Bay, to inject fun placemaking
experiences, rejuvenate vibrancy and support businesses in the district. Exciting past
activations include the creation of the Largest Rubik’s Cube Mural in Singapore and the
record-breaking skipping event, Skip for Steps organised in partnership with Health
Promotion Board’s Healthy Workplace Ecosystem and National Steps Challenge.
Presently, Marina Central district rings in the second quarter of the year with the launch
of the sublime art installation, Body, Heart & Soul — a testament to the district’s endless
and exciting placemaking initiatives for locals and tourists to enjoy.
Ms Kwee Wei-Lin, Co-Chairperson of Marina Central BID and Head of Hotels,
Pontiac Land Group, said, “We are thrilled to establish Marina Central as a district that
offers endless entertainment, cuisines, shopping and retail enclave, not forgetting
diverse business opportunities and world-class hospitality for locals and visitors alike.
Marina Central district embodies a relentless spirit of collaboration and district building
for the common good.”
Dawn Lai, Co-Chairperson of Marina Central BID and Chief Operating Officer, ARA
Trust Management (Suntec) Limited, adds, “This year, we are honoured to be
collaborating with Dr Jason Lim from Singapore University of Technology and Design,
and Ar Asami Takahashi of YUME Architects to launch our very first art installation of
Body, Heart & Soul. The installation embodies our goal to position Marina Central
district as a fun and dynamic destination for collaboration, innovation and
placemaking.”
Body, Heart & Soul
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 as four illuminating cubes — representing Marina
Square, Millenia Walk, South Beach and Suntec City — that explore the way light can be
used to affect our perception. An intricate crystal lattice is artfully assembled out of
more than 1,200 four-point-knots to channel light and create an illusory world of
reflections and colour as it responds to human presence and gestures, transforming
and taking on new forms with each movement they make. Body, Heart & Soul illustrates
the convergence of art, technology and human consciousness.
Traversing through Marina Central District
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.
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 six years old and adults, and it is a great activity
for parent-child bonding. Register for the workshops at marinacentral.com.sg.
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.
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.
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.
Redefining your retail experience
That’s not all, visitors at Marina Central district can also look forward to a variety of
exciting retail promotions across the stakeholders, redeemable through their respective
apps.
For more information on Marina Central district:
Website: https://marinacentral.com.sg/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marinacentralsg/
