Award Banner
Award Banner

ArtScience Museum transforms video games into art forms

ArtScience Museum transforms video games into art forms
Rezonance, Enhance and Rhizomatiks, 2021.
PHOTO: ArtScience Museum Singapore

The subjective, socially-constructed nature of definitions often leaves room for questions, and that’s no exception in the world of art.

From traditional forms like sculptures and paintings, to more contemporary styles such as anime and video games, the debate of what constitutes an art form has been a long-standing and familiar one.

Singapore’s ArtScience Museum is looking to explore it further with the Virtual Realms: Videogames Transformed exhibition, which will run from June 12, 2021 to Jan 9, 2022.

PHOTO: ArtScience Museum

Making its global premiere here, the multi-sensorial showcase reimagines video games as a 21st century art form, and is co-curated by celebrated video game design and former chief creative officer of Sega’s United Game Artist division Tetsuya Mizuguchi.

Taking centrestage are interactive works by six of the world’s leading developers, who have collaborated with renowned media design studios to create a series of large-scale, immersive installations.

The list of names includes Kojima Productions (makers of Death Stranding), Enhance (Mizuguchi and team behind Rez Infinite and Tetris Effect), thatgamecompany (authors of Sky: Children of the Light and Journey), Tequila Works (developers of Deadlight and RiME), Media Molecule (creators of LittleBigPlanet and Dreams), and David OReilly (artist and creator of Everything and Mountain), alongside media artists and design studios Rhizomatiks, FIELD.IO, The Mill, Marshmallow Laser Feast, onedotzero, and The Workers.

Read Also
digicult
Star Wars Day 2021 Singapore at the ArtScience Museum

“By creating these exciting new collaborations, Virtual Realms offers game developers a unique opportunity to break free from the constraints of consoles and formal game playing and really push the boundaries of how video games can be experienced together. This exhibition paves the way for a future where the world of games spills out beyond the screen,” said Mizuguchi in an official statement.

Each artwork in the exhibition is driven by a unique theme that focuses on a different part of the sensory experience. A total of six realms will be available for viewing: SYNESTHESIA, UNITY, CONNECTION, PLAY, NARRATIVE, and EVERYTHING.

The first installation, titled Rezonance, is a collaborative result between Enhance and Rhizomatiks that explores the potential of synesthesia – a neurological phenomenon in which the boundaries between the senses are blurred and where sounds can be ‘seen’ and visuals can be ‘heard’ or ‘felt’ – through light, sound, and technology.

Rezonance, Enhance and Rhizomatiks, 2021.
PHOTO: ArtScience Museum

“Together, the distance between (us)” in the second realm, meanwhile, sees thatgamecompany and FIELD.IO joining forces to investigate the relationship between the composition of the space, and movement, light and, sound.

Together: the distance between (us), thatgamecompany and FIELD.IO, 2021.
PHOTO: ArtScience Museum

Reimagining the key theme of connection in Death Stranding, Wall by Kojima Productions and The Mill will transport visitors into an unfamiliar environment where a wall serves as the only channel of connection.

When approached, its cells and cosmic particles will respond by dividing and clustering in accordance to one’s movements.

Wall, KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS and The Mill, 2021.
PHOTO: ArtScience Museum

The fourth, “Dream Shaping”, is the brainchild of Media Molecule and Marshmallow Laser Feast. It invites visitors to work together to create and manipulate their custom experience a la Media Molecule’s game creation video game system Dreams.

Dream Shaping, Media Molecule and Marshmallow Laser Feast, 2021.
PHOTO: ArtScience Museum

Where Book of Sand by Tequila Works and The Workers explores the notion of an infinite story through a choice-based narrative, David OReilly’s and onedotzero’s Eye looks to round off the exhibition with a meditative and reflective experience that conveys the Buddhist concept of inter-connctedness.

Tickets for Virtual Realms: Videogames Transformed will be available for purchase at all Marina Bay Sands Box Offices and the official website from May 31, 2021. Pricing details are as follows:

Standard Ticket ($) Singapore Resident ($)
Adult 19 16
Concession 14 12
Family package (2 kids + 2 adults) 54 45

This article was first published in Geek Culture.

homepage

trending

trending
    Chee Hong Tat to chair Chinese Community Liaison Group, succeeding Edwin Tong
    Is Singapore's F&B industry struggling? Hawkers, entrepreneurs and insiders weigh in
    Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration from revoking Harvard enrolment of foreign students
    2 men and a woman arrested for alleged involvement in impersonating MAS staff, scamming victim of nearly $100k
    We will involve Singaporeans in creating and implementing solutions, says PM Wong as new Cabinet sworn in
    18 injured in knife attack in Hamburg, report says
    'Short-term, more conservative view': Local businesses struggle to come to terms with US tariffs
    'Harvard refugee': Chinese students hunker down as US blocks foreign enrolment 
    $4.6m fine: 2 contractors taken to task for rigging tender bids of upgrading works at PA community clubs
    Cool paint, clean power: These are the sustainable innovations that Temasek Foundation are backing for $2m
    LTA impounds 78 non-compliant AMDs to address rising number of fire incidents
    Youth who performed lewd act on cat pleads guilty

Singapore

Singapore
    • Singapore has never stayed neutral and does take positions on trade with US and China: Gan Kim Yong
    • 'Mixed emotions': Ministers Chan Chun Sing, Desmond Lee and Chee Hong Tat reflect on their Cabinet movements
    • US and China embassies in Singapore clash online over South China Sea; MFA cautions against stirring local sentiment
    • Man who sexually assaulted stepdaughter despite wife's warning gets jail, caning
    • Daily roundup: Murder mystery pop-up inspired by K-drama Nine Puzzles lets you take a shot at playing detective — and other top stories today
    • Daily roundup: New FairPrice Finest outlet featuring food hall opens in Sembawang — and other top stories today
    • Jail for man who devised bogus wine investment scheme, pocketed $12.67m of investors' funds
    • PM Lawrence Wong's Cabinet reshuffle 'cautious' and with succession in mind: Analysts
    • Singapore keeps 2025 growth forecast at 0-2%, sees slight boost from US-China truce
    • Daily roundup: Cat A COE premiums remain above $100k despite slight dip in second bidding for May 2025 — and other top stories today

Entertainment

Entertainment
    • Tay Ying holds 'guo da li' ceremony, jokes she's 'sold'
    • Tom Cruise sends BTS' Jin on secret-agent challenges in variety show
    • Little Monsters flock to Maxwell Food Centre table that Lady Gaga dined at
    • ICA reviewing PR status of Ian Fang, Lev Panfilov following convictions for sexual offences
    • Barry Keoghan confesses to being an addict
    • US singer Chris Brown granted $8.6 million bail for world tour by UK court
    • Miley Cyrus unwilling to remove 'very large' polyp on vocal cord in case it changes her voice

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
    • Supermarket meets kopitiam: New FairPrice Finest outlet featuring food hall opens in Sembawang
    • Bak kut teh or laksa? Uniqlo's latest drop features Singapore food-inspired collection
    • Kopitiam offering 60-cent hot kopi-o and teh-o from June to mark SG60
    • Jurassic World, inflatable playgrounds and more: Family-friendly events and activities this June holiday
    • What to look for in a pregnancy milk: A guide for expecting mums
    • Maxus Mifa 7 review: A large Chinese electric MPV that bucks the luxury trend
    • Free things to do in Singapore (May to June): i Light Singapore, GastroBeats, Pasar Pink, Children's Festival and more
    • Cat A COE premiums remain above $100k despite slight dip in second bidding for May 2025
    • New theme park to open in Japan's Okinawa this July offering scenic treks, hot air balloon rides and more
    • We check out Hiap Joo Bakery's new vending machine selling its famous banana cake

Digicult

Digicult
    • World's best Dota 2 teams to compete for $1m prize pool in Singapore in November
    • A $500 wake-up call: How the Samsung Galaxy Ring made me realise my stress
    • Monster Hunter Wilds producer explains how game has remained unique and fresh over 20 years
    • EU and US authorities take down malware network
    • Google Pixel 9a: The best AI-centric phone under $800 in 2025?
    • Western intelligence agencies warn spyware threat targeting Taiwan, Tibetan rights advocates
    • Taiwan says China using generative AI to ramp up disinformation and 'divide' the island
    • Russian court fines Telegram app for refusal to remove anti-government content, TASS reports
    • One Beijing man's quest to keep cooking — and connecting with Americans — on camera
    • Nintendo Switch 2 to launch in June with US$449.99 price tag

Money

Money
    • Wall Street equity indexes close higher after US-China tariff truce
    • Giant deal: Malaysian company to acquire Cold Storage and Giant supermarket chains in Singapore
    • Looking to buy Singapore property in 2025? Here's what's different (and what could catch you off guard)
    • Newly MOP-ed 3-room HDB flat in Bedok sold for record $730k
    • Ang Mo Kio's most expensive 5-room HDB flat sold for $1.5m, here's why
    • US climate pullback threatens planned debt-for-nature deals
    • This rare HDB maisonette in Queenstown just set a $1.51m record: Here's why
    • HDB BTO July 2025 review: Locations, resale, values, amenities and more
    • Selling your condo? This overlooked factor could quietly undercut your selling price
    • Using a personal loan for a used car purchase: What you need to know

Latest

Latest
  • US judge orders Trump administration to facilitate return of Guatemalan deportee
  • China pledges support for overseas students after Trump's Harvard curb
  • Top US diplomat in Havana promises more sanctions on Cuba
  • Paris court convicts thieves who robbed Kim Kardashian in jewel heist
  • US issues orders easing Syria sanctions after Trump pledge
  • After shootings, Washington's shaken Jewish community looks to bolster security
  • Trump threatens new tariffs on EU and Apple, reigniting trade fears
  • 4 dead, 17 missing as heavy rains soak southern China, triggering landslides 
  • US and Iran to hold nuclear talks amid clashing red lines 

In Case You Missed It

In Case You Missed It
  • Trump administration blocks Harvard from enrolling foreign students, threatens broader crackdown 
  • No joke: Bangkok condo resident releases snakes in corridor to protest neighbour's noisy dog
  • 'Only one chance at life': Chinese student, 18, misses exam to save classmate suffering heart attack
  • Baby suspected to have been eaten by monitor lizard in Thailand, only head found
  • 'Dog will return soon': GE2025 independent candidate Jeremy Tan wants to contest again
  • Ong Ye Kung leads PAP team to victory while elder brother Howard Ong loses in Australia's election on the same day
  • Tan Kiat How weighs in on viral video of Gan Kim Yong being ignored by passers-by in Punggol
  • PSP's Tan Cheng Bock turns 85; SDP's Paul Tambyah joins celebration at Teban Gardens
  • PM Wong urges voters to 'choose leaders of good character' in PAP's first party political broadcast
This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.