Ever wondered how Singapore will be like in the future? The Future of Us exhibition is an immersive and multi-sensory exhibition offering glimpses into the possibilities of Singapore’s tomorrow through living, work, care and play. It is themed as a probable/plausible technology showcase of what Singapore will be like in the future. Tucked within the compounds of Gardens by the Bay, Singapore right beside Bayfront (CE1/DT16) MRT Station, the venue comprises of four inter-linking domes housing various exhibits in air-conditioned comfort accessible to visitors of all ages. One dome leads onto the next in a linear manner covering various aspects of the exhibition journey. If you are driving, set your GPS to 30 Marina Boulevard, parking at Marina Bay sands is nearer, but cheaper at the Gardens by the Bay.
The display is the capstone event to round up Singapore’s Julie year and SG50 celebrations and runs from Dec 1st 2015 to 8th March 2016 with free admission to all. The exhibition is open 9am to 9pm daily with last entry at 8.30pm. The exhibition starts off with a small multimedia area at the entrance which doubles up as a holding area and crowd control for the Theatre in the first dome. This display area has a number of interactive “newspaper” snippets of the purpose of the exhibition, covering key past events of Singapore, the identity of Singaporeans and the vision to look forward into Singapore’s next chapter.
Theatre of Generations
The first of the four interactive zones is the Theatre of Generations. Take a seat in one of the many cushion stools here and immerse yourself in 360 degree dome projection. The theme here takes inspiration from the forefathers of Singapore, which drives the vision and ideology of a technology-driven Singapore of the future. Check out the spectacle in the video below:
Symphony of the City
A full continuous 180 degree LED screen (the largest in Singapore) greets you in the next section. The display dwells into Singapore living spaces, concepts of automated and autonomous fast transportation as well as places of leisure in the city. This video and the Theatre of Generations forms the two video displays in the entire exhibition. Check out the Symphony of the City in the video below:
Home Tomorrow
This next display section is my personal favorite. Singapore with its land-scare small footprint is synonymous with ultra-dense living. This display showcases the communities of the future, setting the scene for this ultra-dense living yet still fulfilling learning, work and play through connected communities. Look out for the various skyview periscopes serving video snippets of life in the communities. Whether it is it buildings rising into the skies from land, sea or even buildings suspended in the air, the skies the limit!
Blue Skies
Leading onto the next and final dome is the Dream sharing area. The section, decked in deep purple calls upon Singaporeans and guests alike to share their hopes and dreams for themselves, their family and the nation, and to participate in steering the Singapore journey towards the future. Participants like yourself can do this by joining a constellation of wishes by adding yours into the digital galaxy through a number of touchscreen terminal consoles at the center of the dome.
You can write or draw in your dreams which will be submitted into the dream constellation. There are a number of “light canons” at the perimeter of the dome which you can use to illuminate any constellation in general too.
Following your exit from the Blue Skies dome is the Lion Outdoor Playground and Technology Marketplace. The Lion Playground is primarily a swing family playground, where you can swing to the nation to “power and charge” up power bar displays. When fully charged, the displays will release a random bubble shape into the skies complete with sound effects. This is achieved by a number of infra-red beams located on the swing structure, which counts the number of swings all the participants make to set the bubble shapes off. So get swinging Singapore!
The Marketplace is the event’s primary stage and networking area, serving also a showcase of Technological mockups from the various Universities and Polytechnics in Singapore. Fancy obtaining a Hybridised energy harvester, Future policeman kit or Pharmaceutical products such as e-tattoos and finger readers for blood monitoring? Grab them off the shelves in the Marketplace of the future here.
The Future of Us exhibition is a rather nicely done event, so do check it out if you are around town. Overall, the exhibition is good for a full hour or maybe two if you wish to go through all the exhibits. Nonetheless an excellent addition to end the jubilee year of Singapore.
View more photos of the exhibition here.
