ArtScience Museum

Moshe Safdie designed the ArtScience Museum as a hand or a lotus, ten curved fingers of white fibre-reinforced polymer rising from a round base, and it works hydrologically as well as visually: rainwater runs off the petals into a central oculus and falls twenty-four metres into a reflecting pool inside. It opened in 2011 with exhibitions built around the meeting of art and science, and its long-running Future World installation by teamLab fills the lower galleries.

History

The museum was opened on 17 February 2011 by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong; it is the largest private museum in Singapore, mainly hosting touring exhibitions alongside a permanent show created with the art collective teamLab (Wikipedia, ArtScience Museum).

The main sights

• The petal form - ten curved fingers collecting rain into a central waterfall.
• Future World - the teamLab digital installation in the permanent galleries.
• The changing exhibitions - shows built around art, science and technology.
• The Marina Bay setting - the building on the waterfront beside the Sands.

When to go

Year round; the museum opens daily and is busiest at weekends and school holidays. Booking online avoids queues. Evening visits are quieter.

What to expect

Entry is expensive and the permanent digital installation is the bulk of what most visitors see. Future World is crowded and timed entry is often needed. What is showing in the temporary galleries varies a great deal.

Nearby

Marina Bay Sands is beside it, and Gardens by the Bay is south.

Key facts