ArtScience at School
S$100 per session
Advanced booking of at least 5 working days is required to enjoy special group rates.
Virtual Realms: Videogames Transformed
12 Jun 2021 - 9 Jan 2022
School Programmes
Virtual Realms: Videogames Transformed
Virtual Realms: Videogames Transformed is a part of ArtScience at School.
Step into the realm of the videogame in a series of playful and immersive installations that will take you on a journey through new sonic landscapes and exciting kaleidoscopic worlds.
With its global premiere at ArtScience Museum, Virtual Realms: Videogames Transformed pairs six of the world's most acclaimed videogame developers with six leading media design studios to create a series of large-scale, immersive installations. By moving videogames from the screen to the museum gallery, this exhibition presents 21st century game design as a unique form of contemporary art.
The game developers at the centre of the exhibition are KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS (makers of the hit videogame DEATH STRANDING), Enhance (Tetsuya Mizuguchi and team behind Rez Infinite and Tetris Effect), thatgamecompany (authors of the meditative games Sky: Children of the Light and Journey), Tequila Works (the studio that made Deadlight and RiME), Media Molecule (makers of LittleBigPlanet and Dreams) and David OReilly (artist and creator of the games Everything and Mountain). Each developer has partnered with a different media artist or design studio including Rhizomatiks, FIELD.IO, The Mill, Marshmallow Laser Feast, onedotzero and The Workers to create six new commissions each driven by a distinctive theme: SYNESTHESIA, UNITY, CONNECTION, PLAY, NARRATIVE and EVERYTHING.
Virtual Realms: Videogames Transformed is curated and organised by the Barbican, London with the celebrated game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi as guest-curator.
The exhibition is a co-production with ArtScience Museum, Singapore and Melbourne Museum and is made possible with the support of HP Inc., Vicon, Epic MegaGrants and London Symphony Orchestra.
Educational Resources
Curriculum Links
Thank you for your support, the exhibition is now closed.
Virtual tour is available through ArtScience at School: Tue – Thu: 10.15am, 11.45am, 2.45pm & 4.15pm
Price
Recommended Maximum Group Size
ArtScience at School: 40 pax
Explore the Exhibition
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SYNESTHESIA
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UNITY
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CONNECTION
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PLAY
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NARRATIVE
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EVERYTHING
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PLAY
Due to Safe Management Measures required during Phase 3 (Heightened Alert), there is limited capacity at two group interactive experiences, SYNESTHESIA and PLAY, in Virtual Realms. To enhance the visitor experience during peak periods – Fridays to Sundays and public holidays – visitors can purchase a one-time usage Fast Pass for the two experiences. The Fast Pass, which can be purchased onsite from 19 Jun or pre-purchased online from 23 Jun, enables visitors to skip the queue and minimise waiting time. The Fast pass is available for groups of 2 or 4. Please refer to the terms & conditions.
Imagine the future of play.
Media Molecule and Marshmallow Laser Feast experiment with the physical and virtual worlds in this giant play-space titled Dream Shaping. Equipped with tracking helmets and a selection of oversized soft geometric forms, visitors become part of an improvised performance or look on as curious spectators.
Media Molecule's latest game and toolset, Dreams, empowers players to build and share their creations whether games, music, art or animation. Based on Dreams, the installation invites you to work with others to create and manipulate your custom scene.
Commission Team: Media Molecule (game developer) with Marshmallow Laser Feast (media designer)
Gallery Images
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Dream Shaping, 2021 -
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NARRATIVE
Immerse yourself in a 360-degree scenic projection of the beautiful Mediterranean island from RiME – a videogame developed by Tequila Works. Step into the spotlights on the floor to influence the scene around you and create your own narrative, triggering actions and solving puzzles in order to uncover the next chapter in the story.
Inspired by Jorge Luis Borges' Book of Sand, this commission explores the notion of an infinite story with neither ‘any beginning or end’. Depending on the choices made and the collaborations between players, each rendition of the story will differ, creating an infinite non-linear narrative.
Commission Team: Tequila Works (game developer) and The Workers (media designer)
Gallery Images
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RiME © 2017 Tequila Works -
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EVERYTHING
Bask in the unique reactive environment of Eye, where visuals of different life forms self-organise into kaleidoscopic patterns that move to the musical scores of an orchestral soundtrack. A journey from the Big Bang through to the end of the universe, players can direct elements of the video using large interactive controllers or lounge on soft spongy seating and bathe in the psychedelic wonder of the immersive space.
Working with onedotzero, this commission emerged from David OReilly’s 2017 game Everything, a mediative and reflective world conveying the Buddhist concept of inter-connectednessthat invites players to explore and understand all aspects of sentient life.
Commission Team: David OReilly (game developer) and onedotzero (media designer)
Gallery Images
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David OReilly and onedotzero, Eye, 2021 -
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UNITY
Enter into the transcendental collective experience of thatgamecompany's Sky: Children of the Light in this immersive space filled with light and sound. Experience how videogames can be celebrated as sites of shared experiences and new communities.
Working with creative studio, FIELD.IO, thatgamecompany presents an all-encompassing generative instrument that encourages participation and collaboration from the audience. Use your presence to influence the composition of the space and go on a journey that will leave you with an overwhelming sense of togetherness.
Commission Team: thatgamecompany (game developer) and FIELD.IO (media designer)
Gallery Images
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thatgamecompany and FIELD.IO, Together: the distance between (us), 2021 -
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CONNECTION
Explore how videogames can help broaden our understanding of each other and bring us closer together.
The installation features an interactive 'wall' with two opposing sides to explore. Be transported into an unfamiliar environment where the wall is the only channel of connection and communication to other spaces and time. With a soundscape inspired by KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS' latest game, DEATH STRANDING, the wall appears to come alive with cells and particles that merge in mesmerising formations, reacting to touch and the proximity of those in the space. Over time, the visual record of this cosmic interplay, manifested on the wall, will slowly fade from view.
In this realm, KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS has collaborated with The Mill — a global production studio best known for their stunning digital effects, immersive and interactive experiences — to explore how videogames can help create connections in ways that were never previously possible.
Commission Team: KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS (game developer) with The Mill (media designer)
Gallery Images
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KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS and The Mill, WALL concept image, 2021 -
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SYNESTHESIA
Due to Safe Management Measures required during Phase 3 (Heightened Alert), there is limited capacity at two group interactive experiences, SYNESTHESIA and PLAY, in Virtual Realms. To enhance the visitor experience during peak periods – Fridays to Sundays and public holidays – visitors can purchase a one-time usage Fast Pass for the two experiences. The Fast Pass, which can be purchased onsite from 19 Jun or pre-purchased online from 23 Jun, enables visitors to skip the queue and minimise waiting time. The Fast pass is available for groups of 2 or 4. Please refer to the terms & conditions.
Be mesmerised by a landscape of light and sound that blurs the senses!
The first realm of the exhibition looks at synesthesia — a neurological phenomenon in which the boundaries between the senses are blurred and sounds can be 'seen' and visuals can be 'heard' or 'felt'. Exhibition co-curator and lead game designer at Enhance, Tetsuya Mizuguchi has explored the potential of synesthesia since his 2001 game, Rez.
In the exhibition, Mizuguchi's experiments with synesthesia are expanded into a large-scale format, allowing visitors to take part in this unusual sensorial state as a shared experience. Using light, sound and haptic technology developed specifically for this installation, Enhance and Rhizomatiks have created an unexpected synesthetic encounter which will transport visitors to other worlds and dimensions.
Commission Team: Enhance (game developer) and Rhizomatiks (media designer)
Gallery Images
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Enhance and Rhizomatiks,Rezonance concept image, 2021 -
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Virtual Tour
View Virtual Realms: Videogames Transformed through the eyes of our Education Specialist, Radhiah, as she takes you through six immersive realms - each designed by leading game designers and media design studios.
Immerse yourself in a multi-sensorial experience that paves the way for a future where videogames continue to push boundaries and look into ways people can enjoy gaming together in a communal environment.
Our Partners
The Barbican
A world-class arts and learning organisation, the Barbican, London pushes the boundaries of all major art forms including dance, film, music, theatre and visual arts. Its creative learning programme further underpins everything it does. Over 1.1 million people attend events annually, hundreds of artists and performers are featured, and more than 300 staff work onsite. The architecturally renowned centre opened in 1982 and comprises the Barbican Hall, the Barbican Theatre, The Pit, Cinemas One, Two and Three, Barbican Art Gallery, a second gallery The Curve, foyers and public spaces, a library, Lakeside Terrace, a glasshouse conservatory, conference facilities and three restaurants. The City of London Corporation is the founder and principal funder of the Barbican Centre.See more
The Barbican is home to Resident Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra; Associate Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra; Associate Ensembles the Academy of Ancient Music and Britten Sinfonia, Associate Producer Serious, and Artistic Partner Create. Our Artistic Associates include Boy Blue, Cheek by Jowl, Deborah Warner, Drum Works and Michael Clark Company. The Los Angeles Philharmonic are the Barbican’s International Orchestral Partner, the Australian Chamber Orchestra are International Associate Ensemble at Milton Court and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra are International Associate Ensemble.
Melbourne Museum
Melbourne Museum is the largest museum in the Southern Hemisphere, offering unparalleled insight into Victoria’s histories, cultures and natural environment from a range of perspectives. Behold globally-recognised exhibitions such as First Peoples, Te Vainui O Pasifika, Bugs Alive!, 600 Million Years, The Mind, Dinosaur Walk, and Forest Secrets,
along with brilliant temporary and touring exhibitions from near and far.See more
along with brilliant temporary and touring exhibitions from near and far.See more
Located in the iconic Carlton Gardens and designed by Denton Corker Marshall, this iconic structure houses spaces such as Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Te Pasifika Gallery, the Forest Gallery, the Science and Life Gallery, the Melbourne Gallery and the Pauline Gandel Children’s Gallery.
Museums Victoria is the umbrella organisation for Melbourne Museum, Scienceworks, Immigration Museum and IMAX Melbourne, as well as Museums Victoria’s largest collection item, the iconic UNESCO World Heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building. Attracting in excess of 2 million visitors across all its venues, Museums Victoria is one of the most popular tourism attractions in Victoria.
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EVENT School Programmes
ArtScience at School
ArtScience at School is an initiative which endeavours to bring exciting museum content into classrooms virtually while making the experience as authentic as what an on-site visit promises. -
EVENT TALK
Virtual Tour: Virtual Realms
View Virtual Realms: Videogames Transformed through the eyes of our Education Specialist, Radhiah, as she takes you through six immersive realms - each designed by leading game designers and media design studios. -
EXHIBITION
Virtual Realms: Videogames Transformed
Step into the realm of the videogame in a series of playful and immersive installations that will take you on a journey through new sonic landscapes and exciting kaleidoscopic worlds.
