Curious Worlds

This workshop investigates ways in which our bodies and senses shape our identities and experiences – within ourselves and the world around us. Through movement, participants will explore the connection between the mind and body, fostering self-discovery and rewriting old identity scripts. The session includes exploration of ways to embolden our senses and tune into the environment, independent movement with curated music, and reflective discussions. 

No dance background is needed, just openness to explore movement!

About Movemental:
Movemental is a one-of-its-kind social enterprise that addresses mental health issues through creative embodied approaches including Dance Movement Therapy. With a team of 7 facilitators and therapists, Movemental’s work stretches across charity, public community and corporate sectors, addressing the needs of elderly, people with mental health problems, youth and youth-at-risk, children, as well as mainstream adults. Movemental has been awarded funding from Temasek Foundation and Etonhouse Community Fund for its pioneering work. 

About Shi Han:
A qualified Dance Movement Psychotherapist and Psychologist, Shi Han has been working therapeutically with individuals and groups across a broad spectrum of emotional needs for over 14 years, both in Singapore and the UK. She was the first Dance Movement Therapist to be employed by Institute of Mental Health, creating services for the mood disorders, early psychosis, rehabilitation and children's wards. In 2021, Shi Han founded Movemental to improve accessibility to creative embodied approaches as a modality for Singaporeans to heal and thrive. As a consultant lecturer with Singapore University of Social Sciences, Shi Han also finds fulfilment in passing her skills and knowledge to future generations of expressive arts therapy trainees.

2pm – 2.20pm: Learn more about the science of reading and how our brain learns to read with Professor Annabel Chen (President's Chair Professor of Psychology at School of Social Sciences at NTU) in this talk designed for kids and parents.
 

2.30pm – 2.50pm: Is it good for you to learn languages, and can you do so at any age? Professor Henriette Hendriks (Professor in Language Acquisition and Cognition at the University of Cambridge) discusses the potential advantages of learning another language, and if it is truly easier when you are younger and harder when you are older.
 

3pm – 3.20pm: Gain insights into the phenomenon of interbrain synchrony and how multiple brains interact in fascinating ways during collaborative and social activities with Dr Jessica Tan (Research Scientist at NIE).
 

3.30pm – 3.50pm: Is forgetfulness the only sign of dementia, or can other signs and symptoms suggest dementia, especially in younger people below the age of 65? Dr Adeline Ng (Senior Consultant Neurologist at the National Neuroscience Institute) shares about young-onset dementia and how we can identify potential warning signs of pre-dementia to manage the condition.
 

4pm – 4.20pm: Learn about the meaningful work of Brain Bank Singapore, which supports scientific research to improve understanding and treatment of degenerative brain conditions. Priscilla Martin (Manager) and Apphia Choa (Donor Coordinator) will share how each brain donation plays a vital role in shaping discoveries that could benefit future generations.
 

4.30pm – 4.50pm: Kiirtaara Aravindhan (Research Fellow at Dementia Research Centre-Singapore) provides an overview of frailty in middle and older age, discussing its prevalence, risk factors and the benefits of early frailty assessments at a younger age.
 

5.00pm – 5.20pm: Adnan Azam Mohammed (Technology Lead at Dementia Research Centre-Singapore) shines a spotlight on the vascular type of mild cognitive impairment and explores digital solutions for its early detection and intervention.

Give your brain a good workout through a series of interactive games devised by the Centre for Research & Development in Learning (CRADLE) at NTU, which takes us on a voyage into the brain through VR, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and brain teasers. 

Interact with the Science of Learning in Education Centre (SoLEC) at NIE to find out more about how science is used to explore learning and education, with live demos of neuroimaging tools like Electroencephalogram (EEG) and Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) by our researchers.
 

Get a sense of how handling an unpreserved human brain might feel like and engage with Brain Bank Singapore to learn about the journey of a donated brain, which is crucial for research into neurological disorders. 
 

Find out how digital technology can help in the management of cognitive health and early detection of cognitive decline in conversations with Dementia Research Centre (Singapore).

This hands-on workshop invites you to explore how clothing shapes the way we move, feel, and show up in the world. Through a series of embodied exercises, participants will reimagine everyday garments—thinking through wearing and discovering how design can unlock life and all that it has to offer.

About Werable

We are a fashion studio on a mission to make clothing easy to wear for every body.

Through design innovation, ethnographical research and strategic partnerships with athletes, therapists, and brands like Toyota, Werable has pioneered inclusive fashion in Asia.

The brand has influenced global conversations through keynote talks and industry panels, earned international accolades such as the Shenzhen Design Award and Vogue Innovation Prize, expanding accessibility in retail with ready-to-wear.
 

About Claudia Poh

Claudia Poh is a designer and founder of Werable, an adaptive fashion label reshaping the way we think about clothing and inclusion. A Parsons School of Design graduate, her venture into adaptive fashion began when she crafted a coat for a friend with ALS. From hands-free dressing systems to innovative designs that can be worn single-handedly by stroke survivors, Claudia is an award-winning designer with a deep focus on social innovation.

How would you play video games with one hand? How would you play Connect 4 with your eyes closed? Get hands-on with some of the 3D-printed assistive technology developed at SalvageGarden Makerspace designed by and for individuals with disabilities.

5pm – 5.30pm: How will our mobility shift in the next 30 years—and how will this reshape the way we live? In this talk, designer and Werable founder Claudia Poh invites us to see fashion not just as style, but as empathy in action. It’s about observing life closely, identifying friction points, and finding ways to smooth the path forward. It means designing with, not just for—co-creating solutions that respect the full spectrum of human experience. Drawing from her journey designing for people experiencing ALS, stroke, and those with reduced dexterity, she shares how design can enhance mobility and transform everyday life. From inflatable dressing aids to garments that coil around the body, Claudia challenges us to imagine a future where clothing supports not only how we look—but how we move and belong. Because it’s not just about adding years to life. It’s about adding life to those years.
 
5.40pm - 6.10pm: SalvageGarden Makerspace is a pioneering initiative in Singapore, dedicated to creating assistive technology solutions for individuals with disabilities using open-source, Critical Making, and 3D printing. Saad Chinoy (Initiator of Salvage Garden Markerspace) shares about the journey of fostering a collaborative environment for individuals with disabilities and caregivers to co-create affordable and meaningfully customized assistive devices.

How can design and crafting help us see the natural world around us in new ways? How can we combine our observations and imagination to create our own piece of art?
 

Join fashion designer and artist AnnabelleTTN and sculpt your own botanical-inspired bags through beginner-friendly sewing techniques, while exploring laser cutting with textiles at the same time.
 

Draw inspiration from the museum’s iconic water lily pond and embrace its organic forms, colours and textures. Let your creativity bloom in this workshop that offers a unique blend of art, science, design and craft.
 

About Annabelle:

AnnabelleTTN is a fashion designer/artist based in Singapore and New York. Alongside being a fashion design honors graduate of Parsons The New School for Design, she also excelled with distinction at AEP O-Levels and IB Higher Level Arts. Annabelle has showcased her design works with renowned companies including Coach, Kate Spade, Thom Browne, Hermès, Dior and National Geographic. Alongside her multifaceted ventures, she has also hosted art and fashion courses in New York and Singapore. Being a non-conformist, Annabelle seeks to carve out an ingenious space for the next generation in the arts and fashion world.

Uncover the hidden world of our urban insect biodiversity with biodiversity consultancy The Curious Pangolin. Come discover the insects that call the museum home and how they play essential roles in the city.

Through a hands-on demonstration and interactive experience, learn how scientists study these often-overlooked creatures and find out how you can contribute as a citizen scientist.

Pre-programme Notes

The workshop will be conducted at various locations in and around the museum. Due to the roving nature of the programme, please plan to arrive at the meeting point, ArtScience Laboratory (B2), at least 10 min prior to the scheduled timing. 
 

To fully enjoy the workshop, we recommend dressing comfortably and wearing shoes that are suitable for walking. We suggest bringing along water, sunscreen, cap and umbrella. 
 

In the event of inclement weather, the workshop may be delayed and reconfigured for an indoor presentation if it is deemed unsafe for the collaborators and participants. We ask for your patience and understanding in these circumstances. 

Connecting Through Colours by Wild Dot

2pm – 3.15pm
 

Since 2019, artist-educators Liz and Shirin, who founded nature-guided art studio Wild Dot, have been exploring the unique qualities of local plants found in Singapore and the spaces that they reside in.
 

In this session, Liz and Shirin will share about some of the memorable colours they have made from plants they have encountered and the traditional technology of pigment making with natural plant dyes. They will reflect on how this artistic practice has helped them cultivate a deeper sense of connectedness to the land, and demonstrate their paint making process with a common plant in Singapore. Participants will be able to get up close to observe the process and try their hands on botanical colours with provided tools.

Illuminating the Roiling Darkness: Large-Scale Species Discovery in Nature’s Unknown Majority by Dr Ang Yuchen

4pm – 4.30pm
 

Insects like flies, wasps, and beetles make up the vast majority of life on Earth—yet most remain unnamed and unknown. These “Dark Taxa” are the unseen majority of biodiversity, long overlooked because traditional methodologies can’t keep up with the overwhelming volume of species.
 

In this talk, research entomologist Dr Ang Yuchen introduces Dark Taxonomy, a new scalable strategy that uses modern tools to rapidly and rigorously discover species at scale. Drawing from a project that uncovers 120 species of fungus gnats in Singapore—115 new to science—he explores how DNA sequencing, AI-powered image recognition, and even natural language processing (NLP) are transforming how we catalogue life. With the right tools and bold thinking, even biodiversity’s enormous blindspots can be brought into the light.
 

Dr Yuchen Ang is Senior Curator of Entomology at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, where he leads research on the biodiversity and systematics of Diptera, especially in Southeast Asia. His work focuses on “dark taxa”—hyperdiverse, understudied insect groups that make up the vast majority of life but remain largely unnamed. He applies scalable taxonomic strategies to accelerate species discovery, combining DNA, morphology and AI-assisted workflows. As a strong proponent of cybertaxonomy, he also develops digital tools like Biodiversity of Singapore to democratise species knowledge. Dr Ang is also a Senior Lecturer at NUS College, where he teaches an experiential, multidisciplinary course that brings students into the field to explore biodiversity through hands-on discovery.

Bugs, Biomimetics and Bioinspiration by Foo Maosheng

4.30pm – 5pm
 

Discover how the recent naming of Nocticola pheromosa completes a full circle of inspiration between science and pop culture in this talk by entomologist Foo Maosheng, who discovered and named this newly identified species of cockroach after a Pokemon, Pheromosa.
 

Explore how insects have inspired different designs and how insect biology and architecture, in turn, continue to shape fashion, robotics and sustainable buildings through biomimicry. Come see how bug discovery isn't just about science—it's about creativity, imagination, and design for the future.
 

Foo Maosheng is Curator of Cryogenic Collection and Insecta at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum. He has a particular research interest in termites and cockroaches, taxa that are understudied and misunderstood. He is also an advocate for entomophagy, the consumption of edible insects, as part of food sustainability.

Discover the riveting world of natural history and biodiversity and interact with Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum’s Outreach and Education team in a pop-up show-and-tell session. From the largest turtle in the world to the only completely herbivorous marine mammal on the planet, get up close with fascinating specimens from the museum’s collection and hear more about their stories that open us up to the wondrous natural world in which we live.