Talks at ArtScience Museum

Conversations shaping the future.

Talks at ArtScience Museum bring together leading voices from across disciplines to explore the urgent ideas shaping our collective future.

From quantum theory and space exploration to neuroscience and wellbeing, these dialogues consider how scientific knowledge and artistic imagination can converge to illuminate new ways of understanding the world and our place within it. Recent conversations have engaged deeply with the evolving role of artificial intelligence, digital culture and creativity in an age of automation — alongside critical investigations into futures thinking, climate resilience and ecological kinship.

Through this dedicated track of programming, the museum invites a wide public into a space of considered inquiry — where complexity is embraced, and the intersection of disciplines births new possibilities for understanding and change.

Generous Futures, Woven Together

15 Nov (Sat)

What might it mean to imagine the future generously? Who is generosity for, and how is it practised? What does it ask us to give up, or give back?

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Future Voices

Young people are at the heart of our work. Through our Future Voices co-authorship programming, we invite them to shape, question and reimagine the museum alongside us. They are collaborators, co-creators and essential voices in what we do.

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Waves of Change Festival 2023

5 – 27 Aug

The Waves of Change Festival is an annual celebration of the big blue to inspire love, care and action for the ocean. Join us in learning about amazing marine life, hear from the inspiring youths working in the space, and enjoy this safe space to reflect and explore opportunities for change.

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Glacier Dreams: Artist Talk by Refik Anadol

1 Jun (Thu), 4pm – 4.50pm

Internationally renowned media artist and director Refik Anadol reveals the creative process and influences behind Glacier Dreams, an immersive AI-generated installation inspired by the beauty and fragility of glaciers.

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Pulp III: A Short Biography of the Banished Book

7, 13, 17 Jan

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Art/Science Symposium 2022

16 Nov 2022, 11am – 6pm

A symposium hosted by Lloyd’s Register Foundation, in partnership with ArtScience Museum and NUS Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk.

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We Dream in Futures: Another World Is Possible Opening Symposium

13 Sep (Fri), 2pm – 5pm

Accompanying Another World Is Possible, this symposium explores the power of narrative to imagine radical futures and new worlds that are alive with possibility.

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Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses Opening Talk

15 Mar (Sat), 2pm – 4pm

Featuring visionary Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen, the opening programme of Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses discusses her multidimensional approach to creation and the idea of transformation that informs her work.

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Imagination Takes Flight — The World of Studio Ghibli Opening Talk

5 Oct (Sat), 2pm – 4.45pm

Featuring Studio Ghibli’s Atsushi Okui (Director of Digital Imaging) and Shinsuke Nonaka (Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs), the exhibition opening programme offers a rare and intimate understanding of the creative and technical brilliance of the revered Japanese animation house.

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EdTech Futures Symposium: Education in a Technology-Transformed World

7 Sep (Sat), 2pm – 4.30pm

Organised as the opening symposium of In the Ether — A Festival of Technology and Innovation, EdTech Futures offers a radical imagining of the future of learning. The symposium gathers thought leaders, futurists, startup disruptors, education practitioners and policymakers to discuss harbingers of change and transformative shifts in a technology-driven education landscape.

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Hope and Defiance – Frida Kahlo Opening Symposium

4 May (Sat), 2pm – 4.25pm

Lean into the intimate universe of Frida Kahlo and explore the life, art and enduring legacy of one of the most celebrated artists of the 20th century.

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Goddess Opening Symposium

6 Apr (Sat), 2pm – 5.15pm

Goddess Opening Symposium explores the screen goddess as a complex archetype that transcends gender binaries and continues to evolve.

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Humanity Reimagined - Mars Opening Symposium

25 Nov (Sat), 2pm – 6pm

On the occasion of the launch of Mars: The Red Mirror, join us to explore how Mars has long captured our collective imagination and what it represents for humanity.

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Radical Imaginations - New Eden Opening Symposium

21 Oct (Sat), 2pm – 6pm

In the opening symposium of New Eden: Science Fiction Mythologies Transformed, join us to envision speculative futures and inhabit new worlds informed by Asian mythologies and science fiction.

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Notes from the Ether – Artist Talk by Memo Akten

16 Sep (Sat), 2pm – 3pm

Visionary artist, creative technologist and philomath, Memo Akten, discusses the interconnectedness of humans and machines and what AI means for the human experience.

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Sensory Odyssey Opening Symposium

27 May (Sat), 2pm – 6.15pm

Explore the extraordinary legacies of our planet and new ways to imagine sustainable futures at the opening programme of Sensory Odyssey: Into the Heart of our Living World.

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Embracing Music for a Healthier Future

24 Feb (Fri), 4pm – 5.15pm

In her talk, Dr. Kat Agres will speak about the affordances of music for healthcare and wellbeing, and share exciting new programmes and research projects at this intersection.

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Conversations: Headspace

3 Sep 2022, 2pm – 5.10pm

Organised as the opening event of MENTAL: Colours of Wellbeing, Conversations: Headspace brings together researchers, artists and curators of the exhibition to discuss a range of perspectives on mental health and wellbeing through their practices, advocacy work and lived experiences.

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Conversations: In the Company of Trees

28 May 2022, 2pm – 6.25pm

Delve into the art and science of trees in this mini-symposium organised on the occasion of the launch of We Live in an Ocean of Air at ArtScience Museum.

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Ocean City Realised Panel Discussion: Cesar Jung-Harada, Charles Lim, Dr Jani Tanzil

Cesar Jung-Harada, Charles Lim and Dr Jani Tanzil come together in an interdisciplinary discussion addressing the realities of our changing coastal cities.

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Cesar Jung-Harada’s Practice and Work

From boats that move like fish to floating machines that turn seawater into fuel, discover Cesar Jung-Harada’s passion and practice in this introductory video.

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Net Zero Is Not Enough: Cesar Jung-Harada and Sarah Ichioka

Cesar Jung-Harada and Sarah Ichioka discuss the integral role of the designer and regenerative design in catalysing systemic and structural change.

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Hope from Chaos: In Conversation with Professor Lam Yeng Ming

Professor Lam Yeng Ming (Chair of the School of Materials Science and Engineering at NTU Singapore) shares strategies in nanotechnology that can be repurposed to act against COVID-19, as well as sustainability-driven innovation in materials science that draws on the research of NTU scientists.

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Hope from Chaos: In Conversation with Luke Jerram

Luke Jerram shares how his Glass Microbiology artworks question the global impact of deadly diseases, challenging observers to reconsider their view of viruses and pathogens.

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Hope from Chaos: In Conversation with Cao Fei

Chinese contemporary artist Cao Fei discusses how her work, Isle of Instability, responds at a personal level to her time living under pandemic lockdown with her family.

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Radical Curiosity: Curators in Dialogue with Rosa Pera and José Luis de Vicente

Presented by Rosa Pera and José Luis de Vicente (guest curators of Radical Curiosity), the inaugural lecture takes us through the universe of the unclassifiable investigator and visionary who, throughout the 20th century, foresaw the major crises of the 21st century.

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The Future is Always First an Idea – Charu Kokate

Charu Kokate (Partner at Safdie Architects and Director of the Singapore office), who led on and oversaw the construction of iconic and complex structures including Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort, Jewel Changi Airport and Sky Habitat Residential Towers, headlines the second session in an online talks series accompanying Radical Curiosity: In the Orbit of Buckminster Fuller.

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Remembering Fuller with Datuk Seri Lim Chong Keat

Pioneer architect Datuk Seri Lim Chong Keat unfolds the regional story of Buckminster Fuller through the more than decade-long friendship which they shared.

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6 Oct, 4pm

Orchestral Manoeuvres: Curators in Dialogue with Adrian George and Amita Kirpalani

Join the curators of Orchestral Manoeuvres: See Sound. Feel Sound. Be Sound for an in-depth look at the themes and ideas explored in this exhibition that expands how we think about, experience and understand sound.

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Adrian George
(Director, Exhibitions and Museum Services at ArtScience Museum)
Amita Kirpalani
(Curator at ArtScience Museum)

6 Sep, 10am
Games as a Medium for Artistic Expression

Hear from Kevin Prior, Senior Lecturer in Game Software Design and Production, as he shares about how art and science can create immersive and emotional forms of storytelling. His talk will cover the history of games as expressive media, the main components that make games a unique and interesting medium, and some challenges and opportunities those who wish to pursue this medium may face.

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7 Sep, 8pm – 9.15pm
Panel Discussion with DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore Alumni

Hear from DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore alumni as they discuss easy and accessible ways to approach game development.

In this panel discussion, they will share stories and challenges faced in their personal journey and how everyone can be a game designer!

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10 Sep
ABCs of Healthy Video Gaming

Learn about the benefits of video gaming while debunking common misconceptions with Elyna, and Pauline from SOOS OIO!

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13 Sep, 10am
Games as a Medium for Expressing Cultural Values

Cultural values and socio-political implications of games are important topics of discussions for the fields of humanities and social sciences. As educators at DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore, Ms Shanthina and Dr. Sim Jiaying encourage students to make games that consider social issues and increase cultural awareness.

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14 & 15 Sep, 3pm – 5pm
Future Gaming Conference

Join us to explore how videogames are changing the world right now and discuss transformative ideas that are shaping the future of one of the most exciting media.

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27 Jul, 8pm

Expanded Realities Conversations with Daniel Birnbaum and Honor Harger

Join us to imagine the future possibilities of contemporary art and technology as we explore how extended reality is transforming museums in inexplicable ways.

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13 Jul, 8pm

Expanded Realities Conversations with Robin McNicholas and Sarah Ellis

Discover how creative directors and producers are working in blended reality spaces and creating new paradigms for how immersive storytelling can be experienced.

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17 Jun, 8pm

Expanded Realities Conversations with Tetsuya Mizuguchi and Patrick Moran

Join us to explore how videogames are evolving beyond the screen and introducing new encounters that connect virtual and physical worlds in extraordinary ways.

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10 Mar, 8pm - 9pm

Join us in the concluding Climate Conversations talk featuring prominent ecologist and President of Nature Society (Singapore), Dr Shawn Kaihekulani Yamauchi Lum. He will share about the efforts by Nature Society focused on marine conservation and coastal clean-up, and how we can play a role in protecting our marine environments and biodiversity.

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6 Oct, 8.30pm

The series launched with a talk by Cynthia Doumbia (Director, International Exhibitions at National Geographic Society), who spoke about how this multi-year initiative harnesses storytelling to tackle the global plastic waste crisis and effect meaningful change.

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20 Oct, 5pm

Intan Suci Nurhati (senior researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences’ Research Center for Oceanography and National Geographic Explorer) highlighted issues in plastics management and her recent research work on the rising tide of pandemic-driven plastic waste.

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26 Nov, 5pm

Mandy Barker (photographer and National Geographic Explorer), whose work involving marine plastic debris has received global recognition, shared how she has been working alongside marine scientists to transform data on ocean plastics into arresting collages of pollution.

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26 Jan, 5pm

Renowned conservation scientist Lian Pin Koh (Director of the Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions at National University of Singapore) joins us in the penultimate talk to speak about how a better understanding of the potential and limits of nature-based climate solutions is needed to help inform our climate policy and investment decisions.

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Feeling the Future Talk with Tong Yee
4 Aug

Tong Yee (Co-Founder of The Thought Collective) reflects on emotional resilience and personal leadership in this season of crisis – how it tells us about who we are as societies and states, and reveals powerful wisdom if we care to look. Following his talk, Tong Yee will also be participating in a Q&A moderated by Honor Harger (Executive Director, ArtScience Museum).

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Feeing the Future Talk with Richard Hassell
21 Jul

Titled Strange Times, WOHA’s proposal for Singapore for the year 2050 is presented in the form of a highly realistic newspaper from the future at 2219: Futures Imagined. Richard will talk about the emotions and humour this provocative piece of speculative realism was designed to elicit. Following his talk, Richard will also be participating in a Q&A moderated by Nina Ernst (Associate Director, Programmes).

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Feeling the Future Talk with Lynn Froggett and Lizzie Muller
7 Jul

Lynn Froggett and Lizzie Muller speak about how exhibitions support the civic role of museums in bringing what is ‘felt’ into public conversation through a process of ‘cultural contagion’. They will also be joined by Nina Ernst (Associate Director, Programmes) in a livestream moderated conversation on 9 Jul (Thursday), 4pm.

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Feeling the Future Talk by Anab Jain and Jon Ardern of Superflux
23 Jun

Listen in as Superflux founders Anab Jain and Jon Ardern talk about how they use narrative and speculation to explore complex problems that are often discussed in terms of data and abstract projections, and why hope often works best alongside tools for proactively tackling future challenges.

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Feeling the Future Talk with Cheryl Chung
Available Online

Join Cheryl Chung (Co-Director of Executive Education and Head of Strategic Planning at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore) as she discusses how to democratise tools for hope and impart them to youth so they can design the future. She will also be joined by Honor Harger (Executive Director, ArtScience Museum) in a livestream moderated conversation on 26 May (Tuesday), 5pm.

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Feeling the Future Talk with Scott Smith
Available Online

Scott Smith (Founder and Managing Partner of Changeist) shares practical tools for mapping out possible futures in a crisis, which might help us think about and unpack orders of impact of significant change. He will also be joined by Honor Harger (Executive Director, ArtScience Museum) in a live moderated conversation on 12 May at 5pm.

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Feeling the Future Talk with Ariel Muller
Available Online

Join Ariel Muller as she shares how we might better equip ourselves to prepare for future shocks, given what we are learning from people's responses to COVID-19.

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28 Sep, 4pm

Parents, educators and practitioners come together in Learning from Home Roundtable to share their experiences of at-home learning during COVID-19 lockdown. Join us as we discuss how this period of disruption is presenting opportunities to respond to new perspectives on parenting, teaching and learning beyond the pandemic.

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Sanveen Kang (Principal Clinical Psychologist at Psych Connect)
Bob Lee (Photographer, founder of The Fat Farmer and autism advocate)
Cherie Lim Tseng (editor with The Birthday Collective)
Victor Lim Fei (Assistant Professor at National Institute of Education)
Elaine Ng (co-founder of The Learning Connections)

Artist Talk: Sara Wookey
15 Sep 2022

How do our bodies navigate the many invisible rules of the public space sometimes without us even noticing? Join us as dance artist and researcher Sara Wookey considers how our bodies relate to space around us and if the new safe distancing choreography of the public space might have changed the way we move forever.

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Artist Talk: Blast Theory
23 Jul 2022

UK-based Blast Theory creates interactive art that reveals the interconnectedness of cultural, scientific, and political issues. Join us as two of the artists from Blast Theory, Matt Adams and Nick Tandavanitj, discuss recent works relating to the flu epidemic in 1918 and SARS in 2003 that have renewed resonance in today’s pandemic world.

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Livestream session
9 Jun, 4pm

As Singapore eases out of isolation, join us in a livestream roundtable with industry panellists as they reflect on how the circuit breaker is offering a pivotal moment to reframe conversations around access and inclusion.

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Paul Adams, Learning & Engagement Manager, Singapore Repertory Theatre
Serene Goh, Senior Programme Executive, Creative Services, Singapore Association for Mental Health
Grace Lee Khoo, Founder and Creative Development Director of Access Path Productions
Jean Loo, Co-Founder of Superhero Me