The much-anticipated Art Encounters by Art Outreach, a travelling exhibition series housed in repurposed shipping containers, returns to Orchard Road from 29 April to 12 June 2022 with an interactive 3D-printed and robotics installation by local maker-designer Bao Songyu.
Transporting audiences to the year 2222, “Afterman: Synthesis Lab” welcomes us to imagine a reality where unique organisms can be designed through CRISPR technology, a marvel that allows customised gene editing. Challenging the conventional critique that customised gene editing lets humans play God, the showcase considers the potential of this technology as an accelerating agent of biodiversity.
Step into a speculative herbarium containing mutated specimens from the future with composite features from various animals, plants and fungi, whose designs are based on responses collected from previous audiences. Each sculpture is then designed and constructed by Bao using 3D printing, and assembled on a motor to allow them to move realistically.
In keeping with Art Encounter’s mission to bring art closer to the public, an interactive lab allows you to create your own specimens by assembling parts already “grown” by the artist. Choose from 40 different parts, each inspired by real plants, animal and fungi characteristics and adaptations. Then alter its movement to bring your unique specimen to life! Add your specimen to an online repository by snapping a picture of it and sharing it on Instagram with the #Afterman2222, and see what others have created in the lab.
The artist will also be present on Fridays to Sundays throughout the exhibition to interact with visitors and guide them through the assembly process.
Date: 29 Apr to 12 Jun 2022
Time: 11.30am to 8.30pm daily
Artist present on Friday, 4pm to 7pm | Saturday and Sunday, 3pm to 6pm
Mandarin Gallery (Outdoor Walkway), Orchard Road
For more information on “Afterman: Synthesis Lab”, visit: https://bit.ly/3LoKbyn