Art What!: Fourth edition of Art Encounters at Marina Central

The fourth edition of Art Encounters will travel to the Marina Central district from 1st May to 27th June 2021 with an array of activities showcasing the diversity of textile art. Titled Into Softer Worlds, this edition features Natalia Tan, a Singaporean artist whose primary practice is Saori freestyle weaving, as well as a group of other participating artists. The four stakeholders of the Marina Central Business Improvement District (BID)––Marina Square, Millenia Singapore, South Beach and Suntec City––have come together to offer visitors an array of themed activities and retail and dining offerings within the district.

At Millenia Walk, the public can observe the artist at work in a popup free-weaving studio container, try their hand at weaving on a Japanese floor loom and contribute to a collective tapestry. They can also visit an exhibition of textile works in the adjacent container, featuring a rotation of Singapore-based practitioners in May and June, each with their own unique approach to textiles and craft. Highlights include an upcycled yarnbomb installation by crochet artist Kelly Limerick that will sprout up over the course of the exhibition, fabrics knitted on a computer using algorithms developed by the Harmony Planning Committee (Singapore University of Technology and Design), and works by artists Adeline Thng, Agatha Lee “Agy”, Alysha Rahmat Shah, Autumn Brown, Jennifer Anne Champion, Nandita Mukand and Nature Shankar.

As they explore the district, visitors can also visit the welcome gallery in Marina Square to learn more about Art Encounters, or explore specially commissioned outdoor art installations around South Beach and Suntec City. This edition of Art Encounters will present expanded programmatic offerings of family-friendly workshops led by artists Cheryl Tan, Johanna Pan, Michelle Lim and Wilson Wang, inviting visitors to learn techniques of finger-knitting, fibre-spinning and basic embroidery, or inculcate a love for nature through botanical sketching and printmaking with recyclable materials.

As the world continues to navigate the harsh challenges of the pandemic, audiences are invited Into Softer Worlds, where they can experience a community-effort to participate, create, and share in what moves us. Visitors are more than mere viewers in this multi-sensory encounter taking place across the district. Rather, they drive the work by weaving their heartfelt wishes into a collectively-created tapestry of dreams and desires.

Art Encounters: Into Softer Worlds runs from 1st May to 27th June 2021 around Marina Central. More information available here