In the last few months, amidst the usual hustle and bustle of the work that goes on in Singapore Science Park (SSP), we welcomed our tenants and the public to come together to give back to the community at our annual flagship community arts programme, Art Jam Science Park.
This year, we announced the Piano Edition in hopes of opening up more avenues for the empowerment of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the spirit of creativity. Working once again with ART:DIS, a leading non-profit organisation dedicated to creating learning and livelihood opportunities for PWDs in the arts, and a new partner, Play It Forward, a team dedicated to refurbishing old, unused pianos and making them available to play in public spaces, we transformed Singapore Science Park into a vibrant musical wonderland.
Leading up to The Grand Unveiling in October, we hosted numerous satellite events, the first of which was the Paint-a-Tile workshop in July, in collaboration with MINDS, a social service agency serving persons with intellectual disability, caregivers, and their families across life stages. Here, we invited our tenants to unleash their creativity on small, square tiles, which would later be installed as part of a larger tiled artwork across MINDS centres and schools around Singapore.
Members of the SSP community were invited to unleash their creativity and paint whatever they wanted on their ceramic plate, handmade by PWD artists.
In September, preparations for the main event went underway with the Piano Painting workshop. More than 100 volunteers from the SSP community came together with our talented artists from ART:DIS, who designed the commissioned artworks that now adorn all 13 of our art pianos. A handful of tenants at SSP, Curtin Singapore, Oliver Healthcare, Sea, and Vitacoco, along with CapitaLand, further supported the cause by adopting a piano each.
Our SSP community volunteers lending a hand to paint 13 pianos beautifully designed by PWD artists from our partner ART:DIS..
With just weeks away from The Grand Unveiling, we kept up the excitement with a series of Ceramic Painting Workshops, where tenants could paint their unique designs on a ceramic plate, handmade by artists at ART Ceramics Open Studio, which they could then take home to use after glazing and firing. Apart from that, in the week leading up to The Grand Unveiling, tenants and the public alike were also treated to daily performances by guests pianists from ART:DIS during lunchtime, transforming the busy SSP space into an uplifting and melodious area.
Bright and early on Thursday, 24 October 2024, The Grand Unveiling kicked off with a wonderful performance by ART:DIS performer, Joshua German, followed by a speech by Mr Chew Peet Mun, Managing Director, Investment & Development, CapitaLand Development Singapore.
Next was the jewel of the event—unveiling the beautifully painted pianos. Esteemed Guest-of-Honour, Ms Rachel Ong, Member of Parliament, Adviser to West Coast GRC Grassroots Organisations, representatives from CapitaLand and SSP, as well as out tenant adoptees, gathered for a commemorative photograph before unveiling five our our key art pianos.
Our Guest-of-Honour, Ms. Rachel Ong, joins CapitaLand and SSP community representatives to unveil the beautifully transformed Art Jam Science Park pianos.
Following the unveiling, the crowd was entertained by a slew of performances by our very own tenants, Little Paddington Preschool and Charmaine from Merck, alongside her band, The Dancing Milk Cartons. Joining the lineup were NTU Piano Ensemble, ART:DIS musicians, singer-songwriter Tay Kewei, and even Guest-of-Honour, Ms Rachel Ong, who closed the main stage with a rousing piano composition.
The Grand Unveiling was met with captivating piano performances, including a stunning showcase by our multi-talented Guest-of-Honour, Ms. Rachel Ong, and other talented artists.
But the fun didn’t stop there — we then opened up the floor to the general public, where everyone got to try their hand at our activity booths featuring stamp printing, candle making, and pocket gardening. We also curated an outdoor bazaar showcasing a variety of artisan goods, many of which were handmade by PWDs
If you missed out on joining us last month, fret not, because you’ll still get to view and make use of our 13 art pianos, which will be on display at Geneo, 5 Science Park Drive until the end of the year. After which, they’ll be installed at various spots around SSP, so do keep an eye out on our Instagram and Facebook pages for further updates. Weekly lunchtime piano performances will also be ongoing on Thursdays in the months of November and December, so mark your calendars to experience the magic of our guest performers.
As we continue to fulfil our commitment towards fostering community engagement in the arts and championing sustainability, we hope to see you at our next edition of Art Jam Science Park!
Discover the beautifully transformed Art Jam Science Park pianos on display at Geneo, 5 Science Park Drive.
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