Staycation in the Wild
While overseas VTL travel is temporarily suspended, escape the bustling city life at the zoo instead. Spend the night in the rainforest with a staycation in close proximity to exotic animals. Besides cosying up in an air-conditioned dome located at the tranquil Upper Seletar Reservoir and wandering in Rainforest Lumina, participants will have opportunities to interact with elephants, sea lions and rhinos alongside their carers to understand the animals' habits. Those into aquatic animals can opt for the River Wonders' Staycation alternative that allows guests to get up close with intelligent manatees and cute capybaras.
Staycation in the Wild happens till 19 March 2022 at the Singapore Zoo. Bookings are required.
Nam June Paik: The Future Is Now
After teasing with a virtual preview, we can now experience Nam June Paik's art physically with The Future Is Now. The late visionary artist and 'father of video art' created works that reflects upon our relationship with technology and intersects with other disciplines such as nature, music, and religion. Featuring over 180 installations, projections, modified televisions, video sculptures, and robots, this exhibition makes its only stop in Asia after staging at London’s Tate Modern, San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art and Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum.
Nam June Paik: The Future Is Now happens till 27 March 2022 at National Gallery Singapore.
Chua Mia Tee: Directing the Real
There's beauty in everyday life. Capturing such moments accurately is one of Singapore's leading realist artists Chua Mia Tee. Through his distinct view, realism goes beyond the mere representation of reality. His first solo institutional exhibition since 1992 focuses on Singapore's development and transformation in its early years. Featuring over 50 works primarily from the 1950s to 1980s, these vivid depictions also examines the social tensions across different segments of society through the faces of everyday people such as those in the working class and the labouring masses.
Chua Mia Tee: Directing the Real happens till 20 Nov 2022 at National Gallery Singapore.
Zouk Music Academy: Helm The Deck
Partying at the clubs seems impossible now. So why not be a bedroom DJ instead? Take cues from renowned DJs of award-winning entertainment club-institution Zouk with their dedicated DJ masterclasses. Through one-on-one classes conducted by veteran music maestros Jeremy Boon, Hong, Ghetto and Nash D, you'll learn to control the deck confidently while mastering various music genres and technical styles. These introductory to intermediate sessions will be held in Zouk's fully-equipped live rooms for a genuine euphoric experience. All that remains is to have a moniker now.
Helm The Deck by Zouk Music Academy starts at SGD49 for a Trial DJ Class to SGD450 for an Intermediate DJ Course.
Franck Muller Museum
Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Swiss watch manufacturer Franck Muller transformed the Wisma Atria boutique into a retrospective-themed museum. This exhibition will showcase the brand's innovative watch designs since its foundation in 1992 to the latest releases like the Grand Central Tourbillon. Here, creative design installations illustrate the complexities of a Franck Muller watch. Think detailed layers of the Aeternitas Mega 4, the world's most complicated wristwatch. Also featured are 15 other historic World Premieres and archival pieces, including the monumental Aeternitas 1 and 2 plus uniques like the original Crazy Hours.
Franck Muller Museum Singapore happens till 20 March 2022 at L2-01 Isetan Wisma Atria.
The Tailors and the Mannequins: Chen Cheng Mei and You Khin
Untold stories from less-studied artists hold vital information of the past. Now, they get to speak through their artworks at National Gallery Singapore's first-ever project space Dalam Southeast Asia. This rotating exhibition ‘goes deeper' into Southeast Asian art stories and will first feature artists Chen Cheng Mei and You Khin. Beyond their shared label as outliers, both artists picture encounters with distant places and unfamiliar cultures. Both emphasise fabrics and clothing, which has a symbolic function of highlighting the exterior rather than interior qualities of the people they've met on their travels.
The Tailors and the Mannequins: Chen Cheng Mei and You Khin exhibition happens till 10 April 2022 at National Gallery Singapore.
Good Food People by SaladStop!
Sustainable green foods are having a moment now and joining the party is SaladStop!. Launching Good Food People, a plant-based online grocer, the healthy food chain will offer over 150 products. This initiative also provides customers with affordable food and recipes that are better for their health and the environment. Exclusive to Deliveroo are the plant-based meats bundle (Fable Rendang, Impossible Shepherd’s Pie, Kung Pao Heura Chicken) and cold-pressed juices in a bundle of six. Our top picks are the JustEgg and WhatIF Foods BamNut NoodBox for a healthy delectable meal.
Good Food People is available for purchase on Deliveroo.
Hell's Museum
Here's the one time you can tell someone to go to hell without offending them. Reopening this weekend, Singapore's longest-running cultural theme park and the world's only attraction dedicated to the afterlife returns from the dead with more than just the 10 Courts of Hell to gape at. There's Halloween themed picnic sets by Glamping Society, Hypnotherapy Talk & Workshop, Yoga, Chinese Ink Painting classes and more.
Hell's Museum opens 10 am – 7 pm at Haw Par Villa.
MO BAR Brunch
Brunch isn't your regular bacon and pancakes here. You could sip on one of Asia's 50 Best Bars bespoke cocktails, except at this particular window of the weekend you get to have it with fresh snow crab, seasonal oysters, and succulent Maine lobsters. Plus, a selection of savoury dishes including Tiger Prawns, Braised Angus Beef Cheek, and Tagliatelle Tartufo, alongside a desserts and the option to top up with free flow champagne.
MO BAR Brunch is available every weekend, 12 – 2:30 pm at Mandarin Oriental Level 4.
The People’s Gallery
National Gallery Singapore goes into the heartland neighbourhoods with a mission to create inclusive and approachable art experiences while fostering art appreciation among the public. Transforming more than 25 open spaces into galleries, these artworks by Singapore and Southeast Asian artists pop up through AR by scanning the QR codes on the pillars of designated void decks. This interactive microsite is available in Singapore's four major languages—English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil—allowing everyone to appreciate art for free.
National Gallery Singapore's The People's Gallery happens at more than 25 Housing Development Boards (HDB) void decks across eight heartland neighbourhoods.
Antony Gormley's Horizon Field Singapore
Commissioned by National Gallery Singapore, renowned UK sculptural artist Antony Gormley created a one-of-a-kind participatory large-scale installation Horizon Field Singapore (2021). Visitors can explore the matrix of intersecting metal and immerse a spatial experience that continually shifts while walking through it. Also for the first time in this annual Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden Commission Series, it will be complemented by three further sculptures that traced four decades of Gormley’s practice: Sense (1991), Close V (1998), and Ferment (2007).
Horizon Field Singapore by Antony Gormley happens till 30 Oct 2022 at National Gallery Singapore.
Urban Art Adventures at Hall of Fame @ Kampong Gelam
Now here's a local district that deserves a closer look. Discover the story behind Kampong Gelam's recent artistic facelift with new urban art-themed programmings. Set against its historic and vibrant backdrop of street art-lined alleys and iconic cultural landmarks, participants can unleash their inner artist or capture rare moments led by One Kampong Gelam handpicked specialists. Alternatively, there's a self-guided audio tour if you want to explore at your own pace too.
Urban Arts-Themed Adventures programming by One Kampong Gelam is now available at the Kampong Gelam precinct.
Trek the Sembawang Heritage Trail
Singapore's Northern terrain is more just Woodlands, Yishun, and Turf City. Count in Sembawang also. Now a developing estate, the area used to be home to an important naval base for the British Empire and was once populated by rubber plantations owned by prominent pioneers such as Lim Chong Pang. So delve into the area's history and native stories via this trail that leads explorers to monuments such as Beaulieu House and former Sembawang Shipyard.
The Sembawang Heritage Trail, which features 31 trail sites and nine heritage trail markers is now open.
Singapore Zoo's Rainforest Lumina
Avoid the blistering heat from the sun and plan an after-dark outing to the zoo instead. There, night owls will be rewarded with the final season of SouthEast Asia's only Lumina showcase. Melding nature with technology, visitors will immerse in a symphony of lights, beautifully orchestrated music, and interactive play (at Luminous Pathway and Shimmering Islands) that contrast harmoniously with natural sights, sounds, and scents of the rainforest.
Rainforest Lumina happens till 13 Feb 2022 at the Singapore Zoo. Admission fees apply.
MO BAR's Japanese-inspired Afternoon Tea Menu
The award-winning MO Bar goes from concocting regionally curated cocktails to assembling delights for tea. Featuring six different courses of delectable treats inspired by Japanese confections such as Hojicha roll, kinako mochi and soy ginger glazed chicken, savour them while taking in the sights of Marina Promenade. Of course, there will be scones; in savoury nori truffle flavour.
MO Bar's afternoon high tea menu is now available for takeaway and delivery from Mandarin Oriental Singapore.
Hyperrealities: Olafur Eliasson, Marina Abramović, Anish Kapoor
Explore alternate realities envisioned by renowned contemporary artists at ArtScience Museum's newest permanent gallery space VR Gallery. Using state-of-the-art virtual reality (VR) headsets and controllers, this dedicated space welcomes works by Olafur Eliasson, Marina Abramović and Anish Kapoor for its debut exhibition Hyperrealities. The mixed reality technologies like AR used will certainly ensure a mind-blowing multi-sensory experience.
Hyperrealities: Olafur Eliasson, Marina Abramović, Anish Kapoor is now exhibiting at ArtScience Museum.
The Dragon Chamber
Chinese fare is often perceived as homely, but not at The Dragon Chamber. This speakeasy restaurant and bar updates familiar traditional tastes with a twist that's undeniably palatable. Conceptualised by Chef Wong Meng Ooi who tapped his 20 years of experience, feast on treats such as the addictive Firecracker Chicken and Maple Fritters and signature Wagyu Truffle Beef Hor Fun.
The Dragon Chamber is located at 2 Circular Road. Delivery is exclusively available via the Tabletop app and web.
SOMMER's famed Beef Wellington is back
While this recent Heightened Alert measure has thrown a curveball at most businesses, it has also welcomed back a savoury favourite from Sommer too. Conceived during the 2020 Circuit Breaker, Head Chef Lewis Barker’s much raved-about Beef Wellington returns to the restaurant's takeaway set menu alongside exquisitely prepared treats such as Lobster Linguine with Shio Kombu and Passion Fruit cream and Mango-filled Choux Puff.
Sommer delivery is exclusively available via Tabletop app and web.
Maison Marie
Both a bistro and specialty grocery store, the latest addition to the Bukit Timah estate keenly focuses on all things French. You can expect flights of decent oysters imported from France, a delectable Octopus Bolognese and Whole Mediterranean Seabream amongst an array of Western European dishes. Plus, a quiet dining spot to chill away from the city bustle.
Maison Marie is located at The Rail Mall, Singapore 678040.
A Voyage of Love and Longing
Learn about the diverse natural history of the region through these 19th century drawings alongside Malay pantuns (rhyme quatrains), classical texts and love ballads. The rich Malay literature include excerpts from prominent writers and musicians ranging from Amir Hamzah and Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir, to Ella and Saloma. Further interact with the collection with a choose-your-own-adventure online game that mirrors the narrative of voyages.
A Voyage of Love and Longing happens 10 am – 7 pm at Goh Seng Choo Gallery, National Museum of Singapore.
