WORLD'S FIRST ARTSCIENCE MUSEUM IS IN SINGAPORE

What Sydney Opera House is to Australia,the ArtScience Museum is to Singapore. Located on the Marina Bay Sands waterfront, the intent of the museum is clear even in the manner it is spelt - ArtScience.It is meant to be a place celebrating the union of two worlds — Arts and Science. 

Touted to be the world's first ArtScience museum,this distinctive structure at Marina Bay Sands,Asia's leading destination of business,leisure and entertainment in Singapore, was officially opened to the world on February 17,2011 by the Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong.

The unique structure of the museum is the foremost talking point. Some say its a Lotus,while some say its fingers. Is it a Lotus or Fingers,you ponder as you step inside the pristine white and in parts grey structure,which has the mystery of a jigsaw puzzle and the welcoming clarity of an empty canvas.Lets just say that this one is bound to remain an enigma till the end. 

But in reality,there are a total of 10 fingers (I say fingers,because to  me it resembles fingers than petals) make up the building.The tallest finger stands 60 metres above the ground.The interiors of the fingers are unique gallery spaces with natural lighting from the fingertips flooding the space inside. The museum has 21 galleries spread across 55,000 square ft,surrounded by 4,000 sq mts of Lily pond-reflecting pool. The roof of the ArtScience Museum collects rainwater,which is channeled down through the centre of the structure in the form of a waterfall into the Lily pond-reflecting pool at the lowest level of the building.It took four years,700 people and 5200 tons of steel to build the ArtScience Museum.
A museum should be experienced,it should be lived.It should intrigue people and pique their curiosity and they should want to discover what is inside. Every part of the gallery — the ceiling,walls,and the outside - could be used to experience creativity at its best. The walls become part of art installations, used for things like projections and to help make the exhibitions really come alive. Visiting the ArtScience Musuem is an adventure by itself.

The museum holds iconic international exhibits as well as three permanent ones. 
I saw the rare 9th century artefacts from the Tang Dynasty,neverseen-before treasures from Mongolia tracing the life and times of Genghis Khan and also another curated exhibition called Travell

The walls too are used as part of creative projects

ing the Silk Road.

On the top floors is the permanent ArtScience exhibition.This is spread over three galleries aptly named,Curiosity,Inspiration and Expression.These have interactive screens to engage visitors.They contain large constellations and objects representing accomplishments of the union of art and science throughout the ages and across various cultures.There is Leonardo da Vincis Flying Machine,a Kongming Lantern,a high-tech Robotic Fish,a model of the ArtScience Museum,a molecular model of a Buckyball and an Ancient Chinese Scroll.Touch screens below the objects provide an interactive context to the theme and the creative minds behind each accomplishment.Guests can take inspiration from these objects and create their own unique design project,which can be shared with friends and family via mail or posted on social networking sites.

Every night there is a laser-and-lighton-water show outside the museum,with the Singapore night skyline forming a magical backdrop.

Moshe Safdie,the internationally renowned Canadian architect and urban planner is the architect of the ArtScience Museum.

Here are some more pics from the Museum: