Discover The Science Behind Illusions at Science Centre Singapore’s Two New Permanent Exhibitions
Escape from Asia’s largest mirror maze this June school holidays!

As part of its 40th anniversary celebrations, Science Centre Singapore (SCS) today reopened its entrance gallery with the unveiling of two new exciting exhibitions, The Mind’s Eye”, an exhibition on illusions and human perception and “Professor Crackitt’s Light Fantastic! – a Mirror Maze experience”.

The Mind’s Eye will be one of the first exhibitions that visitors encounter when they visit the SCS. It is through this exhibition that visitors will be shown the joys of observation; of paying closer attention to what’s around them, and realising that perhaps all is not as it seems. As visitors grapple with the enigmatic exhibits, they reveal just how their senses and mind can fool them into believing. The illusions here portray the difference between what we experience/sense and what is actually perceived.

Curated by SCS, designed by Jack Rouse Associates and fulfilled by SPACElogic Pte Ltd. to capture the imagination of every visitor and to explore the science behind optical illusions, The Mind’s Eye features more than 30 exhibits that manipulate how humans observe and make sense of objects and environments or perception vs reality.

“Science is always relevant in our daily lives, even in the way we view things in our environment. Visitors don’t have to be fans of science to enjoy these photo-worthy creations, but we are confident that they will be intrigued and inspired to find out how illusions take advantage of the way we perceive and make them seem real. These must-visit gems are timeless and cut across language barriers, making them ideal leisure options for spending quality time with families and friends,” said Associate Professor Lim Tit Meng, Chief Executive of Science Centre Singapore.

One of The Mind’s Eye exhibits showcases an installation of chess pieces set within an animation sequence which will appear to the viewer periodically as they blink. A clever play on size, shape, colour, light and shadow, these ambiguous figures challenges the process of how we view and interpret negative space or background based on edge-assignment.

Another exhibit of a wire sculpture magically transforms from an elephant into two giraffes simply by shifting the visitor’s point of view.

The exhibits in The Mind’s Eye includes a curated collection of works from artists around the world, including France, Japan, South Africa and USA.

Asia’s Largest Mirror Maze
Back by popular demand after 20 years, a new, bigger and better mirror maze has been specially created for SCS by Adrian Fisher Design Ltd, the world’s leading creator of mirror mazes and a record holder of seven Guinness World Records. The largest mirror maze in Asia, “Professor Crackitt’s Light Fantastic!” features 105 mirror cells and numerous interactive exhibits designed to bring out the science elements of lights, colours and reflection set within a compelling storyline. Visitors are expected to assist the eccentric and forgetful Professor Crackitt find his pet parrot, Wattnot, while fixing some of his experiments in his vast laboratory. Backed by the physics of lights, colours, and reflection, the new mirror maze also gives visitors a chance to formulate an escape route that could be mired by reflections.

Commenting on the exhilarating exhibition, Associate Professor Lim added, “Escape rooms continue to trend in Singapore among the millennials, and increasingly as a team-building activity among working adults. What makes Professor Crackitt’s mirror maze – the largest in Asia – stand out from other mazes and escape rooms is a sense of bewilderment that it ignites through the science of light and reflections. Adults can unleash their inner child again and amaze themselves with interactive experiments such as an infinity tunnel of reflections. We are celebrating 40 years of experiential science learning this year and will continue to excite visitors with the unexpected in the next 40 years.

From spying on the progress of other visitors through a one-way mirror to triggering the presence of creepy-crawlies and secret rooms, the 270 sqm maze features more than 17 entertaining experiments on light that will add to the thrill factor. Visitors should also watch out for holograms and fake exits that are part of the illusions created by Fisher.

Public can visit both exhibitions from 14 June 2017 onwards. Admission to the two permanent exhibitions is free but standard admission charges to Science Centre Singapore apply (Admission is free for Singaporeans and Permanent Residents during non-peak periods such as weekdays, excluding school or public holidays).

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