Singapore - ArtScience Museum

Another museum that we visited while in Singapore was the ArtScience Museum.  This museum is located along the Marina Bay waterfront, near the Gardens by the Bay (see previous post about the Gardens by the Bay).  The concept behind this museum is to explore "the creative processes at the heart of art and science and how they shape society" (museum website) and hosts international traveling exhibitions.  At the time of our visit, a Legos exhibit featuring lawyer turned artist Nathan Sawaya titled "The Art of the Brick" was there.  All of the artwork in this exhibit was done completely in Legos and was a must-see for the two of us.  As kids, we grew up playing with these little colorful bricks and could not wait to see what this guy created.  Needless to say, we were blown away...more than impressed...at times speechless...and by the end, wishing we had been so creative.  After this visit, I will never look at Legos the same...and can't wait to get my hands on a bucket of those bricks!  Here are some of my favorite Lego creations from this exhibit.  (I put the title and number of Lego bricks used for each piece in the caption.)

Exterior of the Art Science Museum with the Marina Bay Sands hotel in the background.
(Yes that is a boat on top of the hotel.)  

Yellow - 11,014 bricks

Open Heart - 1,856 bricks

Peaces - 3,720 bricks

Blue Guy Sitting - 21,054 bricks + two chairs and ME

An artist's View - 11,561 bricks

untitled - 11,274 bricks

Square Torso (blue) - 9,957 bricks
Triangle Torso (yellow) - 9,147 bricks
Circle Torso (red) - 10,305 bricks

Doorway - 6,988 bricks

Thinker (inspired by Rodin) - 1,047 bricks

Janis - 1,070 bricks

Jimi - 1,203 bricks

Al - 2,154 bricks

Bob - 1,180 bricks

Sing - 8,189 bricks

Overcome - 7,434 bricks

Pencil Fun - 9,800 bricks 

Parthenon - 30,210 bricks

Writer - 3,210 bricks

Fingertips - 1,520 bricks

Red Skull - 3,111 bricks
(There was also a yellow skull, green skull and blue skull.
Each of the four skulls used 3,111 bricks.)

Trapped - 3,423 bricks

Mask - 18,509 bricks

Ascension - 7,124 bricks

Underneath - 12,116 bricks

Grasp - 17,356 bricks

"Underneath" in the center with "Yellow Skull" and "Ascension" in the background.

Dinosaur Skeleton - 80, 020 bricks
Probably the most amazing use of Legos I've ever seen!

A close up of the dinosaur face.

ArtScience Museum - 15,999 bricks

At the end of the exhibition, there was a hands-on section...or in this case, a feet-on, that encouraged you to touch and interact with the Legos.

In the lobby of the museum was this beautiful Christmas tree made from Legos.

Singapore - Gardens by the Bay

For the winter holiday break, Mike and I visited a couple of countries in Southeast Asia.  Our first stop was Singapore.  While in Singapore, Mike and I visited the Gardens by the Bay.  The key attractions here are two conservatories, the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest, along with the Supertrees.  The Flower Dome is a two-level glass building and houses 1000 year old olive trees along with numerous flowers and trees of the Mediterranean and subtropical regions of the world.  The Cloud Forest is a seven level glass structure that contains lush green plants and several flowers that I have never seen before in my life.  Although both conservatories are beautiful, my favorite is the Cloud Forest.  There is a huge waterfall that goes right down the middle of the conservatory and paths that wind around the plants and waterfall.  The conservatories are a part of a larger complex which includes several outside gardens and a new series of structures called Supertrees.  The 15 Supertrees are metal structures that stand 7 to 35 meters tall and are scattered throughout the gardens.  All of the Supertrees have plants growing on them with hopes of one day covering all of the metal.  Some of the trees are connected together by a narrow walk way that can be accessed via an elevator inside two of the trees.  The largest of the trees has a restaurant and observation deck at the top, which Mike and I visited and had a round of drinks.  Here are some pictures from our visit to the conservatories, followed by some pictures from the observation desk of the Supertree.  The video at the end is taken from the very top of the Supertree, where it was quite windy.  (Remember, you can click on a picture to enlarge it!)