A national exhibition that offers Singaporeans a peek into their future was launched by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at Orchard Central on Aug 26.
The SG60 Heart&Soul Experience – the flagship event for Singapore’s 60th year of independence – is jointly developed by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information and the National Library Board.
More than 90 per cent of slots for the opening week of the showcase are booked, with the opening weekend slots already oversubscribed. More than 1,700 people can enter the exhibition daily.
Using immersive storytelling and generative artificial intelligence (AI), the exhibition offers each visitor a personalised, imaginative experience.
Visitors will be able to see themselves living, working and playing in an envisioned future Singapore, and hold a conversation with their future selves.
At the end of the exhibition, each visitor can take home a bookmark with a QR code that links to his own 25-second trailer.
Speaking at the launch, PM Wong said the hope is that visitors will get a sense of the spirit that built Singapore.
He noted the pivotal moments in Singapore’s history captured in the exhibition, including the Japanese Occupation to the post-war years, the fight for independence and the merger with Malaya, the difficult early years of nation building, and challenges from economic crises to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We hope all this will capture the courage and conviction that built today’s Singapore. It captures the spirit that forms the heart and soul of our country,” he said.
While 60 years is not a long time for a country, it is a significant milestone for Singapore because of its difficult beginning, and all that Singaporeans had been through together, he said.
This is why SG60 is not just a time of celebration but also a time for reflection, he said, adding that the exhibition provides a platform for Singaporeans to do that.
The exhibition is also about the future, he said, adding that it is up to all Singaporeans to voice their hopes and dreams to make the Republic a shining little red dot for many more years to come.
At the end of the exhibition, there will be an installation that shows the dreams of Singaporeans, he said.
“We hope this constellation of dreams will inspire all of us to work together as one team to turn our collective dreams into reality, so that even in this troubled and turbulent world, we can have confidence that we are able to chart our own course and shape our own destiny, and we can build a better Singapore with the same heart and soul that brought us here today,” he said.
More than 300 guests, including artists with disabilities from Shaping Hearts, and partner organisations and government agencies who have contributed to the showcase, attended the launch.
Created by the team behind The Bicentennial Experience in 2019 and The Future of Us in 2015, the exhibition draws on insights and plans from more than 110 partners, including the Forward Singapore blueprint and the Singapore Green Plan 2030.
Selected elements of the exhibition will be repurposed to be part of the new Orchard Library when it reopens in 2026.
PM Wong was joined by Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Digital Development and Information, and other ministers.
Mrs Teo said the exhibition has generated quite a lot of excitement.
“We’ve been very encouraged by the enthusiastic response of Singaporeans,” she said. “At least for this week, almost all of the places have been subscribed, but progressively, we will make more places available.”
The SG60 Heart&Soul ticketed experience, available in the four official languages, runs for about 60 to 90 minutes and is recommended for visitors aged seven and above.
It is held at Orchard Library on levels 3 and 4 of orchardgateway, from 9am to 6pm each Monday, and from 9am to 10pm from Tuesday to Sunday.
There is also a non-ticketed installation series at the level 1 atrium of Orchard Central and orchardgateway that is open from 9am to 10pm daily.
Visitors can walk alongside historical figures in colourised archival videos from the National Archives of Singapore from the 1900s to 2025. They can take home personalised postcards of themselves in a setting from the past, from a generative AI-powered station.
The Tote Board and Singapore Pools have collaborated with Heart&Soul on a photo booth where, for every photo taken, they will pledge $1 to support four mental wellness charities, capped at $500,000.
The showcase, which will run till Dec 31, is expected to attract some 400,000 visitors. Free tickets can be booked at www.heartandsoul.gov.sg
The Straits Times
