Singapore Odyssea: A Journey Through Time

Singapore Odyssea reimagines the National Museum of Singapore’s Glass Rotunda as a landmark immersive experience that reveals Singapore as a city shaped by both its sea and its myths. Fusing narrative, sustainable design, and innovation with precision, our studio charted a meticulously researched four-chapter reverse-chronological storyline anchored in historical accuracy, building a narrative that flows seamlessly in the architecture.

Visitors embark on their voyage wearing one of three RFID wristbands, each unlocking a personal “magical companion” inspired by the National Collection and William Farquhar’s paintings of Singapore’s biodiversity across land, air, and sea. This animated companion accompanies first the visitor along a 170-metre interactive digital wall that responds to movement and reveals hidden animations, creating a personalised and narrative voyage.

Anchoring the experience is a suspended giant LED globe installation, the first of its kind in Singapore, delivering a two-minute light show mapping centuries of maritime routes and underscoring Singapore’s historic role as a global port city. Visitors then descend the spiral ramp of the Glass Rotunda, enveloped by an evocative digital waterfall with cinematic projections flowing in reverse chronology, from vividly imagined futures back to whimsical pre-colonial myths.

An interactive floor ripples to collective movement, culminating at a symbolic digital well where visitors bid bon voyage to their companions. This poetic moment inspires reflection on Singapore’s role in sustainability and environmental stewardship, and its forward-looking cultural spirit.

To meet the challenging technological and narrative requirements, GSM collaborated with partners in Singapore made up of researchers and multimedia designers with strong expertise in their domain. On the narrative front, research writer Marcus Ng delved into the stories, myths, and accounts, developing an engaging narrative alongside the curators from NMS.

Working alongside multimedia partners Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd and Crave Fx, GSM created a truly unique multimedia environment where every surface reacts to the movement of the visitors so that the curves of the Rotunda tell the story in a fully immersive way.

Singapore Odyssea follows the beloved experience, Story of the Forest, created by TeamLab which had lasted for seven years. In the ethos of sustainability, GSM reused many of the existing media and scenographic elements needed for Singapore Odyssea as these were already adapted to the unique structure of the Rotunda. By adopting this approach our team reduced the ecological cost of producing an immersive project to this scale, while still creating something completely new that will last for years.