Project Solitude

Project Solitude was commissioned by the National Museum of Singapore (NMS) for the Singapore Night Festival 2022, presented at the Gallery Theatre of NMS from 19 August to 3 September 2022. This cross-institution initiative spearheaded by NAFA’s Special Projects Unit brought together six students from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) in a co-creative, interdisciplinary design process.

Led by designer Wendy Chua (Forest&Whale) and theatre director Koh Hui Ling (Drama Box), the students were engaged through immersive and sensorial workshops despite the challenges posed by the heightened alert measures of the pandemic (in Singapore). The mentors and students collaborated effectively via online and offline platforms. Students experienced an autoteatro at home to understand the power of narration and audio in theatre practice, and attended workshops conducted by a sound engineer/designer. They also took on the role of different personas to experience the museum and its grounds to develop empathy for inclusive design.

By marrying open design with dramaturgy, the students designed a participatory installation that invited visitors to slow down in today’s fast-paced society and experience moments of solitude. Through the showcase, they hoped viewers were able to reconnect with their sense of self and the things they may overlook in their daily lives.