SINGAPORE (14 March 2019) – Step through the looking glass into a curious world of whimsical adventures at ArtScience Museum’s upcoming exhibition, Wonderland, opening on 13 April.

Wonderland is a playful and interactive exhibition for all ages based on Lewis Carroll’s timeless stories of Alice and her adventures through Wonderland. Developed by Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), this groundbreaking exhibition makes the first stop of its global tour at ArtScience Museum.

Wonderland is a one-of-a-kind exhibition which follows Alice’s journey through popular culture. It invites visitors to take a trip through the looking glass into an immersive, enchanted world. Using theatrical sets, bold, interactive environments, eye-catching props and amazing audiovisual artworks, Wonderland spectacularly conjures up the surprising and magical world of Alice and her adventures.

The exhibition reveals how artists and filmmakers have portrayed Alice and her story for over a century. Since her first appearance on the page in 1865, Alice has delighted audiences in more than 40 films and over 30 television programmes, and has become a subcultural icon through her presence in music videos, video games, high fashion, advertising and more. 

Drawing together a remarkable selection of original behind-the-scenes material, the exhibition includes over 300 artefacts and objects, including first edition books, drawings, original costumes, films, magic lantern projectors, animation, puppetry, and original work by theatrical designer Anna Tregloan, and digital creative studios, Sandpit, Grumpy Sailor and Mosster Studio.

“Wonderland is an exhibition that has to be experienced to be believed. It is every bit as fantastical as the original texts by Lewis Carroll, which have enthralled and inspired generations of readers since they first published over 150 years ago. Visitors will truly step into Alice's imaginary landscape, meeting the fantastical talking creatures made famous in the much-loved stories, and exploring her world in creative and immersive rooms, that reward curiosity. There are secret doorways to find, mysterious drawers to rummage through, winding corridors to navigate, unusual props to climb inside, and incredible digital experiences which allow visitors to see the story of Alice come to life. In Wonderland, reality is suspended. The more curious you are, the more you’ll discover,” said Honor Harger, Executive Director of ArtScience Museum.

“This ACMI-created exhibition showcases the moving image adaptations of Carroll’s seminal works celebrating the evolution of filmmaking, from the earliest optical toys through to new technologies. With Wonderland, ACMI’s interactive exhibition enables audiences to explore the magic of film craft and its power to embed stories in our imaginations for generations. We are so thrilled to see the exhibition brought to life at ArtScience Museum,” said ACMI CEO and Director, Katrina Sedgwick.

Wonderland takes its inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s stories, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There. These stories have been adapted dozens of times for the screen over a century, which makes the history of Alice in Wonderland on screen, a way of being able to trace the history of moving image. The exhibition charts the cultural, technological and social shifts that have compelled filmmakers to create their own visual interpretation of Alice and her adventures.

From the first screen adaptation by Cecil M Hepworth in 1903 to the contemporary blockbusters of the 2000s, Wonderland also showcases the developments in special effects from pre-cinematic entertainment to silent film, animation to puppetry, live-action cinema, CGI, 3D and beyond. Films such as Lou Bunin’s Alice Au Pays des Merveilles (1949), Jan Svankmajer’s acclaimed Alice (1988), the Quay Brothers’ experimental Alice in Not So Wonderland (2007), and television versions by broadcasters BBC and NBC will be featured in the exhibition.

The exhibition, through its playful environments and a range of bespoke digital interactive activities, will draw visitors into an enchanted world where expectations are upended and curiosity is rewarded.

Wonderland will run from 13 April to 22 September 2019.

Tickets are available for purchase from 1 April at all Marina Bay Sands box offices and website. Terms and Conditions apply.

Ticket prices as follows:

For more information on Wonderland, please visit https://www.marinabaysands.com/museum/wonderland.html.

About Marina Bay Sands Pte Ltd

Marina Bay Sands is the leading business, leisure and entertainment destination in Asia. It features large and flexible convention and exhibition facilities, 2,560 hotel rooms and suites, the rooftop Sands SkyPark, the best shopping mall in Asia, world-class celebrity chef restaurants, a theatre and an outdoor event plaza. Completing the line-up of attractions is ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands which plays host to permanent and marquee exhibitions. For more information, please visit www.marinabaysands.com

About ArtScience Museum

ArtScience Museum is a major cultural institution in Singapore that explores the intersection between art, science, technology and culture. It is the cultural component of Marina Bay Sands. Since its opening in February 2011, ArtScience Museum has staged large-scale exhibitions by some of the world’s major artists, including Leonardo da Vinci, M.C. Escher, Salvador Dalí, Andy Warhol and Vincent Van Gogh, as well as exhibitions that explore aspects of science and technology – including particle physics, big data, robotics, palaeontology, marine biology and space science. For more information, please visit www.marinabaysands.com/museum.html

About Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI)

A globally unique cultural institution, ACMI presents and champions the art and culture of the moving image. Through a vibrant annual calendar of award-winning exhibitions, screenings, film festivals, live events, creative workshops, education programmes and Collection resources, ACMI provides a wide diversity of audiences with an unsurpassed range of ways to engage with the moving image. As one of Victoria’s major cultural, tourism and learning attractions, and a national centre of screen culture debate and innovation, ACMI has an international reputation as one of the world’s leading moving image centres.

Media Enquiries

Gladys Sim
(+65) 6688 1048
gladys.sim@marinabaysands.com

Dawn Wang
(+65) 6688 0042
dawn.wang@marinabaysands.com

For hi-res images, please click here. 

(Credit to ACMI and respective photographers as indicated in the captions)