In response to the 2018 Venice Biennale theme Free Space, the Singapore pavilion crafts an environment augmented by free elements of light, sounds and smells to delight the visitor. A crystalline cloud, which is knotted out of acrylic and embedded with sensors, is the centrepiece of the installation, from which videos selected architecture projects in Singapore are projected.

Delight Singapore Pavilion received the 2021 SIA Design award.

No More Free Space. We augment our living environment to create delight. Light, movement, sound, smell, texture; the Singapore Pavilion introduces an augmented atmosphere that we call home.

Vivid scenes of architectural spaces are projected onto the ground, accompanied by ambient sounds and scents, immersing the visitor in a distinct, multi-sensorial experience.

The pavilion showcases 12 selected Singapore projects through these multi-modal experiences. Each tells a story of transcending constraints, by borrowing what is in natural abundance, to create delightful results. Of finding design freedom through ingenuity.

Floating above the projections is the centrepiece of the pavilion—an intricate and ethereal lattice cloud. Its outline—2 inverted pyramids—evoke the ceiling shape of the Sale’ D’Armi. The projections are cast from the cloud, with its tips focusing on these selected scenes/vignettes.

The cloud combines geometric exactitude and the human touch. Computer code generates the overall lattice structure, yet each module is knotted together by hand. Made from ordinary acrylic, the cloud traps, bends and allows light to pass through, creating a beguiling visual spectacle.

The cloud also responds. It is programmed to transmit light from above that shifts in colour and intensity to complement the projected videos below. Sensing movement, a series of translucent ceramic end-pieces glow to invite visitors to interact with the cloud. In these moments of encounter, we hope to convey the possibilities of light: as a medium of expression, an essential quality of space, and a resource free to all.

At the end of the pavilion, by the tall Venetian windows, is a space of temporary repose. Visitors are invited to pause: to browse a library of books; rest on a collection of benches designed in Singapore; or listen to recorded interviews of the 12 selected architects.

In the spirit of generousity that underlies the 2018 Venice Biennale, the Singapore Pavilion wishes to share the methods, knowledge and experiences of our architects, who overcame latent constraints in their project to create private and public spaces that bring delight its inhabitants.

The answer to No More Free Space? This is the starting condition for new creative possibilities.