As part of Light to Night 2022, ACM presents New Waves. Explore the Singapore River and its stories known and imagined, through layers of context, conversations, and reflections. Journey through a memory portal installation on the ACM Green, and embark on a trail of unexpected objects in the galleries. Experience multi-media installations, a modern-day barter market, artist workshops, and craft activities – all of which encourage you to see, think, and emerge into new light.
The well-being of our visitors and staff remains our primary concern. For your safety, ACM implements and follows all current safe management measures for staff and visitors. These include:
- The use of SafeEntry upon entry and exit
- Safe-distancing of at least one metre at all times
- Wearing of mask at all times
- No more than 5 visitors per group, with no mingling across groups
ACM implements vaccination-differentiated safe management measures (VDS) for entry into our museums. For more information, please visit National Heritage Board's Safe Management Measures for Museum Stakeholders.

Image courtesy of Debbie Ding |
Memory Portals: Art Installation by Debbie Ding
11 Jan to 3 Feb, All day
ACM Green
In Memory Portals by Debbie Ding, two glowing doorways stand on the ACM Green representing alternate, fantastical views of the Singapore River. These portals visually reinterpret the textual dataset collected by the artist for her 2010 work, Here the River Lies, which included an interactive map of the Singapore River that required the participation of the audience to complete. The audience was invited to contribute their memories, real or imaginary, to the large hand-drawn map. Over 1700 stories were collected. These stories have been re-interpreted as layers of memory, fantasy, and storytelling in Memory Portals. Find out more about the stories here.
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As the River Flows: Light & Sound Installation
by Chong Li-Chuan and Casey Chen
14, 15, 21, 22 Jan, Fridays & Saturdays,
5–9.30pm
River Room, L2, ACM
A collaborative project led by composer Chong Li-Chuan and multi-disciplinary artist Casey Chen, As the River Flows presents a unique sound and light experience inspired by stories, sound, and oral histories of the Singapore River.
Navigate the past, present, and future of the river through the artists’ intervention and go with the flow in the ACM River Room.
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Image courtesy of Ong Kian Peng
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The River Connects by Ong Kian Peng
Organised by NLB
14 Jan to 3 Feb, All day
Foyer, L2, ACM
An immersive media installation by artist Ong Kian Peng, The River Connects highlights the bridges along the Singapore River. As its title suggests, this work explores the possibilities of human connection on and by the river — an organic phenomenon that can span mobility, commerce, and social interactions. Inspired by this notion, The River Connects references the many ways of connecting through a collection of archival and 3D-scanned images of the bridges. It presents the stories they hold in an interactive and experiential format, while giving the audience new perspectives of sights, familiar and yet distant.
The River Connects is presented as part of Curiocity: Places & Perspectives, an initiative of the National Library Board’s Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025 (LAB25), which aims to nurture a stronger appreciation of the Singapore experience, in partnership with Light to Night Festival 2022.
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Drop-in Craft: Design your Family Crest
15, 22, 29 Jan, Saturdays,
5.30–8pm
Foyer, L2, ACM
Create your own family heirloom! Inspired by the Armorial "Mistake" Plate in ACM’s collection, participants will be able to design a family crest of their own on a ceramic plate.
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Image courtesy of Craft Varies
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Barter Market at ACM
28 & 29 Jan, Friday & Saturday,
6.30–9pm
River Room, L2, ACM
Experience a modern-day trading port at ACM. Barter for handmade objects or live art experiences, and trade for these with your own objects, stories, or dreams about the Singapore River. Take home a new object, idea, or memory of the historical precinct.
Bring along an item to be traded, or a story or idea to trade for an experience. Items to be traded in the Barter Market will be limited to the first 50 pieces per day.
Find out more details on what you can/cannot bring, the participating artists, and more, here.
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ACM Gallery Trail: Unexpected Objects
14 Jan to 3 Feb, All day
Permanent Galleries/Online
This self-guided trail explores intriguing stories behind objects on display at ACM. The trail will shed light on what lies beneath the surface of selected objects – from the quirky to the unexpected. Download here.
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Guided Tours: Unexpected Objects
15, 22, 29 Jan, Saturdays,
6pm, 7.30pm (30–45mins)
$10 refundable deposit; Registration required on Peatix
Discover intriguing stories behind objects on display at ACM in small-group tours conducted by our docents. The tours will uncover what lies beneath the surface of selected objects – from the quirky to the unexpected.
Register here:
15 Jan
22 Jan
29 Jan
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Image courtesy of Casey Chen
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As the River Flows: Sound Artist Workshop with Chong Li-Chuan
15 Jan, Saturday,
7.30–9pm
Discovery Room, B1, ACM
$10 refundable deposit; Registration required on Peatix
Join composer and sound artist Chong Li-Chuan to dive deeper into the making of the audio experience of As the River Flows. This workshop will begin with the artist sharing how the installation was conceived and put together through layers of sound, light, and contexts. Participants will also be introduced to a framework of the different modes of listening that often go unnoticed in our everyday lives.
Then, join Li-Chuan on a guided soundwalk to appreciate sounds in the environment around Empress Place. The workshop will end with a demonstration on how to create a sonic postcard from a recording made during the soundwalk by using basic audio editing techniques with Audacity software, which participants can try out at home.
Register here.
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As the River Flows: Light Artist Workshop with Casey Chen
22 Jan, Saturday,
7.30–9pm
Discovery Room, B1, ACM
$10 refundable deposit; Registration required on Peatix
Join artist and designer Casey Chen to dive deeper into the making of the light design for As the River Flows. This workshop will begin with the artist sharing how the installation was conceived and put together through layers of sound, light, and contexts. Casey will then share the inspiration behind the lighting design – transformation of unexpected, seemingly mundane objects – and what he thinks about using light as a medium in his art practice.
Participants will then be shown a demonstration of how objects in the installation were assembled before making their own mini colander lamp to take home.
Register here.
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