Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore (MBCCS) will become a showcase for local artists under a three-year partnership between terminal operator SATS-Creuers Cruise Services and the National Arts Council (NAC).
Announced on 6 October, the partnership will progressively introduce musical performances and contemporary murals across the terminal, giving cruise travellers a taste of Singapore’s arts and culture as they arrive or depart.
Multicultural musical performances will take place during peak cruise periods coinciding with maiden calls, major festive periods and local school holidays. New and existing wall spaces will also feature contemporary murals reflecting Singapore’s cultural diversity.
The initiative follows the terminal’s expansion last year, which increased its capacity and created opportunities for local artists to reach a larger, more diverse audience.
“Through our partnership with NAC, we hope to broaden the reach of our local arts community and create meaningful opportunities for home-grown talents,” said Gregory Tan, CEO of SATS-Creuers.
The partnership builds on arts initiatives already piloted at the terminal, including Manifest, a mural by local artist Eunice Hannah Lim that brings together Singapore’s maritime history and cultural heritage.
An animated version of the artwork will greet passengers at the expanded terminal and lead them towards the full mural. Symbolic sea creatures and maritime and cultural motifs explore Singapore’s enduring relationship with the ocean.
SATS-Creuers and NAC envisage the mural as the first of several collaborations with local artists over the three-year partnership.
“By bringing the arts into MBCCS, we hope that more travellers will encounter and connect with the diversity of Singapore’s arts and culture as part of their journey, and discover Singapore through the work and perspectives of our artists,” said Lynette Pang, deputy CEO of NAC.