Working in one of Singapore’s most distinctive buildings, the lotus-shaped ArtScience Museum, Honor Harger is surrounded by culture and innovation, and knows a thing or two about good taste.
Originally from Dunedin, Honor Hagar’s curatorial career took her around the world — London, Newcastle, Brighton, Amsterdam, Zagreb, Berlin, and Riga — before she landed in Singapore in 2014. “ArtScience Museum was the catalyst for my move here,” she says. It’s a fortuitous role, perfectly suited to Hagar. “I have a passion for cultural practice at the intersection of art, science and nature.”
She attributes her deep respect for the latter to growing up in Aotearoa and honed her interdisciplinary approach at ArtSpace in Auckland. “Throughout my career, I have always been passionate about working in a space where art, science, and technology come together, and Marina Bay Sands had built a museum that allows me to do exactly that! It was therefore a great pleasure to be granted the opportunity to lead the museum.” Joining as its executive director, she’s since been promoted to vice-president of ArtScience Museum and Attractions at Marina Bay Sands.”
The institution is part of a new generation of museums that feel it is equally important to focus on the future. “In my role as a curator, a lot of the work I do involves creating programmes, exhibitions, and attractions that help our visitors imagine possible futures,” she explains. “It is essential for us to make a change today.”
Her zeal and optimism for her field is palpable and it extends to her relationship with Singapore itself. She loves the city. “It is one of my favourite places in the world and it enriches me every day.”
Can you tell us about where you live?
I reside in Katong, which is located in the eastern region of Singapore. Both historically and culturally, it is an extremely interesting area of town as it is one of the heartlands of the Peranakan community in Singapore, which is famous for its extraordinary cuisine, unique architecture, and intricate craft forms. With this, I am fortunate to live in a neighbourhood that offers an abundance of fantastic cafes, divine restaurants, and beautiful buildings. I also live near the beach and spend a great deal of time by the seaside, swimming and exploring East Coast Park with my family.
Have you always lived there?
It has been about two years since I moved to the East Coast. Prior to that, I resided in a neighbourhood called Tanjong Pagar, which is also a fascinating area. On top of having a rich history, Tanjong Pagar is perhaps most famous for its many architectural landmarks, such as The Pinnacle, which is one of the world’s tallest public housing estates and also my former residence.
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Advertise with NZME.A typical work day for me is ... Balancing the needs of all four attractions that I oversee at Marina Bay Sands. SkyPark Observation Deck is one of Singapore’s most popular tourist attractions, while the Sampan Ride enables visitors to take a ride along the canal at Marina Bay Sands, the Digital Light Canvas is a large-scale interactive public artwork by teamLab, and ArtScience Museum is Asia’s pre-eminent institution exploring the intersection between art, science, technology and culture. All four attractions require different approaches, ranging from optimising operations and visitor experiences to curating programmes.
A typical workday for me would also involve planning exhibitions at ArtScience Museum, with my team of curators and producers. As we are currently developing three exhibitions, including two that are curated in-house, I would need to study gallery plans, the placement of artworks and artefacts, write and edit curatorial texts, collaborate with designers to develop the exhibition’s look and feel, as well as work closely with our marketing and communications teams in order to develop an audience engagement strategy for each exhibition.
On any given day, I will also be working with my attractions team on planning programmes and initiatives that keep the experiences at our attractions fresh and enticing. A good example of this is the two new artworks we recently launched at Digital Light Canvas by teamLab. Visitors to Graffiti Nature can explore nature by drawing flowers and animals which are then released into a dynamic ecosystem, while Sketch Factory allows them to transform their drawings into T-shirts or tote bags. Another example of this is the new Sampan Musical Voyage that we launched last month, which has our rowers singing a specially commissioned song that pays homage to the historical importance of traditional sampan boats in Singapore. In August, we will be hosting National Day in the Sky, a special celebration of Singapore’s National Day at the SkyPark Observation Deck.
In this regard, my work days are always dynamic and diverse, encompassing everything from budgeting and curation to marketing strategies and visitor operations.
A typical weekend for me involves … going for a jalan jalan (or walk) in one of Singapore’s national parks. My family loves walking in the forest or by the seaside. The weekend is also a time for me to visit museums and galleries. Some of my favourite places to visit are Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore Art Museum at Tanjong Pagar Distripark near the port, National Gallery Singapore as well as Science Centre Singapore.
An activity that defines Singapore life is … eating. Food really is Singapore’s national obsession, and starting a conversation about food here is the best way to get the locals talking. Singapore street food has been recognised by Unesco on their Intangible Cultural Heritage list, so that gives you an idea of how important it is to Singapore. The diverse culinary scene of Singapore also has an abundance of fine-dining restaurants which include Michelin-star establishments CUT and Waku Ghin at Marina Bay Sands or Odette at National Gallery, as well as celebrity chef-led restaurants such as Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen and Wolfgang Puck’s Spago Dining Room. From fine dining to street food, eating is definitely one of the things that defines life here.
My favourite pastime in Singapore is … being immersed in nature. Singapore has a diverse range of parks and I visit them as much as I can. One of my favourite places in Singapore is Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve — Singapore’s first Asean heritage park. During my recent visit, I saw many giant monitor lizards, along with the wetland’s resident saltwater crocodile. Thomson Nature Park is also unique for its juxtaposition of nature and culture. It sits on the site of a former Hainan village, so you encounter enigmatic ruins as you move through a forest that gives you the impression that a long-lost civilisation might have thrived there. As the village was occupied until the 1980s, what may appear to be ancient ruins is actually relatively recent. It is quite humbling to see how quickly nature takes over the areas we abandon, erasing everything but the faintest trace of us.
A secret locals know but visitors don’t is … that Singapore has some of the best libraries in the world. I’m on the board of the National Library Board, which runs Singapore’s extraordinary network of public libraries. It has been humbling for me to see just how much the Singapore government cares about these institutions as places of learning and community gathering. There are new and improved libraries opening every year, including the recently opened Punggol Regional Library in the north of the island, which is quite frankly the best public library I have ever seen.
The thing I enjoy or love most about my city is ... the local culture. What helped me connect with Singapore was getting to know the local culture through artists and writers. Through the work of artists like Lee Wen, Amanda Heng, Robert Zhao Renhui, Donna Ong, Zai Kuning and Tang Da Wu, and writers like Alvin Pang, Pooja Nansi, Jason Wee, Sharlene Teo and Aaron Maniam, I feel I have been able to understand Singapore more deeply than I would have been able to do otherwise.
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Honor’s Top 10 Favourite Places
1. Gardens by the Bay. For a unique futuristic experience, don’t miss Singapore’s modern marvel. This garden complex, with its two extraordinary domes, is a must-visit location either day or night.
2. Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. This nature reserve in the north is the main wild hangout of Singapore’s community of giant reptiles. Yes, wild crocodiles, monitor lizards, plus lots of migratory birds. There is also a great boardwalk that takes visitors through the mangroves. This is a little gem of Singapore that most locals don’t go to, let alone tourists. Bring mosquito repellant and water.
3. East Coast Lagoon Food Village. This hawker centre is magical. It is located right by the sea, so if you arrive at about 6.30pm, you can order incredible fresh seafood, watch the sun go down over the sea, and admire the wall of ships moored as far as the eye can see.
4. Singapore Art Museum. Not only is this the best place to go to discover contemporary art by Singaporean and Southeast Asian artists, but as the museum is located at Tanjong Pagar Distripark at the port, you also have the unique experience of visiting one of the world’s largest container ports at the same time.
5. Tippling Club. This incredible fine-dining restaurant on Duxton Rd inspired my love of food. The founder and chef, Ryan Clift, is an exceptional artist and an amazing conversationalist.
6. MacRitchie Reservoir. Beautiful for walking in the forest. Don’t miss the Treetop Walk, a dramatic bridge suspended across the canopy. Remember to bring water and a camera, as well as keep a lookout for monkeys.
7. Tiong Bahru Market. This art-deco market is one of the busiest food and flower markets in Singapore and has an excellent food court on the second floor. You’ll find it full of locals any day of the week. As with all food courts and hawker centres, look for the queues. That’s where the best local delicacies are.
8. Pulau Ubin. A 10-minute boat ride from Changi Point near the airport takes you back in time to Singapore 40 years ago. There’s a kampong (village), bikes for hire and nature galore. Bring mosquito repellant.
9. The Projector. It’s not just a local cinema — it is the heart of Singapore’s film community and a bastion of indie cool.
10. ArtScience Museum. Okay, I’m a little biased, but this really is the best place in Southeast Asia to experience immersive art that sits at the crossroads of art, science and nature, with a permanent collection of artworks by teamLab, a VR Gallery and a constantly changing programme of immersive exhibitions.
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