A new exhibition will uncover the science behind The Avengers
Cosplayers dressing up as (from left) Iron Man, Captain America and Black Widow at the event to announce the Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. exhibition. Photo: Christopher Toh
SINGAPORE — Captain America and the rest of the Avengers may have left our big screens, but they will be making a return — albeit in a more interactive form.
This October, Earth's Mightiest Heroes will be the main attraction for a new travelling exhibition at the Science Centre Singapore (SCS).
Called Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. (Scientific Training And Tactical Intelligence Operative Network), the travelling exhibition will immerse the visitor with the science behind the superheroes through role play of sorts.
You will be “recruited” to help The Avengers rid the world of nasty villains that inhabit the world of the Marvel movies. You will have to go through six interactive stations and complete certain tasks. Each time you complete a task, you get a badge.
Combining science and fun, you get an up-close look at props from the film, test your strength against Captain America and even operate Iron Man’s flying suit. And you learn more about science.
(From left: Mr Ron Tan, CEO, Victory Hill Exhibitions; Associate Professor Lim Tit Meng, Chief Executive, Science Centre Singapore; and Mr Rob Gilby, Managing Director, Disney, South-east Asia. Photo: Science Centre Singapore.)
Why The Avengers though?
“Well they have a very big fan base and the whole idea of superheroes using technology to save the world is very appealing to the old and young,” said Associate Professor Lim Tit Meng, the chief executive of SCS, at a press event on Monday evening (June 13). “Most exhibitions about The Avengers would just focus on the fanciful bits, but the education and the science behind this one is very strong.”
The exhibition in Singapore is being presented by Victory Hill Exhibitions, SCS and The Walt Disney Company South-east Asia.
Don’t worry if you never scored As in science. There will be guides at each station who will explain the scientific theories. “This is designed for the general public and meant to be very easy to understand, but if you don’t understand certain terminology, our guides can help you,” added Mr Lim.
According to him, one can easily spend an hour going through the entire exhibition and SCS is also looking to bring in some of the Marvel Studio movies, although Mr Lim said they hadn’t finalised the details. “As in the past, we always bring in movies that are related to the exhibition’s topic. We are still negotiating and we want to see how many we can screen,” he said.
He added: “Visitors will have an opportunity to discover the role of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) behind their favourite science fiction superheroes, and will also be able to see the power of STEM in creating a new realm of possibilities.
“Through this, we hope to unleash their potential in becoming engineers or scientists, and to inspire them to explore the world of science and technology and empower them to be able to change the world and create their own future.”
Hopefully, he continued, “people can see that science and technology is really very cool”. While some aspects of the Marvel universe may be fictional, “there are others that, when you understand the science of it, are possible”, said Mr Lim.
"We are not talking about things like the super soldier serum, but in terms of understanding all the other aspects — mechanical, electrical, artificial intelligence, communication — all those are possible. And it’s good fun!”
