SCI-FI: celebrating diverse voices in science fiction through international collaboration
Science Gallery Melbourne collaborates with the ArtScience Museum, Singapore, to unveil the connections between Eastern ancient philosophies and Western science fiction through the work of Asian and First Nations women artists
SCI-FI: Mythologies Transformed at Science Gallery Melbourne (2024)
Ursula K. Le Guin, in her seminal work The Left Hand of Darkness, powerfully described that ‘science fiction is not just predictive but descriptive’—an exploration of the possible rather than the predictable. Since Mary Shelley’s groundbreaking Frankenstein in the 19th century, Western science fiction has delved into the ethical dimensions of scientific progress and human nature. It has also pondered concepts like parallel universes and interdimensional travel, concepts that are inherent in ancient Eastern spiritual traditions. Traditionally dominated by Western and male-centred perspectives, the genre has evolved to embrace a diverse array of diverse voices, transforming into a powerful medium for envisioning alternative futures and understanding ourselves in an ever-changing world.
Embracing this evolution, Science Gallery Melbourne and the ArtScience Museum in Singapore have joined forces to present SCI-FI: Mythologies Transformed. In this groundbreaking exhibition, the narratives of Western literary and cinematic science fiction converge with Asian philosophies and spiritual traditions, offering fresh perspectives into the genre and the worlds it imagines.
SCI-FI: Mythologies Transformed at Science Gallery Melbourne (2024)
“This powerful collaboration with Singapore’s ArtScience Museum exemplifies our commitment to fostering international partnerships that transcend disciplinary boundaries, deepen our cultural understanding, and enrich the University’s diverse community”
The SCI-FI: Mythologies Transformed exhibition presents the groundbreaking work of Asian and First Nations women artists and collectives who are redefining the genre. This innovative approach challenges the traditional portrayals of women and the frequent misrepresentation of Asian cultures in Western science fiction, which often rely on stereotypes and clichés. By presenting a diverse range of installations, post-modern cinema, and literature, the exhibition celebrates their visions of dream worlds and fantastical realities, advocating for a more inclusive future where diverse perspectives are central to science fiction narratives.
Honor Harger, Vice President of ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands, elaborates on this vision, ‘Using science fiction as a starting point to explore these diverse worlds and inclusive futures envisaged by some of the most prominent artists working today, the exhibition highlights concepts such as parallel universes, interdimensional travel, and transcendence, notions deeply rooted in Asian philosophy, to suggest that some science fiction tropes could have their origins in Asia.’
The opening of SCI-FI: Mythologies Transformed at Science Gallery Melbourne (2024)
“The exhibition highlights concepts such as parallel universes, interdimensional travel, and transcendence, notions deeply rooted in Asian philosophy, to suggest that some science fiction tropes could have their origins in Asia”
This collaboration between Science Gallery Melbourne and the ArtScience Museum builds upon the successful partnership for MENTAL in 2022, an exhibition that tackled societal bias and stereotypes around mental health. Professor Michael Wesley, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Global Culture and Engagement at the University of Melbourne, highlighted the relevance of this ongoing collaboration. ‘This powerful partnership with Singapore’s ArtScience Museum exemplifies our commitment to fostering international partnerships that transcend disciplinary boundaries, deepen our cultural understanding, and enrich the University’s diverse community. Through such collaborations, we continue to offer our students, staff, and alumni shared cultural expressions that can lead to profound and enriching educational experiences.’
A mediator during the opening of SCI-FI: Mythologies Transformed at Science Gallery Melbourne (2024)
“Through these partnerships, we continue to offer our students, staff, and alumni shared cultural expressions that can lead to profound and enriching educational experiences”
In SCI-FI: Mythologies Transformed, the exhibited artworks reveal the artists' curiosity, aspirations, and concerns about our collective future. Some works explore First Nations knowledge and protocols, as well as Asian mythology and history, while others examine the address synthetic realities shaped by artificial intelligence and virtual reality, and the evolving interactions between humans, non-humans, and nature.
Ultimately, SCI-FI: Mythologies Transformed powerfully underscores the profound connections between Asian philosophy and spirituality and the genre of science fiction. Through this collaboration, Science Gallery Melbourne and the ArtScience Museum celebrate a shared vision of inclusive and imaginative futures, championing the diverse voices that are reshaping our understanding of the genre today.
Compiled by: Ana Prendes, Science Gallery International, 2024.
SCI-FI: Mythologies Transformed presented at Science Gallery Melbourne is a co-production developed in collaboration between ArtScience Museum and Science Gallery Melbourne. The original version New Eden: Science Fiction Mythologies Transformed was developed and first exhibited at ArtScience Museum in Singapore (21 Oct 2023 – 3 Mar 2024)