In the Ether: The Rise of Sanctuary Technologies is at ArtScience Museum through Sunday 6 December 2026. The museum lists free festival admission and daily hours of 9am to 6pm. Installations are spread across areas including the Level 1 Lobby and Basement 2.
The free Make Your Own Chip workshop requires separate registration. Its listed dates are 24, 26, 28 and 29 November, 1pm to 5pm on Level 4. You can visit the public installations even if the workshop dates or available places do not suit you.
- Festival run: 3 October to 6 December 2026.
- Free admission to the festival. Check each programme separately.
- See the Mimus robot arm and Anatomy of an AI System on Basement 2.
- The chip workshop runs on selected November dates and requires a laptop and registration.
Find what you need
What is free at In the Ether 2026? · What to see at ArtScience Museum · How to register for Make Your Own Chip · How to get to ArtScience Museum from Bayfront MRT
| What to see | Location | Access |
|---|---|---|
| War Dance and other lobby works | Level 1 Lobby | Festival admission is free |
| Mimus and Anatomy of an AI System | Basement 2 circulation area | Check the venue’s current map |
| Make Your Own Chip | Level 4, 24, 26, 28 or 29 Nov, 1pm–5pm | Free with registration |
What is free at In the Ether 2026?
The official ArtScience Museum festival page gives the dates as 3 October to 6 December and lists free admission. Check the location for the works you want to see, because the festival uses more than one floor. Public admission is different from a place in a limited workshop. Paid exhibitions and other experiences in the museum have their own terms.
Can you visit in December?
Yes, during the published run through 6 December. The chip workshop dates are in November. Choose an installation visit if you are coming during the first week of December and check whether the museum lists any other programme for your day. The general end date does not extend a dated workshop.
Start with a route through the public installations
Choose one or two works rather than trying to cover every subject at once. Level 1 includes lobby installations, while Basement 2 has several works in its circulation area. Check the current map and look for the name of each piece. If you have a separate ticket, set that timed booking as the fixed point and leave space for the free works around it.
What to see at ArtScience Museum
Mimus and the way people read a machine
The museum lists Madeline Gannon’s Mimus on Basement 2. The industrial robot arm responds to people and movement. Watch for the difference between what it does and what you think its movement means. Two people can read the same movement differently. Follow any instructions about where to stand, especially if several visitors are watching at once.
Anatomy of an AI System
Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler map the people, materials and infrastructure behind a familiar voice assistant. Start at one point in the diagram and trace a connection to another. A student can ask what happens before the device reaches a home and what has to keep happening after it is switched on. Give the work time before moving to the next display.
The Solar Share and the Level 1 works
The Solar Share on Basement 2 uses a bioreactor growing spirulina to ask how value might be measured. The lobby includes video works such as Inhwa Yeom’s War Dance and Yoshi Sodeoka’s Migratory Parameters. Choose a work by the question that interests you. One asks how sunlight and growth might be valued. Another asks how a digital system represents people or patterns.
How to register for Make Your Own Chip
The museum lists Tiny Tapeout’s workshop on 24, 26, 28 and 29 November from 1pm to 5pm, at Level 4. It is free with registration and described as beginner-friendly. Use the workshop registration link from the official festival page. Check which dates still have places and any age, laptop or preparation requirements before planning around it.
Is it a quick drop-in?
The advertised session lasts four hours. Plan it as a separate afternoon rather than a brief stop between exhibitions. The museum says participants work on a chip design using their own laptop and describes delivery of the completed chip. Verify the latest arrangements and any information needed from participants through the official registration instructions.
What if the workshop is full?
Visit the public installations if those interest you. The museum lists Microchips That Shook the World at ArtScience Laboratory on Basement 2. Check current access for that work. Looking at how chips appear in familiar devices can be a way to explore the theme even when a workshop place is unavailable.
How to get to ArtScience Museum from Bayfront MRT
Take the Circle or Downtown Line to Bayfront (CE1/DT16). The museum’s visitor directions list Exit D as the shortest indicated station approach. Follow signs towards the waterfront museum. Start in the lobby and use the venue’s directions for Basement 2 or Level 4.
Plan a first visit with a student
Give them one object to follow across the displays, such as a chip, a robot or a voice assistant. Ask them to name one thing they did not realise was part of that system. A short discussion after the visit can be enough. If someone also wants a paid exhibition, check its ticket separately and leave time to change levels.
Three ways to visit the festival
A short introduction to technology and art
Start with one work in the lobby and one on Basement 2. Give a student a question to keep in mind, such as what a machine can detect or what is needed to build a device. You can leave after those works or continue if the question holds their interest. This is a useful option for someone who wants to visit the museum without booking a workshop.
An afternoon at the chip workshop
Register for a listed date, then plan the four-hour session as the main appointment. Check laptop and preparation requirements before leaving home. Allow time to find Level 4. If another person in the group wants to see the museum without joining the session, agree on a separate plan and where to meet afterwards.
A visit for older students
Compare the robot arm and the AI diagram. The first gives you behaviour you can observe in the room. The second maps the resources and work that sit behind a familiar technology. Ask which parts are easy to see and which require explanation. Then find another example in the lobby that uses a digital tool to make an idea visible.
What the festival means by sanctuary technologies
The museum uses the phrase for approaches that give people more agency and help communities share knowledge. Use that broad question while looking at the displays. A project may explore it through design, research or speculation. Consider what the work actually demonstrates before assuming it is a finished product or a recommendation for everyday use.
Frequently asked questions
Is In the Ether free?
The festival page lists free admission. Some programmes require advance registration.
When does it end?
Sunday 6 December 2026.
Do you need to register for the chip workshop?
Yes. Use the official event page for the registration link.
Where are Mimus and Anatomy of an AI System?
Both are listed in the Basement 2 circulation area.
Which MRT exit should you use?
The museum lists Bayfront Exit D as its shortest indicated station route.
See the Singapore November and December events guide for more year-end outings.