Huawei brings arts to life at Singapore’s largest inclusive arts festival

This year’s Shaping Hearts art exhibition included an Art Comes Alive area, which displayed artworks digitalised with interactive elements such as animation and sound effects to bring the paintings to life.  

Huawei Cloud and its partner CreativeFitting implemented these enhancements. This marks the second year in a row that Huawei is supporting the exhibition which is Singapore’s largest inclusive arts festival, showcasing over 500 artworks created by local and international artists with disabilities. 

In addition to the art exhibition, there was a live performance and art sale for artists with disabilities to showcase their talents and share their creative potential.  

The President of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, was the guest of honour for the event, accompanied by First Lady Jane Yumiko Ittogi.  

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This year’s festival, held at Our Tampines Hub on October 19, and organised by Singapore’s North East Community Development Council (NE CDC), featured over 500 local and international artists with disabilities from Amman, Bilbao, Hanoi, Seoul, and more.  

Connecting arts and technology 

Huawei seeks to champion inclusion and share stories of resilience to boost community engagement, said Huawei International’s CEO, Maxi Wang. As a sign of support for artists with disabilities, Huawei purchased some artworks that were then digitalised and displayed at the exhibition. 

One of the artworks animated by Huawei is titled Harmonious Growth, created by the two-time stroke survivor and educator-turned-artist Vincent Seet.  

The artwork features dolphins swimming with coral reefs in the ocean. His dream of seeing his art “become so real that it comes alive” came true with the collaboration between art and technology, he said.  “As one of the purposes of my art is to share environment sustainability with a wildlife theme, this animation brings me closer to sharing and presenting my artistic expression and vision in the most beautiful way possible,” Seet shared. 

Another artwork brought to life by Huawei’s technology is Moonlit Journey. Created by Siang Hoi, a hard-of-hearing artist, the artwork features Singapore’s skyline and the essence of architectural buildings in acrylics. With the animation technology, the boat moves fluidly against the backdrop of Singapore’s traditional shophouses and modern buildings. 

Also animated with Huawei technology is The Flock, by Aaron Yeo Kwok Chian. Before becoming an artist, he was a hairstylist whose life took a dramatic turn when a motorcycle accident left him paralysed from the neck down.  

Chian recounts that a meeting with another tetraplegic introduced him to the world of art, and upon receiving formal training from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), he started to paint in oil drawing inspiration from nature. With the animation, the flamingos in his painting move gracefully in the water. 

“We pride ourselves on empowering artists with disabilities, exploring how technology can revolutionise art, pushing boundaries and unleashing innovative possibilities for creative expression,” Wang added.  

The full list of animated artworks can be viewed here. 

Fostering a more inclusive Singapore with community engagement 

Present at the arts festival was Mayor Desmond Choo, who commended Shaping Hearts for providing a space to recognise the talent of persons with disabilities. “The festival] opens doors to sustainable livelihoods and paints a future where everyone can meaningfully contribute and belong,” he said.  

Shaping Hearts aims to raise awareness of social inclusion through art and different activities like Mouth Painting and Sensory Pods for visitors to gain insights into the sensory experiences and challenges that artists with various disabilities face in daily life and as they approach their creative process. 

Huawei noted that as Singapore builds a caring and inclusive society for persons with disabilities, Huawei will continue to support these efforts through innovative tech solutions that are inclusive and accessible under its Singapore-oriented Tech4City initiative.  

This year’s Huawei’s Tech4City competition was motivated by the theme of ‘Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Inclusivity and Sustainability’ where over 340 young participants developed solutions leveraging AI for social impact. 

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From October 19 to November 3, 2024, the public can view and purchase the artworks displayed at Our Tampines Hub and on the Shaping Hearts website, as well as participate in the immersive experiences to get a better understanding of artists with disabilities.