Latest news with #ShawFoundation
CNA
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
National Museum of Singapore to launch first exhibition as part of revamp
SINGAPORE: Following a 10-month closure, the National Museum of Singapore will be opening the first of its revamped permanent galleries on Aug 8. The newly-named Shaw Foundation Glass Rotunda will exhibit a multi-sensorial experience titled Singapore Odyssea: A Journey Through Time, said the museum on Thursday (Jul 31). Presented through animation and interactive elements, the installation highlights major milestones in Singapore's 700 years of history. It replaces the Story of the Forest exhibition, which centred on the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings. "With Singapore Odyssea, we wanted to continue drawing on our collection and rich stories to present Singapore's history in an engaging and relevant way - this creates an accessible entry point, while honouring the depth and significance of our history," said Ms Chung May Khuen, director of the National Museum of Singapore. "In presenting Story of the Forest, we pushed the boundaries of a conventional museum-going experience through technology and multimedia to create a highly immersive space," Ms Chung added. "This was the impetus behind incorporating further multisensorial and interactive elements in Singapore Odyssea that we hope will continue to excite and enchant our visitors." Designed by local artists, Singapore Odyssea acts as an immersive time-travelling voyage and features four episodes with scenes spanning from present-day Singapore to the pre-colonial Singapore period, consisting of local stories and myths associated with the nation's origins. "The installation gives cultural and historical context to Singapore's identity, adding depth and enhancing appreciation for its place in the region and the world," said the National Museum of Singapore. A two-minute light show anchored by a suspended LED globe, the first of its kind in a Singapore museum, will be one of the first attractions in the installation. The light show traces Singapore's evolution of maritime trade routes over the centuries. Visitors can also expect to see visual wall projections of animated scenes and soundscapes of significant moments in the nation's history like Singapore's first National Day Parade before wartime evacuations and ancient coastal communities. Singapore Odyssea ends at the base of the glass rotunda with a digital waterfall curtain that depicts more moments of Singapore's history as visitors approach it. The floor will also respond to movements, with each step creating digital ripples on the surface that will also interact with surrounding ripples made by others. Visitors can also use a personalised RFID-enabled wristband at the start of the installation as a guide. The wristband features nine companions inspired by Singapore's wildlife such as an otter, a crab and a hornbill. The companions respond to the user's movement and environment by lighting paths and triggering hidden animations. When approaching the concluding section, visitors can digitally release their RFID-enabled companions at a digital well. "This symbolic gesture reinforces the adage that what is borrowed from nature should be returned with care - a call to action to build a sustainable future for both people and the real-life counterparts of these companions," said the museum. The experience will be accompanied by media where myths of creatures such as the giant tide-moving crab and the magical tree of life Pauh Janggi are reinterpreted. Singapore Odyssea will run alongside other complementary showcases such as Once Upon A Tide which explores Singapore's maritime evolution and a series of programmes for the National Day Celebrations on Aug 9. "We hope that the bold and innovative storytelling in Singapore Odyssea will captivate and inspire visitors to take pride in our heritage and develop a deeper interest in Singapore's remarkable history," said Mr Mark Shaw, executive vice president and director of Shaw Foundation.
Business Times
30-07-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Shaw Foundation ties up with NCSS to house social service agencies at upcoming Shaw Tower
[SINGAPORE] The upcoming Shaw Tower is set to house various social service agencies when its redevelopment is completed in mid-2026. The development's community spaces will focus on mental wellness, as well as the arts and heritage. The Shaw Foundation is also establishing its own non-governmental organisation (NGO) to run programmes for beneficiaries. Raymond Chan, chairman of Shaw Foundation, said at Shaw Tower's topping-out ceremony on Tuesday (Jul 29): 'In our commitment to giving back to the community, we are collaborating with the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) in dedicating space for social service agencies in Singapore such as Montfort Care.' The effort comes under the Community and Sports Facilities Scheme by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). This scheme allows developers additional floor space of up to 2,000 square metres or 10 per cent of the maximum allowable floor area for the site – whichever is lower – for community use. The agencies will not pay rent to Shaw Towers Realty, the owner of Shaw Tower, but instead pay a service fee – in accordance with URA's requirements. 'This supports the broader push to integrate community facilities into commercial developments, supporting non-profit community service providers,' Chan added. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up Shaw Tower, located in Beach Road and the Central Business District, will have 435,000 square feet (sq ft) of Grade A office space. It will also house community-centric facilities, including a multi-purpose hall, which will take up 21,500 sq ft. Highlighting mental wellness In an exclusive interview with The Business Times, Alfred Yeung, general manager of Shaw Towers Realty, said the tie-up with NCSS aligns with Shaw Foundation's philanthropic efforts, with the dedicated spaces focusing on mental wellness. 'This is highly appropriate in this kind of commercial environment, with office workers in the neighbourhood. It will serve not only the building's users, but also (those) within the larger radius,' he added. NCSS noted that Shaw Foundation first approached it in 2021 for the collaboration. NCSS then took the lead in turning the space into an integrated social services hub, which is 'a collaborative effort by the sector to create a seamless and comprehensive support system in caregivers' service journey', it said. Besides Montfort Care, which serves vulnerable children, families and seniors, Shaw Tower will also house mental health charity Brahm Centre and Children-At-Risk-Empowerment Association, which helps at-risk youths. Montfort Care will take the lead in co-creating the one-stop support hub for caregivers. 'Beyond caregiver support, the hub will feature integrated mental health services and arts and heritage programmes, developed in collaboration with Shaw Foundation,' NCSS added. This initiative is part of NCSS' plans to develop three themed social service hubs across Singapore, alongside JiaYou Centre at Chinatown Point and an upcoming site at City Square Mall. New NGO Yeung said that Shaw Foundation will be establishing its own NGO called Shaw – an acronym for 'Shaw, Heritage, Arts and Wellness' – to serve various beneficiary groups. However, it will focus on early childhood and new mothers. The NGO will 'run and devise programmes linking arts, music and heritage with mental wellness', he said. Operations of the NGO will start in 2027 – six to nine months after Shaw Tower's redevelopment is completed. Shaw Towers Realty sits under Shaw Foundation. Lendlease is the project and development manager in Shaw Tower's current phase, and will become the property manager at the operational phase.
The Star
28-06-2025
- Health
- The Star
Hong Kong woman opens up about life after moment her heart stopped beating
More than a decade ago, Hongkonger Olivia Cheung Lok-man's heart stopped beating for 63 minutes. She was a 19-year-old student at the time and had suffered a fulminant myocarditis attack, a rare and severe illness that can cause heart failure. Cheung, now a 30-year-old art teacher, has since developed the ability to cope with the uncertainties surrounding her condition, thanks to the special care of the medical team at Queen Mary Hospital's intensive care unit (ICU). 'I have experienced [near death], I don't think there's anything [my family and I] can't deal with,' she said. Cheung and her doctor spoke to the media on Monday as part of the hospital's work with the Shaw Foundation to offer in-person and online activities to educate the public about intensive care treatments and patients' experiences. Last year, lawmakers passed a legislative amendment that allows terminally ill patients to reject certain treatments, such as undergoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), as the end of their life nears. Simon Sin Wai-ching, the critical care unit doctor at Queen Mary Hospital who treated Cheung, said he hoped more of the public, especially young people, would give more thought to what first aid options they were willing to undergo. 'How do patients feel before entering the ICU? How do they feel during intubation? If we can set up a platform for them to share such stories, it's much more effective than having doctors and residents guess what those procedures feel like,' he said. He noted that less than 20 per cent of patients die in ICUs, where hospitals' best resources are available. Speaking about his time treating Cheung, the doctor said her heart had suddenly skipped a few beats when she began suffering the fulminant myocarditis attack. Sin said the hospital where Cheung was initially admitted had lacked an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine (ECMO), which acts as an artificial heart and lung. An ECMO and a team of specialists had to be brought over from Queen Mary Hospital to keep her alive, he added. The doctor recalled that the team was still travelling to the other hospital by taxi when they learned that Cheung's heart had completely stopped. At the time of Cheung's fulminant myocarditis attack, each procedure using an ECMO cost more than HK$1 million. Most patients cannot survive undergoing CPR for more than 20 minutes. 'But the whole team was already in the taxi, and there was no place for a U-turn, so we sped ahead,' Sin said, noting an experienced ICU doctor who was jogging nearby had rushed to the hospital to perform CPR on Cheung. Sixty-three minutes later, the specialist team were prepared for the operation and managed to get Cheung's heart beating again. Sin recounted Cheung's miraculous survival in his book, When Suffering Becomes Life , which shares the post-ICU stories of his former patients. Surviving also marked the start of a life of recovery for Cheung. 'I had to relearn writing and walking, but I picked up those skills again very quickly,' she said. Her father, Cheung Wing-hung, said: 'When I first heard Olivia was saved, I worried about taking care of her. Would she need support to use the toilet [after hospitalisation]?' While Olivia Cheung gradually recovered from her near-death experience, it continued to have an impact on her life eight years later, when she woke up one night having wet the bed and with a bleeding tongue. In a check-up, doctors found she had epilepsy as her brain lacked oxygen when her heart stopped. 'Now I cannot drive a car. The medicine for epilepsy also made me too tired to work during the first two weeks I was on it,' she said. But Cheung said that, in spite of her experiences, she remained positive and felt her problems were 'minor ones' compared with what others had gone through.
South China Morning Post
26-06-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong woman opens up about life after moment her heart stopped beating
More than a decade ago, Hongkonger Olivia Cheung Lok-man's heart stopped beating for 63 minutes. She was a 19-year-old student at the time and had suffered a fulminant myocarditis attack, a rare and severe illness that can cause heart failure. Cheung, now a 30-year-old art teacher, has since developed the ability to cope with the uncertainties surrounding her condition, thanks to the special care of the medical team at Queen Mary Hospital's intensive care unit (ICU). 'I have experienced [near death], I don't think there's anything [my family and I] can't deal with,' she said. Cheung and her doctor spoke to the media on Monday as part of the hospital's work with the Shaw Foundation to offer in-person and online activities to educate the public about intensive care treatments and patients' experiences. Last year, lawmakers passed a legislative amendment that allows terminally ill patients to reject certain treatments, such as undergoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), as the end of their life nears.
