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HIDE AND SEEK with Kitty and Friends 06
BY
Gwendy
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The first ever Hello Kitty exhibition to be held in Singapore, Hide and Seek with Kitty and Friends opened on the 24th of November at the Arts House. In honor of Hello Kitty’s 30th anniversary in 2005, Hide and Seek with Kitty and Friends was created to commemorate the birthday of the cute mouth-less cat that has grown to be a pop culture icon all over the world. First opened in Hong Kong, the exhibition will be on show until the 2nd of December 2006.
Thanks to the tour guides who gave us a warm-hearted tour of the exhibition during the media preview, we were able to understand and gush at Hello Kitty even more. The massive exhibition occupies the entire 2nd floor of the Arts House, where the exhibition is divided into several zones where visitors can admire and view different interpretations of Hello Kitty. Starting from the Sanrio history gallery, which traces the evolution of Hello Kitty over the years since the 1970s, such as the very first original kitty product, the coin purse to a kitty telephone and color pencils to name a few. The Sanrio history gallery provides an interesting and retrospective look at the early merchandise and it is easy to understand the early appeal of Hello Kitty. The second room designed as a quirky maze painted in white and black squares featuring numerous Hello Kitty artworks, prints, paintings and photographs visitors lose themselves and be totally immersed in the maze. Every corner of the maze displayed a contemporary re-interpretation of Hello Kitty.
Several renowned international artists and design collectives were invited to present a contemporary re-interpretation of Hello Kitty. From Japanese design collectives Design Barcode to American design collective, Universal Everything and various other designers from as far as Netherlands, Experimental Jetset from the Netherlands presented a painting of a very cute kitty hiding behind a wall painted with the words, ‘Kitty was Here’. These artworks manage to capture the essence of Hello Kitty as a pop culture icon in the form of fashion, artwork and motion graphics.
From the maze like room, visitors proceed to the specially constructed Hello Kitty house decorated with a stunning and dazzling array of Kitty furniture and products. Entering the room, you gape as you see a life size Hello Kitty fountain complete with cute cut-out flowers and plants before the awe-inspiring Hello Kitty house. Stepping into the life-like house, visitors admire the Hello Kitty furniture from rice cookers to guitars. The final step of the Hello Kitty experience takes visitors to view an ambient animation gallery projecting extremely desirable Hello Kitty inspired works, viewing the animations from the lit up platform with Hello Kitty’s face and hanging glass like pieces from the ceiling. Multimedia installations and Kitty artworks adorn the walls along the corridors of the Arts House.
Hide and Seek with Kitty and Friends also offers visitors the chance to find out interesting and little-known facts about Hello Kitty and her Friends based on the theme of Hide and Seek. Based on the well-known game of 50 questions and answers, visitors can seek out answers to the questions which are disguised in the form of the exhibits. Specially produced limited edition Hello Kitty merchandise and collectibles such as the re-production of the first Hello Kitty coin bag, will be on sale during the exhibition only. Organized by Sheng Tai toys, official distributor of Hello Kitty merchandise in Singapore, and Co-organized by Sanrio and AllRightsReserved and sponsored by Motorola, Hide and Seek with Kitty and Friends is truly an engaging, interactive experience and even for non-Hello Kitty lovers, this exhibition helps us take a look at the origins of this cute mouth-less cat which has captured the hearts of many globally and which has become a pop culture icon all over the world with avid collectors.
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Event coverage editorial and photography by TAXI Design Network’s Event Coverage Crew. View TAXI Design Network’s photography section, TRAVEL ALBUM for Hello Kitty’s Exhibition held last month.
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© 2006 by TAXI Design Network. All rights reserved.
Thanks to the tour guides who gave us a warm-hearted tour of the exhibition during the media preview, we were able to understand and gush at Hello Kitty even more. The massive exhibition occupies the entire 2nd floor of the Arts House, where the exhibition is divided into several zones where visitors can admire and view different interpretations of Hello Kitty. Starting from the Sanrio history gallery, which traces the evolution of Hello Kitty over the years since the 1970s, such as the very first original kitty product, the coin purse to a kitty telephone and color pencils to name a few. The Sanrio history gallery provides an interesting and retrospective look at the early merchandise and it is easy to understand the early appeal of Hello Kitty. The second room designed as a quirky maze painted in white and black squares featuring numerous Hello Kitty artworks, prints, paintings and photographs visitors lose themselves and be totally immersed in the maze. Every corner of the maze displayed a contemporary re-interpretation of Hello Kitty.
Several renowned international artists and design collectives were invited to present a contemporary re-interpretation of Hello Kitty. From Japanese design collectives Design Barcode to American design collective, Universal Everything and various other designers from as far as Netherlands, Experimental Jetset from the Netherlands presented a painting of a very cute kitty hiding behind a wall painted with the words, ‘Kitty was Here’. These artworks manage to capture the essence of Hello Kitty as a pop culture icon in the form of fashion, artwork and motion graphics.
From the maze like room, visitors proceed to the specially constructed Hello Kitty house decorated with a stunning and dazzling array of Kitty furniture and products. Entering the room, you gape as you see a life size Hello Kitty fountain complete with cute cut-out flowers and plants before the awe-inspiring Hello Kitty house. Stepping into the life-like house, visitors admire the Hello Kitty furniture from rice cookers to guitars. The final step of the Hello Kitty experience takes visitors to view an ambient animation gallery projecting extremely desirable Hello Kitty inspired works, viewing the animations from the lit up platform with Hello Kitty’s face and hanging glass like pieces from the ceiling. Multimedia installations and Kitty artworks adorn the walls along the corridors of the Arts House.
Hide and Seek with Kitty and Friends also offers visitors the chance to find out interesting and little-known facts about Hello Kitty and her Friends based on the theme of Hide and Seek. Based on the well-known game of 50 questions and answers, visitors can seek out answers to the questions which are disguised in the form of the exhibits. Specially produced limited edition Hello Kitty merchandise and collectibles such as the re-production of the first Hello Kitty coin bag, will be on sale during the exhibition only. Organized by Sheng Tai toys, official distributor of Hello Kitty merchandise in Singapore, and Co-organized by Sanrio and AllRightsReserved and sponsored by Motorola, Hide and Seek with Kitty and Friends is truly an engaging, interactive experience and even for non-Hello Kitty lovers, this exhibition helps us take a look at the origins of this cute mouth-less cat which has captured the hearts of many globally and which has become a pop culture icon all over the world with avid collectors.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Event coverage editorial and photography by TAXI Design Network’s Event Coverage Crew. View TAXI Design Network’s photography section, TRAVEL ALBUM for Hello Kitty’s Exhibition held last month.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© 2006 by TAXI Design Network. All rights reserved.