Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Star Wars Identities (London, 2017)

Star Wars Identities is visiting Singapore from January 30 to June 13 as the last stop on its 12 city world tour. After its start in Montreal, it has since been to Edmonton, Ottawa, Paris, Lyon, Cologne, Munich, London, Utrecht, Brussels, Sydney and Tokyo.

I visited it in London in 2017. Since even more people than usual will be unable to see it due to covid, I am (finally) uploading my commentary (with photos, of course). It is possible the exhibition has evolved in the last 3 years but most of it should be the same.
 
Doing this post reminds me of why I stopped doing my travelogues - this is really time consuming (mostly sorting out, then posting the photos). But the sacrifices one makes...

Star Wars Identities is a peculiar mashup of Star Wars drawings, artefacts and displays with meditations on psychology, with RPG character creation thrown in to boot.
 
While it was nice seeing the artefacts and drawings (some of which I had seen pictures of, but materiality is always nice), the exhibition didn't feel tight (you can see the flow isn't good, with sections not well-connected), and I felt the meditations were bolted on (often with no connection to Star Wars at all).
 

In doing the research for this post, I found out that the meditations were grounded in science - the exhibition was created in conjunction with a scientific community consisting of neuropsychologists, psychologists, a biochemist, a social psychologist, an occupational therapist and an expert in education. Most of the names are French ones, though, which would account for the very French philosophical bent (and perhaps why there was French text in London - presumably the ArtScience Museum will replace it with Mandarin as usual).



Praise for the exhibition


Ticket prices


Composite posters - Star Wars characters made up of other items 



Exhibition title

 
As part of the exhibition, everyone got a wristband which could be tapped to sensors in the wall to make choices (this being a theme of the exhibition).

   

Waffle on what determines the self


You got to choose which species your character would be

 
Supposedly the cantina scene in A New Hope is to invert the usual relationship between Human and Alien. I have my doubts about that. Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar.

 

 
 Cantina crowd

 

Ponda Baba 

 

On cloning

 

 

Boba Fett (who's a clone) with BB-8, a First Order Stormtrooper and a Stormtrooper (who are not, nearby text on clones notwithtanding). Stormtrooper helmets, stormtrooper rifle


On the podracing aliens


Aldar Beedo, Ark "Bumpy" Roose


Mars Guo, Neva Kee


On genes


Droids: [B1] Battle Droid, EV-9D9, RA-7, 8D8, Mouse Droid, C-3P0, R2-D2


Jar Jar Expressions


Jar Jar Binks models


On genes. At least this is related to Star Wars. Although, sadly, not to the exhibits beside it. I guess this is supposed to be linked to Tatooine because that's the origin of both Skywalkers. But there was no other attempt made to link the twins (and even here the link was only mentioned in passing - nothing about genes and personality, for example, despite the header of "it's in the genes")


Twins


Luke as girl concepts


Early Luke and Leia


Sebulba


The influence of parents, parenting styles. No talk about how parenting (supposedly) influences kids, though


Commentary on Shmi Skywalker and Owen and Beru Lars parenting


Owen and Beru Lars


Shmi Skywalker sketch, presumably conceived of as a Jedi


Anakin and his mother


Life on Tatooine


Streets of Mos Eisley


R2-D2 and C-3P0 leave the pod in the desert


Tusken raiders


Droids at Jabba's Palace


Jawa village


Tusken raiders at night


Sandcrawler at night


Jawa Swapmeet


Tusken Raider, Jawa


Han Solo in Carbonite, Slave Leia


Jabba the Hutt and his eyes, Jabba and Montross (who got cut)


Jabba with legs


Jabba reclining


Jabba with bubble pot




"I hold up under pressure"


Jabba tatoo


"How do we grow - influences" (one of the links they tried to make to "Identities", which presumably explains the exhibition title); Luke and Yoda


Minch house interior


Minch house exterior


X-Wing in bog


Luke leaves Dagobah


Luke persuades Yoda


Yoda


Early Yoda


Yoda with cane


Early Yoda


Minch muppet


Actions and attitudes - sketches for Yoda in The Clone Wars


Various Imperial craft: Star Destroyer, TIE Fighter Advanced x1, Imperial Shuttle, TIE Bomber, TIE Interceptor, TIE Fighter, AT-AT Walker


(Mostly) Rebel craft: Slave I, X-Wing, Rebel Snowspeeder, , A-Wing, Mon Calamari Starcruiser, B-Wing


Death Star over laser eye


Death Star Laser Cannon


Relative Speed/Maneuverability chart - the Millennium Falcon isn't that fast after all!


"Friends" (i.e. Cloud City)


East Landing Platform


City in Clouds


A room in Cloud City


Millennium Falcon landing on Cloud City


Dinner with Darth Vader


Luke Rebel Pilot costume


The Millennium Falcon


Han and Chewie over Death Star


Han and Chewie


Han Solo & Chewbacca costumes


Young Chewie


Costumes: Chewbacca, Han Solo, Princess Leia Organa, Lando Calrissan


"The Millennium Falcon: The Friend Ship"


Top view


Cockpit Interior


Gunport Section


"Strength in Numbers" (i.e. the Rebel Alliance)


Rebels Plot Attack


Rebel helmets


Aquillian Rangers (not in later drafts), Troops


Rebel Pilot Helmets


"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger"
The exhibition made the point (not pictured in this post) that Luke and Anakin faced similar circumstances, but one stayed good and the other turned evil because, among other things, of their different social contexts - Luke had friends but Anakin didn't (more from Geek Frontiers). Ironically, given that material from The Clone Wars was featured, it didn't talk about the role of the Jedi Order's flaws in Anakin's fall.


Choices


Occupation - once again you could choose one


On Padme Amidala, Amidala costumes


"Personality: how do you behave?"


"Anakin: high on neuroticism, low on agreeableness" (Luke didn't get a similar personality evaluation - probably because they didn't have enough related props to show, e.g. his Commander Luke Skywalker costume [the one he wears at the end of The Empire Strikes Back])


Anakin costume & Owen Lars' Swoop Bike


Values. Once again there was no link to Star Wars


Palpatine's facial expressions (for The Clone Wars)


Emperor attacks Luke


Palpatine


Emperor's Throne Room


Emperor and Vader


Emperor Head Studies


Darth Sidious. I was in a hurry (I had a plane to catch) so I couldn't watch the character vignettes


Vader unmasked


Vader's thoughts


Helmet removal machinery


Meditation chamber


Vader's Castle


Vader's Costume


Early Vader


Confrontation


Vader costume


Palpatine's frieze


The Jedi: Kit Fisto, Mace Windu, Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Plo Koon


The Sith: Darth Maul, The Emperor. I'm disappointed Count Dooku was missing


Results - yes, all the choices earlier did have some result


Exhibition equipment


Sony Xperia tie-in

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