Sentosa Sensoryscape celebrates first year with new immersive AR experience

SINGAPORE – Five million visitors have experienced Sentosa Sensoryscape’s many splendours since the sprawling attraction opened in March 2024.

Conceived as a day-to-night island journey, the 350m linkway boasts a “phygital” – physical and digital – celebration of the senses that also includes nature and architecture.

The two-tier thoroughfare covers an area of about 30,000 sq m, or nearly six football fields, linking Resorts World Sentosa in the north with the island’s southern shoreline. Its “ridge-to-reef” experience allows visitors to explore Sentosa’s rich biodiversity and heritage, and frolic at its bustling beaches.

The concept allows for changes in the future so that Sensoryscape keeps drawing visitors with the element of sensorial surprise.

On March 13, Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), which oversees the development, management and promotion of Sentosa Island, launched an immersive augmented reality (AR) experience at Sensoryscape to enhance its ImagiNite segment and commemorate its first anniversary.

For the first time, visitors will see a mystical superbeing called Senseri taking flight across the night sky through a melding of physical reality and digital storytelling via the ImagiNite app.

The AR feature was designed by 1-10, Inc. The Kyoto-based multidisciplinary studio, which employs more than 100 designers and artists, was commissioned by SDC to create the first iteration of ImagiNite more than a year ago.

Evocative soundscape

Senseri is derived from the combination of “Sen”, which is linked to Sentosa; and “seri,” a Malay word meaning radiance. The outing is heightened by Sensoryscape’s bespoke soundscape by home-grown composer August Lum.

SDC’s chief executive Thien Kwee Eng says Senseri will enrich and elevate the night-time experience of Sensoryscape and offer guests a novel way to enjoy the island.

She adds that Senseri takes inspiration from the island’s numerous peacocks and the Sentosa spirit – that indefinable “sixth sense” – beyond the physical senses.

Sensoryscape has three architectural structures called “vessels” in the middle of the linkway that house sensory gardens, each 13m high and 25m wide. Starting from around dusk, visitors are treated to large-scale outdoor interactive ImagiNite light and AR shows.

At the first vessel called Tactile Trellis, which features tactile plants, a projection-mapping installation explains how light and fire sparked humanity’s imagination in the forest.

At the centre vessel called the Scented Sphere, which has fragrant foliage and flowering plants, digital butterflies flit across the installation to tell stories of pollination.

The last vessel, Symphony Streams, which has water features, comes alive at night with AR-enhanced sea animals.

“Global travel trends continue to evolve, with travellers being more experience-driven and tech-savvy, and increasingly seeking differentiated experiences,” Ms Thien says.

One of the more immersive aspects of Sensoryscape is the soundtrack Lum composed for experiencing Sensoryscape in the day. This is separate from the audio for the after-dark ImagiNite AR segment done by 1-10, Inc.

The score is not meant to be a piece of sonic wallpaper, says Lum. It comprises original compositions with varying moods and feelings to showcase variety.

For instance, one of the music pieces is called Carillon, inspired by the carillon bells located at the southern end of the former Merlion Walk about 20 years ago.

On some of his visits to Sentosa, he made it a point to be at the end of the walkway a few minutes earlier just to catch the bells chiming, which were at scheduled times throughout the day.

“I have always loved the sound of bells and carillons because they can be made to sound harmonious, yet there is a slightly off-pitch quality which also makes them sound natural and quaint. So, the piece was originally intended to be a ‘carillon concerto’ of sorts.”

There are lush orchestral pieces inspired by Western Impressionistic and Romantic eras, as well as ethnic-influenced ditties which do not reference a particular cultural style.

The music of South-east Asia also features prominently with mellow gongs and mallet instruments for their ethereal and slightly other-worldly qualities.

“These are interspersed with simple, intimate and reflective piano pieces. The piano is my primary instrument of expression, so those pieces flow naturally from me,” says Lum, 40, a freelance music composer who has written compositions for stage musicals, media and attractions.

The soundtrack is also carefully curated to avoid evoking a schizophrenic roller coaster of emotions.

“Sensoryscape is a world of its own, despite being located in a very public space between an integrated resort complex and a tropical beach,” he says.

“It’s pretty immersive the moment you stroll on the walkway, with the vessels looming towards you one by one. And I feel this even in the daytime, with the lack of lighting and multimedia elements. So, the soundtrack was written specifically to transport one into another ‘space’.”

Besides the five senses of sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell, there is a sixth sense which Japanese interactive design studio 1-10, Inc has woven into the new ImagiNite experience.

The AR aspects of the current ImagiNite experience that includes Senseri can be experienced on the ImagiNite app via smartphones. However, the non-AR ImagiNite elements – such as the interactive digital wall and floor projections across Sensoryscape – can be enjoyed without a smartphone.

The enhanced AR feature in the form of the Senseri mystical being is designed to help visitors cross over from the projection-mapping lightshows at the three tangible gardens to the intangible, namely the realm of emotions and imagination.

Mr Yoshiaki Sawabe, chief executive of 1-10, Inc, says that with the addition of Senseri, visitors can enjoy the experiences not only with their physical senses, but also feel them through their emotions.

“We designed this powerful layer of Senseri AR to fill visitors with awe, right from the time they witness the flight of Senseri before their very own eyes through the ImagiNite app,” he adds.

Senseri’s energy can be seen from its beautiful shape, which was inspired by Sentosa’s natural elements, from the forests of Mount Imbiah to the golden beaches and sea, says the 52-year-old.

These aspects of nature were combined with the shape of a peacock. Its form was chosen for the main shape of Senseri not only because of its beauty, but also because the ornate bird – which can be spotted all over the island – is seen as an unofficial ambassador of Sentosa.

Mr Sawabe adds that Senseri was also designed to be a symbol of Sensoryscape, unifying the varied mystical experiences that greet visitors.

“What we see with our eyes is not all there is to the world,” he says. “Since ancient times, humanity has sensed the presence of the unseen and the supernatural, and we have been living in harmony with these invisible forces. Yet, in the modern era, we seem to have forgotten this spiritual dimension of daily life.”

Beyond offering guests a chance to slow down and explore uncharted experiential spaces, Sensoryscape also plays a vital role in raising Sentosa’s profile as a vibrant social hub through a range of community programmes.

This year, the attraction will celebrate with the WWF Earth Hour Festival 2025 on March 22 and Sentosa Cares Week, an SG60 programme, in September. Other events include an ongoing photography exhibition across the precinct, as well as the Sentosa K-Pop Dance Showdown on March 15 and 25.

SDC’s Ms Thien says: “By collaborating with local artists, creative minds and interest groups, we aim to create spaces that are beloved by our guests and connect with diverse communities.”