Day 1

Arriving at Melbourne!! This was a very exciting yet tiring day. Pictured below are some very memorable airport moments.

After reaching Holiday Inn, we were given some free time to explore the area. We discovered street art before the street art tour, explored malls with shops selling things you don't normally see in Singapore. One thing that stuck out to me was this witch-themed shop that sold crystals which I found really interesting(but didn't get a photo as I was living too much in the moment).

Lastly, we visited the LUME art museum, which was a lot like Singapore's National Gallery. This exhibit was called "Monet and Friends" if my memory isn't misleading, and it taught me a lot about the process behind these artists' artwork. I especially loved the little quotes they put on the big screen, along with the walls displays.

Day 2

This day was probably the most memorable for me. I loved learning about the meaning and significance of graffiti art, as well as the history behind street art in Melbourne. I especially took a liking in the concept that you had to break the law in order to express yourself using this art form. Because of this, street art is a very niche type of art with quite a unique culture.

(We also went to the Kilda festival but I don't have any photos.)

Day 3

Photography Art Workshop!! Learnt about the rule of thirds, leading lines, texture, editing pics using Snapseed, etc. We also took a tour of RMIT university, where the tour guide told us all about the history of the building as a prison. Quite exciting stuff.

Day 4

Alexander McQueen Exhibit!! 

Puppetry Workshop– I had no idea how in-depth and meaningful one can make the art of puppetry be. Our workshop leader really opened my eyes on the significance of telling a story through puppets. I wish I could have taken a video of her in action.

Day 5

Healesville Sanctuary. I took too many photos but here are a few:

Day 6

Victoria Market, filled with small independent business, sold many great products at good prices. It was wonderful to have the local shopping experience in this area(I may have spent too much on this day!)

We also went back to the National Gallery of Victoria for a guided tour. One thing that especially stood out to me was the stories they told about obtaining these paintings for the museum, as well as the significance behind the Chinese historical pieces of art.

We also saw Mary Poppins, the musical, right after a very nice dinner! It was a beautiful end to the night. The musical itself was so impressive; the singing was perfect, the dancing was phenomenal–choreographed to a T– and I still can't get over how good the child actors were.

Day 7

Our group participated in the improv workshop. I am so glad we all got to partake in this because, even though improv and acting isn't something within our comfort zone, we learned a lot about how improv is all about a tight-knit community and expressing yourself through an art form that allows you to forget for a second about the things you are anxious about. You simply cannot overthink while acting in improv, and there is a comfort I take in that.

Next, we saw a small nonprofit art gallery called Blindside, where they told us all about how their organization consists of mainly volunteers who wish to give shadowed artists the recognition they deserve. It is quite a nice mission this organization had, and the gallery itself was intriguing as well.

Lastly, we went to a moonlight cinema where we saw the movie, Avatar. I loved this place because the scenery was amazing, and it was such a nice experience sitting there watching the movie on the big screen. I wish we got to go to this area just to explore the scenery during the day.

Day 8

Back to Singapore! Overall, I found this trip wonderful and very enjoyable; the activities were not only fun but they also made me see things through a different lens than I normally do. I am not an art student, though I find learning about the significance and history of art very captivating. I think art is an essential key in life and proves to be one of the most useful tools in recording history. Without it, there are so many profound discoveries and pleasantries in life that would have never been experienced at all.