About this session

Experiencing the Metacrisis in Admiralty Park is a 2.5-hour guided experience led by storyteller Wilson Chew, inviting participants to encounter Admiralty Park through nature, history, imagination and reflection.

We will be guided to explore a pond, a weir, a bridge, a river, a young forest, a mangrove boardwalk, and all the rich biodiversity that they contain. Along the way, we may encounter both native and introduced species of plants and animals. Nature does not always appear at our beck and call, but with some luck, we may see monitor lizards, wild cucumbers, white-breasted waterhens, snakes, herons, squirrels, nipah palms, mudskippers and more. As an experienced nature guide, Wilson will share more about what we notice together on the trail.

Told through four chapters across the park, we will explore and discuss different ways humans have related to the natural world. Along the way, Wilson will draw from historical sources, such as archival material on the Sembawang Naval Base, as well as more metaphorical and imaginative lenses, like Italo Calvino’s ‘Invisible Cities’.

Chapter 1: Straight-line Thinking vs Eco-system Thinking

What is a ‘pest’, and who gets to decide? We will look at mosquitoes in Singapore, and the long-running efforts by Singapore to control them – while not getting swarmed ourselves.

Key metacrisis dynamics explored – the ‘hyper-agency’ of humans as world-shapers, combined with our tendency towards ‘straight-line’ solutions.

Chapter 2: Empire, Boundaries, Nature and Extraction

Next, we meet the ghost of the British Empire, in whose eyes Singapore was in fact full of natural resources and economic opportunity. At what point did we stop seeing nature as a target of exploitation, and what viewpoint replaced that?

Key metacrisis dynamic explored – extractive thinking, ambition and the immense scale of human enterprise, against the backdrop of an altered landscape.

Chapter 3: Precariousness and Awareness

We continue to reflect on the fate of the settlements along the river and the dislocation that arose from their ‘progress’ into ‘modern society’. But how precarious, really, is our progress?

Key metacrisis dynamic explored – the ‘baseline effect’ and what becomes difficult to imagine when older landscapes, species and ways of life disappear from memory?

Chapter 4: Intellectual Knowledge vs Embodied Understanding

Closing out on the mangrove boardwalk, we will encounter one of nature’s most remarkable and resilient ecosystems.

Key metacrisis dynamic explored – the difference between knowing, in theory, and experiencing it through the body. How do we embody understanding, and what difference does it make to how we act?

Light snacks will be provided along the way, with several stops to rest and take a break. We end off at Woodlands Waterfront Park. If you’d like to continue the conversations, please join in for a halal community lunch (self-paid) at Rasa Istimewa Waterfront Restaurant on the Woodlands Jetty overlooking Johor.

This session is for those who…

• Want to continue their journey in learning about the polycrisis and metacrisis.
• Sense that our disconnection from nature has deeper consequences than we realise.
• Want to slow down, observe, and ask what wiser actions might look like in the midst of the polycrisis and metacrisis.
• Are curious about nature, cities and the stories that connect them.
• Have wondered whether our relationship with nature can be more than control, extraction, expansion or convenience.
• Would love to reconnect with fellow participants from past ‘Crisis To Clarity’ events.

Brief Programme

Our Knowledge Partner: Wilson Chew

Wilson grew up listening to his father’s stories about the kampongs in Kranji – kampongs that he missed seeing by just a few years. Now, in between working as a user experience designer and facilitator, he tries to grow this residual connection with a very different Singapore through stories, walks in forests, and trying to spot and identify birds with mixed success.

Sometimes he gets around to writing, and you can read what was written here: https://greenmargin.substack.com/

Frequently Asked Questions

• What should I bring for this?
  Do bring along your earphones so you can hear the stories being told through a free-to-use online platform.
  
  While most of the trail is under the cover of trees, you may want to bring a cap, a water bottle and insect repellent. There will be some light snacks (bread & drinks) provided along the way, but you are more than welcome to bring your own source of sustenance.
• I attended Studio Dojo’s ‘Crisis To Clarity’ Introduction to the Metacrisis session. How does this session differ from that?
  Those sessions provide a broad overview of the polycrisis and metacrisis. In this session, nature is our teacher and we will get to experience and see the concepts happening around us, and not only as intellectual discussions. It also adds more to your steps tracker and burns some calories!
• Is there a wet weather plan?
  Depending on the weather forecast the day before, we may advise you to bring a raincoat or umbrella. We hope to do this, rain or shine.
• Will there be toilets?
  There are 3 opportunities to use washrooms – At the starting location, about 1.5 hours into the walk, and at the Woodlands Waterfront end point.
• Is the trail wheelchair and pram friendly?
  While major portions are accessible and have flat terrain, the last segment at the mangrove boardwalk may require navigating a short flight of stairs. Please let us know if you have any requirements and we will do our best to accommodate during the trail.
• I can’t make it for this session. Will there be another run?
  Please follow us on our social media channels (LinkedIn, Instagram) to get updated should we run future sessions.

Date & Time
27 June 2026, Saturday
9.30AM to 12PM

Format
Half-day, In-person guided trail (outdoor)

Location
Meet at Admiralty Park Amphitheater
+ Google Map

Ticket Type
Standard: S$15