Imagine stepping inside a cave-like sculpture not knowing what to expect, then unearthing a whole new dimension. Discovery Slides (pictured above), a playscape and sculpture hybrid, is part of the recently opened 14,000sqm Canopy Park at Jewel Changi Airport, a new retail and leisure complex that connects all four terminals of the multi-award-winning airport. It is Singapore’s first large-scale sculptural art piece. The fluid contours present a clever reinterpretation of traditional playground equipment. The fusion installation references the fact that playgrounds and public art are an intrinsic part of the Garden City’s urban landscape, scattered throughout the Little Red Dot.

Designed by the Netherlands-based firm Carve, and built by Singapore outfit Playpoint, Discovery Slides offers a heady mix of thrills and curiosity that aims to appeal to both children and the young at heart. Hedged by a verdant trail, it features four integrated slides – two tube slides and two sliding surfaces – of varying heights. The slides also function as a viewing gallery, with its 6.5-metre-high observatory deck overlooking the 40-metre-high Rain Vortex, the world’s tallest indoor waterfall. The belly of the conjoined slides has a mirror finish, which reflects not only the surrounding greenery but the entire chimerical concept of Jewel Changi Airport – a mythical garden inspired by the award-winning Hollywood film Avatar .