SINGAPORE – One of the biggest draws at this year’s i Light Marina Bay festival is undoubtedly the Art-Zoo.

And its creator, Jackson Tan is inviting the public to come and really interact with the 11 enormous inflatable animal and plant installations there.

Running around them, bouncing on them, and even hugging or punching them — this is all possible since they are equipped with bouncy castle flooring, said Jackson, 42.

Speaking to TODAY, Tan, who is the creative director of local multi-disciplinary creative agency Black, said the inflatable park coming to life was a “childhood dream come true”.

“One of the reasons I wanted to do this is because most of the time, public perception of art is that it is designed for you to look at from afar. You can’t really touch it, you can’t really engage with it,” Tan, said.

Tan, who created Art-Zoo alongside two other designers, said the inflatable playground was inspired by his memories of the Singapore Zoo and of playgrounds near his grandmother’s HDB flat at Dakota Crescent.

“We thought (about) our childhood fascinations. When we were children, what were the things we always wanted to do? We always wanted to meet a giant spider for example, or we want to go inside a whale,” he said, referring to his inflatable whale whose belly one can walk through.

“All these are childhood fascinations, and we want these fascinations to come to life.”

“I thought it would be really fun to have art installations that you can literally touch, and you can even bounce on it and play with it.”

Art-Zoo, seen at The Float @ Marina Bay, opened yesterday (march3). It is one of three festival hubs at this year’s i Light Marina Bay, the annual sustainable light-art festival located around the Marina Bay waterfront. The Art-Zoo installations light up at night, and Art-Zoo is open until 11pm..

Since this is the first time Art-Zoo will be presented, Tan says he hopes the playground will attract as many visitors as possible. About 50 “zoo-keepers” will also be stationed at the floats every day to ensure the safety of the visitors.

Tan is currently in talks to take Art-Zoo to other cities. If Art-Zoo proves to be a success, he may also look into expanding the inflatable playground to include more plants and animals.

“The cool thing about the Art-Zoo is it is a world of imaginary animals and plants. It’s about how imagination meets nature, so there are (many other) things we can do with it,” Tan said.

Visit Art-Zoo from 5pm to 11pm on weekdays and 2pm to 11pm on weekends at The Float @ Marina Bay. The piece is open until March 26. Tickets from S$15 available at ApacTix (www.apactix.com).