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TOYSREVIL @ Culture Cartel 2022


UPDATED:


DISCLAIMER: My primary aim for the event was to showcase the Collectible Toys aspect, but in the hunt for them, I'd overlooked most other stores, alas. But then again, you folks do not come to this blog looking for anything else other than TOYS, do you? #BlessYou

REACHING *SCAPE
I had MRT'd my way to the venue, stopping at Somerset MRT and walking in. I'd taken the wrong route back in 2019 (for BigBigCon), and recommend you take EXIT B once you exit the MRT station, cheers.

There was a slight drizzle (after what looked to be a pouring rain, it's the year-end after all), with partial shelters from buildings, leading to the venue. Bring a brolly and your wits, and watch out for cars going in and out of the carpark lanes between the buildings.

I washed up and gathered my bearings at the neighbouring Orchard Cineleisure, and remembered the last time I was here was in 2019, for BigBigCon, and had a (late) lunch at the basement, which has since been closed up, leaving a shell of a mall which I used to go for my weekly Friday night movies.

At least there is (somewhat) public seating, where I recharged my mobile-phone before heading home LOL



LAY OF THE LAND
The event is spread out to three levels of *SCAPE. The main entrance walk-up is essentially "Level 2", and the escalator at the entrance should lead up to "Level 3" (but I cannot be sure, as I never made it up). "Level 1" is essentially the street level, which means a floor below, and a venue that took too much out of my time and energy hunting for (I'm dumb that way).




The layout plan is showcased in the building/floor directory, located next to the escalator up to Level 3 (the other side for which is the Schedule of Events), which I thought was clever and fun.

But then again I could not figure out Mighty Jaxx was actually on the same level, or even where the entrance was, except for the larger than life-sized statue at outside ... or maybe THAT was next to the entrance to the room? (I'd only discovered that while sorting out this blogpost, sadly -.-" ... Now THAT would've made a wonderful first visit to CC...!!!





Invited Artist @gondekdraws Matt Gondek's zone with @shopbacksg was a wonderful start of the event, next to the main entrance, and a splendid discovery (for me personally) was (designer) Toy Retailer @lucanvic's pop-up store (slideshow below / FEATURE HERE on TOYSREVIL). In fact each individual shop/storefront seemed to house vendors for Culture Cartel - which I assumed to be (but not wholly sure), since the event has "taken over" said venue. A semblance of branding (stickers, signs etc) would certainly help, if not in identification but at the least in photo-ops LOL



Walking further inwards, towards the "Tattoo Artist Wing", you'd pass the main foyer which showcased a display spread of sneakers underneath clear domes, leading to one of the only places where you'll have "public seating", with canteen benches in the DJ Area, featuring big screen video playback, and pulse pounding music as you shout into each other, like you would a club, but in broad daylight = Awesome! #imeanit One of the "rebel against the norm"-concepts/notions that I'd expect the event to possess more of, but that's just me :)

FREEBIES HACK: Finish a feedback survey (when approached to), and you might walk away with a coupon for a "Free Beer" (I lost my coupon tho, and Day Drinking is not my "thing" LOL).



The Tattoo Artist Wing was perhaps the brightest lit of the event (not counting Level 3, which I'd never had the chance to visit), compared to the underground grotto mystery of *SCAPE UNDERGROUND.

I'd walked about this space at least twice, in search of a way out, so I did notice the brightness (of course a practical aspect, to see clearly FFS). I was essentially a "lost child", but seriously pregnant-like overweight and touting my Crocs, so I stood out like a swollen sore thumb, I suspect ~ LOL .... :p


At the end of my short time at Culture Cartel, I only managed to walk 2 levels out of the three designated for the event.

Being totally unfamiliar with *SCAPE, it only dawned on me that the floor I had walked in from the registration entrance, was actually "Level 2", and that I was given direction to take a lift down to "Level 1", and walked across a carpark (*which will be closed from 10pm on December 2nd to 7am on Dec 5th), and only managed to find the entrance to the venue when I saw a lady squeezing thru a fence (we crossed paths and she asked how to get out of here, to which I then directed her to the lift), and with my spirits slightly lifted for the day, because I was not alone.



FINDING *SCAPE UNDERGROUND
Realising now, that by the end of finding my way out of *SCAPE UNDERGROUND (The actual name of the designated space) and making a video of it (see above), it felt as if I had "escaped" and needed to make my way out of there post-haste!

The venue showcased various vendors for various awesomeness, from tattoos, to fashion, to of course collectible toys, with FLABSLAB & FWENS (FEATURED HERE on TOYSREVIL).



The lighting was noticeably darker than the above level, which added to its mood of a "underground market" and I truly wished I had more time and energy to spend walking around there. This was the most "comfortably lit" space I had been in the entire venue, IMHO.

If all these were deliberately designed, then a shout out to the (space) planners for a job well done! Providing different/differing environments, as opposed to a homogenised "factory floorspace", IMHO.



It might not be wholly fair to "compare", but I'll liken this space to be housing the indie "Artist Alley" of the event, and you know how much I support the indie scene, cheers. Go show them some love, and snag yourselves some gifts for this season, if not for others, but also to treat yourselves for having a year well spent aqnd survived :)



The highlight of the day, and a splendid end-cap to my visit, was bumping into @eric_noah at the entrance. Remembering the last time we actually met face-to-face was at BigBigCon, exactly in *SCAPE as well, and the sentimental schmuck in me appreciated this happenstance (Thanks for the coin, Eric! Hope you and your family'll have a wonderful holiday!)

To some folks; it's about the things to see and the things to buy, but I appreciate the friends I get to meet and chat with, and having the pandemic coursed thru our daily lives for the past two years, a public opportunity like that need not be taken for granted, IMHO. But maybe I am too sentimental-a-schmuck like that ~ LOL

But then again, I am neither "street" nor "hip" enough to be able to enjoy the CC-festivities, for sure, and I doubt I am the "targeted demographic" ... but it's cool, cheers.

PRO-SUGGESTION:
Do consider not talking about "Free Entry Ticketing" issues in front of someone who got in with a free ticket ("Media" or otherwise), it would just seem unprofessional even though it was barely a whisper (LOL), and I do not appreciate feeling like a "free-loader". But then again, there was that "Free Beer" coupon after taking a survey tho, so here's egg in my face, innit?

Seriously tho, Bless You for being the reasonable one in the conversation, B, and I sincerely hope my request did not get you into too much hot soup :)



MISSING LEVEL 3
Circling Level 2 twice, and finally finding Level 1, I was exhausted then to have gotten up to Level 3 (*Yes I know I have been repeating myself here :p), where all the marquee booths were at, which was a real pity to my overall experience. Thankfully Culture Cartel has themselves gotten that sorted for folks:



STAY CONNECTED:
instagram.com/culturecartelcon
Buy Tickets Online here


RECOMMENDATION #1
If you do not have specific destination in the first place, I would suggest once you enter the venue, to head straight up to Level 3 first, and work your way downwards, so it would reduce inertia, and at the end of the day naturally find your way out of *SCAPE. Watch, Bask and Buy, in that order, cheers.

RECOMMENDATION #2
Organisation of Illustrators Council in Singapore (IG @oicsingapore) has also organised a "FOMO Art Weekend" happening this weekend (Dec 3-4 / 11am to 7pm) at Level 5 - which is Free To Enter (not sharing entrance with Culture Cartel), for which I'll do a separate blogpost for, and hope to visit this weekend as well, so if any one else wants to meet up ... just hope the weather holds tho :)





FLASHBACK TO F1 BUILDING
F1 Building was a massive sprawl of space and walk, but having visited the space twice (CULTURE CARTEL 2018 and CULTURE CARTEL 2019), I've gotten used to where things are, even where the public bathrooms were!

I am sure there are restrooms in *SCAPE, right? Ironically, with my going about like a directionless headless chicken, I never once thought about finding a toilet, until I escaped *SCAPE lol

NERF BATTLE ASIDE
The only thing keeping my interests up for *SCAPE, was remembering watching the following VICE video, and thinking this venue would be a fab+fun theatre of Nerf War .... But as a hypebeast venue? If only there were better signage, so idiots like myself could navigate with ease, and enjoy the space and people more. Conversely, I was not specifically hunting for any items to buy (not like Singapore Comic Con :p), so no doubt my desperation was not as heightened if I actually was.

Now imagine blinged-out branded NERF blasters and personal body-armour (for participants), for a "Street (Culture) War" ... Hella fun tho! But then again maybe not for this event :)





ORIGINAL BLOGPOST:



Bracing my tender ego to be judged for my Crocs (*cough*), I'll heading to #CultureCartel2022 today & attempt to bring you videos+snaps on my Insta @toysrevil (Hashtagged: #toysrevilculturecartel2022). My primary focus will be on designer collectible toys (of course), and I do apologize in adavnce if my coverage plans for today fall thru (which would mean bad data-connection, or I've "died from embarassment", fhanks) :p



Look, its 3 floors' worth in *SCAPE (Dec 1-4), and I've since decided to go in comfort, my Uncle-gear be damned! -.-"

UPDATED: Moving forward from this point, I will be takling a dedicated focus on COLLECTIBLE TOYS, cheers.

[ CULTURE CARTEL 2022 Features on TOYSREVIL ]

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