They began consulting exhibition organisers, libraries and peers to see whether the idea could work. At the same time, they began contacting renowned sci-fi and fantasy authors to reproduce and feature their work, and reaching out to artists whose works they wanted to display.
Planning the exhibition as a family was a memorable experience for both.
“When I first decided on it, there were many times I wondered how it would all work,” Shona said. “But I never doubted that Dad’s idea would tide us through whatever struggle.”
“There’s something utterly special about seeing this woman, who you’ll always remember as young and small, be so capable and brilliant in her own way,” said Scott. “If it wasn’t for Shona, all this would have still remained a dream.”
Their close bond would even rub off on the people they worked with.
“It was funny because I just stuck to calling him Dad, and eventually everyone else – from the staff to the vendors – started calling him Dad, too,” Shona quipped.
A “BROAD CELEBRATION OF HUMAN CREATIVITY”
The Portals Experience, which Scott said cost roughly seven figures to bring to life (excluding the value of the books and artworks themselves), runs in Singapore until Sep 2.
The current edition features only a fraction of Scott’s entire collection catalogue, which now numbers over 30,000 books.