Into Softer Worlds is the fourth edition of Art Encounters, presented by Art Outreach Singapore in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board across the Marina Central District from 1 May to 27 June 2021. Expanding the programme's reach across multiple venues, this edition centred on the diversity of textile art and invited audiences to touch, create and share what moves them.

Anchored by textile artist and curator Natalia Tan, the edition activated Millenia Walk, Marina Square and Suntec City with an interconnected programme of studio experiences, exhibitions and workshops. At Millenia Walk, visitors were invited to join Tan in her pop-up free-weaving studio and try their hand at weaving on a Japanese floor loom, alongside a showcase of Singaporean textile works curated by the artist — both spaces evolving continuously over the course of the show. At Marina Square, a welcome gallery furnished with rattan chairs upholstered with Tan's woven textiles offered a contemplative entry point into the programme. Hands-on workshops at South Beach and Suntec City introduced participants to finger-knitting, fibre-spinning, embroidery, botanical sketching and printmaking with recycled materials.

Featuring a rotating line-up of artists across two months, including Kelly Limerick, whose freestyle crochet practice stretches the boundaries of traditional craft, Into Softer Worlds brought together Singapore-based textile practitioners to explore perception, process, nature and the inherent value of slow making.

As organiser and presenting institution, Art Outreach conceived and produced Into Softer Worlds, extending Art Encounters into a multi-venue, community-facing programme that reflects the organisation's commitment to expanding access to the arts and creating participatory encounters between artists and diverse public audiences across Singapore.