Places

Experience Titanic the safe way

2012-01-22T00:17:00.001+08:00

This afternoon, I visited the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands to experience Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition. The exhibition lends its visitors the opportunity to relive the grandeur and the tragedy on the Titanic ship.

The exhibition begins with a photo-taking opportunity with the Titanic ship. Visitors then learn about the construction of the ship. I learnt that White Star Line, the highly prominent British shipping company in those days, was the owner of RMS (Royal Mail Steamer) Titanic. In the first gallery of the exhibition, visitors can learn more about the story behind Titanic's conception, design and construction.

Luxurious was possibly the word to describe the design of Titanic. It was very apt that the next gallery brings visitors to experience the full-scale re-creation of a First Class passenger's room. Nearby, the Verandah Care is a one-of-a-kind alfresco dining area on the Titanic where the dining passengers could enjoy the ocean breeze.

The majestic Grand Staircase follows. Its design somehow reminded me of the Neo-Baroque style of art. It was grandeur and dramatic.

Soon enough, visitors to the exhibition would travel to the quarters of the Third Class passengers. I could clearly hear the continuous rhythms from the ship's engine ringing away at the Third Class quarters.

One of my favourite sections of the exhibition was the Promenade. It replicated the Promenade of the Titanic, which appeared to be an ideal place to gaze the stars of the romantic night skies.

At the following Iceberg Gallery, visitors are allowed to touch the interactive iceberg to experience the freezing climate of the North Atlantic.

The Memorial Gallery was quite well conceptualized in my opinion. Before entering the exhibition, each visitor will be given a boarding pass at random. This boarding pass includes the name of one of the selected actual passengers onboard the Titanic and some facts regarding the stated passenger. With the boarding pass that was issued, visitors could check against the memorial at the Memorial Gallery to find out if that particular passenger whose name was stated on their respective boarding pass was saved or was lost when the Titanic met with its tragic end on 14-15 Apr 1912.

The Discovery Gallery provided visitors with a glimpse of the discovery of the wreck of the Titanic. This gallery also offered insights to the recovery and the conservation of artifacts from the Titanic.

Perhaps the most disconnected part of the entire exhibition was the gallery named Singapore 1912. While the idea of showcasing how the sinking of the Titanic had resonated in Singapore was brilliant, I felt that the presentation of the gallery seemed too disconnected with the rest of the exhibition galleries. Nevertheless, I have had an enjoyable visit. It was definitely a safe way to re-experience Titanic.

This exhibition will be held at the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands from 29 Oct 2011 - 29 Apr 2012. For more information, please visit http://titanic.sg and http://www.marinabaysands.com/Singapore-Attractions/ArtScience-Museum/

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Please also see the following brilliant reviews of this exhibition by fellow bloggers who were invited to the media-preview of this exhibition. These reviews include interesting photographs on the exhibition.:
http://thelongnwindingroad.wordpress.com/2011/11/02/step-on-board-the-titanic-in-singapore/
http://leonefabre.blogspot.com/2011/10/titanic-artifact-exhibition-in.html
http://leonefabre.blogspot.com/2011/11/titanic-sails-into-singapore.html

A Moving Masterpiece: Experience Bianjing

2011-12-13T07:49:00.005+08:00

Bianjing (汴京), otherwise known as the capital city of Bian, was the capital of the Northern Song dynasty. Today, this place is named Kaifeng, and is located in east-central Henan province.

For anyone who is interested to get a dynamic and animated glimpse of Bianjing during the Northern Song dynasty the Moving Masterpiece: The Song Dynasty As Living Art exhibition is worth making time for.

One of the copies of Qing Ming Shang He Tu 清明上河图.

This exhibition is also for everyone who had missed the animated version of "Qing Ming Shang He Tu" (Along the river during the Qingming Festival) (清明上河图) by the famous twelfth century Chinese painter, Zhang Zeduan, during the World Expo 2010 Shanghai, when it was first publicly exhibited at the China Pavilion. "Qing Ming Shang He Tu" is a painting that was painted on a hand scroll. It presented the lifestyle of various classes of the society as well as the different economic activities in the rural area and the city.

This section depicts the rural areas near Bianjing.

Cuju. The ancient form of Chinese soccer.

The exhibition can be divided into three sections, namely the Pre-show hall, the main hall and the Post-show hall. In the Pre-show hall, visitors can see objects and replicas related to the Song dynasty. There are a number of interactive elements at the Pre-show hall. One of these was that of seeing multiple image of oneself transposed on the image of a section of "Qing Ming Shang He Tu" (animated version).

One of the audio guides.

To help the visitors better appreciate the animated version of "Qing Ming Shang He Tu", there is free rental of audio guides that comes with every admission. The audio guide provides commentaries in seven different languages, including Mandarin and English.

Ships and boats.

One of the interesting parts about the exhibition is that city of Bianjing will be presented in both daytime and night-time scenes in the animated painting of "Qing Ming Shang He Tu". I learnt that the ship-building industry was of a fairly large scale during the Song dynasty.

Look for the city gate of Bianjing, and find that this city has no surrounding wall around it.

Interestingly, in the painting, the city of Bianjing did not have walls surrounding it. I learnt from the audio guide that this could indicate that the painting was depicting a peaceful and prosperous time in the Song dynasty.

History came alive at this exhibition. I could imagine how excited one may be seeing Zhang Zeduan's masterpiece coming alive in the form of animation. I have also learnt that in those days, it is fairly easy to infer one's social status merely by the mode of transport used by a person. The not-so-well-do people would generally travel on foot. The very rich ones would travel on sedans carried by people.

After the exhibition, visitors can reward their taste buds with a number of Chinese snacks found in the Post-show hall. There are also various souvenirs on sale at the Post-show hall.

If you are finding yourself interested in this exhibition, please make some time to visit The Moving Masterpiece: The Song Dynasty As Living Art. Till 6 Feb 2012, right here in Singapore.

The Moving Masterpiece: The Song Dynasty As Living Art
7 Dec 2011 - 6 Feb 2012
Singapore EXPO Hall 3
Mon - Fri: 12 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Sat, Sun, Public Holidays: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
(Exhibition closes at 10 p.m.)
http://www.amovingmasterpiece.com/
Ticketing information: http://www.amovingmasterpiece.com/visitors.html
Note: There are ticketing privileges (i.e. discounts) for UnionPay card-members and PAssion card members.
(Tickets are also available at Singapore EXPO itself.)

Other related articles:

Simple ideas to enjoy the exhibition "Dreams and Reality" better

2011-11-27T12:04:00.006+08:00

Special thanks to the generosity of the National Heritage Board and the National Museum of Singapore, a few fellow bloggers and myself was treated to a guided tour to the current blockbuster exhibition, Dreams and Reality – Masterpieces of Painting, Drawing and Photography from the Musée d'Orsay, Paris, held at the National Museum of Singapore on 20 Nov 2011. Credits also go to Ms Belinda Tan and Shaun from National Heritage Board for making this visit possible.

With an overwhelming number of more than 140 paintings, photographs and drawings from the collection of the world renowned Musée d’Orsay, an art museum in France, what could a visitor do to better appreciate this exhibition?

In this post, I shall attempt to share some suggestions that may guide a visitor, especially one who is totally new to visual art, to enjoy this exhibition like a seasoned visual art-lover.

Suggestion #1: Attend one of the free guided tours.
Guided tours to the exhibition are available. (Admission fee to the exhibition applies.) During one of these guided tours, the well-trained volunteer guide will take the participants for an one-hour walk-through of the exhibition. During the tour, some of the most interesting and important works in the exhibition will be highlighted and discussed.

To check the schedules for the free guided tour please visit this link or check with the museum's Visitor Services Counter when you purchase your admission tickets to the exhibition.

During my recent visit to this exhibition, our volunteer guide, Ms Elaine Tan, gave us a very informative tour. I left the exhibition with more understanding of many of the artists and the artworks.

Suggestion #2: Rent one of the audio guides.
Some of the times, there may simply be no available guided tours during our visit. The audio guides to the exhibition that are available for hire are equally wonderful alternatives.

For S$3, the audio guide will give the visitor an overview of the exhibition. In addition. the audio guide will give the visitor a good introduction to thirty of the works from the exhibition. The best thing is that the visitor can listen to the audio guides at his own pace and for as many times he would like during his visit. One thing that I like about the audio guide is that the pronunciation of all the French names and terms sounds pretty authentic.

Suggestion #3: Walk through the entire exhibition. Identify your favourite painting. Learn more about it.

Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night.

One of my favourite paintings is Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night. One of the ways to appreciate this painting is to look at this work from various distances and angles.

Take a closer look at the upper half of this painting and one will realize that Vincent Van Gogh had applied very thick paints in horizontal fashion when he painted the skies.

Interestingly, Vincent Van Gogh used a different kind of brush-works when he painted the reflections of the gas lighting on the surface of the river. Did you notice that the brushstrokes were more fine and less broad compared to those used to paint the skies?

Thanks to technology, with the use of search engines such as Google, we can learn more about the painting of our choice, and about the artist behind the works. Here are some of the related links to learn more about Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starry_Night_Over_the_Rhone
http://www.vangoghgallery.com/

Suggestion #4: Read the reference materials provided
The organizers of this exhibition were very thoughtful and provided a number of reference materials for visitors to browse and read. These materials can be found near the exit of the exhibition halls.

Visitors are also invited to draw an impression of their favourite art work from the exhibition and share it with their friends and loved ones.

Suggestion #5: Choose an artist whose artwork has caught your liking. Search the entire exhibition for other works by this very artist. Compare the similarities and differences in the various artworks by this artist.
I have combed the entire exhibition and there appears to be only one work by Vincent Van Gogh.

So I chose another painting that I like. Study of a Figure Outdoors: Woman with a Parasol Looking to the Right by Claude Monet is one of the other paintings that I like. This painting was painted in 1886.

Monet's Study of a Figure Outdoors: Woman with a Parasol Looking to the Right

The next step is to walk about the entire exhibition to look for paintings by Claude Monet. Claude Monet was a founder of the French Impressionism art movement. Some of the characteristics of this 19th-century art movement are the emphasis on the depiction of light in its changing qualities, the depiction of ordinary subject matter and the use of unusual visual angles.

I have found that there were at least five paintings by Claude Monet that were exhibited at this exhibition. It is interesting to compare and take note of the differences and similarities in the various paintings by Claude Monet.

Monet's Portrait of Madame Gaudibert.

For example, the brush strokes in Study of a Figure Outdoors: Woman with a Parasol Looking to the Right are comparatively more thin and visible than those found in Portrait of Madame Gaudibert.

Monet's Camille on her deathbed

Monet's Camille on her deathbed depicted Monet's first wife, Camille-Leonie Doncieux Monet, at her deathbed. She died at the age of 32 years old from cancer.

In terms of the choice of colours, the colours used in Camille on her deathbed are comparatively more dull and darker compared to the colours used in Study of a Figure Outdoors: Woman with a Parasol Looking to the Right.

Monet's Boats: Regatta at Argenteull, 1874.

Monet's Branch of the Seine near Giverny, 1897.

I find Monet's landscape paintings to be visually pleasing. After viewing his works at a distance, it often helps to take a closer look at Monet's works to get a better glimpse of how he created beautiful works of art using seemingly visible and rapid brush strokes.

***
We have come to the end of this post, may you find yourself armed with a few suggestions on how you can better enjoy Dreams and Reality – Masterpieces of Painting, Drawing and Photography from the Musée d'Orsay, Paris as if you were an informed visitor.

If you have yet to visit this blockbuster art exhibition, please make some time to do so by 5 Feb 2012!

Dreams and Reality: Masterpieces of Painting, Drawing and Photography from the Musée d’Orsay, Paris
Till 5 Feb 2012.
Venue: National Museum of Singapore
Time: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Ticket Prices: $11 including SISTIC charges
Ticket Bookings: SISTIC counters nationwide
SISTIC hotline: (65)6348 5555
SISTIC online booking: www.sistic.com.sg

Budak Pantai at The Republic Cultural Centre

2011-11-17T00:16:00.005+08:00

The Republic Cultural Centre

Budak Pantai - The Concert that Puts Hair on Your Chest (Women are Welcome)
Dates: 16 and 17 Nov 2011
Time: 7.30 p.m.
Venue: The Republic Cultural Centre, Studio, Singapore.
Tickets at S$20 each

Raving reviews about the local A Cappella group, Budak Pantai, has prompted me to accept an invitation to a concert that claims to "put hair on your chest". I was trying very hard to figure out what the concert title would mean only to conclude that I should not take myself too seriously.

Listening to Budak Pantai (which means "Beach Boys" in Malay) was very entertaining and musically pleasing to the ears. In this concert, there is a theme of nostalgia with modern twists. It was my very first time listening to Budak Pantai live.

Magically, their charming and rich voices that harmonize in perfect harmony won my full delightful attention. Before the concert, I was ambivalent if I would like the concert. After the concert, I dare say that Budak Pantai has the magical factors to be one of the A Cappella groups to listen to.

I later learnt that members of Budak Pantai have been singing in perfect harmony with one another since 1994. The group continued singing after winning the television "Rollin' Good Times" Beach Boys contest that year.

What are some of Budak Pantai's magical factors?

In my humble opinion, these are:
1) the members' love for good music.
2) each member capitalizes well on their strengths and expresses these strengths creatively through their performances.
3) the group's infectious and interesting sense of humour.

This concert opens with an opening act by the Republic Polytechnic's A Cappella interest group - Rhapsody. I learnt that these students had the privilege to exchange learning points with Budak Pantai. I thought that such collaborations were great ways to encourage a community of music lovers to exchange and sustain the art of making good music.

The Republic Cultural Centre, which is the venue of the concert, is also worth a good mention. It is envisioned to be the cultural hub in the North and is a home to 26 student arts group. The facilities look excellent, and I hope I could visit The Republic Cultural Centre again in the future.

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For your easy references, please find the links to the websites of Budak Pantai and The Republic Cultural Centre here:
http://trcc.rp.sg
http://www.rp.edu.sg/location.asp
http://www.budakpantai.com

Special thanks to Budak Pantai for the invitation, and to Marcia Tan and Belinda Tan for making the invitation possible.

Musée d'Orsay travels to Singapore

2011-11-08T22:30:00.005+08:00

This is the time to be inspired by some of the collections from the world renowned Musée d'Orsay, right in Singapore. More than 140 paintings, photographs and drawings from the collection of Musée d'Orsay, Paris, are now exhibited at the National Museum of Singapore.

Students studying Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night.

The pleasure of being able to see the masterpieces personally is very inspiring. I was inspired to study one of the highlights of the exhibition, Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night, that I could not help but to visit the exhibition thrice in a span of a week. Each visit, I took time to study the ingenious brush-works, the apt choice of colours and the interesting composition used by Vincent van Gogh.

Other highlights of the exhibition include Paul Cezanne's The Card Players and Alexandre Cabanel's The Birth of Venus. The sense of permanence and froze-like character in the former left a strong impression in me while the fine brush-works in the latter intrigued me.

On the left: Paul Cezanne's The Cardplayers.

I was also particularly drawn to the paintings by Claude Monet, particularly Study of a Figure Outdoors: Woman with a Parasol Looking to the Right.

Claude Monet's Study of a Figure Outdoors: Woman with a Parasol Looking to the Right.

This exhibition is titled Dreams and Reality – Masterpieces of Painting, Drawing and Photography from the Musée d'Orsay, Paris, and explores the reaction of man towards the rapid changes towards modernity at the turn of the century from 1848 to 1912.

If you like art or simply wish to expose yourself to masterpieces by brilliant artists, this is the exhibition to attend. Till 5 Feb 2012, at the National Museum of Singapore.

To enhance your appreciation of the artworks, consider renting one of the audio guides for $3.

Dreams and Reality: Masterpieces of Painting, Drawing and Photography from the Musée d’Orsay, Paris
Venue: National Museum of Singapore
Time: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Ticket Prices: $11 including SISTIC charges
Ticket Bookings: SISTIC counters nationwide
SISTIC hotline: (65)6348 5555
SISTIC online booking: www.sistic.com.sg

Appreciating Bukit Brown: Remember Our Ancestors Day 9 Oct and 16 Oct 2011

2011-10-01T10:37:00.006+08:00

Event: Remember your ancestors' day cum DIY Tour
Dates: 9 Oct 2011 (Sun) and 16 Oct (Sun) 2011,
Time: From 8.30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Meeting point: In front of Bukit Brown Cemetery Gates at Lorong Halwa, off Kheam Hock Road

Bus services available: 52, 74, 93, 157, 165, 852, 855.
Directions to the cemetery Gate: Alight at bus-stop, #41149, opposite Singapore Island Country Club (SICC), Adam Road. Walk towards Sime Road, walk along Kheam Hock Road until you see Lor Halwa.
(For very detailed directions to get there: please check out Leone Fabre's post.)

Do you have an interest in Bukit Brown Cemetery because you have an ancestor who is buried there?

On 9 and 16 Oct 2011, find your way to Bukit Brown Cemetery to search for your ancestors' grave. The search is ever more pressing with the Land Transport Authority's plans build a new dual four-lane road that will cut through through parts of Bukit Brown from early 2013 and with the Urban Redevelopment Authority gazetting Bukit Brown Cemetery as a site for development Straits Times, 30 May 2011).

What does a descendant who have an ancestor buried in Bukit Brown need to do to start the search?

The organizers have outlined the following steps to take (source: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=142006435895789):

1) First find out your ancestor name that you think could be buried in Bukit Brown. As the burial records are in English the names will have to be in English

2) Find out the date of death.

3) Your ancestors’ families may have published the obituary notice in the English newspapers which include the date of burial and burial place. You can check out using the newspapers archives : http://newspapers.nl.sg/

4) Once you have the details of the names and date of death, go down to the National Archives of Singapore at 1 Canning Rise and ask for the burial register for that particular year. The burial records are in English and are kept in burial sequence from the date of burial from 1922 up to the year 1960 and follow the Western calendar. (Please visit http://www.a2o.com.sg for the online burial registers of Bukit Brown Cemetery.)

5) You can find out the burial plot number from the burial register. The last known address of the deceased is also available. Please note that Bukit Brown cemetery is divided into Blocks and Sections. So you should obtain the Block and Section and the grave number.

With the grave plot number, attend the “Bukit Brown - Remember your ancestors’ day" event on 9 Oct and 16 Oct from 8.30 am to 1 pm whereby there will be guides there to help you look for your ancestors.

Please wear comfortable walking shoes and attire. It helps to bring a walking stick if you should think this would be helpful.

Many thanks to Raymond Goh, Charles Goh, Rosalind M Tan, Charlotte Chu and volunteers for making the event possible. The Facebook event page for this event is https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=142006435895789.

Is a win-win solution possible for Bukit Brown?

2011-09-18T00:24:00.009+08:00

The magnificent tomb of Ong Sam Leong and his wife. This was uncovered in 2006.

Recently (on 12 Sep 2011), on The Straits Times, there was a report that a new dual four-lane road will be built from early 2013 to alleviate congestion along Lornie Road and Pan-Island Expressway during peak hours. This new road will cut through parts of Bukit Brown.

Many lovers of heritage as well as nature-lovers have expressed concerns regarding the building of the road that is proposed to cut through parts of Bukit Brown. There were also people who wonder if the new road may indeed be the long-term solution to the identified problem, i.e. traffic congestion.

Where on earth is Bukit Brown?

Here is a map that I have taken from wildsingapore news. Bukit Brown is bordered by Lornie Road and the Pan Island Expressway. It was named after George Henry Brown.

Source: www.wildsingapore.com

Bukit Brown is actually an area made up of several hills. I learnt from one of Raymond Goh's posts on Bukit Brown Cemetery that the tallest hill in Bukit Brown is Tai Yuan Hill. The magnificent tomb of Ong Sam Leong and his wife that you see on this post rests on Tai Yuan Hill in Bukit Brown.

From the look of the map, it appears that Tai Yuan Hill may be affected by the recent proposal of building dual four-land road across Bukit Brown. Many pioneers of Singapore and notable people have their final resting places at Bukit Brown, including the areas affected by the road building.

This is one of the stories from the twenty-four stories of filial piety:
Ding Lan serving wooden statues of his parents, so as to serve them.
刻木事亲

Who goes to Bukit Brown?

Interestingly, other than the descendants of the people who were buried in the more than 100 000 graves in Bukit Brown, many people have found Bukit Brown a place for respite and nature.

I understand that a number of nature lovers visit Bukit Brown to enjoy the rich biodiversity of birds and other living creatures that could be found in Bukit Brown. Others are fascinated by the rich heritage of Bukit Brown and visit it as a form of recreation and heritage-appreciation. I heard that horse-riders also enjoy riding about Bukit Brown.

From reliable sources, I heard that academics are also making their way to Bukit Brown to document and understand the rich heritage that this place has to offer.

Is building the dual four-lane road across Bukit Brown the best answer?

In this post, I invite readers to start to look for win-win solutions to solve the complex issue of urban planning to ensure adequate lands to meet the needs of the people and to resolve traffic congestion without sacrificing our nation's collective memory and heritage unnecessary. What are the win-win strategies that will ease traffic congestion, ensure adequate lands in Singapore to meet the needs of the people, and at the same time, ensure that places like Bukit Brown which is rich in heritage and a wonderful place for Nature lovers remain for posterity to connect with and to learn from?

As an individual, I do not have the answers and solutions. Yet I believe that we as a nation and community can collectively find the better solutions to the complex problems of our times.

Perhaps engaging multidisciplinary discussions with various stakeholders could help us as a nation find win-win and long-term solutions to solve many of our nation's complex concerns?

I wonder if the previous National Library building along Stamford Road, whom a lot of people have collective fond memories of, would have suffered the fate of demolition had more people in the community voiced up and acted on their concerns?

Back to Bukit Brown, surely with the local and foreign talents in Singapore, surely as a nation, we could have came up collectively with a long-term way to document and preserve its rich heritage while meeting the critical needs of the nation.

Perhaps if we can work more collaboratively as a nation and be willing to invest in a bit more time and resources to look for win-win solutions, we may gain more as a nation because we do not unnecessarily lose the invaluable intangibles that often makes up a vibrant and strong nation.

What are the needs that the key stakeholders hope to meet? How can we as a nation and community find a win-win solution that will meet the various needs?

Resources to learn more about Bukit Brown
If you would like to enhance your awareness of Bukit Brown so as to determine if it could be worth preserving, here are some of the web-pages to visit:

http://bukitbrown.org by Raymond Goh
http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1358_2009-07-13.html by Kartini Saparudin
http://sgn090608.blogspot.com/2011/09/110916-bukit-brown-cemetery.html by Marcus
http://thelongnwindingroad.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/the-unkempt-beauty-of-coffee-hill/ by Jerome Lim
http://www.jeffreyandflora.com/2011/06/bukit-brown-cemetery.html by Flora and Jeff
http://leonefabre.blogspot.com/2011/07/walk-thru-bukit-brown.html by Leone Fabre (with detailed directions to get there.)
http://leonefabre.blogspot.com/2011/07/walking-within-grounds-of-bukit-brown.html by Leone Fabre
http://leonefabre.blogspot.com/2011/07/sculpture-is-important-form-of-public.html by Leone Fabre
http://oceanskies79places.blogspot.com/2011/06/notable-people-who-are-buried-in-bukit.html
http://oceanskies79places.blogspot.com/2011/08/closer-look-at-magnificent-tomb-of-ong.html

Some noteworthy exhibits from the Sculpturing Life exhibition

2011-09-12T23:36:00.000+08:00

(This post was posted on Yesterday.sg in 2008. Here is a repost.)

Courtesy of National University of Singapore Museum Collection.

This post can be considered as a sequel to one of my earlier posts titled Remembering Ng Eng Teng. As mentioned in the Remembering Ng Eng Teng, the archival display-cum-exhibition Sculpting Life - Ng Eng Teng Collection is now being held at NUS Museum till 31 December 2008. In this exhibition, the exhibits are being presented under three broad sections: Formative Years, Body / Form / Perspectives and Materials / Processes / Public Works.

There are some exhibits at this exhibition which I personally find to be worthy of notice. While I am neither an art historian nor art-critic by profession, it is hoped that this post would give visitors who are novice to Ng Eng Teng's art some ideas of where they could start exploring if they should visit this exhibition.

Ng Eng Teng, Tension 1972, ciment fondu.
Courtesy of National University of Singapore Museum Collection.

Admittedly, I have been rather influenced by the documentaries that are being shown at the exhibition. After watching them, I was led to realise that Tension, 1972, is a work that has a significant place in Ng Eng Teng's journey to strive to create his own art and yet survive as an artist. Look at the closed-up photo of Tension and one may find that the figurine on this rocker appears as if it would fall any moment. I learnt from the documentaries that this was the effect that Ng Eng Teng was striving to achieve in Tension. As best as I understand, Tension is intended to depict that as one struggles for survival, if one is not careful, one may just slip and fall off.

Putting things into context, Tension was created some years after Ng Eng Teng had returned to Singapore from Ireland. He had worked as a Resident Designer at the Carrigaline Pottery in Ireland from 1964 - 1966. Following his return in 1966, I learnt from one of the documentaries Sculpturing Joo Chiat (1999) that Ng Eng Teng had experienced two years of unemployment. The curriculum of art schools in Singapore back then did not have sculpturing as a core subject for students to study. That meant there was no avenue for Ng Eng Teng to teach the art of sculpture in Singapore back then. In addition, in his early years of establishing himself as an artist in Singapore in the 1960s and early 1970s, it appeared that Ng Eng Teng had met with much challenges and struggles with reality. I remember vaguely the following words that Ng Eng Teng had said in an interview shown in Sculpturing Joo Chiat, "(Tension reminds us of) the importance of keeping oneself sane during hard times". This is one statement that one should be mindful of during difficult moments.

Ng Eng Teng, Tension 1972, ciment fondu.
Courtesy of National University of Singapore Museum Collection.

Interestingly, Tension was constructed based on the balancing principle of the Kelly doll (similar to the Chinese' 'bu dao weng' 不倒翁). Such a doll is designed to regain equilibrium even when it is tilted at extreme angles. The construction based on such a principle allowed this work to move and rock. I learnt that it was the movement of this work that helps to create the desired sense of tension. Look at the muscles and tendons of the body of the figure in this work, they appear contorted and strained, hence accentuating the sense of tension in this work. The spread-eagle pose of the figure also adds a touch of dramatic tension. Admittedly, I did not feel it was appropriate to touch Tension while I was at the exhibition. Nevertheless, I had managed to see a footage on one of the documentaries of how it would respond like if a viewer were to tilt and rock it. I sensed that it would be pretty tensed experience to be clutching a rocking object for the sake of survival.

Compared to some of Ng Eng Teng's larger iconic sculptures, Tension is much smaller, and visitors may unknowingly miss taking a good look at it. The thing is that do not judge the significance of an art-work merely by its size. Look beyond.

Tension, together with other exhibits on display.
Courtesy of National University of Singapore Museum Collection.

Another exhibit in this exhibition that is worthy for viewers to study and take a good look is The Last Masterpiece.

On the right: The Last Masterpiece, undated.
Courtesy of National University of Singapore Museum Collection.

The Last Masterpiece is one of Ng Eng Teng's last works. If I am not wrong, it was completed with the help of Ng Eng Teng's friends and family. Ng Eng Teng was diagnosed with renal problems in 1995 and this condition was kept a secret. It was only made known to others when Ng Eng Teng had undergone a heart bypass surgery in 1998. The Last Masterpiece is largely made up of cotton swabs. These cotton swabs were collected by Ng Eng Teng himself after his renal dialysis treatment. Do take a close look at this work.

The theme of humanity is one of Ng Eng Teng's favourite subject matters. I like his interpretation of human emotions. Somehow, his works seem to speak with a soul. Look at the work below, Do we look down?. Do you feel as if the figures moved you so much that you wish to offer them a coin or two?

Ng Eng Teng, Do we look down?, 1968, ciment fondu, paint, lacquer.
Courtesy of National University of Singapore Museum Collection.

Personally, I think Ng Eng Teng had been a very resilient man with a very strong yet humble character. Despite being plagued by poor health, he remained dedicated to his goals of creating his own art. Adversities did not stop him. Even though he was already very weak when he was working on one of his last commissioned works, The Explorer, he persisted to complete it with the help of his family and friends. I learnt from one of the documentaries that despite his ailing state of health, Ng Eng Teng insisted on doing the finishing touches of The Explorer. The Explorer is placed outside the Singapore Art Museum for all to view.

Sculpturing Life - Ng Eng Teng Collection is held at NUS Museum, located at the University Cultural Centre Annex, 50 Kent Ridge Crescent, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119279. The NUS Museum is closed on Mondays and Public Holidays. For more information on the museum's opening hours and on the guided tours, please visit: http://www.nus.edu.sg/museum/information_getting.htm

***
Acknowledgements:
Once again, my heartfelt appreciation to NUS Museum, NUS Centre for the Arts for granting me the permission to take non-flash photography of this exhibition.

Many thanks to Siva for introducing me to staff of NUS Museum.

Thank you to the staff of NUS Museum, NUS Centre for the Arts for arranging for the insightful guided tour to the exhibition on 2 Aug 2008 and for making my visits to the museum enjoyable and educational.

References:
- MediaCorp News. (1999). Sculpturing Joo Chiat. (video)

- MediaCorp News. (2003). Portraits (Episode 6: Ng Eng Teng). (video)

- Sabapathy, T.L. (1998). Ng Eng Teng, art and thoughts. Singapore: NUS Museums, National University of Singapore.

- Singapore Broadcasting Corporation. (1977). Profile of an artist - Ng Eng Teng. Sculptor.

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ng_Eng_Teng (Accessed on 9 Aug 2008). (video)

Remembering Ng Eng Teng

2011-09-12T23:34:00.000+08:00

(This was previously posted on Yesterday.sg in the year 2008. Here's a repost.)

Above: Ng Eng Teng, Wealth, 1974.
Courtesy of National University of Singapore Museum Collection.

Some local readers who are my contemporaries or who are older may remember seeing this very sculpture Wealth, together with another sculpture Contentment, at the previous Plaza Singapura building in the 1980s. In those days, Plaza Singapura was one of the fairly popular shopping malls to shop in and to visit. It was rather hard to miss these two sculptures given their fairly imposing size. At the very least, when I was speaking to one of my contemporaries about these two sculptures, she could remember seeing these two sculptures when she was young.

These two iconic sculptures are now located just outside the University Cultural Centre, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge campus. Frankly speaking, I prefer the current location of Wealth and Contentment compared to the original location at the previous Plaza Singapura building. Somehow, the sculptures looked less scary and more approachable when placed outdoors.

Most of the local friends whom I have spoken to have actually seen at least one of Ng Eng Teng's sculptures at some point in their lives. Who was Ng Eng Teng?

Ng Eng Teng (1934 - 2001) was a local artist who was probably best known for his sculptural works. I later learnt that his training was in painting and pottery. In recognition of his excellent artistic achievements, he was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 1981.

I remember that during the Art History lessons in my Secondary School years, I learnt that the pioneer artist, Georgette Chen, had some influence on Ng Eng Teng. At the very least, it was through her encouragement that Ng Eng Teng headed to England to pursue the study of ceramics. Perhaps his study of ceramics could have helped him to build the necessary foundation to create many three-dimensional masterpieces throughout his career as an artist. He was one of the very few sculptors that I have studied during Art History lessons. As such, whenever anyone asks me to name a local sculptor, Ng Eng Teng would be one of the first names that would come to my mind.

Other than Wealth and Contentment, Ng Eng Teng had created the following sculptural works that most people in Singapore would have probably come across at some point in their lives:

Ng Eng Teng, Mother and Child.
Location: Orchard Rd outside Far East Shopping Centre.
Photo taken by Jeremy in 2007.

Ng Eng Teng, The Climb, 1987, ciment fondu.

Location: HDB Hub, Toa Payoh.

Ng Eng Teng, Spirit of Man, 1984.
Location: Changi International Airport, Terminal One.

Ng Eng Teng, The Explorer, Dec 1999, ciment fondu, stainless steel, gold leaf.

Location: Singapore Art Museum.

For those of you who are interested to learn more about Ng Eng Teng, there are a couple of publications that would provide indepth information on this artist. Here is a link to a list of these publications: http://nus.edu.sg/museum/publications.htm#net

I have a liking for a number of Ng Eng Teng's works. Somehow, his works felt as if they could speak to the viewers, and communicate various emotions. I fondly remember that I used to frequent the Ng Eng Teng's museum almost everyday when it was located at the National University of Singapore's Central Library.

Driven by a search for nostalgia and a general interest in his art, I could not help but visit the NUS Museum for a couple of times over the past few months so as to check out the latest exhibition, Sculpturing Life, featuring some of Ng Eng Teng's works.

Foreground: Ng Eng Teng, Tension 1972, ciment fondu.
Courtesy of National University of Singapore Museum Collection.

I very much like the fact that in this exhibition, there are archival materials on Ng Eng Teng on display. I strongly recommend this exhibition to art students and anyone who is keen to research on the art of Ng Eng Teng. This exhibition puts on display a number of copies of the sketches that Ng Eng Teng had done prior to working on his actual works. Through looking at these sketches, one could better appreciate the thinking processes that Ng Eng Teng had went through before deriving at the final form of his works. Interestingly, I learnt from this exhibition that the Contentment was inspired by a yoga pose.

The maquettes of Contentment and Wealth.
Courtesy of National University of Singapore Museum Collection.

Ng Eng Teng, Contentment.
Courtesy of National University of Singapore Museum Collection.

Other than the sketches, there are also copies of old newspaper articles on the sculpture scene in Singapore, and on Ng Eng Teng himself. There is even a multimedia corner whereby visitors could take time to watch a few documentaries on Ng Eng Teng. The duration of these documentaries vary from 20 minutes to about an hour. It is worth putting aside at least two hours to view these documentaries.

Copies of newspaper articles and Ng Eng Teng's sketches.

Courtesy of National University of Singapore Museum Collection.

I am pleased to share that I have managed to watch almost all the documentaries on display. These documentaries contain footages of interviews with Ng Eng Teng himself, and offer viewers a window to better understand the artist, Ng Eng Teng. When I was watching certain segments of the documentaries, I had felt as if Ng Eng Teng himself was speaking to me. After watching the documentaries, I felt a deepened sense of respect towards Ng Eng Teng for his strong dedication towards his art, his humility, his sense of compassion towards humanity and his resilience.

Documentaries on Ng Eng Teng that are worth watching.
Courtesy of National University of Singapore Museum Collection.

This is an exhibition worth a visit. There is so much to learn at the exhibition that I have visited it at least four times this year. I was lucky that when I visited the exhibition on 2 Aug 2008, there was a guided tour to this exhibition. Attending the guided tour has helped me gain a deeper appreciation to the artworks on display. Many thanks to the dedicated museum guide who had given me the insightful tour.

Sculpturing Life - Ng Eng Teng Collection is held at NUS Museum, from 11 January – 31 December 2008.

The NUS Museum is located at the University Cultural Centre Annex, 50 Kent Ridge Crescent, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119279. It's closed on Mondays and Public Holidays. For more information on the museum's opening hours and on the guided tours, please visit: http://www.nus.edu.sg/museum/information_getting.htm

****
Acknowledgements:
My heartfelt appreciation to NUS Museum, NUS Centre for the Arts for granting me the permission to take non-flash photography of this exhibition.

Many thanks to Siva for introducing me to staff of NUS Museum.

Thank you to the staff of NUS Museum, NUS Centre for the Arts for arranging for the insightful guided tour to the exhibition and for making my visits to the museum enjoyable and educational.

Reference:
Sabapathy, T.L. (1998). Ng Eng Teng, art and thoughts. Singapore: NUS Museums, National University of Singapore.

Mid-Autumn celebration at Marina Bay Singapore

2011-09-11T23:12:00.006+08:00

A delightful home, a playground, a dynamic place to work, Marina Bay is envisioned to be a thriving place in Singapore where people from all walks of life come together to explore, exchange and entertain. As the Chinese festival of the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, how do people celebrate this traditional festival at Marina Bay?

During the second weekend of the month of September 2011, Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrations at Marina Bay brought families and friends together to share special moments. Many of the festive activities were held at the Marina Bay City Gallery. These activities include Chinese calligraphy demonstration, Taiji performance, free balloon sculptures give-away, lantern walkabout and more.

A special guest named Walter, the curious colossal bunny, appeared at the Marina Bay City Gallery. Walter appeared to be adored by people of every age, both the young and the old. The charming Walter seemed to draw out its admirers' creativity.

I was at the Marina Bay City Gallery to participate in the Mid-Autumn Festival events on 10 September 2011. I saw visitors to the gallery having fun taking photographs of the balloon sculptures of Walter with various exhibits and displays at the gallery.

Walters with orchids.

Walter at Marina Bay.

Visitors to the Marina Bay City Gallery enjoy free guided tours that enable them to better appreciate the vision and plans behind Marina Bay. After the tour of and the visit to the Marina Bay City Gallery, I could not help but feel thankful for the visionary and thoughtful urban planning that has been put in to make the Marina Bay development possible.

One of the activities of the Mid-Autumn celebration at Marina Bay that had captivated my interest was the Chinese calligraphy demonstration. I personally find it an art to master Chinese calligraphy. The Chinese calligraphy master who was giving the demonstration on 10 September 2011 gave the visitors a pretty good introduction to Chinese calligraphy. I have learnt how the seals were used. I have also learnt a bit more about how a single word in Chinese could embrace many profound meanings.

The most exciting part of the celebrations was the Marina Bay Waterfront Walking Tour held on 10 September 2011. A picture says a thousand words so here is a snapshot of one of the lanterns that were carried by the participants.

When I had thought that the lantern walking tour was the climax of the celebration, I was happy to be proven wrong. When the tour led the group to Marina Bay Sands, we were treated to "Wonder Full". Wonder Full is Southeast Asia's largest light and water show. The use of electric light and lasers in this show provided visual entertainment. For more information of Wonder Full, please visit: http://www.marinabaysands.com/Singapore-Attractions/WonderFull/

This beautiful and dream-like photograph of Wonder Full is contributed by Ms Belinda Tan.

With a thoughtful team working to make Marina Bay a place to live, work and play, Marina Bay is gradually becoming a place where people will go to to embrace modern living as well as to celebrate traditional festivals.

***
Marina Bay City Gallery
11 Marina Boulevard
Singapore 018940

Opening hours:
Tuesday - Friday*: 10:00am to 8:00pm
Saturday, Sunday, Public Holiday: 10:00am to 9:00pm
Free Admission

For more Marina Bay related events, please visit the following sites for more information:

Walter, adventures of a curious colossal bunny (1 - 30 Sep 2011): http://www.marina-bay.sg/walter/activities.html
Marina Bay events: http://www.marina-bay.sg/

***
Acknowledgements:
Special thanks to Marina Bay Singapore, Urban Redevelopment Authority for the invitation. Many thanks to Belinda Tan for facilitating the linking up.

About Mid-Autumn Festival:
Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. It is a popular harvest festival celebrated by the Chinese. To read about Mid-Autumn Festival, please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/Festivals/78311.htm

Growing up in Ang Mo Kio: My Primary School

2011-09-04T13:15:00.000+08:00

Teck Ghee Primary School.

The Primary School that I had studied in was previously located at the very same spot where Teck Ghee Primary School now stands.

I was a student of Townsville Primary School from 1986 to 1991. Back then, it was a relatively new school in the Ang Mo Kio area. According to Townsville Primary School's website,

Townsville Primary School started functioning at its former premises in Ang Mo Kio, Street 32, in 1983. The school was officially declared open on 25 July 1985 by BG Lee Hsien Loong, then the Minister of State for Defence, Trade and Industry and Member of Parliament for Teck Ghee Constituency. The school moved to its brand new premises at 3 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 in December 2000.

Today, I understand that Townsville Primary School has established itself as one of the better Primary schools in the Ang Mo Kio neighbourhood.

The former school building of Townsville Primary School that I had once studied in no longer exist now. I can still remember the quadrangle of the former school building. To some extent, I felt it was like a white elephant most of the time. While it allowed for ventilation, the quadrangle was usually not my favourite place to be at since it was either too hot due to the tropical sun or too wet due to seasonal rain. However, strangely, I missed it after I had graduated from my Primary School partly because my Secondary School compounds had no quadrangle.

By the way, there was a distinguished visitor, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who had visited Townsville Primary School in the year 1989. I was one of those students who had to go through a few rehearsals to prepare for the visit of our very distinguished guests. My role, like many of my fellow schoolmates, was to line at specified location of the school and wave our hands at our distinguished visitor when she walked past us.

Today, the school building that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited no longer exist, but the school's motto "Do Out Best" remains unchanged. There were a number of changes though. For example, other than the change in the location of Townsville Primary School, the school song that is now being sung by current students of Townsville Primary School is different from the one that I had sang when I was just a student of the school.

While I don't have any emotional attachment to the new school building, at the very least, I can still remember the name of my Primary School.

The current Townsville Primary School premises at 3 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10.

By the way, Townsville Primary School was not the only school in Ang Mo Kio that has moved its location. Teck Ghee Primary School was one other one. I remember it used to be located nearby Teck Ghee Secondary School.

Bowen Secondary School used to be located in Ang Mo Kio but it later moved to Lorong Napiri. Mayflower Primary School used to be located at 20 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, and today, it sits at 200 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5.

Is your Primary School still in the same location that you had once studied in?

A house that will be gone physically yet will remain in people's memories

2011-08-23T19:16:00.000+08:00

Thanks to fellow blogger, Jerome Lim, I learnt about a sound and photography installation titled Villa Alicia that was held from 6 - 11 Aug 2011 in a beautiful old house located along Binjai Park. The house has housed many memories for Dr Nalla Tan, a prominent physician and feminist, and her family since 1970s. This house will be demolished in Aug 2011.

A project about homes and memories, Villa Alicia was put together by Alecia Neo and Clarence Chung. In Villa Alicia, Alecia Neo restaged old photographs from the Tan's family photo album. Clarence, as best as I gathered, did the sound installation.

The main door. It had somehow captivated my attention.

My visit to this house and the installation Villa Alicia triggered me to ponder over what would happen to my personal memories that are associated with a specific place when that place no longer exist. Already, many places where I have personal memories with are no longer in existence. The school buildings that I had my lessons in during my Primary and Secondary school days are no longer around. Thankfully, the memories remain, albeit vague at times.

Perhaps similarly, the members of the Tan's family who had lived in 43 Binjai Park will fondly preserve the memories of their experiences living in the house in their mind. Even when poor health could have robbed one of the gift to remember, the memories would have been etched in the passing of time. With the willingness to let go, the courage to say good-bye and the gratitude for everything that had once happened in this beautiful house, it finally came the time for this house at 43 Binjai Park to become a part of history.

This is one of my favourite parts of the house.
The music room somehow reminded me how therapeutic it is to have a instrument in one's home
and to be blessed to learn to play it.

A closer look at the magnificent tomb of Ong Sam Leong

2011-08-11T23:34:00.006+08:00

The grand tomb-site of Ong Sam Leong.

About two months ago, one of my friends, Belinda Tan, invited me to visit the Bukit Brown Cemetery. That was to be my first visit to the Bukit Brown Cemetery, and I have surprised myself when that visit did not end up to be my last!

What makes a cemetery so interesting such that it has enticed me to make multiple visits over a span of two months?

Aside from the fresh air and the tranquil environment, Bukit Brown is simply like a land with rich heritage simply waiting to be appreciated. Like Belinda Tan has pointed out during one of our visits, Singapore has its own rich heritage and significant artifacts right in own own backyard, and Bukit Brown is one place to find these.

An Indian guard found at Ong Sam Leong's grave-site.

One of the most magnificent tomb-sites simply awed me in terms of its size. The double tomb of Ong Sam Leong and his wife was said to be the size of 10 three-room HDB flat units. Ong Sam Leong (1857 - 1918) was an entrepreneur who was known to have supplied the labourers for mining work that was being carried out by the Christmas Islands Phosphate Co. Ltd.

Gravesite of Ong Sam Leong and his wife. This was uncovered in 2006.

If one were to take a closer look at the tombstone, we would noticed interesting carvings. These carvings have symbolic meanings. They often either refer to an auspicious symbol or they remind the descendants of values such as filial piety.

In this post, I shall attempt to identify and highlight some of the stories of filial piety that have been carved on the tombstones at Ong Sam Leong's tomb-site. Admittedly, I was not able to identify the stories behind each and every carvings as yet. It is hoped that through the sharing on this post, I could enhance people's awareness of and interests in Bukit Brown Cemetery. Happy discovering!

This is one of the stories from the twenty-four stories of filial piety:
Ding Lan serving wooden statues of his parents, so as to serve them.
刻木事亲

Image source: http://history.cultural-china.com/en/38History5850.html
The story of Ding Lan.

Huang Xiang fanning the pillows and warming the sheets.
黄香扇席

In the days when air-conditioners and heaters were not invented, filial children like Huang Xiang creatively thought of ways to help their parents to feel warm during the winter and to enjoy relief from the heat during the summer. I wonder if air-conditioners and heaters were invented by filial children who were inspired by Huang Xiang's filial piety?

**
Thanks to Elizabeth McKenzie's chapter on Bukit Brown Cemetery in the book titled Spaces of the Dead: A Case from the Living, I had an easy time to figure out what this section of the tombstone is intended to depict.

Lao Laizi wore costumes and played pranks to amuse his parents. 戏彩娱亲

Jiang Ge Labored to Provide for His Mother.
行佣供母

Yu Qianlou tasting his father's stool out of deep concern.
尝忧心異

The story of Zi Lu, one of Confucius' disciples. This is one of the twenty-four stories of filial piety. Zi Lu travelled long distances to seek work so as to provide for his parents. When he received his pay, he would travel long distances to return home, shouldering a heavy sack of provisions (e.g. rice and staples) for his parents. 负米养亲.

Min Ziqian tolerated his stepmother.
单衣顺母

Wu Meng who's attracting mosquitoes to drink his blood. 恣蚊饱血

Guo Ju burying his son to save his mother.
为母埋儿

Lady Tang feeding her Mother-in-law milk.
乳姑不怠

**
The protective instinct of this son, Wang Pu, amazes me. His mother dreaded the sound of thunder-claps. Even when his mother was no longer alive, he would run to her grave and try to protect his mother's spirits whenever there is a storm. Sometimes I wonder if the stories were exaggerated so as to aptly put across the value of filial piety?

Crying By the Grave When Thunder Rolled: Wang Pu.

Wrestling With A Tiger To Save His Father: Yang Xiang
打虎救父

**
The next time if you were to visit the tomb of Ong Sam Leong at Bukit Brown Cemetery, please take your time to appreciate the values that the tombstones were intended to depict. It seems that tombstones serve both decorative and functional (educational) purposes.

My simple wish is that the tomb of Ong Sam Leong and the Bukit Brown Cemetery could remain preserved for future generations to appreciate.

**
I came across the following related sites in my attempts to identify the stories of filial piety. Please make time to visit these sites:

http://www.freewebs.com/bbrowncemetery/24storiesoffilialpiety.htm
http://piqture-perfect.blogspot.com/2011/06/singapore-bukit-brown-cemetery-notable.html
http://www.yogichen.org/cw/cw43/bk144.html
http://www.photodharma.net/Malaysia/Filial-Piety-2/Filial-Piety-2.pdf
http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~asia/24ParagonsFilialPiety.html

**
You may also like:

Free Map for DIY Tours to Bukit Brown by Asia Paranormal Investigators
Bukit Brown: a place with a rich heritage and biodiversity
Notable People who are buried in Bukit Brown

The unkempt beauty of Coffee Hill by Jerome Lim
Bukit Brown Cemetery by Jeffrey and Flora
The Walk to Bukit Brown by Leone
Walking within the grounds of Bukit Brown! by Leone
Sculpture is an important form of public art! by Leone

***
Updates on 16 Sep 2011:

Raymond Goh has put up a series of posts on the full set of 24 stories of filial piety found on the wall panels of Ong Sam Leong's tomb:

The wall panels of the tomb depicts the full set of the 24 filial piety stories:
http://bukitbrown.org/lessons-from-tomb-carvings-i
http://bukitbrown.org/lessons-from-tomb-carvings-ii
http://bukitbrown.org/lessons-from-tomb-carvings-iii
http://bukitbrown.org/lessons-from-tomb-carvings-iv

I sighted treasures at Goodwood Park Hotel!

2011-07-14T23:39:00.009+08:00

I came across an unexpected find when I visited the Goodwood Park Hotel in June 2011. This hotel has a history that dates back to 1900. The tower wing was designed by R.A.J. Bidwell of Swan and MacLaren.

The building, which is the present-day Goodwood Park Hotel, started out as the Teutonia Club which was opened to Germans and German-speaking people. This building on Scotts Road was opened on 21 September 1900 by Sir James Alexander Swettenham (Acting Governor of the Straits Settlements). The building was to fashion after the castles of the Rhine to reflect the German heritage of the Teutonia Club. Politics seemed to play a part when the Teutonia Club was confiscated by the British in 1914 after World War I broke out.

In 1918, the Manasseh brothers bought over the property and renamed it Goodwood Hall after the residence of the Duke of Richmond and Gordon in England. Goodwood Hall served as a restaurant-cafe-entertainment establishment. In 1929, the Manasseh brothers converted Goodwood Hall into a full-fledged hotel and renamed it Goodwood Park Hotel.

Besides the rich and interesting history of the Goodwood Park Hotel, I had the great luck to chance upon treasures while I was at the hotel. Within walking distance from the main lobby, there was an exhibition corner named "Tang Treasures Suite".

I saw artifacts on display and I could clearly recognize that these were from the Tang Shipwreck Treasure: Singapore's Maritime Collection! This collection is a ninth century shipwreck of Arab origin loaded with Chinese artifacts and ceramics from the Tang dynasty. The shipwreck was discovered in 1998 in Belitung. One of the significance of this collection is that the shipwreck is presently the only known vessel in the world with a complete load of ninth century cargo. The discovery of this shipwreck also confirmed that trading via a sea route between Arab and China existed as early as the ninth century.

The guests and visitors are very lucky to have the privilege to get good views of the Changsha wares and many other ceramics from the collection. Although there are limited number of artifacts on display at Goodwork Park Hotel's Tang Treasures Suite, I thought that having the modest gallery was still a very thoughtful way to introduce guests and visitors to this ninth century shipwreck.

Being curious, I asked one of the staff members about the artifacts in the Tang Treasures Suite. I subsequently learnt that the acquisition of the collection was made possible by the generous donation of the Estate of Tan Sri Khoo Teck Puat. This got me to read up more about Tan Sri Khoo Teck Puat.

I learnt that in 1968, the billionaire banker and hotelier, Tan Sri Khoo Teck Puat, had bought over the Goodwood Hotel. Currently, the hotel is under the management of Mrs Mavis Oei, daughter of Tan Sri Khoo Teck Puat.

The artifacts on display at the Tang Treasures Suite in Goodwork Park Hotel make a good introduction to the ninth century cargo that was discovered in Belitung. The rest of the collection will be on display at the ArtScience Museum till 31 Jul 2011. If you are interested to see the brilliant gold cups and the rest of the collection, please visit the exhibition "Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds" by 31 Jul 2011. Admission to the ArtScience Museum is $30 per adult.

Other than the treasures in the Tang Treasures Suite which is thoughtfully complimentary (i.e. admission is free-of-charge), guests and visitors to Goodwood Park Hotel can enjoy yet another delight for an affordable charge: mouth-watering durian pastries and more. Even this little girl seemed as if she cannot resist the delicious delights.

Reference:
http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1168_2009-02-13.html
http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_767_2004-12-15.html
http://www.goodwoodparkhotel.com/history-en.html
http://www1.sentosa.com.sg/about_us/press_releases/press_release_details.asp?id=11
http://oceanskies79places.blogspot.com/2011/04/rare-treasures-from-maritime-silk-route.html

Singapore Food Trail: Reliving the good old 1960s once more

2011-07-05T23:19:00.008+08:00

The Singapore Food Trail, which is a 1960s themed food establishment located at the Singapore Flyer, was one of the eating places that I have been wanting to visit ever since I have read Second Shot's post relating his experience at the Singapore Food Trail enjoying his first ice-ball in Singapore!

It was my good fortune to visit the Singapore Food Trail after six months of procrastination. The 16000 square-feet food-haven serving popular local hawker-fare was official opened on 25 Feb 2011. There were many times when I was so near to the Singapore Flyer but yet did not make my visit to the Singapore Food Trail. Admittedly, I had mistakenly thought that it was just a food court with a superficial 1960s decor.

Thankfully, I was proven otherwise during my first visit to the Singapore Food Trail on 2 Jul 2011. I was welcomed by a temporary outdoor opera stage during my visit. The Thau Yong Amateur Musical Associaton (陶融儒乐社) which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year put up music and Chinese opera performances that night and two nights before. I later learnt that performances and events such as the Teochew Opera staged by the Thau Yong Amateur Musical Association were part of the Singapore Food Trail's thoughtful efforts to recreate a realistic ambiance and atmosphere of the streets of 1960s.

Backstage.

A dedicated musician tuning a dulcimer (yang qin).

I thought it was a wise idea that the Singapore Food Trail invites worthy amateur art and cultural groups in Singapore to perform at its premises. Such efforts could help encourage these groups to continue their good work and passion in preserving important traditional art forms.

As the gigantic observation wheel moved at a distance, I felt time was spinning back to the post-war period when itinerant hawkers served cheap and convenient meals along the streets. Interestingly, Singapore Food Trail has creatively romanticized street hawking in many ways. Unlike the street hawkers of the 1960s, the hawkers of Singapore Food Trail have proper water supply, clean cooking equipment and sanitized conditions. What is more, the hawkers enjoy shelter from the rain and the sun.

Dragon Beard Candy.

To recreate the 1960s atmosphere, the stalls generally looked like push-carts and make-shift stalls commonly used during the post-war years. Secondly, the floor was laid with tar to give an impression of the stalls selling food by the side of the road. Thirdly, the management went down to the details by providing the stall-holders with older models of refrigerators to use. Nostalgia-evoking items were put on display at various sections of the food-street. I will give Singapore Food Trail lots of good scores simply for the meticulous thought that went into recreating the romanticized charms of the 1960s.

"Delicious" is the word to describe the food that I have had at the Singapore Food Trail. I learnt that the hawkers who serve food at the Singapore Food Trail were all specially hand-picked. Many of the hawkers have been in business for more than 30 years. In order to operate at the Singapore Food Trail, each stall-holder has to agree to the condition that only the owner or the owner's family members do the cooking. For myself, I am less insistent that the food must be cooked by the owner or the family members. What matters more is the good effort that goes into preparing the food.

Charcoal-grilled dough fritters for the rojak!

Interestingly, I learnt that charcoal-grilled dough fritters are used in the rojak dish served by Lagoon Kampong Rojak. This method of preparation meant that the dough fritters are crispy and chewy, minus much of the oily texture.

Colourful ice-ball!

I cannot miss checking out ice-balls. There are delightful treasures that can be found inside each ice-balls. Try eating one!

What impressed me greatly was the pride and dignity that can be easily seen on the faces of the people who prepare the food. Perhaps the ambiance of the Singapore Food Court has brought them to the good old days when the value of the food was enhanced simply because it was cooked with pride and mindfulness?

The Katong Keah Kee fried oyster omelette in the background.
Cereal prawns in the foreground.

The broth of the Sin Ming Road Rong Chen Bak Kut Teh is simply lovingly made.
On the right is the Old Airport Road satay beehoon.

Freshly-squeezed sugar cane juice in nostalgic looking containers.

My personal favourites are the Katong Keah Kee fried oyster omelette, Sin Ming Road Rong Chen Bak Kut Teh, Lagoon Kampong Rojak and the Changi Village Fried Carrot Cake. The sugar cane juice is wonderful too. Most of the other food are good too.

The night concluded on a high-note with the last scene of "The Fragrant Handkerchief" (折子戏：《香罗帕》). The last scene showed the male and female lead characters of "The Fragrant Handkerchief" finally getting married after several trials.

Although I could not understand the language that the opera performance was sung it, it was possible to make out what was being performed on stage. All that was needed was for the audience to pay attention to the music, the singing, the manner of recitation, the acting and the various gestures used by the performers (different mouth shapes, hand gestures, expressions in the eyes, body movements and steps represent different moods). The costumes and the accessories worn by each of the characters also gave good clues to his/her status and the personality.

The heritage corner.

In short, the Singapore Food Trail is one way to relive the good old 1960s. Good food, an interesting theme that evokes memories of the wonderful old days and a touch of sincerity in bringing its guests to relive the 1960s. These are the elements that will entice me to visit the Singapore Food Trail with friends and relatives for affordable food and a time for nostalgia.

Kachang Puteh (assorted nuts) that brings good memories of my childhood.

The adorable fortune-reading parrot found directly opposite the Kachang Puteh stall. It visits on weekends only.

****
Acknowledgments: Lots of thanks to the Singapore Food Trail and Marina Bay Singapore for giving me the opportunity to enjoy delicious local hawker-fare as well as a wonderful Teochew opera staged by the Thau Yong Amateur Musical Association. Many thanks to Chloe and Jonathan from Select Group Limited for their hospitality. An extra special thanks to Ms Belinda Tan for facilitating the invitation.

I was very glad that I have learnt a bit about Chinese opera and have finally visited the Singapore Food Trail.

****

Singapore Food Trail
Singapore Flyer
30 Raffles Avenue
Singapore 039803

Opening hours:
10.30 a.m. to 10.30 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday,
10.30 a.m. to 11.30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Description: http://www.singaporeflyer.com/food-trail/
Stall profiles and listing: http://www.singaporeflyer.com/food-trail/stall-profiles/
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/singaporefoodtrail

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Thau Yong Amateur Musical Association

Description: http://www.chinatownology.com/Thau_yong_directory.html

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/thauyong

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Related posts by other bloggers:
A night at the Opera by Jerome Lim
Nostalgia ++ by Leone
The invite and the Teochew Opera street performance by Leone
The amazing transformation!! by Leone

The Terracotta Warriors are in Singapore

2011-06-29T00:14:00.003+08:00

This post is dedicated to page owners and fans of I Love Museums.

There is an noteworthy exhibition in Singapore. It is the first exhibition of actual terracotta warriors to be held in Singapore. These terracotta artefacts were buried near the tomb of the First Emperor of China.

In this exhibition, one can also look forward to appreciating bronze and jade items from the Qin state before the time of the First Emperor, Shi Huangdi. In addition, visitors could also view burial objects from the Han dynasty.

A replica of the bronze chariot discovered on the west side of the First Emperor's tomb.
The original chariots are too fragile to travel.

This is a terracotta of a kneeling archer from the Qin dynasty. I learnt from this exhibition that archery was one of the 'six noble arts' as well as a basic skill that was required of all soldiers during the Qin dynasty.

Upper shelf, from left to right: Washer (yi), Kettle (he).
Lower shelf: Chu-styled vessel (ding), Steamer (yan).

A glimpse of the exhibition hall.

Painted earthenware depicting soldiers with shields from Western Han dynasty.

Compared to the terracotta warriors from the Qin dynasty, the burial objects from the Han dynasty was more modest in size and in its design.

I sensed an obsession with the afterlife during my visit to this exhibition. The exhibition has also given me a glimpse of the culture of the Qin people. There are exhibition panels printed in both English and Chinese. Somehow, I felt somewhat compelled to brush up on my command of Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese history after visiting this exhibition. There is so much depth to the Chinese culture and history that I have yet to learn!

Due to time constraints, I could only have a one-hour quick tour of this exhibition. I shall make time to visit this exhibition again, and to attend one of the guided tours. I have always found the guided tours given by the docents to be enriching.

Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor and His Legacy
24 Jun 2011 - 16 Oct 2011
At the Special Exhibitions Gallery, ACM Empress Place
Opening hours: Mon: 1 p.m. - 7 p.m., Tue - Sun: 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. (to 9 p.m. on Fridays)

Information on the admission charges is available here: http://www.acm.org.sg/visitor_info/admission_charges.asp

Notable People who are buried in Bukit Brown

2011-06-27T18:00:00.031+08:00

What do the following Singapore pioneers and notable people have in common? Cheang Hong Lim, Chew Boon Lay, Chew Joo Chiat, Fang Shan, Gan Eng Seng, Lee Hoon Leong, Lim Chong Pang, Mrs Lim Nee Soon, Ong Sam Leong, Ong Boon Tat, Mrs Tan Cheng Siong and Tay Ho Swee.

You are right if your answer is that they are some of the many Singapore pioneers and notable people who are buried in Bukit Brown. The more interesting is that very often by taking a good look at the tomb-sites of these notable people, we could have an appreciation of each of their personalities, family background and ancestral roots.

鹿供乳亲. The story of Young Master Tan who dressed himself in a deer's skin so as to nurse the deer for milk for his parents. This was one of the many tomb-carvings found at Ong Sam Leong's tomb-site.

Following my previous visit to Bukit Brown on 18 Jun 2011 to appreciate the rich heritage and biodiversity of this intriguing place which I was previously so close to but yet so far away from during my countless bus-rides along Lornie Road, I visited Bukit Brown yet again. This substantial piece of land with greenery and a rich heritage is located immediately to the south of the Central Catchment Area. It is bordered by Thomson Road, the Pan Island Expressway, Mount Pleasant Road and Lornie Road.

Signs that point to the tombs of a number of notable people (e.g. Mrs Lim Nee Soon, Lim Chong Kuo, Lim Chong Pang, Cheang Hong Lim and Tan Kim Ching) who are buried in Bukit Brown.

My friends and I were very fortunate that during our visit to Bukit Brown on 26 Jun 2011, the Asia Paranormal Investigators, supported by One° North Explorers, was conducting a free unguided tour of Bukit Brown Chinese Cemetery. During the event, placards were put up at notable tombs to describe the notable achievements and contributions that were made by the person buried in each of these tombs.

One of the tiles that tells a story. The peacock symbolizes beauty and dignity.
(Source: "Spaces of the Dead: A Case from the Living")

Lee Hoon Leong

Curiosity insisted that we visit the tomb-site of Lee Hoon Leong (1879 - 1942). He is the grandfather of Lee Kuan Yew. According to wikipedia, Lee Hoon Leong gave Lee Kuan Yew the name "Harry" in addition to the Chinese name. From the placards put up by API, I learnt that the death year of Lee Hoon Leong was based on the Japanese Koki calendar. The Japanese Koki year starts from 660 BC "when the first Japanese Emperor Jimmu ascended the throne".

Tomb of Lee Hoon Leong. Grandfather of Lee Kuan Yew.

Fang Shan

We observed that different calendar systems were used to denote the date that a deceased had passed away. At the tomb of Fang Shan, possibly one of the oldest, if not the oldest, graves in Singapore, the calendar system used was that based on the year of reign of one of the Chinese Emperors, Qing Emperor Daoguang. Fang Shan died in 1833 and his grave is looked after by the Fang Shee Association. The tomb was relocated to Bukit Brown in 1941.

Fang Shan's tomb. Possibly the oldest grave in Singapore.

Chew Boon Lay

One of my friends requested that we visit the tomb of Chew Boon Lay (1852 - 1933) to pay our respect to this notable person. From the design of his grave, he appeared to be a man who was modest and simple. When I chanced upon the one of the webpages of ONE @ Boon Lay, I learnt that Chew Boon Lay was considered a low-keyed person who was a devoted husband and doting father. He was a successful business man who owned large pieces of land in Jurong. The Boon Lay housing estate and the Boon Lay MRT station were named after him.

Chew Boon Lay's final resting place.

Gan Eng Seng

Students, alumni and staff of Gan Eng Seng School may like to learn that the benefactor, Gan Eng Seng (1844 - 1899), whom their school was subsequently named after is resting in peace in Bukit Brown. Gan Eng Seng established the Anglo-Chinese Free School in 1885 in some shop-houses in Telok Ayer Street to offer free education to the children from low-income families. Gan Eng Seng continued to maintain his support to the school with gifts of freehold property and funding until his demise. The school that was set up was later named after its founder, Gan Eng Seng. I was inspired to learn about the value of active citizenship that was upheld by Gan Eng Seng. His tomb appeared modest yet dignified.

Remembering Gan Eng Seng.

Ong Sam Leong
One of the most magnificent tomb-sites in Bukit Brown that we had made a point to visit was the tomb of Ong Sam Leong and his sons. This tomb that is said to be the size of 10 three-room HDB flat units is the resting place of the deceased notable Ong Sang Leong and his wife. Ong Sam Leong (1857 - 1918) was an entrepreneur who was known to have supplied the labourers for mining work that was being carried out by the Christmas Islands Phosphate Co. Ltd.

The grand tomb-site of Ong Sam Leong.

Ong Boon Tat
Ong Sam Leong's sons were buried nearby. One of his sons was Ong Boon Tat, who was one of the proprietor of New World amusement park which was previously located in Jalan Besar. Perhaps I had at one point in my life passed by Boon Tat Street fairly frequently, as such, I took some time to look at the dignified looking tomb of Ong Boon Tat when I was at Bukit Brown.

Ong Boon Tat's tomb on the right of this photo.

One of the notable living persons of Bukit Brown
Before my friends and I concluded our adventurous trekking and tour of Bukit Brown Cemetery, we had the privilege to speak with Mr Su. He is one of the caretakers of the cemetery. As best as I could remember, I learnt that there are nine hills within Bukit Brown area. Many of the people who are buried in Bukit Brown are Hokkiens. He seemed to be very well-respected in the vicinity and I could infer so by the fact that the occasional fluttering butterflies rested care-freely on him! Here is a special thanks to Mr Su for the invaluable contributions that he has made as one of the caretakers.

The dedicated caretaker, Mr Su, and his colleagues.

The future of Bukit Brown
In Bukit Brown where many notable people and the ancestors of many have found their resting site, there lies an uncertain fate. In late May, there was an announcement that the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has gazetted Bukit Brown Cemetery as a site for development ('Bukit Brown to make way for housing', Straits Times, 30 May 2011).

What will be the fate of Bukit Brown? What would happen to the resting grounds of the 100 000 people who are buried there? Would the good values that are upheld by the notable people who are buried in Bukit Brown erode away if their resting places are removed as a result of the redevelopment plans? What meaning can we really derive if we as a community simply stay indifferent to let premium housing replace the precious heritage and biodiversity at Bukit Brown?

We, the community, can collectively shape the answers.

负米养亲. This segment of the tomb-engravings show the story of Zi Lu, one of Confucius' disciples. This is one of the twenty-four stories of filial piety. Zi Lu travelled long distances to seek work so as to provide for his parents. When he received his pay, he would travel long distances to return home, shouldering a heavy sack of provisions (e.g. rice and staples) for his parents.

In the meantime, if learning about some of these notable people who are buried in Bukit Brown has been interesting for you, I would strongly recommend that you could make a visit to Bukit Brown to reflect how you would like this place to be in a decade time. Please share your comments at this post.

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Directions to Bukit Brown (for your convenience):

Map of Bukit Brown: http://www.streetdirectory.com/asia_travel/travel/travel_id_17436/travel_site_1/
Bus services available: 52, 74, 93, 157, 165, 852, 855.

The bus-stop that is nearest to the entrance of Bukit Brown Cemetery Gate is bus stop #41149, opposite Singapore Island Country Club (SICC), Adam Road. From this bus-stop, walk towards Sime Road, walk along Kheam Hock Road until you see Lor Halwa.

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The Map:
Special thanks to API (Asia Paranormal Investigators) for releasing the map of the locations of notable Singapore pioneers that lie resting in Bukit Brown. This map put together by API will be very useful for visitors who are doing their own Do-It-Yourself tour of Bukit Brown.

The rule of the thumb that I have found useful when making a visit to Bukit Brown is to always be respectful of both the dead and the living.

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Please also read Bukit Brown: a place with a rich heritage and biodiversity.

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References:

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Save Bukit Brown Online Petition

There is an online petition put up by Mr Irving C. Johnson to save Bukit Brown Cemetery, which is one of Singapore's oldest and historically rich cemeteries. If you care to support this cause, please sign the online petition that is found here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bukitbrowncemetery/ (Please take note that after putting up your signature, the site may redirect you to a page to request for donation. You may simply terminate the redirection by closing the page.)

The precious flora and fauna along the railway tracks

2011-06-25T00:43:00.007+08:00

Greenery, Nature and a romantic age of train travel through Singapore.

We have treasures right in our homeland,
So precious and endearing.
And all that it takes to find our treasures,
Is to look beyond the non-essentials,
And pay a little more attention,
With a dose of tender loving care.

This butterfly seems to be a Blue Pansy (Junonia orithya wallacei).
Photo Credit: Belinda Tan.

19 June 2011: On a very fine Sunday morning, strangers and friends who have never met gathered at Old Holland Road for a special walk to Bukit Timah Railway Station and to Hindhede Road. This walk, The Green Corridor Walk along Bukit Timah was led by Mr Jerome Lim, author of the blog "The Long and Winding Road".

Curiosity for the Singapore Railway Transfer Ordinance of 25 October 1918 and the September 2010 land swap agreement that was reached between Singapore and Malaysia had led me to attend a Tanjong Pagar Railway Station Tour on 21 May 2011. Then in the most pleasantly unexpected ways, I found myself travelling to parts of Singapore that were previously unknown to me.

Walking parallel with the railway tracks.

I visited several sections of the railway line and I simply fell in love with the beauty of the flora and fauna along the railway line. I did not realize that there is a stretch of uninterrupted beautiful green-land that meanders through my beloved country of Singapore. So, it is with delight and pride that I share with you the precious flora and fauna that could be enjoyed along the section of the railway track from Old Holland Road to Hindhede Road.

A bee that cheers.
Photo Credit: Belinda Tan.

Pure and white.
Photo Credit: Belinda Tan.

Morning glory.
Photo credit: Belinda Tan.

As I was enjoying the rejuvenating walk along the railway tracks, I cannot help but to have lots of respect for an amazing lady, Belinda Tan, who often bent herself down and knelt to the ground so as to capture the beautiful sightings along the railway track. It is with great honour that she so graciously and generously gave me the permission to share some of her photographs on this blog post. Thanks Belinda! I dedicate this post to you!

A fly that was enjoying a morning rest.
Photo Credit: Belinda Tan.

Doing my best to be a cautious and mindful member of the group, I stayed at least three-metres away from the railway track once I knew that the train would be passing by at any time. Maybe I was too conscientious, I could not help but to keep members of the group informed of schedule of the train. Safety is always first.

Along the way to the Bukit Timah Station, the group was very lucky to catch a glimpse of a passing train. The train must have powers to charm, doesn't it? When the train passed by, almost everyone wore a delightful smile on his or her face.

Bye train!

Mr Jerome Lim was sharing with the group about the old Jurong line.

Remnants of the decommissioned Jurong line.

During the walk, I was most curious to learn more about the Jurong Line which used to branch off at Bukit Timah Station. The Jurong Line which was constructed as an extension of the main railway line in the mid 1960s to serve the new industrial estate in Jurong. You could imagine that I was paying special attention to our guide when he spoke about the Jurong Line. For the rest of the time, please pardon me, my ears were listening to the wonderful orchestration created by Nature and all the living-beings in the untouched green-land.

A dragonfly which was pleased with its home along the railway line.
Photo Credit: Belinda Tan

I realized that I need a crash course in flora and fauna of Singapore.
Photo Credit: Belinda Tan.

A brick bridge that was built for the train to pass over the canal.
Photo Credit: Belinda Tan.

Interestingly, while my group-mate, Belinda, was paying attention to the minute details found on the leaves and bushes, I was focusing on the trees that grew tall and sturdy along the sides of the railway tracks. What we do have in common is our appreciation for Nature.

Bukit Timah Station.

The Truss Bridge.

As I trekked along the sides of the railway track whose fate from 1 July 2011 is still relatively unknown, I gave thanks for the opportunity to enjoy the therapeutic and refreshing walk along a stretch of the uninterrupted green-land. I have no idea if my descendants would ever get a chance to walk along this similar stretch of green-land like I did. I hope that they will.

Waking up early to walk at least three kilometres along the railway tracks has its rewards. When we were at Hindhede Road, we caught sight of yet another passing train!

The steel girder bridge at Hindhede Road.
Please read Jerome Lim's post on this section of the railway line.

If this post of the precious flora and fauna found along the railway line has enticed you in some ways, I would strongly encourage you to go for one of the Green Corridor walks. Then you can be in a much better position to decide for yourself if you would find it meaningful and worthwhile to support The Green Corridor Proposal to preserve the railway land as a green corridor based on environmental, social, recreational and historical benefits.

To find out more, please visit: http://www.thegreencorridor.org/

Bukit Brown: a place with a rich heritage and biodiversity

2011-06-20T00:23:00.011+08:00

Life, has a mysterious way to show us what to pay attention to. If you have stumbled upon this blog-post, it may not be sheer coincidence. It could be life pointing you to pay attention to this place in Singapore that is called Bukit Brown.

The Bukit Brown Cemetery Gate.

I do not have a keen interest in cemeteries. However, life somehow paved the way for me to take a good notice at Bukit Brown, a unfamiliar place that strangely felt familiar to me. Bukit Brown is bordered by Thomson Road, the Pan Island Expressway, Mount Pleasant Road and Lornie Road. Lornie Road is a road that I used to travel frequently on and yet before 18 Jun 2011, I have never stepped into the Bukit Brown cemetery that Lornie Road borders. When I received my first invitation to visit Bukit Brown, my natural response was to accept it.

Bukit Brown is a place with a rich heritage, a tranquil environment, an untouched jungle garden and a place with high biodiversity value. Many Singapore pioneers and notable people are buried in Bukit Brown. Examples include Cheang Hong Lim, Tay Ho Swee, Mrs Lim Nee Soon, Lim Chong Pang, Chew Joo Chiat, Chew Boon Lay, Lee Hoon Leong, Gan Eng Seng etc. I also learnt that many forest bird species (such as the Asian Fairy Bluebird, the White-bellied Woodpecker and the Thick-billed Green Pigeon) and interesting wildlife can be found at Bukit Brown.

The bus-stop that is nearest to the entrance of Bukit Brown Cemetery Gate.

Bus Stop #41149, opposite Singapore Island Country Club (SICC), Adam Road.

Bus services available: 52, 74, 93, 157, 165, 852, 855.

Directions to the cemetery Gate: Walk towards Sime Road, walk along Kheam Hock Road until you see Lor Halwa.

When I visit Bukit Brown on 18 Jun 2011 with a group of friends, I was pleasantly rejuvenated by the peaceful atmosphere and the lovely scenaries of Nature at Bukit Brown. What intrigued me further were the intricate stone carvings erected within the many grave-sites at Bukit Brown. As best as I have understood, according to feng shui, also known as Chinese Geomancy, these carved images enhance the auspicious aura of the site and protect the tombs.

The male lion.

The female lion with a cub under her paw.

Lions as protectors
Sculptures of lions can be seen at many of the grave-sites. They serve as protectors of the respective grave-site. Usually, the guardian lion sculptures come in pairs. The male lion (sculpture) will usually have a ball, representing the sun, under its paw. On the other hand, the female lion (sculpture) will be seen with a cub under her paw. The next time when you see lion sculptures, you may wish to take a closer look.

This appear to be a sculpture of the Lion Dog with staring eyes meant to scare away evil forces.

Indian guards representing security
Interestingly, we noticed that sculptures of uniformed Indian guards at a number of the grave-sites in Bukit Brown cemetery. Due to a number of historical and social reasons, Sikhs and Indian men from Northern India, were commonly recruited as law-enforcers and watchmen in early Singapore. A number of these Indian men were employed by wealthy individual as watchmen and bodyguards.

Statues of Sikh guards armed with rifles, their dogs and two stone lions watching over the grave belong to Zhou Yulong.

Over time, Indian guards represented a sense of security and loyalty for many people, especially to those who have employed them. As such, I hope it would not be too wrong for me to infer that grave-sites with sculptures of Indian guards are very likely to be those of wealthy individuals who have employed Indian bodyguards?

The magnificent tomb of Ong Sam Leong
The highlight of our visit to Bukit Brown was the double-tomb of Ong Sam Leong and his wife. Ong Sam Leong (1857 - 1918) was born in Singapore. In 1898, he made his fortune when he secured the contract to supply all the labour for mining work that was being carried out by the Christmas Islands Phosphate Co. Ltd.

Gravesite of Ong Sam Leong and his wife. This was uncovered in 2006.

Golden Boy.

Jade Maiden.

The grave is said to be about the size of 10 three-room HDB flats and is the largest grave in Bukit Brown. Aside from being the largest grave, it is also one of the most elaborate graves around. The tombstones are beautifully decorated with intricately carved scenes depicting the Eight Immortals, stories of filial piety and more. The craftsmanship was excellent and could not be easily paralleled by today's craftsmen. Oddly, I felt I have learnt more about the Chinese culture by visiting a cemetery than by reading volumes of book.

This part of the carvings tells the story of Jiang Ge carrying his old mother.

Stories of filial piety carved in detail on the tombstones.

Chinese ancestor worship goes hand-in-hand with the core Confucian value of filial piety. (Source: "Spaces of the Dead: A Case from the Living", edited by Kevin YL Tan, pg 82.)

An Indian guard found at Ong Sam Leong's grave-site.

What will be the fate of Bukit Brown?
The alarming news is that all the beautiful gifts bestowed by Nature and the refined works of art that I had seen during my visit to Bukit Brown may soon be gone. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has gazetted Bukit Brown Cemetery as a site for development ('Bukit Brown to make way for housing', Straits Times, 30 May 2011).

Thoughts and reflections
I would cringe to see beautiful works of art and of heritage significance being destroyed by bulldozers and machines. The craftsmen and artists who have created the graves with loving care had probably envisioned the graves to be built to last, for posterity to maintain vital links with their ancestors.

The Jade Maiden. The Golden Boy and Jade Maiden are often found standing on either side of a grave. This couple serves as guides in the Underworld, and finally, guides the soul of the deceased to the Western paradise. (Source: "Spaces of the Dead: A Case from the Living", edited by Kevin YL Tan, pg 74.)

According to the Straits Times article "Tycoon's tomb uncovered" dated 4 Jun 2006, the then Public Monuments Board was said to be keeping watch on the Bukit Brown cemetery and will act if and when it is threatened by redevelopment.

One of my friends, Ms Belinda Tan, suggested that tombs with significance (e.g. the tomb of Ong Sam Leong and his wife) could either be preserved in situ, or at the very least, have their tombstones carefully preserved in the museums.

I would personally prefer the significant tombs to be preserved in situ as a living outdoor museum similar to Pompeii. In addition, I wonder if the rich biodiversity at Bukit Brown will make it a worthy location to be considered as a Nature Reserve? Are there possibilities for the National Parks, the National Heritage Board and the Urban Redevelopment Board to work hand-in-hand to redevelop Bukit Brown into a living outdoor museum located in a Nature Reserve? However, if this could not be done, the next option would be to work closely with the descendants of selected tombs so as to carefully preserve the tombstones in the museums (preferably under the National Heritage Board) for all to see.

Belinda has also made a good point when she commented that Singapore has our own rich heritage and artifacts in our own backyards. I would be most delighted to learn more about my own hometown not by viewing expensive exhibits from other parts of the world, but by having the open eyes to appreciate the rich value of existing artifacts and places of significance that are already available in my own country. What about you?

One of the grave-sites.

Whatever your opinions may be, here is an invitation for you to consider making a visit to Bukit Brown to experience this place that has a rich heritage and biodiversity. Of course, please be respectful of the living beings (e.g. the visitors, wildlife and birds) and the Dead throughout your visit. In addition, you may wish to bring mosquito repellent, wear light-coloured long pants and long sleeves clothes and wear covered shoes with soles the grip the ground well.

Earth deity (Tu Di Gong).

The Earth Deity represented in cemeteries is a god of wealth and a celestial deity who ensures good fortune, prosperity and safety. (Source: "Spaces of the Dead: A Case from the Living", edited by Kevin YL Tan.)

Acknowledgments
Lots of thanks to Ms Belinda Tan for organising a private walk about Bukit Brown. She has diligently compiled a list of links and resources related to Bukit Brown which had gotten me on a good footing when I did my readings on this subject matter.

Special thanks and appreciation to the most thoughtful Soap Drinker for leading our group to Ong Sam Leong's tomb. Many thanks to my group-mates for their company and great fellowship. One of them, a fine gentleman, provided the much needed shelter from the hot and humid climate with his air-conditioned vehicle. I think the children in our group appreciated having him around.

I recommend interested parties to read this book titled "Spaces of the Dead: A Case from the Living" edited by Kevin YL Tan. There are two chapters in this book that lend a good overview of Bukit Brown. It was thanks to these two chapters (written by Elizabeth McKenzie and Ho Hua Chew respectively) that I could have a better appreciation of the Chinese art, architecture and cultural symbols that I saw at Bukit Brown.

The caretaker shed. If one is lucky to find the caretaker here, he/she could ask for directions to visit the largest tomb.

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Related posts by other writers:
- The unkempt beauty of Coffee Hill by Jerome Lim.
- Bukit Brown Cemetery by Jeffrey and Flora: Living in Singapore

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For your convenience, please find below a brief history of Bukit Brown and references used.

History of Bukit Brown
Bukit Brown was named after George Henry Brown. He was a shipowner, trader and broker who arrived in Singapore in the 1840s. Brown's place of residence was located at present-day Mount Pleasant Road, which was close to the present Bukit Brown site.

The area was later brought over by three wealthy Hokkien entrepreneurs, Ong Kew Ho, Ong Ewe Hai and Ong Chong Chew. They came from the same village of Bai Qiao in Xiamen, China. When the trio brought the site known as Bukit Brown in 1870s, they had intended to set up a self-sufficient village for the less well-to-do members of the Ong clan. However, the site was eventually used solely as a burial ground and its ownership was passed on to the Seh Ong Kongsi. In 1918-1919, the Municipal government acquired a section of the Seh Ong Cemetery to serve the need of the wider Chinese community for more public Chinese burial grounds.

The Bukit Brown Cemetery was closed for burial in 1973.

References

http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1358_2009-07-13.html (Bukit Brown Municipal Cemetery by Kartini Saparudin, written on 13 Jul 2009.)
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150329432799922&set=o.128744483819657&type=1&theater (Ms Belinda Tan's compilation of links and resources related to Bukit Brown.)
http://www.ethosbooks.com.sg/store/mli_viewItem.asp?idProduct=270 (Spaces of the Dead: A Case from the Living, edited by Kevin YL Tan.)
http://api.sg/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=149&Itemid=106 (Free Bukit Brown Chinese Cemetery DIY Tour by API on 19 and 26 Jun 2011.)
http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straitstimes20060604.2.5.13.aspx ("Tycoon's tomb uncovered." The Straits Times, 4 Jun 2006, pg 12.)
http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19930112.2.32.10.aspx ("Sikh guards at Chinese tombs show there were strong links." The Straits Times, 12 Jan 1993, pg 23.)
http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19930102.2.7.6.aspx ("Sikh guards watch over grave." The Straits Times, 2 Jan 1993, pg 3)
Tan. , N.P.T. (2007). Bukit Timah: A Heritage trail. Singapore: National Heritage Board.
Savage, V. and Yeoh, B.S.A. (2004). Toponymics: A Study of Singapore Street Names. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish International.
http://china-corner.com/24fp/index.asp (Twenty-Four stories of Filial Piety.)
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_104232399671446 (Save Bukit Brown Cemetery Facebook group.)

Transformed by the dragon's breath!

2011-06-08T22:48:00.006+08:00

Do you remember that some time ago, I visited the Thow Kwang Dragon Kiln to catch the wood-firing event of the entire kiln at Thow Kwang Industry Pte Ltd on 25 Feb 2011?

Here is the link to the post on my visiti to the Thow Kwang Dragon Kiln that day: A visit to the Thow Kwang Dragon Kiln Firing event 2011

Fire, salt, and ashes formed part of the "dragon's breath" that had transformed clay to ceramics. If you are interested to enjoy the wood-fired products from the wood-firing event that was held this February, you may like to join the Thow Kwang Clay Artist this coming Saturday for an exhibition of the wood-fired pieces.

I understand from one of the Clay Artists that the official opening of the exhibition is at 2 p.m. on 11 Jun 2011. Please take note that the official opening is for invited guests.

There will be daily exhibition of the wood-fired pieces by Thow Kwang Clay artists from 12 Jun - 2 Jul 2011, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Image credit: Carolyn Lim

From the Belly of the Dragon
An exhibition of Wood-fired pieces by Thow Kwang Clay Artists
Daily Exhibition: 12 Jun 2011 (Sun) - 02 Jul 2011 (Sat), 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Venue: Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle, 85 Lorong Tawas (off Jalan Bahar)http://thowkwangclayartists.wordpress.com/
(Map of Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle)

How to get there by public transport:
Take MRT to Boon Lay Station. Take bus service 199 at the bus interchange. Alight the bus stop after the PIE flyover along Jalan Bahar, just before the turn to Nanyang Avenue (NTU). You can see a road on the left side with huge pots at the corner before the bus stop. Walk towards that road.It will be a 10 minute walk into Thow Kwang.

Check the bus route here: http://www.sbstransit.com.sg/transport/trpt_bus_timetable.aspx

Railway memories

2011-06-07T23:38:00.009+08:00

7 Jun 2011

Dear great-great-great-grandchildren,

Today, I have this urge to write to all of you about my excursions to the Bukit Timah Railway Station and various parts along the KTM railway tracks on 4 Jun 2011. I do not know if you would ever experience these places like I did?

At about 8 a.m. on 4 Jun 2011, I reached the Bukit Timah Railway Station with Bel, Za and Ade.

It was my first visit to that railway station. I was pleasantly delighted to find a stretch of green land in Singapore.

Did you notice that Singapore was spelt "Singapura" on this sign?

I was more surprised when I saw passengers from the train being given permission to get down from the train. Some of them started walking about the tracks. I later learnt that this very train was stopping at Bukit Timah Railway for an hour to give two other trains the priority to pass.

The railway system works on a one-track system. To prevent the collisions of train along the track, the trains have to exchange key tokens with the station master at Bukit Timah Railway Station to be given the right to move to the next section of the track.
The station will cease operation by 1 July 2011.

Many of the passengers have had fun posing with the train.

Patience pays.
After much waiting, there was a train heading North that was approaching the station.

The station master held a green colour flag in one of his hands and waved it. This waving of the green colour flag served as a signal for the approaching train to move forward.

Do you notice that the train master in the foreground has a ring-like item in his left hand? That is a key token.

After a key-token exchange took place, one of the staff members of the Railway Station was found in the signal room changing the signals.

Soon enough, yet another train approached the station, and in a blinking of the eye, the exchange of key-token took place. I'm sorry that I was not fast enough to capture the exchange of the key-token for you.

This was taken at the waiting area of the station. I shall leave it to you to read your history books to figure out why this station is at this time under the care of the government of Malaysia.

Subsequently, the team and I walked towards the direction of the Rifle Range Road. A kind and helpful gentleman, Jerome Lim, prepared a map with clear suggestions on it for us. Thanks a lot for his help, we were able to find our way along the railway track safely, without losing our way.

This was taken near King Albert Park. When I was younger, I used to pass by the sign "Malayan Railway Bukit Timah Railway Station" on my bus rides to the National University of Singapore almost every weekday. I did not know that the sign was pointing to a treasure trove of rustic charm until 4 Jun 2011!

Are you feeling excited to see this Truss Bridge that spans across Dunearn Road and Bukit Timah Road?
I hope it is still in existence in your time?

Morning glories.

This was taken along the Rifle Range Road. I love listening to the sounds of Nature throughout the excursion.

Nature, I realised, is more precious than gold. Then again, the values of the decision-makers and the people do play a bigger role in deciding what is of greater value.

There was a rain that day. After the rain, we ventured nearby this Truss Bridge that was near the Railway Mall.
We were very cautious. Other than making sure we know the train schedules well, we had to be mindful to be at least three metres away from the railway tracks at all times.
You see, the trains move very rapidly and it was almost impossible to hear or see an approaching train because of the noisy road traffic and a nearby bend of the railway track.

Thanks to Belinda, I have learnt to take a nice photograph of this butterfly to share with all of you.

We travelled to Choa Chu Kang Road where there was a wide level crossing. We waited more than two hours to see a train passing by the level crossing.

Near the level crossing along Choa Chu Kang Road.

My reward for being patient was this photograph of an approaching train that will soon travelling pass the level crossing across Choa Chu Kang Road. We asked for and obtained permission to witness the train passing by.

And the train was on its way to the north.

As you read this letter, you could have been very aware that your great-great-great grandmother has never been a train enthusiast. I enjoyed the train rides that I had taken across parts of Scotland when I was there for a short trip in my mid-twenties. The reason that the train rides were so special across Scotland were the scenic views of the countryside.

However, for many years, I could not imagine myself taking a train ride across Singapore, from the south to the north and then up to Malaysia. Would it be simply concrete and magnificent buildings that I would see along the way?

Thankfully, this was a misconception of mine. After reading articles written by Jerome Lim of the blog entitled The Long and Winding Road and after visiting various parts of the railway line in Singapore (from the Bukit Timah Railway Station to Choa Chu Kang Road), I felt grateful that somehow, in this country of mine, I could still have a chance to enjoy a glimpse of the charming rural landscape stretching for miles. I thought that the people who have made this possible have a deep sense of wisdom and respect for the land, whether or not they know what they are doing.

Hillview area. Behind the Standard Chartered Bank.

By the time you read this letter, I would have been long gone from the face of this Earth. I now wonder, if you could tell your predecessors what you hope we could preserve for you today, so that you could experience them decades later, what would you have ask for?

In the distant past, people had built grand cathedrals not because they could ever use them. They had built them for the benefit of their future generations. I hope I could play my humble part to shape the better world that all of you will be living in. I am only one voice. Then again, I could be part of a larger collective.

In land-scarce Singapore, my dearest great-great-great-grandchildren, would you have wished that your predecessors had removed a stretch of railway track to build modern buildings and housing in the name of progress, or had preserved a humble stretch of scenic railway track so that you could somehow reminisce how much Singapore has progressed while maintaining a deep connection with its past and a respect for Nature?

Bukit Timah Railway Station.

Maybe you may just think I am simply sharing some old great-great-great-grandmother's stories. Yet, I wish to understand you and your dreams. What would you hope that we could do right now so that we could lay the foundations that are necessary to benefit you and your great-great-great-grandchildren?

The hibiscus that I saw along the railway track, nurtured by a pair of caring hands.

Before I end this letter, I gave my support by liking the Green Corridor's Facebook page, and hope that this will make a little difference.

With love,
Your great-great-great-grandmother.

The Tanjong Pagar Railway Station Tour on 21 May 2011

2011-05-21T22:21:00.011+08:00

Tanjong Pagar Railway Station.
Photo credit: Belinda Tan.

Being a regular reader of Yesterday.sg and a fan of I Love Museum Facebook page has its special privileges and perks.

Even when all of the weekend special tours of the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station conducted by the Preservation of Monuments Board have been fully booked, lucky readers of Yesterday.sg and Facebook fans of I Love Museum could still secure very special places in one of the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station Tour led by guides from Preservation of Monuments Board on a Saturday morning of 21 May 2011. The railway station will cease operations by 1 Jul 2011.

Located along Keppel Road, the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station was opened in 1932. During the tour, we learnt about why the location was chosen to be the site of the railway station. The location was specially chosen to best realize the British Empire's vision of creating an extensive transport network across land and sea in this part of the region.

The tour also gave us a glimpse of the history of the railway transport system in Singapore. I learnt about the previous existence of the Tank Road railway station. This railway station was closed permanently on the same date that the railway station along Keppel Road, i.e. the present-day Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, was opened. Our guide for the day also told us about the Singapore Railway Transfer Ordinance of 25 Oct 1918 which authorised the sale of the Singapore railway and the associated land to the Federation of Malaya.

The architecture of the railway station captured my interest most of all. I learnt that the station's architectural style was influenced by Finland's Helsinki Station, and by the Art Deco style. The geometric and angular forms that are found at various parts of the railway station's design are characteristics of the Art Deco style. Our guide told us that the eight-pointed star design that we saw on the ceiling near the entrance of the station represents harmony and balance. This station was designed by Swan and MacLaren, the architectural firm which also designed the Raffles Hotel, the Victoria Memorial Hall and present-day Goodwood Park Hotel.

Did you notice the Oriental influences that can be seen in this building?
The clue: Look at the green tiled roof.

Of worthy notice are the four towering statues found at the entrance to the station. These statues were to represent the four economic pillars of Malaya: Agriculture, Commerce, Transport and Industry. These are works by Rudolfo Nolli, a Italian sculptor and architect. If any one asked what the initials "FMSR" stands for, the answer is the Federated Malay States Railway.

Mosaic mural panel depicting rubber tapping activities.

During my previous visit to the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, I did not take sufficient notice of the mosaic inside the station (I was attracted to the high ceiling of the lobby instead). I was glad that our guide highlighted to our attention the mosaic panels in the main lobby of the station during our tour. These six groups of mosaic panels portray six of Malayan's core economic activities. If I had remembered correctly, these were tin-mining, rice-planting, rubber tapping, maritime trade, coconut-planting and agriculture. The mosaic tiles, I later learnt, were made of coloured rubber through a patented process created by the Singapore Rubber Works. Throughout the tour, I did my best to imagine how the railway station would look like in its former days of glory.

Ticketing counter and the lobby.

One of my fellow tour-mates highlighted to me that the ticketing counter is made of solid teak that is now painted white.

The departure platform.

The tour concluded at the departure platform. Members of the tour-group had the special permission to walk along the departure platform which was only accessible to ticket-holders on a regular day. We learnt that the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station is the only station along the Malayan Railway which has hydraulic buffer-stops. The buffer-stops were designed by Ransomes and Rapier.

One of the buffer-stops.

After the tour, another tour mate reminded me that the there was a Station Hotel that used to operate at the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. Perhaps it would be wonderful if the tour could bring its participants to parts of the previous Station Hotel and let us imagine what a luxurious lifestyle it would have been to have stayed in one of those rooms in the previous Station Hotel. This would have made the tour a perfect introduction to the significance of the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station.

Did you notice the sign that prints "Singapura"?

After the tour, a few of my tour member and I continued to explore the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and its nearby vicinity.

People chilling out at the food outlets at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station.

My words of appreciation to Yesterday.sg, I Love Museum and the Preservation of Monuments Board for the invitation to the tour. The tour has deepened my knowledge and appreciation of the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station.

Before I end this post, here is to point you to a blog of Mr Jerome Lim's insightful collection of his memories of the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and his journeys made from that station: http://thelongnwindingroad.wordpress.com/journeys-through-tanjong-pagar/ and here's an update to read his post on this tour: A final look at Tanjong Pagar Station.

To register for one of the remaining special tours of the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station conducted by the Preservation of Monuments Board, please visit: http://www.pmb.sg/?page_id=1183.

References:
http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_954_2005-01-10.html
http://searail.mymalaya.com/Singapore/SRhistory.htm
http://searail.mymalaya.com/Singapore/tankroad.htm
http://www.malayarailway.com/2009/07/tanjong-pagar-railway-station.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanjong_Pagar_railway_station
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia-Singapore_Points_of_Agreement_of_1990
http://www.pmb.sg/?page_id=1183

Related posts by other writers:
A final look at Tanjong Pagar Station
Trip to Tanjong Pagar Railway Station on Saturday, 21 May 2011
Journeys through Tanjong Pagar

Update (17 Aug 2011):
Please watch a YouTube video recording of the tour on Heritage TV - Tanjong Pagar Railway Station.

Van Gogh Alive! For everyone!

2011-04-16T22:42:00.029+08:00

Photo courtesy of ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands.

This is a photo of the projection at CATHEDRALE D’IMAGES, France, Provence.

Be moved, be dazzled and be inspired by the images of the masterpieces by one of the most famous artists in history, Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890). This was my experience when I was at an exclusive preview of "Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition", right here in Singapore.

When I first found out that the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands will be presenting "Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition" from 16 Apr - 6 Nov 2011, I knew that this would be the exhibition that I must make time to go for. After my visit to this multi-media art installation-cum-show, I dare say that this is the exhibition meant for everyone.

In this exhibition, over 40 high definition projectors are used to project more than 3000 images in super large format onto surfaces of the gallery. Drawing inspirations from the concept of "Image Totale" (Total Image) by Albert Plecy in which the spectator is intergrated in the work of art, visitors to "Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition" will be able to discover new angles and perspective to viewing Van Gogh's masterpieces while immersing ourselves in a brilliant world of colour, movement and light.

Photo courtesy of ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands.

This is a photo of the projection at CATHEDRALE D’IMAGES, France, Provence.

Being inside "Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition" was a beautiful sensory experience for me. The countless beautiful images of Vincent van Gogh's masterpieces told the story of the passionate and visionary artist who had so lovingly painted them. "Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition" can be described as an immersive show that traces Van Gogh's artistic journey from Arles to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence to Auvers-sur-Oise, which were some of the most important places where he had created many of his masterpieces.

Admittedly, Vincent van Gogh is one of my favourite artists. I love his artworks for their originality, highly personal style, and for the passionate enthusiasm that radiated from them. At "Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition", I was touched by artistically choreographed sequence of images and beautifully played classical music which were thoughtfully chosen to evoke the emotive essence of the artworks.

Vincent van Gogh is one of the artists that I think everyone ought to make time to experience his masterpieces. His works are highly personal, intensely creative and original. What I have found worthy of respect was his clear sense of devotion and passion in bringing beauty to the world through his paintings. His artworks are the expressions of his love for life and beauty, I would think.

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Vincent van Gogh

Van Gogh's "Self-Portrait" (Sep 1889).

Photo courtesy of ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands.

Vincent Willem van Gogh (1853 - 1890), also known by most people as Vincent van Gogh, was born in Groot-Zundert, The Netherlands. The son of a Calvinist pastor, he was brought up in religious and cultured atmosphere. When he finally decided to become an artist, he was determined to give happiness by creating beauty.

In 1886, Vincent van Gogh went to Paris to join his younger brother, Theo van Gogh, manager of Goupil's gallery. It was in Paris that Vincent van Gogh studied with Cormon, and met artists such as Pissaro, Monet and Gauguin. The move to Paris exposed Van Gogh to artists associated with the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements, influencing Van Gogh to lighten his previously very dark palette (choice of colours). Since his move to Paris, Vincent van Gogh adopted brighter and more vibrant colours that most people associate with his highly personal style of painting.

Van Gogh's "Vincent's Bedroom in Arles" (Sep 1889).

Photo courtesy of ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands.

Projection of images from Van Gogh's "Vincent's Bedroom in Arles" (Sep 1889).

Taken at the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands during the media preview on 14 Apr 2011.

In 1888, Van Gogh moved to Arles with the aim of creating a school of art. As the year of 1888 came to an end, he travelled to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence where he committed himself to an asylum. In May 1890, he went to live in Auvers-sur-Oise under the watchful eye of Dr Gachet, a physician, before Van Gogh died on 29 Jul 1890 from a wound after an attempt to shot himself.

After you have learnt about the major events of Van Gogh's life, it is worth highlighting that "Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition" showcases images of Van Gogh’s art works from his most prolific decade from 1880 to 1890. The pleasure and delight of seeing the images of Van Gogh's masterpieces from the most prolific period of his practice as an artist is surely one good reason why I think it is worth catching "Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition" at least once.

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Suggestions that could enhance everyone's experience of "Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition"

1. For visitors who are new to Vincent van Gogh, please take a look at the write-ups found on the walls of the corridors before entering the gallery where "Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition" takes place. These write-ups provide a good background of Van Gogh's life, key influences and style of painting.

2. For visitors who would like to learn more about some of Van Gogh's masterpieces, there are static panels inside the gallery to provide more information.

Taken at the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands during the media preview on 14 Apr 2011.

3. For visitors who enjoy multi-media installations and want to experience every second of it, you may wish to know that each sequence of the projections last approximately 30 minutes. You would know that it is the end of the sequence when you see Vincent van Gogh's signature against the dark walls. The suggestion by the Artistic Director of this exhibition was to experience at least two sequences so as to optimise your chance to catch a glimpse of most of the 3000 images.

4. For visitors who prefer to appreciate the artistic direction behind this entire immersive show, it helps to read the Artistic Direction by Artistic Director, Annabelle Mauger. It is found in the gallery, near the static panels.

5. For visitors who are going with children, please know that it is alright for your children to touch the gallery walls and the projected images of Van Gogh's masterpieces. "Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition" offers children the opportunity to immerse themselves in Van Gogh's artworks and be fascinated by the play of light and colour. If your children were to sing along gently with the music, please take it as a good sign that your children are enjoying themselves. Let them be.

To help make the experience equally enjoyable for other visitors, please guide the children to be considerate while they are having fun.

6. For the budget-conscious visitors, stretch the value of your admission ticket by also visiting the other exhibitions held at the ArtScience Museum, for example "Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds".

7. Finally, for visitors who are seasoned museum-visitors, please go to "Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition" with an open mind and heart. This exhibition is a sensory experience that is better enjoyed with an open mind and heart. It may help to perceive "Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition" as an immersive art show rather than a regular art exhibition with actual paintings or an interactive multi-media installation.

Taken at the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands during the media preview on 14 Apr 2011.

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Suggestions for the ArtScience Museum

1. I urge that the ArtScience Museum could please consider having a family admission-package to offer a very affordable admission rate for visitors visiting the ArtScience Museum as a family unit. This will help to encourage more visitors to enjoy "Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition" with their loved ones.

2. While I understand from the Artistic Director of "Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition", Annabelle Mauger, that visitors are encouraged to walk about the gallery spaces, I think it would still help for the ArtScience Museums to consider offering a limited number of portable and foldable chairs for visitors who prefer a seat.

3. One of my friends, Belinda Tan, has a great idea. She suggested that a pyjamas party be organised in the gallery spaces of "Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition". During the pyjamas party, movies that are related to Van Gogh, e.g. Lust for Life, could be screened. If this event is organised, Belinda Tan, her friend (Lina Wee) and yours truly will definitely sign up to be one of the guests!

Photo courtesy of ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands.

This is a photo of the projection at CATHEDRALE D’IMAGES, France, Provence.

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ArtScience Museum, Singapore
Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition (16 Apr - 6 Nov 2011)
10 Bayfront Avenue
Singapore 018956
Tel: 6688 8868
Operating Hours: 10am - 10pm daily (Last admission at 9pm.)

Admission Charges
(Includes GST and SISTIC booking fee)
Adult - $30.00
Senior (65 years +) - $27.00
Child (2 - 12 years) - $17.00
School Group - $10.00

"Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition" is presented by Grande Exhibitions of Australia and VisionsCom of France.

Please take note that photography and filming is strictly prohibited for "Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition".

Official website of "Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition": http://vangogh-alive.com

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References:

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Read other reviews of "Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition":

Van Gogh Masterpieces Come Alive at Marina Bay Sands by SENATUS Magazine (30 Mar 2011)
Van Gogh Alive @ Marina Bay Sands by Min Yan, LifestyleAsia.com (5 Apr 2011)
Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition by SENATUS Magazine (14 Apr 2011)
Review: Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition at ArtScience Museum by Leslie Thaddeus (16 Apr 2011)

Van Gogh Alive!

2011-04-15T07:46:00.001+08:00

Taken from: Art Science Museum's website.

Thanks to the invitation of the Art Science Museum, I have the pleasure to attend both the media preview and the exclusive preview to "Van Gogh Alive - the exhibition" on 14 Apr 2011 (Thu). This exhibition will be held in Singapore from 16 Apr to 6 Nov 2011 at the Art Science Museum, Singapore. It has been made available by Grande Exhibitions of Australia (www.grandeexhibitions.com) and VisionCom of France.

I was moved and fascinated by the exhibition which I likened to a special production that fuses art and audio-visual technology. I very much like the music that accompanied the visual treats and images of Van Gogh's art works, personal letters and photographs.

Please watch this blog for my review of this exhibition. Stay tuned.

Surprises and learnings at the Heritage Conservation Centre

2011-04-06T20:46:00.013+08:00

"Liu Kang's works! Georgette Chen's works!" These were my exclamations from the pleasant surprises that I had sighted during a very special visit to the Heritage Conservation Centre. What on earth is the Heritage Conservation Centre?

In brief, the Heritage Conservation Centre is the custodian of the collections that are under the care of the National Heritage Board. It manages and preserves the museum collection of the National Heritage Board. As such, it serves two key functions: 1) collection management and 2) conservation.

It was my very first visit to the Heritage Conservation Centre on 6 Apr 2011. Thanks to the wonderful team at I Love Museums and the Heritage Conservation Centre, I was able to gain privileged access to visit the Heritage Conservation Centre. Together with at least ten other participants, we were given a special tour about the Heritage Conservation Centre by its Assistant Director, Mr Robin Liu.

To care for and to protect the collection, visitors and staff who visit the non-public spaces of the Heritage Conservation Centre would have to observe the following:
1) No food and drink.
2) No personal belonging (lockers will be provided at the public areas).
3) No camera (for confidentiality).
4) Be careful. No touching of the artefacts.

Interestingly, I was told that some of the staff members of the Heritage Conservation Centre would change into a different pair of shoes before they enter the non-public spaces to do their work. This is their thoughtful way not to introduce soil and living organisms into the non-public spaces as these can potentially hasten the deterioration of the collection.

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During this visit, I realise the vulnerability that all artefacts would be subjected to. While preserving an artefact for eternity would be an ideal, it is more realistic to think of one of the goals of conservation as slowing down the effects of deterioration on an artefact.

What are the various factors of deterioration?

Photo Credit: Heritage Conservation Centre

Many thanks to Azyure D. Hikari from Urban Explorers of Singapore for the help to scan the photos.

We learnt at the visit that the factors of deterioration can be broadly categorised as such:
1) light
2) relative humidity
3) temperature
4) pests
5) pollution
6) and physical damage caused by accidents or mishandling.

Our guide for the day, Mr Robin Liu, enlightened us with interesting strategies that are used by the Heritage Conservation Centre to minimise the devastating effects of the various factors of deterioration. One of the interesting things I have learnt is that the Heritage Conservation Centre use a 3-tier air purification system so as that the air that enters the centre is free from pollution. Polluted air can corrode an artefact over time.

In addition, there is no window at the storage and repository areas of the centre. This is to prevent the contact of UV rays from sunlight with the collection. Even when there are windows at the work-area so as to aid the staff members in their tasks of accurate colour matching under natural light, special windows that block out UV rays are used.

The pest eradication procedures that are used came across to me as interesting. Two of the commonly used methods to eliminate pests are 1) freezing, and 2) Controlled Atmosphere Treatment. In the latter, nitrogen is carefully passed through water and introduced into an artefact that is stored in airtight bags. Oxygen is gradually removed. I learnt that the Controlled Atmosphere Treatment takes a considerable length of time (approximately 30 days of treatment).

We also learnt that conservation can be broadly divided into two categories: 1) Preventive Conservation and 2) Interventive Conservation. The former deals with protecting and caring for the artefact largely through minimising the effects of factors of deterioration. The latter deals with taking interventions to repair and restore damaged artefacts.

My favourite part of the visit was the tour about the workspaces where Interventive Conservation takes place. At the Heritage Conservation Centre, a damaged artefact would be classified under one of these four material classifications and be conserved accordingly. These four classifications are: 1) object, 2) painting, 3) textile, and 4) paper.

I was most thrilled to be able to see a few of Liu Kang's works even before they are displayed in an upcoming public exhibition of Liu Kang's artworks scheduled to be held this July! (please view source here) One of the staff members even demonstrated how he remove an adhesive tape from one of Liu Kang's pastel works.The tape was probably a result of previous mounting but it is not part of the original artwork.

For your information, Liu Kang (1911 - 2004) is one of Singapore's pioneer artists. He is closely affiliated with the development of the Nanyang art syle in Singapore, together with other pioneer artists.

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Throughout the entire visit at the Heritage Conservation Centre, I learnt that one of the key code of ethics of conservation is that of reversibility. That means that whatever the conservator does to any piece of artefact should technically be reversible.

The tour also covered the storage and repository areas of the Heritage Conservation Centre. I became excited when I caught sight of artworks by Georgette Chen and Anthony Poon. Many of the artefacts in the storage areas looked familiar to me albeit I could not instantly recall where I had seen them.

Overall, I am deeply impressed by the tremendous amount of care and thoughtfulness that the team at the Heritage Conservation Centre takes to protect and to care for the collection. Many thanks to the Heritage Conservation Centre, the National Heritage Board, and I Love Museums for organising this visit. I did not realise that time had passed so tremendously fast during the visit precisely because I have enjoyed every bit of it.

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Photo Credit: Belinda Tan.

That was not the end of the hype. To conclude the visit, I Love Museums hosted a lunch affair at the Standing Sushi Bar at SAM@8Q for the fans who were chosen for this visit to the Heritage Conservation Centre. During the lunch, I had the pleasure to interact with a few of the heritage enthuasiasts and the wonderful team from the National Heritage Board.

Wonderful company, a fantastic and thoughtfully arranged visit to the Heritage Conservation Centre and a delicious lunch. I have a lot to be thankful for. All these were possible because "I like" the I Love Museums page and took some part in a few of its contests. So if you like this post and have yet to be a fan of I Love Museums page, please click on "I like" now!

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Heritage Conservation Centre
32 Jurong Port Road
Singapore 619104

Visits are strictly by appointment only.

Please contact:
Tel: +65 6267 2618
Fax: +65 6267-2628
Email: nhb_hcc@nhb.gov.sg

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References:
http://www.hcc.sg

Clip art source:
http://www.iclipart.com

Rare treasures from the maritime silk route

2011-04-03T11:59:00.008+08:00

(source: http://www.youtube.com/embed/3askVFwNsPg)

Most of us would have heard of the Silk Route that involved travelling across the lands. How many of us have heard of the maritime silk route?

Did you know that by the ninth century, there was a flourishing maritime trade between the then Tang dynasty and the Arab world? This maritime trade has probably inspired the story of Sinbad the Sailor from the One Thousand and One Nights.

In this significant exhibition, Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds, that is taking place in Singapore, visitors will see Tang dynasty artefacts recovered from a ninth-century Arab dhow. The discovery of this Arab dhow which was shipwrecked off the coast of Belitung, a small island in the Java Sea, provided the first physical proof of a maritime trade route between West Asia and China.

It was a humbling experience for myself to visit Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds. There were a lot to learn and to understand. Here are snippets from my recent visit to the exhibition:

There were maps at the exhibition that suggested the possible routes that the shipwrecked Arab dhow had taken. I learnt that in the ninth century, a maritime voyage had to be correctly timed according to the directions of the monsoon winds. Otherwise, a ship could be blown off its course.

From the maps, visitors could see that the Srivijaya Empire played an important part in this maritime silk route between West Asia and China.

During my visit to the ArtScience Museum on 20 Mar 2011, the Abbasid Empire kept coming up at the various exhibitions. I felt I have much to learn about the Abbasid Empire. Could anyone share more about the Abbasid Empire with me please?

One of the sections of the exhibition showed a model of the Arab dhow that was shipwrecked at Belitung.

At the exhibition, I was impressed by the strategy that the people of the ninth century used to pack ceramics. The method of packing was so ingenius that most of the ceramics onboard the shipwrecked dhow have remained intact after more than ten centuries!

Above: I am awed by this photo taken by Belinda Tan.

I was told that the Changsha wares that were found from the shipwrecked dhow were mass-produced from Chinese kilns of Changsha, in Hunan province. Interestingly, although almost all of these Changsha wares carry one of the few set patterns, the set patterns were hand-copied by different people onto the wares. That would mean mass production yet with each ware being sligthly different from the rest.

The shipwrecked ship consisting Chinese ceramics and the cargo of an ancient shipwreck was discovered in 1998 by fishermen diving for sea cucumbers off the coast of Belitung. The above image showed how the ceramics would have looked like when they were first discovered.

If you are visiting this exhibition, you may not wish to miss taking a look at the magnificent Green-Splashed Ewer. As seen in the image right above, this ewer stands over a metre tall. Made of white ceramic decorated with splashes of bright green, the green-splashed ewer was clearly modelled on metalwork. A fine piece of art!

There were some rare treasures in this collection. The gold cup, I was told, is the most important Tang gold object ever found outside China. According to research, it was deduced that the gold cup was most likely made in Yangzhou. The gold cup looked brilliant in real-life.

Due to the relative short duration of my visit to this exhibition, I felt that I have yet to adequately appreciate the value of the collection that was presented in this exhibition. I hope to visit the exhibition yet again before it ends by 31 Jul 2011. Most likely, I will do so since the upcoming exhibition at the ArtScience Museum, "Van Gogh Alive - the exhibition", is on Van Gogh, one of my favourite artists. That gives me enough reasons to pay $30 to visit the ArtScience Museum once more, though I do find the admission charges a little too expensive to visit the museum on a regular basis. I hope that the ArtScience Museum could offer concessionary rates to all Singapore Citizens and residents.

Jade Isabella has done a well-written post with excellent photographs on this exhibition. Here's a link to her post: Sponsored Event: Trip to ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands on Sunday, 20 March 2011.

For the academically inclined, there is a discusion about the Belitung cargo here: Editorial: Tang Treasures, Monsoon Winds and a Storm in a Teacup.

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A special note of thanks to the ArtScience Museum, the National Heritage Board and Mr Shaun Wong for the invitation to a complimentary visit to and a guided tour of the ArtScience Museum on 20 Mar 2011.

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Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds (19 Feb - 31 Jul 2011)
Art Science Museum, Singapore
10 Bayfront Avenue
Singapore 018956
Tel: 6688 8868

Operating hours: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. with the last admission at 9 p.m.

Also see:
http://www.shipwreckedtangtreasures.com
The Silk, Sunken and Spears - Chapter Two by Urban Explorer
A day at the ArtScience Museum by Nur Shakylla Nadhra.

Genghis Khan: The enlightened leader and the brave warlord

2011-03-27T20:23:00.010+08:00

I stepped into one of the upper galleries of the ArtScience Museum and found myself greeting an imposing statue of Genghis Khan sitting on his throne. My gut feel told me that I would be walking through an exhibition that will get me closer up with this great leader, Genghis Khan.

An excerpt from the introduction on the brochure of Genghis Khan - The Exhibition reads:

With the largest collection of Genghis Khan artifacts ever assembled from the conqueror's reign, it tells the story of the man whose innovation, technological mastery and cultural creativity gave him the reputation of one of the world's greatest yet most misunderstood leaders.

This excerpt suggested that the exhibition will help me better understand Genghis Khan, one of the world's greatest leaders of the massive Mongol Empire. According to wikipedia, the Mongol Empire "is commonly referred to as the largest contiguous empire in the history of the world. At its greatest extent it spanned 6,000 mi (9,700 km), covered an area of 34,000,000 km2 (13,127,000 sq mi), 22% of the Earth's total land area, and held sway over a population of 100 million." The Mongol Empire is huge!

What were the secrets to Genghis Khan's successes as one of the world's greatest leaders?

The Genghis Khan - The Exhibition, held at the ArtScience Museums, explores this question and many more through some of the following sections of the exhibitions:

Genghis Khan's Roots
In this section, visitors learn about Genghis Khan's birthplace and the nomadic lifestyle.

I learnt that Genghis Khan's birthname was "Borjigin Temüjin". He was born of a noble background and is therefore considered to have a high social standing in his community. He had a difficult childhood and that might have strengthened him to be a tenacious leader.

Speaking about his name, I learnt that Genghis Khan's name is spelled and said in more than one way. The Mongolians and Russians call him "Chinggis", whereas people in the West commonly use "Genghis".

At this section, my attention was briefly diverted to reading about his mother, Hoelun, who came across to me as a woman with resilence and wisdom. She raised her children almost single-handedly under harsh living conditions.

Rise of the Mongols
In this section, visitors could find out how Genghis Khan had built up and organised such a strong army. Apparently, the skills and the weapons employed by the Mongol warrior did matter a great deal.

My attention was drawn to the Mongol warriors' flexible recurved composite bow. One such bow can take as long as a year to make. The raw materials used were wood, iron, animal horn and bamboo. When a Mongol warrior's bow is pulled back with great strength, the bow can shot further than bows used by the Mongol warrior's opponents. The firing range is as far as 350 yards. Furthermore, Mongol warriors in Genghis Khan's armies have brilliant archery skills to make effective use of these wonderful bows.

One piece of information on the Mongol warriors and their bows surprised me. I learnt that in efforts to prevent the bows from getting stiff in the cold weather, the Mongol warriors would often sleep with their bows. These bows must have been very prized objects.

Building An Empire
If winning battles is about brutal strength and might, then building one of the largest empire in the history of the world was an achievement that could only be made with ingenious strategy and military tactics. I was pretty fascinated by some of the strategies used by Genghis Khan. However, I shall ask that if you are interested, please find these strategies out on your own at the exhibition.

Genghis Statesman
No one knows what had caused the death of Genghis Khan and the location of his grave. In this section which I could not quite comprehend, there is a mummy and tomb content of an aristocratic Mongolian woman. I was told that the mummy could shed some light of the type of burial that Genghis Khan might have had.

After Genghis Khan
This section discusses about the continuation of the Mongol Empire after Genghis Khan's death. The city of Karakorum left an impression on me. The reason was that it was my very first time hearing about this city.

This city was built by Ogodei Khan, the third son of Genghis Khan. It was used as an international centre of trade and diplomacy. Even though this city was quite a fair distance away from the Silk Road, many traders would still travel the extra miles to trade in the city of Karakorum. There was a map at the exhibition showing the approximate location of Karakorum and finding it appeared require some treasure-hunting skills.

Nearby this section, there is a performing space for visitors to be treated to performances by the Khan Bogd Ensemble. The Khan Bogd Ensemble will be performing daily from 12 Mar through 10 Apr 2011 (except on Tuesdays) at 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. I was very delighted by their Mongolian Throat singing techniques and musical performances. I was also intrigued by musical instruments such as the Morin Khuur (horse-head fiddle).

Please click on the photo right above to be linked to a YouTube video of

a performance by Khan Bogd Ensemble.

Following the musical performances by Khan Bogd Ensemble, the audience were treated to a dance performance. I vaguely remember that it was a ritual dance. The musical performance and the dance were wonderful. I think the entire set of performances would have been perfect if a staff from the ArtScience Museum who could converse well enough in English could play a good host to be their emcee throughout the performance.

There were a few other sections in this exhibition but I was not as interested in them. Perhaps I was overwhelmed by the many treats that the ArtScience Museum had to offer?

Despite being rather overwhelmed by the many exhibits, a piece of white cotton cloth had somehow caught my eyes. Guess what it is?

If you have guessed that it is genealogy of Genghis Khan, you are right. The Mongolians are very serious about tracing their ancestry. "Recent genetic studies have indicated that at least 16 million men living today are descendants of a Mongolian male who had lived 1000 years ago!"

Yet we are aware that the plain-looking piece of cloth would not entice the attention of the young visitors. To meet the interests of the young visitors, there is a colourful yurt at the exhibition. I wonder how many young visitors ended up playing hide-and-seek in this colourful yurt?

The best reward about visiting a museum is that of learning something new. I learnt that it was Genghi Khan who had introduced the following everyday-life features to the West. These features were: chopped meat, paper money, fork, passport, eye-glass, pants and National Parks.

Concluding, what exactly are the secrets to Genghis Khan's successes as one of the world's greatest leaders? Rather than being issued answers directly, visitors to "Genghis Khan - The exhibition" are invited to participate in a discussion and exploration of Genghis Khan as a leader.

In my humble opinion, Genghis Khan's successes as one of the world's greatest leaders were contributed by the following factors:

1) Family background - His noble background makes it easier for him to garner the support of his fellow Mongolians from the various tribes.
2) Personality traits - His tenacious and resilient personality.
3) Good strategies - He was good in employing battle tactics and brilliant war strategies.
4) Skills - He was a brave and skilled warrior himself.
5) Leadership qualities - He had pretty effective people management skills to facilitate the people in his army to be disciplined, skilled and loyal.
6) Resources - He made sure that the warriors in his army has proper resources and tools to increase their chances of successes in conquering new lands.

I suppose there were more factors that had contributed to his success and I shall leave things open for your further discussion. Please feel free to comment and discuss.

This exhibition is held at the ArtScience Museum, Singapore from 19 Feb - 10 Apr 2011. That means that there is only two weeks left to catch this in Singapore!

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A special note of thanks to the ArtScience Museum, the National Heritage Board and Mr Shaun Wong for the invitation to a complimentary visit to and a guided tour of the ArtScience Museum on 20 Mar 2011.

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Related posts by other authors:
The Silk, Sunken and Spears - Chapter One by Urban Explorers of Singapore.
Sponsored Event: Trip to ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands on Sunday, 20 March 2011 by Jade Isabelle.
A day at the ArtScience Museum by Nur Shakylla Nadhra.

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Genghis Khan - The Exhibition
19 Feb - 10 Apr 2011

Art Science Museum, Singapore
10 Bayfront Avenue
Singapore 018956
Tel: 6688 8868

Operating hours: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. with the last admission at 9 p.m.

Admission Charges
(Includes GST and SISTIC booking fee)
Adult - $30.00
Senior (65 years +) - $27.00
Child (2 - 12 years) - $17.00
School Group - $10.00
Group Sales* - $24.50
* Minimum purchase of 25 tickets

One of the most treasured networks: The Silk Road

2011-03-22T00:38:00.009+08:00

After a visit to the Traveling the Silk Road: Ancient Pathway to the Modern World exhibition at the ArtScience Museum, I am in the humble opinion that the Silk Road is perhaps one of the most treasured networks in history. Perhaps like today's Facebook, the Silk Road has in many ways facilitated people of various cultures and religions to interact and connect with one another. The sharing of technologies and knowledge amongst the various cultures was also facilitated through the Silk Road.

Many thanks to the ArtScience Museum, the National Heritage Board and Mr Shaun Wong, I was invited to a special guided tour and a complimentary visit to the ArtScience Museum on 20 Mar 2011. Other than the special guided tour by one of the museum's personnel, I have had the privilege to participate in the "Discovery Tour by Curator – Silk Road" by Professor Morris Rossabi, historian of China and Central Asia at Columbia University.

The Silk Road is "an extensive interconnected network of trade routes across the Asian continent connecting East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean world, as well as North and Northeast Africa and Europe" (source: wikipedia). Although, silk was one of the more lucractive commodities that was traded along the Silk Road, items such as fabrics, medicines, perfume and spices were exchanged along this extensive network as well. I was curious to learn about this network such that when I was at the Traveling the Silk Road, I could not help but to spend my time looking at maps and more maps. I wished I could have a bit more time to scrutinise the maps, however.

For this exhibition, the American Museum of Natural History which has organised the exhibition has selected four cities to focus attention on. These four cities are: Xi-an, Turfan, Baghdad and Samarkand. I learnt that Turfan is such a hot place that most people there prefer to trade at night when the sun was down. It was interesting to learn that Baghdad was founded in AD 762. Baghdad was the capital of the Islamic world. Many people travelled to Baghdad for the purpose of commerce and of acquiring knowledge. I wonder what it would be like if I were to visit it one day?

The technologies of making Chinese silk and paper, the Turfan's artifical underground river system known as the "karez" and the astrolabe also captured a good fraction of my attention. The explanatory notes on these technologies were rather simple for a lay-person to understand.

I learnt that the Chinese had closely guarded the secrets behind the technologies of making silk and paper. However, since one of mankind's motivations is to learn, specifically to learn the best available ways to meet some of mankind's needs, it was just a matter of time before other cultures learnt about the Chinese secrets of making silk and paper.

Visitors to this exhibition will find many of the exhibits very interactive. Children visiting this exhibition are unlikely to be disappointed either. There is an interactive Silk Road map whereby visitors can learn about the links among cultures and technology along the Silk Road.

There is a working model of an Islamic astrolabe whereby one could attempt to determine the time with the help of the position of the embedded "stars". I had tried my hands on using the astrolabe and I think it worked like a super-computer of the ancient world. It was quite a challenge for me to use it with precision.

For visitors with keen sense of smell, they could have the chance to sniff the fragrance of various essential oils that were commonly traded along the Silk Road. My favourite was the rose oil. I wonder what your favourite would be?

I was also intrigued by the interactive section on Chinese music instruments where I could recreate the sounds of some traditional instruments. With a press of one of the buttons, I could listen to the electronically pre-recorded sound of a specified instrument. If a visitor were to press on all the buttons, Voila! he would hear an ensemble playing away.

The last section of the exhibition discusses about the maritime Silk Road routes. Visitors could even catch a glimpse of a full-sized model of a 71-foot long Arab sailing ship called the dhow. I have learnt that a "dhow" is a light-weight boat.

One particular statement that was made by Professor Rossabi during the tour by the curator that had remained in my mind was that the cultural significance of the Silk Road far exceeds its economic significance. The Silk Road provided the network and the environment for people of various cultures to share and exchange culturally.

Interestingly, many of the people travelled along the Silk Road not to promote their culture. It appears that one of the main motivations for people to travel the long and gruelling distances of the Silk Road was to earn more money. To gain an appreciation, please imagine how people would so willingly pay for exotic goods from far-away lands at a high premium. Of course, there were others who had travelled in search of knowledge. There were also pilgrims, for example the Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who had travelled long distances along the Silk Road to acquire deeper religious understanding.

What can our modern society learn from this century-old special network called the Silk Road? I suppose some of the most important values that we can learn from Silk Road are tolerance, respect and open-mindedness. Tolerance and respect could make room for different cultural beliefs and practices to co-exist in harmony with one another. On the other hand, open-mindedness allow one to be open to learn from another culture that could be different from one's own.

The Traveling the Silk Road: Ancient Pathway to the Modern World exhibition at the ArtScience Museum, Singapore will end this coming weekend, on 27 Mar 2011.

Tickets are priced at $30 per adult and $17 per child (2 - 12 years old). The ArtScience Museum's operating hours are from 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. with the last admission at 9 p.m.

I have learnt from a few fellow visitors that reentry to the museum (even on the same day) would require a purchase of a new ticket! Please trust that many visitors have given feedback to the museum to request for same-day reentry to be allowed. As for the ticket price, I would suggest a concessionary rate for all students who can produce the necessary proof of identity, even if they visit the museum as an individual (and not part of a school group). Afterall, I see museums as institutions that encourage learning, and it will make good sense that museums perform their social mission well by making it affordable for students to visit and to learn at the museums.

On the whole, The Traveling the Silk Road: Ancient Pathway to the Modern World is an exhibition with many interactive and interesting exhibits. While I acknowledge that the admission price could be made less exclusive, I would still recommend this exhibition for anyone who would like to learn more about the Silk Road but for some reasons may not be able to visit the cities along Silk Road in the immediate future. Each ticket to the ArtScience Museum still works out to be considerably less than the cost of a plane ticket to most places.

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ArtScience Museum
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956

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Related posts by other authors:
The Silk, Sunken and Spears - Chapter One by Urban Explorers of Singapore.
Sponsored Event: Trip to ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands on Sunday, 20 March 2011 by Jade Isabelle.
A day at the ArtScience Museum by Nur Shakylla Nadhra.

A visit to the Thow Kwang Dragon Kiln Firing event 2011

2011-03-08T17:45:00.006+08:00

Image credit: Carolyn Lim

Did you know that somewhere in this urban island, lie one of the last two surviving dragon kilns in Singapore? Would this rare surviving dragon kiln survive in a rapidly changing world where at times heritage from the past disappear in the name of progress?

I learnt that it was a rare occasion that the Thow Kwang Dragon Kiln would fire the entire kiln from 25 - 27 Feb 2011. This was possibly the first time since the 1980s that the entire kiln was fired. In conjunction with the firing event, Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle organised a guided tour for visitors who are keen to learn a bit more about the dragon kiln.

Image credit: Carolyn Lim

The dragon kiln was located at Thow Kwang Industry Pte Ltd, 85 Lorong Tawas (off Jalan Bahar). I did not drive and had to rely on public transport to get to the dragon kiln for the first time in my life. The nearest MRT station, I have concluded, was Boon Lay MRT station. I decided to take a taxi from Boon Lay MRT station as I wanted to be punctual for the guided tour that would start at 8 p.m. The driver of the first taxi that I had flagged declined to take me there on the grounds that he did not know where it is. Thankfully, the driver of the second taxi was willing to find out how to get to the Thow Kwang Dragon Kiln. After figuring his way there, he shared with me that I could, in future, tell taxi driver that I want to go to the part off Jalan Bahar where there is a giant-sized vase. That would be approximately near the mouth of Lorong Tawas.

When I reached the Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle, I was welcome by a source of bright light and warm heat from the mouth of dragon kiln. It was a source of light that one could simply not miss. I saw a lady who diligently placed wood pieces into the mouth of the dragon kiln. I felt a sense of respect for the people behind the Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle who have taken the time and effort to keep the dragon kiln and the traditional art of wood firing alive.

At 8 p.m., one of the Thow Kwang Clay Artists, Carolyn, gave visitors an educational presentation about the dragon firing and the process of wood firing. I learnt that many decades ago, there were several other dragon kilns in the nearby vicinity. This was because white clay, one of the raw materials for the pottery/ ceramic industry, was easily available in the vicinity.

I learnt about some of the products that used to be produced using the dragon kiln of the Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle. One of which was the latex cup that you would see right below that was used to contain latex from rubber trees of the rubber plantations.

Victor Koo, fellow heritage-bloggers of Yesterday.sg, had written a good post entitled A Visit to the Firing Thow Kwang Dragon Kiln in 2008 that outlines the history of the Thow Kwang Dragon Kiln. From this post, I learnt that the Thow Kwang Dragon Kiln was built in 1940 and was brought over by Mr Tan Kin Seh in 1965. By 1985, there were developments of residential and industrial facilities in the Jurong area. Many of the family-owned ceramic businesses were forced to shut down. I learnt that there are only two surviving dragon kilns in Singapore, Thow Kwang and Guan Huat Porcelain Factory. It seemed that Guan Huat's dragon kiln has ceased operations as it has moved away from ceramic production. If this is the case, Thow Kwang Dragon Kiln is possibly the only dragon kiln in Singapore which firing still take place.

During the guided tour, our dedicated tour guide pointed me to a kicking wheel. This kicking wheel works like a throwing wheel except that one has to kick it to spin it. This requires skill. The kicking wheel was of a considerably large dimension. I was told that it was used to make large ceramics.

During the tour, I was also introduced to the Pyrometric Cones. These were used to gauge the temperature during the firing of the kiln. "The cones, often used in sets of three, are positioned in a kiln with the wares to be fired. These cones provide a visual indication of when the wares have reached a required state of maturity, a combination of time and temperature."

During my visit to the Thow Kwang Dragon Kiln firing event, I also learnt that during the woodfiring, salt are thrown into the kiln through the "stoke-holes". As best as I understand, the stock-holes are openings that the kiln operator could use during firing for observation and for the feeding of wood fuel. When salt is thrown into the stoke-holes, the high temperature of the kiln causes some form of chemical changes in the salt and the constituents of the salt could eventually coat themselves as a form of glaze onto some of the ceramics.

I had the privilege to see members who have organised the firing event wrap sea-salt using newspapers. I was told that when the salt is wrapped into newspapers, it makes it easier for a considerable quantity of salt to be thrown into the kiln at any one time.

One question that has bugged me since the day that I visited the dragon kiln was: Decades later, would people in Singapore still be able to have the privilege to see a dragon kiln in action?

I learnt that the very piece of land on which Thow Kwang Dragon Kiln sits is on lease from the government. No one exactly knows what its fate would be in decades to come. Like some of the gun positions that used to sit in Labrador Park, would the dragon kiln face destruction and removal because the key decision-makers in the authorities fail to recognise its significance? Already, there seem to be plans by the authorities to recall the parts of the area where the beautiful banyan trees sit.

Then again, I am reminded of the heart-warming story of how The Rocks in historic Sydney was preserved for generations to come, thanks to a proactive community who had rallied against the demolition of the original structures at The Rocks. Perhaps the dragon kiln could survive, if there is enough people to support it to continue to exist. A good local example was Chek Jawa which was facing reclamation in 2001 but thanks to petitions from volunteers, the authorities agreed to leave the Chek Jawa area untouched for the subsequent ten years.

While I cannot consider myself a ceramics enthuasiast nor an active user of any kiln (except that I had used an electronic kiln to fire some ceramics when I was a teenager learning art), I hope that the traditional art of woodfiring and the only operating dragon kiln in Singapore would continue to thrive for generations to come. Perhaps somewhere down in history, someone may benefit from this very art that could survive against all the odds.

As such, I shall end this post with a photograph of a Banyan tree that sits just at the entrance to Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle. I hope that I could still see this very tree standing tall and strong many years later.

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Thow Kwang Industry Pte Ltd
85 Lorong Tawas (off Jalan Bahar)
Singapore 639823
(Please click here for the map.)

How to get there by public transport:
Take MRT to Boon Lay Station. Take bus service 199 at the bus interchange. Alight the bus stop after the PIE flyover along Jalan Bahar, just before the turn to Nanyang Avenue (NTU). You can see a road on the left side with huge pots at the corner before the bus stop. Walk towards that road.It will be a 10 minute walk into Thow Kwang.

Check the bus route here: http://www.sbstransit.com.sg/transport/trpt_bus_timetable.aspx

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Please also see these other related sites written by other contributors:
http://thowkwangclayartists.wordpress.com
http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2008/11/visit-to-firing-thow-kwang-dragon-kiln.html
http://www.marthastewart.com/article/tk-pottery#related_list_video

Adventures at OH! Open House

2011-01-12T00:51:00.010+08:00

Thanks to a series of network via Facebook, I got to learn about OH! Open House last weekend. Initially, I was rather hesitant whether to attend OH! Open House. Afterall, the east region of Singapore is fairly out of the way for me. Then again, I figured that it would be a special experience for me. As such, I took a bus and travelled slightly less than an hour to get to Marine Parade Community Club where the tour would begin.

I was feeling thankful that I had got myself a ticket to one of the OH! Open House tours. When it was time for the tour to start, I was feeling excited and was looking forward to see art in people's homes. It felt like art would be brought into the homes. Inspirations from art would soon transform the familiar dwelling spaces into creative spaces.

Off we went on our art walkabout. On our way to the first home, we heard some ghost stories. That seemed to be the opening to one of the works that we would get to see at our first destination. As I walked past the public housing which we fondly refer to as the HDB (Housing & Development Board) flats, I could imagine a fairly strong community spirit lingering in the Marine Parade estate.

I saw a number of interesting works at the five different homes whose owners have so kindly opened their homes to the OH! Open House event. Many of the artworks seem to take into consideration of the spaces of the owners' home and of the owners' personalities.

I was particularly intrigued with the eulogies. There was an eulogy in each and every home. The eulogies me made wonder how I would like my own eulogy to be if I were to leave this world. I suppose if I would like to have my eulogy written the way I would like it to, I would have to be living my life meaningfully first. That somehow reminded me if we are preparing to die meaningfully, we have to first start by living our lives meaningfully.

I was also pretty captivated by Mark Wong's sound installations at some of the homes. The sound installations somehow seemed to transport me into Mark Wong's interpretation of the vibes and persona of the owners of the homes. I would only wish I had a bit more time to listen to his sound installations because before most of the time I would be reminded by our dedicated tour guide that it was time to visit the next house. Music and sounds, admittedly, do require some time to appreciate.

Teng Yen Lin's works were pretty interesting to me too. I simply like the ways she play with lines and perception. I have also found the last work to be viewed during the tour, Angel, by Clare Marie Ryan and Marc Gabriel Loh to be a thoughtfully conceptualised installation. I like most of the artworks that were being showcased at the OH! Open House. Some of the most interesting works at this event are best seen in person. As such, I have decided not to show too many photographs of the OH! Open House. Afterall, it is better to attend OH! Open House to experience art in the familiar homes in the heartlands than to look at photographs of the event.

OH! Open House is not just about art and more art. The tour also offered a glimpse to the social history of Marine Parade. I learnt about the dolphin mascot of Marine Parade and saw a number of them! I also found out where the first Bengawan Solo in Singapore is located. I have found out that there is this website that offers an insider's scoop on Marine Parade: http://www.ohmarineparade.blogspot.com.

Each tour takes approximately 1.5 hours. Please do wear comfortable shoes that can taken off easily. Respect the house rules, the owners and the guides. Last but not the least, be inspired by the art!

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OH! Open House 2011 is held on 8, 9, 15 and 16 Jan 2011. Each tour ticket costs $10. Tickets to the event can be purchased from Marine Parade Community Club, located at 278 Marine Parade Road.

The first OH! Open House tour for each day starts at 4 p.m. The last ticket sales is at 7 p.m. The houses close at 8 p.m.

This event is supported under the National Heritage Board’s Heritage Industry Incentive Programme (HI2P).

RestART

2010-09-05T10:52:00.000+08:00

A few days ago, I attended The Yellow Ribbon Community Art Exhibition. This year's exhibition is based on the theme "RestART", which is also an acronymn for REsilience, Self-Awareness, Transformation, Adaptability, Reintegration into The Community. The artworks featured in this exhibition expresses the participants' interpretations of the theme.

Read about my visit to the exhibition here: Yellow Ribbon Community Art Exhibition

Yellow Ribbon Communtiy Art Exhibition, "RESTART"
1 to 14 September 2010

Opening Hours:
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Mon to Sun)
10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Fri)

Venue:
Singapore Art Museum

Free admission
(Museum admision applies for entry into other galleries)

An introduction to traditional healing methods

2010-08-22T22:05:00.000+08:00

You may have already guessed that one of the activities that I do during my leisure time is to explore Singapore like a resident tourist.

As part of my attempts to learn more about my own country, I got myself a place onboard the tour, The Traditional Touch: Healing the Asian Way™, on a fine Saturday morning. This tour was put together by Journeys Pte Ltd in conjunction with Singapore HeritageFest 2010.

My conclusion, there is a wealth of wisdom in the Asian's traditional methods of healing.

Read the full post here: Traditional methods of healing, the Asian way!

One of the Expedition "H" tours I was on

2010-08-16T20:40:00.000+08:00

A few days ago, I attended one of the Expedition "H" tours which was conducted as part of the Singapore HeritageFest 2010. Find out more about my experiences onboard this tour titled Tall Tales: The Lowdown on Singapore's Myths™ here: Tall tales, way above the ground level.

It was fun, enriching and definitely value-for-money!

The Night Festival: New World 2010

2010-07-18T20:58:00.000+08:00

Relive the hype and excitement of the vibrant night life of the 1960s. Based on the theme of amusement parks of the 1960s, this year's Night Festival organised by the National Museum of Singapore had gave me a glimpse of how night life of the 1960s could possibly be like. You may read about my experiences of the Night Festival: New World 2010 from the following blog posts:

Snippets of the Night Festival: New World 2010
More of the Night Festival: New World 2010

Back to the time of WWII Singapore

2009-11-16T21:43:00.004+08:00

I went for the bus tour entitled War on Wheels, Invasion Singapore! during the weekend. This event gets its participants to discover more about Singapore's World War II history.

It was worth the effort to be out early in the morning on a weekend. The bus tour brought the tour group to several important sites to better appreciate the significant events that had taken place when Singapore was invaded by the Japanese military in 1942. It also gave us a glimpse of the civilians' experience of the Japanese occupation and the end of the occupation.

What I particular like was how the tour guide invited the participants to imagine that we were back in time. On the bus, the tour guide shared anecdotes to help the participants to imagine how it was like during the years 1942 - 1945.

So when the bus brought us participants to the Kranji park which used to be mangrove swamps back in Feb 1942, it was not too difficult to imagine that on 8 Feb 1942, soldiers from the Japanese military had advanced across the Straits of Johor and landed on the main island of Singapore using make-shift boats etc. I realised that the Straits of Johor was a comparatively shallow and narrow body of water. Furthermore, the tides at the Kranji landing sites weren't very strong. What this meant for me was that even when the Causeway was destroyed back then, it was not too much a great challenge for the Japanese to attack and land on Singapore once they have reached the southern tip of the then-Malaya.

If I were a military historian, I think there would be a lot of learning points just by reading the strategies that the British had used to defend Singapore, and the strategies that the Japanese had used to attack Singapore more than six decades ago. At the very least I have learnt from this part of history that one should never underestimate one's enemies when planning one's strategies.

The second stop was the Kranji War Memorial. The memorial was built and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. "The Kranji War Memorial commemorates the contributions of 24,000 soldiers of the allied forces who died during World War II" (source: http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_183_2004-12-27.html). Participants were invited to a simple activity as an act of remembrance to those who have laid their lives during the war. I shall not attempt to reveal much about the activity here since I figured that some may decide to attend this tour during one of the next two Saturdays.

Having a memorial built for those who have died during the war may bring some comfort to their loved ones and off-springs. On the other hand, the rows of graves and names on the memorial walls reminded me of one thing: War itself has neither eyes nor compassion, even if countless were to die in the name of war.

I wish for peace to prevail.

The boardroom. In this boardroom, the British surrendered Singapore to the Japanese on 15 Feb 1942.

The third stop was the Memories at Old Ford Factory. This was where the British had surrendered Singapore to the Japanese. As the bus tour was meant to be a sampler of the various key sites, the participants only had about 15 minutes at the museum. Nevertheless, I had a glimpse of the chamber where the surrender had taken place, and I had some time to read about what had taken place during the surrender. The process that had taken place during the surrender just seemed like a psychological game to me.

At the Memories at Old Ford Factory, there were two short activities that the participants were invited to take part in. During the tour, we also got to see a real "banana money", the official currency that was used during the Japanese Occupation. Well, it reminded me that there are many things that money cannot buy.

Following the stop at the Memories at Old Ford Factory, the bus brought us for a short ride of Alexandra Hospital. This hospital used to serve as a military hospital. On 14 Feb 1942, what I see as a series of atrocious war crimes had taken place here.

Reflections at Bukit Chandu.

After lunch, the bus brought participants to the Reflections at Bukit Chandu. Here, participants learnt about the bravery of the Malay Regiment. I have visited this museum for several times and I can't help but feel a deep sense of respect for the soldiers of the Malay Regiment who have put up their very best to fight a good battle.

Photo taken at Surrender Chambers of Fort Siloso, Sentosa. The actual surrender took place at City Hall.

The tour concluded at City Hall. It was at City Hall, the then Municipal Building of Singapore, where the surrender of the Japanese had taken place. I was imagining that even when everyone cheered for the end of the war, life for people in Singapore would not be quite the same after a war. Nevertheless, the end of the war definitely called for a celebration.

If you should find my short write-up about this bus tour to be interesting, you may wish to know that you can register for this event War on Wheels by visiting SISTIC. There will be bus tours on 21 and 28 Nov 2009 (Saturdays). Please see this site for more information: http://www.museums.com.sg/es09/war-on-wheels.html

A visit to the exhibition, Magic - The Science of Illusion

2009-01-12T22:00:00.003+08:00

On 19 Dec 2008, I spent a day at the Science Centre Singapore so as to visit the exhibition titled Magic - The Science of Illusion.

Prior to visiting the exhibition, I have often marvelled at what people refer to as magic. How does magic work?

I shall not reveal too much about the science behind the various 'magic' and illusions that are used by professional magicians. However, to entice readers to consider making a trip to the Science Centre Singapore to catch this very exhibition, I shall attempt to share about a few of the interesting exhibits that one can find at this exhibition.

Look carefully at the photograph right below. Did you notice that the boy appear to have no body. Yes, look at the next photograph below, and imagine a disembodied head on the metal plate. How does a magician achieve the illusion of a disembodied head? I now know the answers, but you would have to visit the exhibition to find them out for yourself.

Did anyone of you watch those magic shows where someone sits on a heavy chair like the one that you see in the photograph below, and strangely, the chair has the power to lift itself and a person up even though there was supposedly nothing underneath the chair? I witnessed a boy being lifted up while sitting on the chair. The chair was floating. See, there was nothing underneath the chair. What is the science behind this illusion? Go figure it out yourself.

Lovers of Mathematics may like to try their hands on the "magic square". The task to obtain a magic square is to arrange the numbers "1" to "9" such that it will add up to 15 whether vertically, diagonally, and horizonatlly. It may seem to be an easy task but it is not, unless one knows the secrets behind. Try it for yourself.

For visitors who love watching magic performances, I recommend that they check out the schedules for the magic performances. These shows are free for all ticket-holders to the exhibition, Magic - The Science of Illusion.

Magic - The Science of Illusion is held at the Science Centre Singapore from 22 Nov 2008 to 28 Feb 2009. For more information about the Science Centre Singapore and the various exhibitions at the Science Centre, please visit: http://www.science.edu.sg

What legacy can we leave behind?

2008-11-20T23:22:00.011+08:00

Image courtesy of National Library Singapore.

My visit to the exhibition, The Legacy of Tan Kah Kee & Lee Kong Chian, has been very inspiring such that one single post on it would not do it justice.

As mentioned in my previous post on this exhibition, this exhibition highlights the contributions of two of Singapore’s most successful entrepreneurs and millionaires, Tan Kah Kee (1874 - 1961) and Lee Kong Chian (1891 - 1967).

Above: Gallery 2. Photo courtesy of National Library Singapore.

Other than Gallery 1 and 2, I would recommend that visitors should not miss Gallery 4 of the exhibition. Gallery 4 is titled "Leaving a Strong Legacy". This gallery may seem simple in its design, yet a careful observer would soon realise that this very gallery has been very creatively thought out. It is so creatively thought out that visitors to this gallery will be inspired to reflect and ponder how they themselves can leave behind a legacy for their future generations even if they are humble, ordinary folks who may not have great wealth.

Above: Gallery 4. Photo courtesy of National Library Singapore.

The exhibition panels that you see in the photo right above challenges us visitors to think about what we can do for the society. Some of us may mistakenly think that one must have lots of money, lots of free time and/or a special talent before we can contribute to the society. This gallery proves that all these are not necessary. Everyone can contribute something to the society, even if he or she does not have lots of money, free time and/or talent. The way that we can contribute can come in many forms depending on our skills and resources.

Photo courtesy of National Library Singapore.

Visitors to Gallery 4 can also listen to audio recordings of people or representatives from organisations who have benefited from the legacy left behind by Tan Kah Kee and Lee Kong Chian. I have found it a peaceful and insightful experience to sit on the seats provided to listen to the audio recordings. Somehow, the curator has very thoughtfully provided fairly large spaces in Gallery 4. Somehow, the large spaces provided the ambience that facilitate me to do some reflection.

The lifespans of Tan Kah Kee and Lee Kong Chian were like any average person. However, the legacy that they have left behind, thanks to their farsighted vision and selfless drive, have helped built a better world for their fellow men, and more importantly, the impact of their legacy extends way beyond their own lifetime.

I believe that the objectives of the exhibition is certainly not just to disseminate mere information on these two pioneers and exemplary personalities. My sense is that the organisers hope that the exhibition would prompt us visitors to start to think about how we ourselves, no matter how ordinary we are, can contribute to the society. What legacy can we leave behind?

Anyway, after her visit to the exhibition, my friend who accompanied me, shared that perhaps her visit to the exhibition was a calling by a higher order to inspire her to contribute to the society.

Perhaps everything starts from a decision: The decision to make a difference, and to contribute.

***
The Legacy of Tan Kah Kee and Lee Kong Chian, “承前启后继往开来：陈嘉庚与李光前” is held from 18 Jul to 31 Dec 2008, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Closed on public holidays).

Exhibition website: http://www.thelegacy.nl.sg

Venue: Level 10, National Library,
100 Victoria Street
Singapore 188064

Free admission.

Organisers : National Library Singapore, Tan Kah Kee Foundation.

Acknowledgements:
My heartfelt appreciation to the National Library Singapore, for granting me the permission to use the photographs published in this post.

Many thanks to the Friends of Yesterday.sg who have given me the support to facilitate my writing of this post.