The birthday of Mazu, the goddess of the sea and the queen of heaven, is one of the major festivals that is celebrated at temples dedicated to the protector of seafarers and fishermen, Mazu, who is also known as Tian Hou. Mazu temples in Singapore include the Thian Hock Keng, Wak Hai Cheng Bio and the Kheng Chiu Tin Hou Kong — all of which are located close to former landing points for Singapore’s early Chinese immigrants. The festival thus, not only celebrates the 10th century Song Dynasty maiden turned well-loved deity, but also the links to our past. The photographs that follow, are from the Thian Hock Keng’s Excursion for Peace during the birthday festivities on 1st May 2024 (23rd day of the Chinese lunar month).
From 22 Mar to 21 Apr 2024, the Flower Field in Gardens by the Bay’s Flower Dome, brings Kyoto to Singapore — with yet another dimension is added to what has become an annual Sakura floral display that is now in its ninth year. For the first time, the display features a day-to-night experience, as visitors can immerse in the Japanese traditions of hanami or cherry-blossom viewing, as well as a nighttime experience known as yozakura or night cherry blossoms. The display features the blooms of some 140 trees of over 40 varieties, including plum blossoms from Europe.
Kyoto’s famous Kinkakuji is being recreated, giving visitors a chance to also have the yozokura night cherry blossom viewing experience for the first time in Singapore.
This year’s theme revolves around the experience in Kyoto, and specifically the Golden Temple or Kinkakuji. The UNESCO World Heritage temple has been recreated for the display along with recreations of traditional Miyama Village style thatched houses, elements of Japanese gardens such as engawa, a veranda found in traditional homes, a sozu — a bamboo water fountain, the chozuya — a large basin with wooden dippers used to purify oneself at sacred spaces and the ema — small wooden plaques hung at shrines to offer one’s prayers.
Programmes and Promotions for Sakura, Blossom into the Night
TOURING SPRINGTIME JAPAN Flower Field Hall Admission to Flower Dome applies on opening day on Saturday, 23 March 2024. Admission is free on Sunday, 24 March 2024.
The rich tapestry of Japanese culture and cuisine is showcased at Touring Springtime Japan, where a line-up of activities relate to some of the best that Japan’s six key regions have to offer! Learn about each of the prefectures and the culture and food of these regions, as well as sample delicious snacks from Japan. Don’t miss the chance to experience the age-old tradition of mochi pounding, where a wooden mallet is used to vigorously pound flour into a sticky, delicious mochi cake.On Saturday, March 23, ticket holders to Flower Dome will be the first to experience these exciting cultural experiences. Programmes will then be open to all members of the public for free on Sunday, March 24.
Cultural experiences / programmes include: HIBIKIYA
Watch Japanese drum group Hibikiya play the recognisable beat of the taiko and other traditional Japanese instruments as well as perform traditional dances.
23 March 2024, 1.30 pm to 2 pm and 3.30 pm to 4 pm
YOSAKOI
Yosakoi is a unique Japanese style of dance and vibrant melange of tradition and modernity. Using a unique instrument known as the Naruko, clapping sounds are made to the beat when dancing.
23 March 2024, 5 pm to 5.30 pm
JAPANESE TEA CEREMONY
This traditional Japanese cultural activity, also known as Chanoyu or Chado, involves the ceremonial preparation and serving of matcha and a Japanese sweet.
23 March and Sunday, 24 March 2024, 10.30 am to 11 am, 11.15 am to 11.45 am, 1 pm to 1.30 pm, 1.45 pm to 2.15 pm
30 March, 31 March, 6 April and 7 April 2024, 11 am to 11.45 am, 12 pm to 12.45 pm, 1 pm to 1.45 pm, 2 pm to 2.45 pm
MOCHITSUKI DEMONSTRATION AND EXPERIENCE Witness expert mochi makers demonstrate the age-old tradition of transforming rice into delightful mochi. Don’t miss the opportunity to take a turn at wielding the wooden mallet and pounding your own mochi.
23 March 2024, 1 pm to 1.45 pm, 5.45 pm to 6.30 pm 24 March 2024, 2 pm to 2.45 pm, 5.45 pm to 6.30 pm
Free public programmes:
KOTO Flower Field Hall
Marvel at the lush sounds of Japanese koto by Koto Group of The Japanese Association, Singapore. 24 March 2024, 1 pm to 1.15 pm
JAPANESE FOLK DANCE Flower Field Hall
Dance along with Minyo Club of The Japanese Association, Singapore as they showcase folk dances handed down from all over Japan.
24 March 2024, 1.30 pm to 1.45 pm
AIKIDO DEMONSTRATION Flower Field Hall
Aikido, also known as “The Art of Peace”, is a Japanese martial art that embraces harmony. Instead of clashing head-on, practitioners learn to redirect and blend with an opponent’s energy, using throws and joint locks for self-defence without inflicting harm. 24 March 2024, 1.45 pm to 2 pm and 3 pm to 3.15 pm
SUZUME ODORI Flower Field Hall
Often the highlight of the Sendai Aoba Festival, the popular Suzume Odori – which means “Sparrow Dance” in English – thrills audiences with its unique, birdlike movements and brightly-coloured fans and costumes. The performances are brought to visitors by the Japanese members of Sendai Suzume Odori Singapore.
24 March 2024 Time: 3.30 pm to 3.45 pm, 5.30 pm to 5.45 pm
JCC CINEMA: JOSEE, THE TIGER AND THE FISH Flower Field Hall
In this heartwarming anime, Tsuneo is a university student and Josee is a young girl who has rarely gone out of the house by herself due to her being unable to walk. The two meet when Tsuneo finds Josee’s grandmother taking her out for an evening walk.
24 March 2024, 3.45 pm to 5.30 pm
ANIME GARDEN
Make a return after four years on 30 and 31 March.
Includes appearances by regional cosplay artists and the popular Cosplay Singles Competition. There is also an exciting concert line-up of Japanese artists, including legendary anisong singer Hiroshi Kitadani, a marketplace offering merchandise and works by regional artists and creators, as well as a selection of Japanese food and drinks.
Details of Events for Anime GardenCOSPLAY SINGLES COMPETITION Supertree Grove Free
Cosplayers show off their costuming, armour-making, wig design, make-up, and even acting skills in a fun and friendly competition. The top three winners will receive attractive cash prizes. Sunday, 31 March 2024, 6.15 pm to 7 pm
CELEBRITY COSPLAYER MEET & GREET Flower Dome & Supertree Grove There is no admission charge at Supertree Grove but a ticket is required to enter Flower Dome. Limited to 100 pax at Flower Dome. Queue starts 30 minutes before the session.
Take photos with Thames Malerose, Mikki, Baobao, and Xiaoyukiko at Flower Dome and join them for an autograph & Hi-Touch session at Supertree Grove! Bring your official merchandise to participate!
Saturday, 30 March and Sunday, 31 March 2024, Various timings
JAPANESE MUSIC CONCERT Supertree Grove Free
Japan Music Night Featuring Hiro (MY FIRST STORY), TeddyLoid and WISE! (Teriyaki Boyz). This debut performance in Singapore also marks Hiro, TeddyLoid and WISE!’s first time performing together.
Features Japanese acts Hiro from MY FIRST STORY, TeddyLoid, and WISE! If you love anisong, check out these special live performances by Hiroshi Kitadani and NANO! Theme: Japan Music Night Performers: Hiro (MY FIRST STORY), TeddyLoid and WISE! (Teriyaki Boyz). It will see Hiro, TeddyLoid and WISE!’s first time performing together for the first time.
30 March , 8 pm to 9 pm
I Love Anisong NANO, a Japanese bilingual singer with roots in New York, first captured global attention in 2010 by posting English covers of Japanese songs on YouTube, garnering widespread acclaim. After debuting in 2013, NANO marked a milestone with their inaugural live concert “Remember your colour.” at Shinkiba Studio Coast, where all 2,500 tickets sold out within just a day.
Hiroshi Kitadani, a legendary figure in anime music, is celebrated for lending his vocal talents to the iconic anime series One Piece, where he performed the first, fifteenth, nineteenth (in collaboration with Kishidan), twenty-second, and twenty-sixth opening themes.
31 March 2024, 9 pm to 10 pm
STAGE PERFORMERS Supertree Grove Free Enjoy performances by incredible homegrown talents plus international performers direct from Japan!
30 March 2024, 4 pm onwards Features: Sparkle Guitar Ensemble, Mike Miller, Allen 徐广利, Narutee, Ryoko, Kirameki FUTURE, DEARKISS, Golden Mix
31 March 2024, 4pm onwards Features: Tokimeki JUMP, AIJOU, Rae Atrista, alt.titude, Dear Kiss
ANIME MARKETPLACE Supertree Grove There is no admission charge to Anime Marketplace but charges apply at the booths.
Relax and have fun at the Anime Marketplace! Treat yourself to yummy Japanese street eats and snag exclusive anime merchandise at the retail booths.
30 March and Sunday, 31 March 2024, 3.30 pm to 10 pm
ANA X GARDENS BY THE BAY SAKURA GIVEAWAY
Win a pair of economy class tickets to ANYWHERE in Japan! Wander beneath a canopy of delicate cherry blossoms and immerse yourself in the ethereal beauty of Sakura season at Flower Dome. Just scan the contest QR code at the Sakura floral display to answer a simple question and stand a chance to win!
This contest is brought to you by All Nippon Airways (ANA).
Terms and conditions:
Contest period: 22 March to 21 April 2024 The lucky draw is open to Singapore residents, 18 years old and above. Only one entry per registered ANA member is allowed. Repeated entries will not be considered.
The National Museum of Singapore is literally going big in the commemoration of Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s 100th birth anniversary. With National Day just around the corner, images of Singapore’s first Prime Minister are being projected across the museum’s façade as part of its National Day façade light-up from 21 July to 9 August 2023 (7.30pm to 12 midnight).
The images, come from snippets of a short film ‘LKY100:The Life and Legacy of Lee Kuan Yew (1923–2015)‘ made by Royston Tan. Honouring Singapore’s founding prime minister and his contributions to the country, the 5-minute long film is now being presented in the concluding section of the museum’s Singapore History Gallery. The film features the late Mr Lee sharing a special message created from a collage of key speeches across his career, taken primarily from National Day Rally speeches delivered in English, Malay, Mandarin and Hokkien, which emphasise the importance of multiculturalism to Mr Lee.
Filmmaker Royston Tan
A scene from the film
LKY 100 Digital trail
The film also complements a digital trail of the same name that was launched in April this year. The trail requires users to use their personal mobile devices, which can be registered by scanning a QR code at the Singapore History Gallery at level 1, or at the ‘Semangat yang Baru: Forging a New Singapore Spirit’ exhibition gallery.Upon completing the trail, visitors can redeem a gift from the vending machine at the Singapore History Gallery exit at Level 1. The gift is inspired by Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s iconic red box.
The gift inspired by Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s iconic red box (image courtesy of National Museum of Singapore).
The red box on display at the Singapore History Gallery.
Navigating the digital trail (image courtesy of National Museum of Singapore).
i Light Singapore, Asia’s leading sustainable light art festival, makes a return this June. Fourteen installations feature at this year’s festival, the theme of which, A New Wave, along with the festival colour choice of blue, places a focus on the relationship that we have with blue spaces. The use of energy-saving lighting and/or environmentally friendly material have been been central to festival installations. This year is no different, in the hope that festival goers and the general public adopt sustainable lifestyles and make eco-conscious choices of their own.
Organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority and presented by DBS, i Light 2023 also features a line-up of programmes during the three and a half week festival. The festival runs from 1 to 25 Jun 2023, with installations turned on from 7.30pm to 11.00pm daily and is extended to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. More information on the festival can be found at https://www.ilightsingapore.gov.sg/.
Step into a giant musical garden and be surrounded by an immersive jungle of light, colour and sound. At Trumpet Flowers, visitors get the opportunity to create a unique floral symphony using interactive keys that control the towering musical and light instruments.
Inspired by gramophones, these super-sized flowers burst to life occasionally with a specially commissioned musical score by Otis Studio, accompanied by some of Sydney’s finest jazz musicians.
Résonances Louis-Philippe Rondeau in collaboration with ELEKTRA (Canada) Open Plaza, OUE Bayfront
Résonances is an interactive installation that embodies the inexorable passage of time. It seeks to reveal the limit between present and past.
As an arch of light appears in darkness, a temporal portal emerges. When visitors cross this threshold, their image will be projected onto the adjacent wall and seem deployed in time through the slit-scan technique. In this visual metaphor, the past constantly takes over the present, and visitors will see their own image fade inexorably into the oblivion of white light. The artwork emphasises that all light is the manifestation of events that have already occurred; the twinkle we see in the night sky is but a bygone snapshot of the stars.
Block Party Jeremy Lin, Jedy Chen, Dexter Hong Plug & Play (Singapore) Entrance of Marina Bay Link Mall
The dynamic relationship between humans and the environment is explored in Block Party, where visitors can participate in collaborative placemaking through the playful medium of dance.
Familiar public housing blocks in Singapore come to life as they react to movement prompts from visitors, taking on personalities of their own. As one bends and twists with the buildings, gardens bloom spontaneously over their facades.
This interactive feature is a reminder of the power we wield to shape our surroundings and make a difference to the world. Through light-hearted interactions, participants are called upon to take responsibility for the environment and a sustainable future.
Glacier Dreams Refik Anadol Refik Anadol Studio (USA) and Julius Baer Façade of ArtScience Museum
Inspired by both the beauty and fragility of glaciers, Glacier Dreams is the result of a groundbreaking, long-term research project involving machine learning, environmental studies and multi-sensory media art.
Visual materials collated from publicly available data and institutional archives, together with glacier images personally collected by Refik Anadol in Iceland, are processed through machine learning algorithms and transformed into Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based multi-sensory narratives.
The artist, together with his Los Angeles-based team, hopes to raise awareness of climate change and rising sea levels through poetic glacier-themed experiences, and also contribute to the study of glaciers with their existing AI tools.
Aquatics Philipp Artus (Germany) Under Esplanade Bridge (near Merlion Park)
Aquatics is an interactive animation depicting sea creatures swimming around and interacting with one another. It explores the emergence of life through abstract shapes and movement.
Using a tablet, visitors can design their own creatures and add them to the underwater world.
By witnessing the beauty of animal locomotion in its natural habitat, participants are reminded of the urgent need to preserve biodiversity and ecosystems.
Blue energy is harnessed from the chemical potential of a salinity difference between the sea and river waters. Blumiwave is an interpretation of this renewable energy source.
Seen from afar, sculptural waves appear to crash at varying heights and directions. Upon closer inspection, these are in fact made of a carefully weaved fabric of safety nets and scaffolding — everyday objects that the interior designers at DP Design encounter at construction sites. Here, the team transforms materials normally perceived as unsightly into a space that invites multiple interpretations of the mundane and its possibilities.
All plastics used to assemble Blumiwave will be recycled by local social enterprise Magorium after the festival. Supported by DBS Foundation, Magorium converts plastic waste into a sustainable construction material called ‘NEWBitumen’ that can replace crude-derived bitumen to pave roads sustainably.
Symphony 1 Chan Wan Kyn, Linknito, Linez The Grand Lowlife Orchestra (Singapore | USA | Morocco) Mist Walk
Symphony 1 is a light-based architectural entity that inhabits space. Like a living being, its ethereal and translucent organic form populates any location.
Masses of twisting vine-like structures emit an icy glow to fill the space before sprouting into sprigs of crystalline flowers. The sprawl of its existence is a comment on nature and our relationship with it, contradicting yet also enhancing the brutal denseness of urban spaces it finds itself in.
Encircling a sapling in his arms, Tree Man provides sanctuary for a young tree while carving out an inner sanctum for visitors. The act of nurturing and connecting with our environment is emphasised in these whimsical light sculptures.
Emitting light with heads that are shaped like digital screens, the artwork invites reflection on humans’ insatiable preoccupation with devices, which could be detrimental to our circadian rhythms. As one enters the arms of Tree Man, light switches across a spectrum of colours, and sparse melodies on top of a forest-inspired soundtrack are triggered, leaving one to wonder if we can ever find a balance between the digital and natural world.
Light Anemones Malte Kebbel Studio Kebbel (Germany) The apex at The Promontory at Marina Bay
Light Anemones is a versatile light sculpture that evolves with time and space. It seeks to portray the captivating world beyond the water surface, where the mysteries of the deep sea and the wonders of underwater creatures come to life.
During the day, the sculpture’s surroundings and sunlight are reflected on the curved titanium-stainless steel mirrors. In the night, linear beams appear due to the play of light along the sculpture’s concave and convex structure with a rotating centre. As light from the three sculptures interact with one another and merge with mirrored silhouettes of neighbouring buildings, people and landscape, a complex symphony of light, sound and imagery is composed — as though from a different time continuum.
the things left unsaid Brigette Teo Nanyang Technological University, School of Art, Design and Media (Singapore) Breeze Shelter
the things left unsaid is a manifestation of the artist’s unspoken thoughts and feelings about growing up in a time of seemingly never-ending doom. Repeatedly confronted by news of a gloomy future and an impending climate catastrophe, the artwork acts as a refuge from despair.
Comprising weaved sheets made of upcycled plastic bags draped across the space, the artwork exudes a sense of both comfort and unease, much like the mysterious phenomenon of bioluminescent algal bloom that inspired it. Above all, it is a quiet reminder of the hope and possibilities that still exist.
Also being held in conjunction with i Light Singapore 2023:
Lightwave: Turning the Tide (Ticketed)
The Promontory at Marina Bay
Timing Weekdays: Sunday to Thursday – 7.30pm to 11pm (last experience at 10.40pm) Weekends: Friday and Saturday – 7.30pm to 12am (last experience at 11.40pm)
Ticketing Admission tickets are priced at SGD5 each and can be purchased from Klook.
Lightwave: Turning the Tide imagines a future where human exploits have damaged the world around us irrevocably.
Be transported to an underwater world, visitors are left to ponder: How have we come to this?
Through three unfolding chapters of thought-provoking multi-sensorial light experiences, explore how our way of life has impacted nature, and be inspired to make a change and turn the tide.
As part of the festival, an effort is being made to get us to pledge our commitment to eco-conscious practices through small but impactful changes in our lifestyle.
Two separate pledges can be made:
The Switch Off, Turn Up (SOTU) pledge is one that calls for us to switch off non-essential lightings and turn up air-conditioning temperatures during and beyond the festival period. SOTU has been a key component of i Light Singapore’s sustainability drive since the festival’s inception in 2010. The initiative has seen building owners, corporations and businesses around and beyond Marina Bay to reduce their energy consumption in lighting and air-conditioning, and this effort continues. Participation in the programme will also be extended to the public and schools for the first time this year.
The Be a Zero Hero pledge is to encourage us to adopt zero waste habits. This includes reducing the use of single-use items and food waste. For each pledge submitted up to the first 5,000 pledges, All Clear – a sustainability enterprise providing offshore and ocean clean-ups – will remove 100g of waste from Singapore waterways. Up to 500 kg of waste will be removed as an outcome this effort. Pledges can be made online.
A visual, unique to each pledge submitted online, will be generated using Alibaba Cloud’s AI technologies and this can be viewed on i Light i Pledge’s website and as part of the last chapter at Lightwave: Turning the Tide. This initiative aims to demonstrate how a small step taken by an individual can contribute to a larger sustainability objective.
Even before mass tourism took root with the arrival of the jet age, Singapore has fascinated would be travellers from the West. The romanticised depictions of the island penned by the likes of Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad and Somerset Maugham, in the late 19th and early 20th century have more often than not, made Singapore out to be an exotic destination, as have travel guide books of the day. Singapore was after all a great port city, the crossroads of the East and West in more ways than one, and a cultural melting pot in which the well-heeled traveller could travel to and be accommodated in the lap of luxury in the days when the romance of travel seemed at its height, and yet have that experience of the exotic East.
It was in fact travel guide books that provided the inspiration for the curators of Now Boarding: Experiencing Singapore through Travel, 1800s–2000s, to bring Singapore out as a travel destination. One of two exhibitions opening at the National Museum of Singapore this last weekend in May, the exhibition will offer its visitors an experience of Singapore from the perspective of a traveller to the island.
Postcards and Posters on display.
The exhibition will have visitors explore four common travel themes or chapters if you like in a (modern) travel guide book, Getting Around, Places to Stay, Eating Out and Sights and Shopping. But before all of that, as in the case of the days of mass travel, one has that small matter of getting to the “airport” at the museum’s Rotunda — where one will be greeted the all too familiar sight of a Changi Airport flight information flip board (or at least a part of the decommissioned Terminal 2 flip board), and having to collect a “boarding pass” — which serves as an entry ticket and more at the check-in (museum ticketing) counter.
Exhibition Boarding Pass.
The former Changi Airport flip board.
Exploring the exhibition — especially in the first two sections, one is struck by how much getting here and its associated experiences — even today, has an emphasis that is placed very much on luxury. In Getting Around, depictions of long, luxurious and somewhat leisurely voyages on the passenger liners of old or even train journeys on the Malayan Railway seen in posters on display confronts the visitor. It seems no different when it comes to the modern day, with a unmissable Singapore Airlines’ A380 Suites Cabin in plain sight.
SQ A380 Cabin Suites
Once one is in Singapore however, there options of getting around the island that are on offer are a lot more down to earth. A trishaw on display, which has a rather interesting backstory to it, was an affordable means of conveyance for the person-on-the-street, as was its predecessor the rickshaw. It was also popular as a means to move around for tourists, for whom the trishaw was not only cheap, but a novelty!
A Trishaw.
In Places to Stay, the lure of the Raffles — an enduring Singaporean icon and the epitome of luxurious stays in Singapore — seems unescapable even in a museum setting. There are also other luxurious names of the past that will pop up such as the Adelphi (there is a small glass on display that tells yet another interesting story), and the Hotel de L’Europe.
Uniforms on loan from Raffles Hotel.
Eating Out at Singapore’s coffee shops, outdoor eateries and hawker stalls has undoubtedly been one of the must-dos for a visitor. It may not always have been the case given the issues we faced with hygiene in the past but this caught on in the 1950s and 1960s when street fare came to the fore. From a range of tools and kitchen utensils to kopitiam cups, drinking glasses, soft drink bottles and serving trays carrying advertisements of popular brands, to photographs and postcards featuring hawkers, visitors will get that sense of what the experience of eating out may have been like. In addition to this, there is an assortment of restaurant menus that can be viewed through an interactive display. The menus include one from A&W — the first fast food restaurant chain to set up shop in Singapore when it opened its first outlet at MSA (later SIA) Building in 1968.
Kopitiam memories.
Besides shopping at Orchard Road, a tourist draw since C K Tang opened its store in 1958 even if the shopping destinations then were at High Street and Raffles Place, Sights and Shopping also explores areas such the cabaret, night club and more recent clubbing scene. One popular and rather famous (or some say infamous) tourist spot — at least until the early 1980s, Bugis Street, is glaringly missing in the mix.
Recalling the club and cabaret scene.
To complete the exhibition experience, visitors can reflect on the portrayal of Singapore over the years and add personal impressions home at digital kiosks located within the gallery. Limited edition postcards featuring what’s on display from the National Museum’s collection are available with a donation to the museum. These can be sent to any address across the world by dropping them in at the Singapore Post mailbox placed just outside the exhibition gallery. Also, playing an accompanying Now Boarding mobile game will also yield a bonus digital gift. And if you have some energy left, there will also be pop-up rooms — with a disco room opening with the exhibition. In August, there are two other rooms to look out for that will feature transportation and a hotel-themed room.
A second exhibition opening on 27 May 2023, Get Curious: All About Food! is aimed at families with kids. More information on this can be found at: https://www.nhb.gov.sg/nationalmuseum/cs2023.
Held in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of Sport Singapore (1973 to 2023) and the Singapore Heritage Festival, Beginning of a Golden Age of Sport in Singapore opened at the Singapore Sports Museum on 18 May 2023. The exhibition, which runs until 31 July 2023, celebrates the achievements of a pioneering group of sportspersons who heralded a sporting golden era for Singapore in the post-war era.
Among the achievements of the golden era was Singapore’s very first Olympic medal, a silver at the Rome Games in 1960, that was picked up by Tan Howe Liang in weightlifting.
Among the guests at the opening were 1950s era sprinters Mary Klass and Kesavan Soon, both of whom represented Singapore at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, and whose legacies are among those that the exhibition commemorates. Mary Klass, then one of two fastest women in Asia, also represented Singapore at the 1954 Asian Games in Manila, where she finished neck and neck with Japanese runner Atsuko Nambu in the 100m sprint, only to be awarded the silver medal. Kesavan Soon, a schoolboy studying in Victoria School when he ran at the Melbourne Olympics, also represented Singapore at the 1958 Asian Games in Japan.
Mary Klass and Kesavan Soon at the opening of the exhibition.
The post-war era brought Malaya it first successes in badminton. In 1949, the Malayan team — which included a Singapore-based player, Wong Peng Soon, beat United States and Denmark to lift the inaugural Thomas Cup, thereby winning the right to host the next cup competition. Malaya hosted the 1952 cup competition at the Gay World (then Happy World) Stadium in Singapore, which it won once again. Malaya also won the 1955 Thomas Cup, held at the Singapore Badminton Hall — which was built to host 1952 competition but was completed a little too late.
Badminton memorabilia on display, including a wooden framed Dunlop badminton racquet from the 1950s found in the storeroom, a wooden racquet press (to prevent warping) and shuttlecocks used by Wong Peng Soon.
The exhibition, an excellent way to learn more about Singapore’s sporting heritage, is being held as a prelude to a book being published by Sport Singapore, The Rocky Road to Kallang Park. There will be a talk and book launch (already fully subscribed) that will be held at the National Museum of Singapore on 27 May 2023 as part of Singapore Heritage Festival 2023.
A Malayan Thomas Cup team blazer that belonged to Wong Peng Soon.
Dr Nick Aplin of Sport Singapore, leading a tour of the exhibition. Dr Aplin is the author of “The Rocky Road to Kallang Park”, which will be launched on 27 May 2023. The exhibition is a prelude to the book launch.
I finally managed to get up close with the trimaran variant of the US Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship or LCS. Developed at a time when I dabbled in the design of high performance marine craft, it was always interesting to see the many different approaches that were taken to finding a right fit of a hull form for a naval platform. And the LCS, especially the trimaran design of one of two variants of the LCS under consideration, represented an exciting move away from the tried and tested.
The USS Mobile at Changi Naval Base during IMDEX Asia 2023.
The LCS programme was the US Navy’s response to the changing nature of the threats that United States was facing. The was made especially apparent by the 9-11 terror attack on its own soil. Traditionally a blue-water navy, the LCS was conceived to fill a gap that the USN had in brown-water or littoral capabilities with a small and compact, agile, shallow draught reconfigurable platform.
The USN’s decision made in the mid-2000s to go with two configurations, a monohull and the Australian Austal designed trimaran, certainly raised eyebrows, as did the extensive use of aluminium alloy — a material that the USN had shied away from due to its susceptibility to stress corrosion and fatigue cracking, from its own experience with aluminium alloy superstructures in the post World War 2 era, as well as the concerns with the loss in structural strength of aluminium alloys at high temperatures.
Also raising eyebrows was the choice of hull form. The trimaran hull in the case of the Austal design was essentially a very slender monohull with two outriggers. It is certainly superior when it comes to minimising the drag increase due to wave generation — a dominant factor in the higher speed range at which the LCS operates. It also has a greater resistance to capsize (the slenderness of monohull is limited by its ability to remain upright). The widely spaced hulls also provide a greater deck area that is always welcome in naval platforms operationally. There is also the advantage of potentially reduced pitch and heave motions in waves due to their smaller waterplane areas, which provides the platform with a superior operability.
In operation for more than a decade — the first of class, the USS Independence was commissioned in 2010, the trimaran LCS as with the monohull variant, have been beset with problems. Cost overruns and a host of operational and maintenance issues have plagued both classes of LCS. Structural cracking, as predicted by material choice sceptics, have also been reported, leading to a reworking of structural design details. Designed to be in service for 25 years, two ships of each classes have already been decommissioned, with more expected to follow.
As for the LCS-26 (the trimaran variants are numbered evenly), USS Mobile, having been commissioned only about two years ago in May 2021, it would have incorporated the lessons the designers learnt from the lead ships in the class. As with the other ships in the class, its expansive main deck permits a large mission bay with stern door for launch of smaller craft to be laid out. On top of this a large two-bay hangar that can accommodate both the ship’s MH-60 helo and a Fire Scout drone, and a helicopter deck can be found. The ship is designed to be manned minimally and is operable with a core crew of 40, and can take up to 35 mission crew.
The USS Mobile, is here as part of a display of warships during IMDEX Asia, a regional naval exhibition that takes place every two years in Singapore. The exhibition, which serves as a showcase of the latest in naval platform, arms and sensor technologies, is often also barometer of the wants and desires of the region’s navies.
The stern door at the Mission Bay.
The Mission Bay.
On the fo’c’sle deck.
The helo bay of the Hangar.
The heli-deck.
The Hangar from the upper deck.
The HCR (Helo Control Room).
A gym set up in the Mission Bay.
A view of the stern. The main hull in is in the centre with four waterjets at the bottom that propel the ship and the stern door of the Mission Bay above. The heli-deck is on top. The two outrigger hulls can be seen on either side of the main hull.
Underneath the veneer of modernity that Singapore wears, is an island, a port and a city-state that celebrates its many cultural and religious influences. Among these influences are ones brought in by the Portuguese through the Portuguese Mission, which Portuguese naval surgeon and an early immigrant to Singapore Dr Jose d’Almeida, was instrumental in bringing in. The mission eventually established St Joseph’s Church in Victoria Street in 1853. The church that stands today is one that was rebuilt in 1912. Long administered by the Portuguese Diocese of Macau, it was transferred to the Archdiocese of Singapore in 1981, although appointments continued to be made by the Bishop of Macau up until 1999. The church is where the religious traditions brought in by the mission have been kept very much alive, one of which is its annual Good Friday service, which features a candlelight procession through its grounds.
Good Friday at the Portuguese Church
The procession, which has not been seen at the church for six long years (the church was closed from August 2017 to June 2022 for refurbishment and restoration), has always attracted a large crowd of worshippers, with many spilling out onto the grounds of the church and even onto the Queen Street behind the church, transforming the area into a sea of candlelight. While the crowds have dwindled over the years, the procession is still quite a spectacle and adds much colour and life to the Bras Basah.Bugis precinct.
Among the highlights of National Heritage Board’s (NHB) Battle for Singapore (BSG 2023) programme, which runs from 10 February to 5 March 2023 and will feature 30 unique programmes and offer 100 tour runs, will be the rare chance to visit one of the lesser known ruins of Sentosa’s coastal defence batteries, Connaught Battery (Fort Connaught Rediscovery Tour). Normally a restricted site due to reasons of public safety, the site has been opened up to guided visits conducted during BSG 2023. Participants will be able to visit the battery’s badly damaged No 3 gun emplacement, see a Battery Observation Post (BOP) and have a glimpse of the entrance to an underground magazine, a retaining wall of the underground structure, as well as ventilation openings.
The pockmarked BOP
Established in the 1930s on the site of the former Fort Connaught (established in 1878-1879), the battery comprised three 9.2 inch guns that protected the harbour against naval attack from its eastern approaches. Contrary to popular belief, the guns did turn north, firing in the direction of the Causeway, Jurong, Tengah and Bukit Timah at the advancing Imperial Japanese Army during the Battle for Singapore. The guns were spiked and destroyed on 14 February 1942 — the day before Singapore capitulated, but not before all ammunition was used. The guns had little impact on the enemy’s ground forces however as most of the ammunition they had been supplied with were of the armour piercing type. More information on Connaught Battery can be found at: The hidden remains of Sentosa’s big WW2 guns.
The Fort Connaught Rediscovery Tour, which is being held from 9am to 11.30am and 1 pm to 3 pm over three weekends on 11 and 12 Feb, 18 and 19 Feb and 25 and 26 Feb 2023, is priced ar $20 per participant and is recommended for ages 13 and up (minor below the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult/guardian). Tickets will be released on 8 Feb 2023 at 10 am at https://bsg2023.peatix.com.
I would be personally involved in two programmes, one of which will be a twinned tour of Changi Chapel and Museum (CCM) and Changi Point (two tours on 12 Feb 2023). I will be conducting the outdoor segment of this tour at Changi Point, where I shall be touching on the history of Changi, the reasons for its military sites, why it was chosen as a site to house POWs and touch on some of the documented experiences of POWs in Changi and site that may have been associated with them. Information on this can be found at the CCM website. As with the main BSG 2023 programmes, tickets (priced at $20) will be released on 8 feb 2023 at 10 am.
The second programme that I am involved in is Sembawang, Gibraltar of the East, which will involved a virtual visit on 16 Feb 2023 to some of the sites associated with the former British naval base in Sembawang, an important component of the set up that gave Singapore its reputation as being the “Gibraltar of the East” prior to its inglorious fall. Admission to this, which is being hosted on MS Teams, is free.
Following two subdued editions in 2021 and 2022 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the celebration of this year’s Thaipusam on 5 Feb 2023, saw a return to long-held traditions — with a procession of kavadis or burdens (including spike or velkavadis). The procession starts at the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple along Serangoon Road and ends at the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple at Tank Road. The celebration of the Hindu festival is one of multi-cultural and multi-religious Singapore’s most spectacular. A good place to catch it or even photograph it is at the procession’s start point, the Sri Srinivasa Perumal temple in which elaborate preparations are made by kavadi bearers before they embark on the over 3 kilometre journey of faith to Tank Road.
Do visit my numerous posts related to Thaipusam to find out more on the festival, which is celebrated annually on the day of the full moon during the Tamil month of Thai:
It was joget time tinged with quite a fair bit of nostalgia on the front lawn of the Istana Kampong Gelam last evening during the gala opening of the MHC ClosingFest. The event also saw Guest-of-Honour, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs & Ministry of National Development letting his hair down by reciting a pantun and joining in at the end of the joget session.
The opening gala is part of a series of activities being held as part of MHC ClosingFest as the MHC or Malay Heritage Centre winds down (or rather up) towards its closure at the end of October for a revamp (it is scheduled to reopen in 2025). Besides the last night’s event, a series of activities are also being held across weekends in October that will not only celebrate the legacy and milestones of MHC, which the former palace of the descendants of Sultan Hussein houses, but also celebrates of the cultures of the Nusantara, from which some members of the wider Malay community in Singapore trace their roots to.
The Bazaar Nusantara, which is being held this weekend (15/16 Oct 2022 4 to 10 pm) for example, will feature the cuisines and cultural practices of the Baweanese, Bugis and Banjarese. There will be performances of Baweanese silat and Javanese kuda kepang, as well as a keris (dagger) cleansing ritual.
More information on the activities can be found on the MHC’s Peatix page.
There is no better time to head down to Little India than in the lead up to Deepavali or Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. That is when the precinct, now a focal point for the ethnic Indian community, takes on a festive atmosphere with a street light-up that never fails to disappoint and with crowds of shoppers filling much of its ever so busy streets.
A view of the Village of Lime, with the brightly lit façade of the Indian Heritage Centre or IHC, which will be the focal point of the Deepavali Open House from 1 to 23 October 2022. Completed in 2015 the IHC’s façade was inspired by the baoli, or Indian stepwell.
Beyond soaking in the atmosphere on the streets, there is also an opportunity to participate in programmes organised by the Indian Heritage Centre (IHC) for its Deepavali Open House, which runs over four weekends from 1 to 23 October 2022. During this time, admission to the IHC will be free for all. The open house this year sees the return of the popular trishaw rides (Little India Trishaw Trail – Deepavali Edition) that will offer participants a unique way to see the lights. There is also a chance this year to take in the lights from a very different perspective: from the upper deck of an open top double-decker bus through the Deepavali Big Bus Tour.
View Little India’s annual Deepavali light-up this year from the back of a Big Bus during the Deepavali Open House.
Other activities to look out for are Mandala Dot Painting Workshop, Deepavali Cooking Demonstration with Chef Devagi and Chef Vasunthara, Interactive Storytelling for Kids, Cultural Craft Activities. More information can be found at Indian Heritage Centre – Deepavali 2022.
Cultural Craft Activities include creating Ramayana shadow puppets …
Shadow Puppet play.
Community Lego Mural
Community Lego Mural
Oil Lamp decorating.
Interactive Storytelling for Kids through which the triumph of good over evil or the story of Deepavali is told.
An extension of the street light-up inside the IHC.
There’s no better time to have a look at the newly restored St Joseph Church than during the Singapore Night Festival. Beautifully illuminated for the festival, the church, which in my opinion is one of the most beautiful churches in Singapore, is quite a sight to behold. What is especially wonderful during the night festival is that the church has been opened to the public for heritage tours and performances featuring the beautiful voice of Corrinne May and also the church’s Sacred Heart Choir.
To appreciate the beauty of the wonderfully restored interior of the church, it is also best to make a daytime visit on a sunny afternoon. That is when the church’s beautiful set of stained glass is best appreciated. The church, which closed for extensive repairs and renovation in August 2017, was reopened in time to celebrate its 110th anniversary. The second church to stand on the site, the current building was consecrated by the Bishop of Macau, Dom João Paulino Azevedo e Castro on the 30th of June 1912.
Established by the Portuguese Mission, the church catered to the Portuguese and Portuguese Eurasian community and continues to the the spiritual home of the Portuguese Eurasian community. The Portuguese Mission’s presence in Singapore can be traced back to 1825 and followed the arrival of Jose D’Almeida to Singapore on a permanent basis. Mass was initially held at Dr D’Almeida’s Beach Road house before a chapel was set up on Bras Basah Road in 1933. The mission then built a church on the current site in the 1850s. The church was for much of its history, administered by the Portuguese Diocese of Macau (and the Diocese of Goa before that). It was only in 1981, that it came under the Archdiocese of Singapore. The Bishop of Macau however, continued to appoint priests to the church until 1999.
After an absence of two years, the Singapore Night Festival is back! Running from 19 to 27 August, the 13th edition of festival is not just a celebration of the Bras Basah.Bugis (BBB) precinct’s heritage, but also a celebration of life being returned to normalcy after a pause of more than two years. Over 55 events and installations will feature over the nine-day festival period, which in the words of Festival Director David Chew, has gone “hyperlocal” in zooming in on the stories of the precinct and its people, and in celebrating local artists.
More on the night festival can be found at https://www.nightfestival.gov.sg and an overview of the installations and locations. In addition to this, there will also be programmes running at the National Archives of Singapore at No 1 Canning Rise on which a projection mapping, Midnight Show at Capitol, will feature. The projection, by visual artist MOJOKO, will highlight Singapore’s cinemas of the past through a remix of images from the collections of the National Archives of Singapore and National Library in what will be a contemporary twist to the classic movie posters that once adorned the many cinema façades of the precinct. The programmes include talks and performances. I will also be conducting tours, School Bells and Hallways: Memories of Former School Buildings which unfortunately have already been sold out. More information on the programmes at the National Archives of Singapore can be found at: https://curiocity.nlb.gov.sg/events/curiocity-encounters-snf/programmes.
Some photographs from a media preview of Singapore Night Festival 2022:
Fēcundus | SMU Green
We can no longer be strangers after this | near Banyan Tree @ National Museum of Singapore
Palimpsest | Armenian Street
The Melting Pot | Stamford Clock Tower
Paddy Fields | Stamford Walkway
Cathay Hotel | Cathay Green
Stories from Forbidden Hill | National Museum of Singapore
An Ocean without the Anchor | Raffles City
TERRARIUM | National Design Centre
Discoloo Centre | Waterloo Centre
Nhawfal Juma’at, the artist behind NOCTURNE : Conversations with Waterloo | Waterloo Centre
i Light Singapore is back — after a two-year hiatus. This year’s edition of the popular light art festival sees twenty eye-catching and highly instagrammable light installations scattered around Marina Bay, featuring the creations of artists from fourteen countries. A key focus and message of the festival — as always, is sustainability and this is seen in the use of energy-saving lights and materials that are environmentally-friendly and/or upcycled.
Meet Me Under the Moon at Esplanade Park
Organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and presented by DBS, the festival’s theme this year is Spark of Light, with the colour violet serving as an inspiration. The colour, which has the shortest wavelength, is also the most powerful electromagnetic energy in the visible light spectrum and was chosen to signify the awakening of senses when an idea in is sparked in one’s mind.
Fallen at the Lawn next to One Marina Boulevard
The festival runs from Friday 3 June 2022 up to Sunday 26 June 2022. Besides the twenty installations, there are also exciting festival programmes to look out for, including walking tours and forums. An interesting addition to the festival is Lightwave: Isle of Light (which is ticketed). The installation, which is empowered by OPPO, features five immersive and highly instagrammable zones. More information on this and the festival, including a festival map and information on installations, can be found at the i Light 2022 website.
Underworld, at Esplanade Park
The crowd favourite: Firefly Field at The Promontory at Marina Bay
Firefly Field, long exposure taken hand-held – one reason to bring a tripod!
Betel Box Tours must be applauded for its most recent effort at bringing out the wonderful tales that are connect with the especially colourful district of Katong. Titled Katong Dreaming: A Musical Tour, the tour involves a walk of discovery through the district’s much storied streets with its stories told through verse, through song and through dance. Created by August Lum, Marc Nair, Mark Nicodemus Tan and Valerie Lim, and produced by Jamie Lee, two of the wonderfully talent team – Mark Tan, who takes on the role of guide, narrator and singer (he dances too) and independent movement artist Valerie Lim, expertly provide a highly entertaining and refreshing take on Katong’s streets, back lanes, personalities, cultural and religious sites. The tour is certainly well worth the two hours and the price of the ticket!
The musical tour runs until the end of March 2022 and tickets (and further information) may be obtained through: https://katongdreaming.peatix.com/.
Katong Dreaming: A Musical Tour — performed by Mark Tan and Valerie Lim.
About Katong Dreaming: A Musical Tour
Katong is always a delight to visit, with its colourful houses, sleepy streets and culinary treasures. But Katong also holds a rich history, steeped in Peranakan culture and traditions, brimming with surprising stories.
Katong Dreaming: A Musical Tour, is a performance art tour created by August Lum, Marc Nair, Mark Nicodemus Tan, and Valerie Lim. It is produced by Jamie Lee for Betel Box Tours, supported under the STB-NAC Performing Arts Tours Pilot Grant, an initiative by the Singapore Tourism Board and National Arts Council to encourage the development and test-bedding of innovative performing arts tours by tour operators.
This two-hour walking tour begins at the southern border of Katong at East Coast Road before winding through Ceylon Road, Joo Chiat Road, Koon Seng Road, and Tembeling Road. In three broad chapters, familiar experiences of food, faith and historical landmarks are woven together through cross-disciplinary art forms into a groundbreaking blend of musical theatre, site-specific performance and tour guiding.
Valerie Lim and Mark Tan
About the Artists:
Marc Nair is a poet who works at the intersection of art forms. His work revolves around the ironies of everyday life. He has published ten collections of poetry.
Valerie is an independent movement artist. The mysteries of the human body, multi-disciplinary and immersive works deeply thrill her. She believes life must be spent pursuing what makes us feel the most alive.
August is a musical storyteller, who has been making sounds for a variety of mediums, from stage to film to theme parks as well. Included in his wish-list is the desire to write music for a dramatic series, as well as background music for certain public spaces.
Mark is a musician, writer, performer, and tourist guide. All of the aforementioned stages allow him to talk about his loves for art, music, history, football, and cricket, to audiences who have no choice but to listen.
The Singapore Airshow, probably the last large-scale trade event that was held in Singapore before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in early 2020, makes a return this year to position Singapore to tap on the anticipated strong recovery and growth in civil aviation especially in the Asia-Pacific region.
The ST Engineering stand
Held from 15 to 18 February 2022, the biennial event is being held in the midst of a still ongoing slowdown in civil aviation that even in its scaled-down eighth edition will see some 600 participating companies from more than 39 countries or regions. More than 70% of the top 20 global aerospace companies will be present and the show expects to see in excess of 13,000 trade attendees. This edition of the show will however not be open to the public and will be a trade visitor only event.
The Boeing 777-9 during the Flying Display
A key area of focus for the airshow will be sustainability. The inaugural “Sustainable Aviation Forum” is being held on 16 and 17 February to bring experts in to discuss challenges and opportunities within sustainable aviation and sustainability of future technology in areas of air mobility and aviation operations. The Singapore Airshow is also making its own efforts towards sustainability. Not only will it be largely paperless, the show is also being powered by solar energy. Some 15,000 solar panels have been installed on the roof of the Changi Exhibition Centre!
Airbus 350-1000 during the Flying Display
A popular feature of the airshow is the flying displays. This edition will feature a total of eight such displays that will see the participation of four air forces, as well as Airbus and Boeing. Aircraft that will be seen for the first time at the airshow will be the highly manoeuvrable and rather impressive Indian Air Force’s single engine Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Tejas. The Airbus’ A350-1000 and Boeing’s wide-bodied B777-9 will also be making its show debut.
The Tejas on the ground
Returning to the flying displays will be Indonesia’s Jupiter Aerobatic Team, which was last seen in 2018. Also coming back are a F16C fighter jet displaying solo aerobatics, and a pair of AH-64D Apache attack helicopters from the Republic of Singapore Airforce and the United States Marine Corps’ F-35B Lightning II and a United States Air Force’s B-52 Stratofortress in a fly-by.
The F35-B Lightning II with up to 40,000 of thrust directed downwards (in hover mode)
Other highlights of the airshow include the many innovative defence and security products on show at the Singapore Technologies Engineering stand. This includes the Terrex 8×8 Infantry Fighting Vehicle, configured as a “mothership” or a launch pad for unmanned aerial vehicles and robots. Equipped with vehicle mounted cameras that give its operators an all round view through a virtual “windscreen” and “rear-view mirror”. It is also able to see through other eyes such as drones and robots and unmanned weapon mounted vehicles it operates remotely.
The hybrid drive system of the Terrex.
Another feature of the Terrex is its hybrid Diesel-DC electric drive system that features an externally mounted system which maximises space within the vehicle. The Terrex can operate silently with its diesel driven generator turned off using battery power. It has a range of 20 to 100 kilometres in this mode, depending on its configuration.
One of the forgotten episodes in Singapore’s history is one involving the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The CCP, which recently celebrated its one-hundredth anniversary, also took its fight against the Chinese Nationalist government in its early years, to the Nanyang to which it sent five secret envoys to in late 1927 and early 1928. The arrival of these envoys coincided with the formation of the Nanyang Provisional Committee (NPC) of the CCP and heralded a violent phase in the CCP’s operations here. What soon followed in February and March 1928 was an attempt to assassinate three visiting Nationalist leaders, which resulted in a gunshot injury to Dr Lim Boon Keng, and a series of bombings as a means of intimidation during a strike of shoemakers.
The incident involving Dr Lim, which was described in the press as “the most sensational political outrage that has occurred in the colony for many years” and also the “Hill Street Outrage”, played out on the evening of 8 February 1928 at Hill Street and targeted Dr C C Wu (Wu Ch’ao-shu) a visiting Chinese Nationalist party (Kuomintang or KMT) politician. Shots fired from a revolved were fired in the direction of Dr Wu as he was leaving the premises of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) on Hill Street, where he had just met with prominent Chinese residents. Fired by Cheung Yok-kai — one of the five so-called secret envoys, the shots missed their intended target completely. One however grazed the nose of the unfortunate Dr Lim who was just behind Dr Wu. Dr Lim was reported to have fallen with blood streaming from his face, was fortunately not badly hurt. Another local leader, Lim Nee Soon, also fell during commotion and hurt his ankle. Two crude home-made bombs were also thrown during the incident. Packed in thermos flasks with explosives, nails and broken glass, the bombs both exploded but did not cause any further injuries. Cheung, who was arrested after a chase and tried after the incident, was sentenced to penal servitude for life, died at the age of 36 in Changi Prison in December 1940 – 12 years into his sentence. In a statement made to the judge during his sentencing, Cheung said that he had been sent by the CCP to “bring light to the labouring classes in Malaya. Cheung’s other KMT targets were Sun Fo, the son of Dr Sun Yat-sen and Hu Han Min, who were also in Singapore at the time. The incident was also the first to involve an assassination attempt of the life of a rival politician in the fight for control of China.
The old(er) Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Housed in one of the so-called “four grand mansions”, the house of Wee Ah Hood, it was the scene of the “Hill Street Outrage”. The incident, which saw an attempt mounted by the Nanyang arm of the Chinese Communist Party on the life of KMT politician Dr C C Wu – who survived unscathed, resulted in a facial gunshot injury to Dr Lim Boon Keng.
Following on the failed assassination attempt, members of the NCP – which could be thought of as the predecessor to the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) – were also involved in instigation of violence during a strike of shoemakers that stretched from the end of February into April 1928. During the strike, bombs of crude constructions similar to the bombs used in the assassination attempt on Dr Wu featured, some packed in thermos flasks and other in containers such as empty milk powder tins were thrown into shoemakers’ shops across Singapore in an attempt to terrorise and intimidate employers as well as non-striking shoemakers. The campaign caused little in terms of injury or damage, except perhaps on two occasions: one which involved an informer beings stabbed an seriously wounded; and another in which a body found in a sack which was thought to have belonged to an injured striker, could be thought of being among the first acts of communist inspired terrorism to occur in Singapore.
The former house of Wee Ah Hood on Hill Street as the SCCCI.
The new SCCCI Building on Hill Street, at its opening in 1964.
Japan and the rather unique experiences it has to offer, has captured the imagination of many image makers over the history of image-making. How this has evolved over time is wonderfully presented in an exhibition Life in Edo | Russel Wong in Kyoto, which opened at the Asian Civilisations Museum on 16 April 2021. Running until 19 September 2021, the exhibition provides a wonderful walk-through of the various aspects of Japanese art of woodblock print making — a popular medium of expression during the Edo period. The art form is also placed in contrast with the modern art of photography, seen through the skilfully and very patiently captured work of renowned Singaporean photographer Russel Wong in the forbidden world of Kyoto’s Gokagai (five kagai).
The exhibition starts with a study of the Japanese art of ukiyo-e or woodblock printing. Ukiyo-e, which translates into “pictures of the transient world”, or as the Britannica has it, “pictures of the floating world”, came to the fore during a period of cultural and social renaissance in 18th and 19th century Edo, with the term “transient world” or “floating world” being a euphemism for Edo’s popular entertainment quarters. Produced for the mass market, ukiyo-e, with its depictions of popular theatre artistes, courtesans, and maybe the seedier aspects of life in the pleasure quarters, could be thought of as a platform for the social influencers of the day — much like what social media and the likes of Instagram is, in the world of today.
Different class of travel in the age of the ukiyo-e.
Comparing ukiyo-e to Instagram may devalue the craft and effort that goes into the production of ukiyo-e. The value of its craft is thankfully not lost in the journey that the exhibition takes visitors through with 157 expertly made prints on show that provide a glimpse of life during the Tokugawa shogunate, themed according to the subjects of travel, beauty, food, entertainment and even the keeping of pets. The production of ukiyo-e would have involved a publisher; artists to draw the design, carve the woodblocks, and to ink, align and press the various blocks individually to add each of the various colours to the prints. The display of a complete set of mid-20th century woodblocks made by the Kyoto Hanga Institute to reprint Hokusai’s “South Wind, Clear Sky” — popularly known as “Red Fuji”, provides visitors with a better understanding of the skill and labour involved in the craft. Overtaken by machine printing and photography, interest in the tedious method of printing would decline in the late 1800s. It is only through the efforts of artisans and institutes such as the Hanga, that the craft has been preserved.
It is probably apt the the transition from the traditional to the modern in the exhibition takes place through the crossing of a bridge and a journey from Edo to Kyoto. The starting point in this journey is the display of Utagawa’s Hiroshige’s ukiyo-e print of Nihonbashi – at the beginning of the coastal Tokaido Road from Edo to Kyoto and the first of 53 halting or rest stations (which included the start and end points) Hiroshige depicted in his print series “The 53 Stations of the Tokaido”. This will be replaced (as will the other woodblock prints on display due to their sensitivity to light) in the second half of the exhibition period with a print of the last station, the Sanjo Bridge in Kyoto, which is also depicted at the point where the journey into Russel Wong’s Kyoto begins. Hiroshige’s series provided the inspiration for some of Wong’s work in Japan and Wong’s photograph of the Sanjo Bridge that is on display, was taken with very much the same craft and care that went into Hiroshige’s efforts.
Wong’s captures of the secluded world of the tea houses of the Gokagai, is for the photographer in me, the draw of the exhibition. The story that is seen in his masterfully taken photographs of the Geiko (how Geishas in Kyoto are referred to) and the apprentice Maiko, is as much about the unseen aspects of life in the tea houses, as it is about Wong’s craft and patience. An effort some 13 years in the making, it involved establishing the right connections and a wait of five years before he was even able to step into a tea house. This incredible journey, is supplemented by his efforts to capture the colours of the Kyoto that most of us will only get to see, but in a way few would have the patience for. Seen in his work in colour of Kyoto through the four seasons in the public space where the journey into Edo and Kyoto begins, it is also seen in the monochromatic display of the crowd-free Kinkaku-ji in winter taken through falling snow just as the alarm levels on Covid-19 were being raised and just before travel restrictions were put in place in early 2020.
The Kinkaku-ji in winter as captured by Russel Wong
A ukiyo-e depiction of a brothel room with hidden messages.
Beauty techniques – offered by the “influencers” of the day on ukiyo-e.
Interactions with pets was a popular ukiyo-e subject.
Utagawa’s Hiroshige’s ukiyo-e print of Nihonbashi – the first of “The 53 stations of the Tokaido”
The Sanjo Bridge as captured by Russel Wong
Collars – an important aspect of the transition from a Maiko to a Geiko. White collars as opposed to embroided collars, are only used by geishas or geikos. A ceremony know as Erikae or turning of the collar takes place when a Maiko is initiated as a full-fledge Geiko.
Some 13 years in the making, Russel Wong’s photographs take us into a world that is hidden to most of us.
Companionship in a lonely and a quite misunderstood world, as captured by Russel Wong.
The Singapore Airshow 2020, was launched last evening at Marina Bay Sands. The 7th edition of the biennial event opens to trade visitors today in the midst of much uncertainty, especially in the near term, but also with much hope for the future – as was emphasised by DPM Heng Swee Kiat and Mr Vincent Chong, Chairman of Experia Events in their opening speeches. DPM Heng was keen to stress the that the future is bright – with the volume of air travel in the world expected to double in the next 2 decades, half of all new air travellers from the Asia-Pacific region. Mr Heng spoke also of the need for Singapore to position itself to tap on to this growth by investment in innovation, skills and infrastructure.
Several exhibitors (less than 8% of the total) have pulled out of the event due to the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak. The show, including the highly anticipated flying display – sans the ROK’s Black Eagles aerobatic team, will however go on. As part of the measures due to the outbreak, the numbers for visitors for public days on 15 and 16 February, will be halved.
DPM Heng Swee Kiat addressing the crowd at the opening reception of Singapore Airshow 2020.
DPM Heng Swee Kiat and Mr Vincent Chong opening the airshow.
An F-22 Raptor – flying in Singapore airspace for the first time at the Singapore Airshow 2020 – see during the media preview on Sunday.
An F-35B in hover mode during the media preview of the flying display – also flying in Singapore airspace for the first time.
The highlight of this year’s flying displays – the PLAAF’s Ba Yi aerobatic team’s display.
Together with 9 other bloggers and thanks to Tigerair Philippines and the Philippine Department of Tourism, I found myself on a dream trip to Boracay in July 2013. Read about the fantastic experience I had at Boracay Island Escapade or on my blog.
Courtesy of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), I had the opportunity to have a 4 day adventure in Hong Kong with 9 other bloggers. To read our collective Hong Kong Travel Blog entries, please click on the icon below:
The Long and Winding Road 