Our second visit to Singapore landed us right in the middle of the Singapore Biennale 2019-2020. This was not the purpose of our visit, but upon discovering it happening after our arrival, it became my daily refuge and indulgence when the jet lag wasn't working against me. I enjoyed seeking out the spaces and exhibitions where many Southeast Asian artists were expressing their creative thoughts on the theme "Every Step in the Right Direction" while Alex worked with Singapore Teachers Academy for the Arts.
Many of the works were pointing to issues of social justice, migrating populations, changing landscapes, lost traditions, colonization, interconnectedness, and development of identity. I was struck by how different the dialogue and feelings of colonization are in Southeast Asian contexts versus North American contexts. In North America, we generally see colonization as something that robbed Africans and Native Americans of their land and culture. In Southeast Asia, there's a lot of dialogue around colonization being a force of modernization and empowerment out of communist and dictatorial rule rather than a forced loss of culture, so the dialogue around this issue becomes very different in this light. It certainly gives me something to think about with regard to the multiple perspectives that can be offered around the same topic, and the fact that Singapore can bring these perspectives to an English speaking audience is also a unique benefit of seeing art in Singapore.
Our local friends practically scolded me for once again not making it to Singapore's most famous garden sights, but I think of it as a reason to keep coming back and finding something spectacular to explore about Singapore. It's such a small and dense place that it would be a shame if I felt like I'd seen it all and done it all on my first couple visits! Instead, I indulged in the most ephemeral garden created by artists that may only be featured here for this brief period of time.
Another ephemeral thing that happened while in Singapore was being able to meet up with other friends and colleagues from other countries around the world. In this case, finding out that Australian friends were in town at the same time, and had not yet been to the fabulous ATLAS bar.
This time, I also discovered a new dining experience at NOX- Dine in the Dark, where the 12 dish prix fixe menu is a mystery to be discovered without the sense of sight and where visually impaired hosts teach guests how to eat in the dark. A truly memorable dining experience that also raised my awareness of the needs and accommodations for visual impairment.
We discovered that there is more than one rooftop infinity pool in Singapore, and the one at the Park Hotel Alexandra also happens to look out at the famous Interlace Residential development in Singapore, which apparently still has some 99 year lease apartments available if you're in the market! This location also made it convenient to get to the Gillman Barracks- one of the largest sites for the Singapore Biennale.
A short scroll through the images above will also show you one of the fantastic traditional Singaporean meals we had at Peramakan inside the historic Keppel Golf Club, which may be closing at the end of this year in order to make way for more new developments.
More than anything, Singapore continues to make it easy for visitors to relax in some warm winter temperatures and poolside scenery, even if all we have are a few hours of alertness between adventuring, working, and sleeping off some jet lag.
Many of the works were pointing to issues of social justice, migrating populations, changing landscapes, lost traditions, colonization, interconnectedness, and development of identity. I was struck by how different the dialogue and feelings of colonization are in Southeast Asian contexts versus North American contexts. In North America, we generally see colonization as something that robbed Africans and Native Americans of their land and culture. In Southeast Asia, there's a lot of dialogue around colonization being a force of modernization and empowerment out of communist and dictatorial rule rather than a forced loss of culture, so the dialogue around this issue becomes very different in this light. It certainly gives me something to think about with regard to the multiple perspectives that can be offered around the same topic, and the fact that Singapore can bring these perspectives to an English speaking audience is also a unique benefit of seeing art in Singapore.
Our local friends practically scolded me for once again not making it to Singapore's most famous garden sights, but I think of it as a reason to keep coming back and finding something spectacular to explore about Singapore. It's such a small and dense place that it would be a shame if I felt like I'd seen it all and done it all on my first couple visits! Instead, I indulged in the most ephemeral garden created by artists that may only be featured here for this brief period of time.
Another ephemeral thing that happened while in Singapore was being able to meet up with other friends and colleagues from other countries around the world. In this case, finding out that Australian friends were in town at the same time, and had not yet been to the fabulous ATLAS bar.
This time, I also discovered a new dining experience at NOX- Dine in the Dark, where the 12 dish prix fixe menu is a mystery to be discovered without the sense of sight and where visually impaired hosts teach guests how to eat in the dark. A truly memorable dining experience that also raised my awareness of the needs and accommodations for visual impairment.
We discovered that there is more than one rooftop infinity pool in Singapore, and the one at the Park Hotel Alexandra also happens to look out at the famous Interlace Residential development in Singapore, which apparently still has some 99 year lease apartments available if you're in the market! This location also made it convenient to get to the Gillman Barracks- one of the largest sites for the Singapore Biennale.
A short scroll through the images above will also show you one of the fantastic traditional Singaporean meals we had at Peramakan inside the historic Keppel Golf Club, which may be closing at the end of this year in order to make way for more new developments.
More than anything, Singapore continues to make it easy for visitors to relax in some warm winter temperatures and poolside scenery, even if all we have are a few hours of alertness between adventuring, working, and sleeping off some jet lag.
