A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend an event at the old City Hall and Supreme Court buildings. The site is to be converted into The National Art Gallery of Singapore, due to open in some five years time. Before massive renovation begins, the new tenants will be giving an open house on 9-10 October to share the plans for the gallery. And before the open house, the premises were opened for a preview tour for some Singapore bloggers.
We watched a presentation on the renovation plans. The conversion of the City Hall and Supreme Court buildings is the next (and last major?) step in turning the historic buildings of the colonial administrative centre into an arts hub. This approach to heritage preservation makes some sense, as the public can still enjoy the buildings. The graphics of the future National Art Gallery reminded me very much of the National Museum, also hosted by a heritage building after renovation a few years back.
Representatives from the National Art Gallery (which exists now only as an administrative unit) fielded questions on a variety of topics. There were good questions about the difference between the Gallery and the Singapore Art Museum, as well as on how the Gallery would help the Singapore arts community. The Gallery will focus on Southeast Asia art, including Singaporean.
The knowledgeable site curator led us on a tour. Significant events, including the Japanese surrender, have taken place there. We were allowed up into the dome of the City Hall building. Bats swirled through the rafters. Stepping out onto a ledge afforded spectacular nights views of the city.
0 comments:
Post a Comment