And this particular eye had thoroughly enjoyed the visual treat whilst on The Bicentennial Experience! I have never really like History as a subject finding it dull and mostly sad thus I quite promptly dropped it in Secondary Three. But being a patriotic Singaporean, missing this would be out of the question and boy am I glad I made time for it. Surprised myself with the number of pictures I had taken; it shows just how successful the organising team is in making history come to life. It was not sufficient to enjoy the various presentations in the flesh.
Here are some of my feeble attempts to make memories and capture how impressed I had been with what I saw..
The Time Traveller
Right from the start at the Atrium, with some clever light trickery, visitors witnessed how rain (real water!) freeze in mid air and then rise instead of fall! The commentary stated that this "provides insights into how weather played a significant role in the rise and fall of civilisations and cities" but I much preferred the symbolism of time being turned back more than 200 years.
Took a video but of course the optical illusion no longer works after being processed by a camera.......
Act 1 1299 - 1613 Beginnings
As I attend this exhibition with zero expectations, it took me quite some time before I was finally convinced that the actors before my eyes were performing live. Given how close they were to the spectators, it was quite an intimate set and they were so professional even after the nth performance?! The use of the moving travelator is incredibly clever and seamless in implementation together with the multimedia projections. I noted with astonishment that the martial art choreography was the product of Lim Yu-Beng!
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| trying to capture how the multimedia projection is all immersive being both in front and behind the stage - and failing miserably - unless you can see shadows of flames on the transparent screen?! |
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Act 2 1819 Arrival
I love how visitors get to sit in a pseudo ship and enjoy a panoramic view just like one would when out at sea! However, the concept of seeing the narrative through the eyes of animals was totally lost on me up till the point of the dragonfly.. it just was not that evident..
My History classes had taught me that Farquhar was Raffles's right hand man but apparently not....
Act 3 1867 - 1941 Connectivity
"Moving screens and rotating seats, which simulate the turning of the wheels of machinery" brought us from Act 2 to Act 3 without us even getting off our butts. And physically feeling the motor of the revolving platform really emphasised the "mechanical strength that powered the rise of industralisation". Then there was also the colourisation of actual photographs of families from that era which contrasted with the darkness and grime of inevitable social ills. The first hint of the sad component of history but totally cool presentation.
Act 4 1942 - 1945 Occupation
Hands down my least favourite part and no fault of the exhibition itself, just the content. The setting of dimly lit spaces and cracked walls in narrow tunnels effectively forced visitors to feel the oppressive atmosphere. The re-enactment of an actual survivor of Sook Ching also felt too real for comfort.
Act 5 1950s - 2019 Destiny
The most talked-about act of the entire experience! It was supposed to provide "an uplifting finale" but for a long while I could not get past the fact that I really personally bear witness standing at the Padang, drenched to the bones by the downpour that fell on the day of LKY's funeral procession. But yes, there were downs and there were ups. We have achieved so much which made me so proud to call myself a Singaporean and I am ready to weather any storm as a nation.
This part of the experience ended with a closing question asking every visitor to vote "Which DNA trait is most important to Singapore? Although I can certainly see how "Multiculturalism" and "Openness" play a part to our success, I chose "Self-Determination" because ....cue music! there was a time when people said that Singapore won't make it, but we did
The Pathfinder
This part of the experience reminded me a lot of Singapore Biennale as you can explore various outdoor pavilions on Fort Canning Hill artistically designed to reveal Singapore's place in the world through different themes. Love it!
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| The map - of course I tried to follow it in sequence |
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| Emporium of the East - white clay replicas of trading goods in early Singapore and some VR surprises! |
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| House of Maps - beautiful redesign and representation of blown up maps depicting Singapore in various names |
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| Lookout - the exterior |
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| Lookout - interior 1 |
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| Lookout - interior 2 |
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| Seed Conservatory |
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| Seed Conservatory - my favourite spice! |
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| Seed Conservatory - this is one of the better surviving ones |
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| Lightbeam - Need to visit this at night! |
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| Pavilion of Words - Quite a collection of books on Singapore; browsed through one of TNP |
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| Pavilion of Words - my "tweet" |
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| Reflections of our Past - deep in thought |
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| Observatory |
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| Observatory - VR fun! |
So what are you waiting for? Go see it already before the tickets run out again!! You "paid" for this massive nationalistic project, you know?
This part of the experience ended with a closing question asking every visitor to vote "Which DNA trait is most important to Singapore? Although I can certainly see how "Multiculturalism" and "Openness" play a part to our success, I chose "Self-Determination" because ....cue music! there was a time when people said that Singapore won't make it, but we did 
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