Our history is a lot more than meets the eye..

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!

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?!

 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!

The map - of course I tried to follow it in sequence

Emporium of the East - white clay replicas of trading goods in early Singapore and some VR surprises!

House of Maps - beautiful redesign and representation of blown up maps depicting Singapore in various names

Lookout - the exterior

Lookout - interior 1

Lookout - interior 2

Seed Conservatory

Seed Conservatory - my favourite spice!

Seed Conservatory - this is one of the better surviving ones

Lightbeam - Need to visit this at night!

Pavilion of Words - Quite a collection of books on Singapore; browsed through one of TNP

Pavilion of Words - my "tweet"

Reflections of our Past - deep in thought

Observatory

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?

Changi Bejewelled!

On the first day when she opened her doors for a week of preview before the official opening, I arrived full of excitement for what I thought to be a guided tour to the new "terminal". Almost immediately I received my first surprise.
Given the specific duration stated on what I thought to be coveted limited preview tickets, I had expected to wait in line and be brought around in groups to experience the facilities systematically. But there was no queue to enter and we were allowed in half an hour earlier. A check with the crew revealed that it was to be a free and easy first look of a mega mall! I'm not even sure if "mega" is an accurate enough description. 

It was certainly big enough to hold a great number of people. I found out that each time slot of 3 hours allowed 25000 ticket holders to enter but I was pretty sure that when we arrived at 330pm, the crowd within still consist of guests from the morning slot!
Feeling a little lost and stranded without a guided tour, we eventually decided to follow a photo-worthy trail suggested on Now Boarding. So off we go for the escalators to the highest floor - Canopy Park on level 5.
I have yet to attempt a live video on Facebook and had totally missed the perfect opportunity for the virgin attempt with that first look of the lush greenery! So please please please, if you have not been to Jewel yet, make sure you have your video rolling as you take the escalator up to the Piazza. You will really be enthralled by the magnificent surroundings and the overview of the entire venue inclusive of the Rain Vortex!

Next, we strolled through the Topiary Walk but were not quite able to pose with all the animal horticulture displays given the sheer number of people waiting for their turns. The elephant is definitely my favourite! 

Many of the attractions such as the Canopy Bridge and Bouncing Net were still not open so I was not surprised when I didn't come across the Mirror Maze but we did managed to snap another interesting reflection of us on the underside of the Discovery Slides! 

Didn't quite pose with them but the Foggy Bowls and Petal Garden are quite breathtaking on their own. 

The OCD in me was also able to position myself right on spot to capture our iconic Control Tower in the centre of this almost symmetrical photo! 

Then we skipped YotelAir and instead went directly to the Viewing Deck on level 2 to get this panoramic shot. The clear view and the light mist made my heart soar... my photo taking skills do not do it justice. 

Next is the Cataract Falls in the Forest Valley. It really is easy to miss these little gems against the gigantic and thunderous falling of water a stone's throw away. Glad I didn't! 

Last but not least, I really wanted to execute their final suggestion of shooting slow-mo against the waterfall in the Immersion Garden on Basement 2. Took my hubby a few tries (kudos darling!) but I do love the effect of this shot! How lucky am I to find a spot with no other visitors too!

So there you go... this was my first experience of #jewelthroughmyeyes (love this hashtag btw) and it will certainly not be the last! So many good food to try, when the queues are more manageable!