Singapore: Art Scene and National Library!
The heart of any country is its Art and Culture. If Art – music, architecture, paintings, media, poetry, drama and literature dies. No matter how rich a country is, the beat stops. Life gets gray. And soon enough lifeless. . . enough of that.
We visited Singapore’s Art District to get a taste of its Art Scene. We began with the Singapore Art Museum or SAM in Bras Basah Road. As a young country, Singapore understood the role of developing Art and Culture as a required stimulus to flowering economic growth. Most first world nations have high levels of art appreciation. The “high culture” could be a result of a nation’s economic boom but at the same time, stimulating culture could also have the same effect on the economy.
In hindsight, there was really one reason why we decided to go to a simple museum – the Bugis Mall. While perusing the net for places for visit, I chanced upon this modern looking building, where we were to have our dinner. Impressive on photographs showing complex architecture skin, in real life, the building looks like a mall covered with “Christmas Lanterns”. An architecture like this deserve a visit and SAM was supposed to be a drive through.
Beside the Singapore Art Museum is the famed National Library of Singapore. This building is built on the same site of the old Library at Victoria Street, Singapore. Built by famous architect Ken Yeang, this breathtaking architecture marvel’s ground floor is majority civic space – places where people could hang out, stay, paint, eat, bike and perform live theater.
The huge National Library of Singapore is actually two buildings with a huge atrium and connected by bridgeways across specific floors. During our visit, we saw performances of a play at the fourth floor. Thinking about the energy and passion of the students, it is inspiring to live in a city, where the government makes it easy to produce and exhibit the art of its citizens.
Celebrate Life, Live Art!
Enough Art – its time to get food from Bugis Mall and watch Capoeira and music near SMU School of Information Systems.