Property Highlights of Singapore: Public urged to give feedback for design of National Art Gallery

Source : Channel NewsAsia, 05 October 2007

You don’t have to be a professional architect or a designer to have your say on the look of Singapore’s National Art Gallery.

A public exhibition at the City Hall Chambers was launched on Friday with all 111 entries received for the architectural design competition put on display. The entries from 29 countries concluded in late August with three chosen winning designs.

See if you agree with the seven-member international jury who narrowed down the list and add your suggestions on what you would like to see in the building’s design.

Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Information, Communication and the Arts, Dr Balaji Sadasivan, who graced the launch of the exhibition, pointed out that many small things may not be in the design.

"So, feedback from the public is important particularly with regard to the small details. Very often, Singaporeans travel abroad and visit museums and they pick up small things that can make a difference," said Dr Balaji.

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Public urged to give feedback for design of National Art Gallery

He also stressed that the National Art Gallery is a project for the people and that is why a public exhibition of this scale has been launched so that Singaporeans can be part of the final design process.

In his speech at the launch of the exhibition, Dr Balaji said the final design scheme for the National Art Gallery will be settled by early next year when the commissioned architect is announced by MICA.

The National Art Gallery, which Dr Balaji described as an important part of Singapore’s art landscape that will serve as a reflection of the nation’s own identity and character, will reside at the City Hall, the scene of many landmark events in Singapore’s history.

It was at City Hall that Britain’s Lord Louis Mountbatten received the Japanese surrender in 1945 that ended the Occupation of Southeast Asia and in more recent history, it saw Singapore’s declaration of independence by then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

Viewed in this light, there are some like 24-year-old Media Planner Sarah Moey who would like to see the colonial essence of the City Hall area retained, by incorporating the concept of the new and old in the building’s construction. "My concern is that the colonial aspect of the structure should not be lost with too much of modernization in the design."

Others like Radio Deejay Jensen Ho are championing the new era of promise for culture and the arts that the gallery will herald.

One area of interest for Ho is graffiti art, and he thinks a section of the art gallery’s walls should be dedicated to this. "Graffiti was often regarded by others as unsightly damage or unwanted vandalism, but when it is done with passion and meticulous detail, I strongly believe it would draw crowds.

"Besides, most view art galleries as a vicinity for only the well-heeled. So, I think if graffiti art, which represents the ‘new’ is included, more people will be interested to see how new forms of art have been juxtaposed with the historical aspect of the building. Inevitably, this would also attract the youngsters to art galleries," said Ho.

If you have other ideas for the National Art Gallery, you can make them known in four ways.

You can log on to the National Art Gallery’s website at www.nationalartgallery.sg and fill up the online survey or contribute through the feedback unit, REACH.

Overseas Singaporeans are welcome to give their views on the Overseas Singaporean Portal.

If you make the time to visit the exhibition, there will be on-site interviewers stationed at the exit of the City Hall chambers to gather feedback from the public after they have viewed the projects.

The design that has so far won the most praises is that by Studio Milou Architecture and Singapore architects CPG Consultants, as judges were impressed by the design’s clever use of space and light.

Ranked second by the panel was Ho+Hou Studio Architects, a Taiwan-based architectural firm that’s collaborating with AEDAS Pte Ltd in Singapore, whose design was inspired by the form and colours of the home of fishermen or ‘kelong'.

ChanSauYanAssociates, a Singapore-based architectural firm, in collaboration with Lekker Design Pte Ltd’s design is third, with its focus on the main entry portal that connects the two majestic monuments.

But it’s the jury’s comments along with the public feedback and the design’s feasibility that will finally clinch the S$320 million project for one team that will be commissioned to design and build the National Art Gallery.

When completed in 2012, the gallery will house Southeast Asian and Singapore art.

So play a part in creating this national icon. Hop on down to the exhibition, which is on now until 17 October. - CNA/vm

Photo Gallery: National Art Gallery