Academic Essay: National Gallery of Singapore, Modernised National Treasure between Times

Question: “Consider a scenario in which you have been asked to present the idea of modern-day Singapore, through a single work of architecture. What would that one choice of yours be?” “So that is how we embarked on this path. To modernise the buildings but preserve their heritage, to turn them into an understated but high-quality museum, in keeping with the ethos of our society.” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his speech at the opening celebrations of the National Gallery Singapore in 2015 (Lee, 2015). His statement reveals about Modern-Day Singapore because the ever-changing developments directly impact on our upkeep of distinctiveness as a city which affects the National Development in the Built Environment. This is expressed in the vision of the Ministry of National Development for Singapore to be “An Endearing Home and a Distinctive Global City (MND, 2018).” My perception of ‘Modern-Day Singapore’ is to address recent developments in Singapore by balancing past heritage and future practicability to safeguard our Singaporean distinctiveness into the modernised world. Therefore, the single work of architecture to present the idea of Modern-Day Singapore is the National Gallery. This work is chosen in relation to Modern-Day Singapore because of the representation of the conservation spirit to make Singapore a Distinctive City, a work where technological advancement was used throughout different periods and the embodiment of National Significance.

The conservation efforts in National Gallery turned past buildings into a distinct feature of the modernised lion city. One of the goals for Modern-Day Singapore is to foster a stronger national identity by reinforcing on a distinct Singaporean character (URA, 2022) and that is evident in the conservation efforts since the 1989 Conservation Master Plan (URA, 2020). The National Gallery is made up of 2 national monuments namely the City Hall and former Supreme Court. The beauty is found in the architectural concept modernising these into a gallery, a vision and means for Singapore to be positioned as a regional and international hub for the visual arts as it oversees the largest public collection of modern art of Singapore and Southeast Asia. Thus, the conservation efforts in National Gallery displays the ideals and forward-looking aspect of Modern-Day Singapore. The advanced architectural technology used in the various periods of construction in National Gallery and its past infrastructure represents Modern-Day Singapore. Constructed at a cost of 1.75 million Straits Dollars, former Supreme Court was billed by The Straits Times as Malaya’s finest building and intended to display the best in contemporary design and construction. The building’s key exterior features include the Copper Dome, the Tympanum, and Ionic and Corinthian columns. It was the state of an art then to have technological innovations such as a Solo-Air ventilation system. The National Gallery also has its own technological advancement such as the basement construction with Singapore’s first truck lift, gigantic tree-like steel structures, new roof design and accompanying veil that would diffuse the sunlight streaming into the building. As such, not only did the old technological innovations still stand but also new technologies implemented into National Gallery which displays the technological advancement of Modern-Day Singapore. Lastly, National Gallery holds a firm ground of historical richness and national significance to be the embodiment of Modern-Day Singapore. Modern-Day Singapore do not happen instantly and must be built on the foundations of historical experiences. The site of National Gallery has seen significant events in Singapore’s history such as the surrender of the Japanese forces to the Allied forces in 1945, the swearing of Singapore First Prime Minister, Lee Kuen Yew, and his cabinet to political office in 1959 and the inauguration of Singapore’s First Head of State, Yusof Bin Ishak. With National Gallery standing in the modern world today, Modern-Day Singapore cannot be represented without it, but it becomes the gateway to our past national spirit of growth from a fishing village to a city of skyscrapers. Therefore, the National Gallery with a nationalistic history allows it to portray Modern-Day Singapore. To conclude, Singapore will continue to have newer “icons” as the nation advance in technology. The greatest technological advancement may not necessarily be the latest project but can be the innovations to modernise past buildings becoming future-oriented buildings. That is indeed a tough design to obtain, a great art to appreciate and that is Modern-Day Singapore in our conservation spirit of national treasures. National Gallery, the Modernised National Treasure between Times.

(700 Words) *This Academic Essay was a Personal Reflection component for the module, 'Ways of Seeing the City' in DARCH of the School of Architecture and the Built Environment, Singapore Polytechnic. The module focuses on critical and theoretical thinking: to understand how architecture sites itself in a metropolis, and how in turn this same dense urban structures articulate the (wilful) desires of its inhabitants; and to seek exploration of the multiple narrative layers that lay dormant in the skeletons of icons, and subsequently seeks to answer how the intricate interwoven socio-eco-politcoforces of the powerful and subalterns determine if architecture is embraced? (Taken from Module's Synopsis) References

Lee, H. L. (2015, November 23). Retrieved from https://www.pmo.gov.sg/Newsroom/pm-lee-hsien-loong-opening-celebrations-national-gallery-singapore

MND. (2018, February 28). Retrieved from https://www.mnd.gov.sg/who-we-are/introduction#:~:text=The%20MND's%20vision%20for%20Singapore,building%20rooted%20and%20cohesive%20communities.

URA. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.ura.gov.sg/-/media/Corporate/Resources/Publications/Books/30yrs-of-conservation.pdf

URA. (2022, July 1). Retrieved from https://www.ura.gov.sg/Corporate/Planning/Master-Plan/Themes/Rejuvenating-Familiar-Places/Protecting-and-Rejuvenating-Built-Heritage