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Singapore Pavilion

The main theme of Expo 2012 (“The Living Ocean and Coast”) envisions the balance between development and preservation and the co-existence between nature and mankind through successful resolution of the challenges oceans and coasts face. Sharing the Expo’s vision, the Singapore Pavilion for Expo 2012 is themed “Paradox-ity: City of Contrast,” inspired by the inherent contradictions posing as challenges in Singapore’s pursuit of more sustainable urbanization.

Singapore is a city of paradox. It may not have abundant raw materials to export, but it is one of the world’s busiest sea ports. It operates one of the world’s largest offshore landfills, but that landfill is a haven for rich marine biodiversity. It only has 714 square kilometers of land, but also has more than two million trees. And it may have limited natural water resources, but every tap produces drinkable water.

On approaching the pavilion, visitors are immediately be attracted by the cubic form facade featuring a coordinated variety of videos, performances, and activities containing the thematic visual contrasts of Singapore’s stories and ideology (a small country that needs to plan big). Featuring LED screens, a Green wall, and various objects and graphics, the exterior also serves as a platform for performances and activities that represent the theme. The content-rich facade serves as a teaser to invite visitors to enter the pavilion and begin a journey to discover more about Singapore. In line with the “ocean and coast” maritime theme of Expo 2012, a physical shipping container is used as an entrance portal and pre-show holding area. As visitors traverse through the dark container, they are greeted by a voiceover which welcomes them with an overview of Singapore’s maritime history. Once the short narration ends, the door opens, and visitors enter a large screening area.

Gallery One allows visitors to behold the various cityscapes and faces of Singapore through a 3-D light and sound show projected onto walls articulated with a wave of undulating pop-out boxes. This 3-D video (which employs projection-mapping techniques) provides a truly immersive experience. From the boxes, a series of contrasting landscapes reveal themselves. A symphony of contrast between garden and the city, plants and waste, manmade and natural environment, black and white, color and monochrome articulate a bold dialogue of the paradoxical elements that make Singapore unique and wonderful.

As visitors move from Gallery One to Gallery Two (entitled “Beautiful Re-collection”), they are greeted by an artistically composed wall made up of recycled artifacts. Award-winning Singaporean artist David Chan was commissioned to curate and assemble the installation comprising waste and discarded items collected from Singaporeans over five months. These artifacts, which are unavoidable by-products of any society, represent the multi-faceted make up and lifestyle of Singapore. The recycled artifacts were also arranged in a chronological order to symbolize the eras of past, present, and future. The juxtaposition of objects organically creates meaning without being literal, and encourages the visitor to discover the different types of trinkets hidden here and there. More importantly, the installation aims to lead visitors to discover and see this “trash” in a different light.

Complementing the recycled trash wall are two community projects titled “A Message to Nature” and “School of Fishes.” The artworks created by school students as well as a non-profit organization were meant to be an expression of environment and art through the eyes of young Singaporeans, while also allowing Singaporeans, acting as envoys of nature, to contribute in part to the overall experiences of the Singapore Pavilion. “A Message to Nature” is a community project that aims to bring attention to the environmental challenges that future generations may face. Participants were asked to create a miniature artwork that serves as an intimate “message to nature.” They wrote their hopes and well wishes for the environment and future generations on a piece of paper and decorated recycled glass containers to house their messages.

For the “School of Fishes” project, participants were provided with a fish template (made from metal, mesh, and paper) and encouraged to creatively enhance the look of the fish with basic paints and craft materials. Participants were also strongly encouraged to use recycled materials to construct or compose their fish.

The journey of Semakau Landfill is broken down into two parts: Seaward Treasures and Landward Wonders. In Seaward Treasures, the visitor explores the underwater sights off the island of the Semakau Landfill. Guests learn that the island is host to a rich ecological system that cannot be found anywhere else in Singapore.

In the Landward Wonders section, visitors ascend “landward,” up to the island. The journey to land is represented by a sweeping wall of recycled cartons. As guests walk landward, they begin to learn about the physical makeup of Semakau Landfill as well as the beautiful coastal conditions and activities in Singapore.

Titled “Small City, Big Dreams”, the first part of Gallery Three helps visitors understand how a small country devoid of natural aquifers, great rivers, and sizable lakes overcame its challenges to build a robust and diversified supply of water. Through a pixel planed ‘Green’ wall showing Singapore’s Active, Beautiful, Clean water program — an initiative that transformed Singapore’s water bodies from canals and drains into beautiful and clean streams, rivers, and lakes — it draws similar comparison to Cheonggyecheon, an urban renewal project that restored a stream in the heart of Seoul. Like the Cheonggyecheon stream in Seoul that has returned the natural environment to the people, Singapore launched the Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters (ABC Waters) Program in 2006 to create vibrant community spaces close to water for all to enjoy.

The next section of the Gallery is made up of five immersive, engaging “Dream Rooms.” Within these rooms, visitors have a chance to understand five important aspects of Singaporeans’ daily life: Live, Work, Play, Culture, and Conserve.

In the the “Live” dream room, visitors experience how Singapore lives as a “city in a garden.” Guests literally place themselves into a living room of a high-rise apartment by popping their heads into a small box-like room. There, thanks to backlit graphics, they can look out at the sky gardens and inner city abodes they would see if they were looking out the windows of an actual apartment in Singapore. In the “Work” dream room, visitors experience Singapore’s thriving and expanding business district via a thrilling 3-D flythrough.

In the “Play” dream room, visitors can virtually fly a kite, thanks to an interactive projection of a kite soaring over the Marina Barrage and the Singapore skyline. Next, visitors poke their heads into the “Culture” dream room, where they are greeted by a panoramic view of an arts/culture performance in one of Singapore’s premier arts venues. This dream room features a 3-D hologram of a young musical prodigy performing an exhilarating piece at Singapore’s dazzling Esplanade Theatre.

In the “Conserve” dream room, visitors virtually experience Singapore’s past by bicycle. By mounting a stationary bike and peddling, the participant activates a video on a screen which plays footage shot in Singapore. The speed at which the footage flies by is controlled by how fast the participant peddles the bike. The virtual bike path takes visitors past some of Singapore’s most elegant and iconic conservation projects, including Fullerton Hotel, Clifford Pier, Clarke Quay, and more.

After the Dream Rooms, visitors move on to the Green Portfolios section, where they will be enveloped in a garden-like setting where they learn how Singapore strives to realize its vision of creating a City in a Garden. A key feature within this section of the gallery is the upcoming “Gardens by the Bay” project.

Finally, guests experience Gallery Four. Rain is a natural phenomenon, which all can relate to. As a climax to the Singapore Pavilion experience, the Singapore water story is presented through the act of harvesting rain in. Visitors pass through a tunnel-like space, which simulates a tropical rainstorm in Singapore. There, they experience the beating of the rain and the lightening of a typical storm. As they pass through this section, they are invited to participate in a ritual of collecting water through the use of a Korean paper known as the “Hanji.” The backlit curvilinear walls of the tunnel are lined with the “Hanji,” and visitors are invited to pluck a sheet from the walls as they pass through.

Next, guests enter a glowing red gallery space, embraced by a series of mesh-like trays that line the wall. They are greeted by the refreshing smell of rainwater, as droplets drizzle and trickle through the mesh. The mesh serves as a receptacle for the water droplets, creating a sparkle under warm lighting effects. The visitors physically engage in the act of water harvesting using the hanji paper they selected. First, they write a thought, reaction to the pavilion experience, or wish for future generations on the paper. Next, they have it embossed with a seal of the Singapore Pavilion and stamped with red ink. Then, they take their hanji to the mesh receptacles, where they catch a single drop of water. Upon contact with water, the white paper produces a burst of colors. The aim is to allow the visitor to realize how every single drop of water is precious, and the rippling effect it can create.

At the conclusion of the Singapore Pavilion journey, the water message is summarized that though we may each be small, we must not be limited by our efforts to find solutions to our challenges. Our resources may be limited, but our creativity and ingenuity to solve our challenges need not be, and everyone can play a part in resource conservation for a better tomorrow. As they exit the pavilion, guests are asked to hang their hanji on a wishing wall at the end of the gallery as a symbolic gesture to mark the end of their Singapore Pavilion journey.