July 30, 2008
inSingapore: Singapore Garden Festival 2008
Quick thoughts on the Singapore Garden Festival. Won’t go into a long story since much has been reported about it in the newspapers already.
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OVERALL IMPRESSION:
Was the show AMAZING? No.
Was it worth going to see? YES.
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NOTEWORTHY PIECES:
Kayuzi Ishihara’s Ryokuru Tei “The Green Breeze” (Landscape Gardens). Love the use of moss on the walls of the “hideaway”
Peter Cheok’s Seeking Shangri-la (Fantasy Gardens). This underwater fantasy piece really does seem magical.
John Cullen’s Rose of Glendalough (Fantasy Gardens). I’ve always loved ruins and the natural, wild look.
Ng Sek San’s The ModGod Garden (Fantasy Gardens). The wall of of plants which form the features of Marilyn Monroe is a definite show-stopper. The other wall, Mao Zedong, doesn’t work as well, though.
Caroline Loo’s Theatre (Floral Windows to the World). I thought this one really blended together the traditional and the modernist very well through its colours, shapes and lines.
Jin Young Park’s The Inner Door in Our Mind (Floral Windows to the World). This piece is spectacular, making good use of concentric shapes to depict doors going further and further inside.
Cindy Chao’s Four Seasons (Floral Windows to the World). Beautiful outside wall with circular discs made of different materials, and a wonderful pillar of jasmine flowers.
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MY FAVOURITE:
Both my mum and I agreed that we love this one. The pictures below don’t do justice to it, but this silvery field of giant flowers was really pretty. This is an example of an execution of concept which really works. And also an instance of minimalism with a lot of charm.
Section: Floral Windows to the World
Title: W01 Naivism Meets Minimalism
Designer: Tor Gundersen (Norway)
Concept: Inspired by Norwegian fairy tales, this display uses the form and movement of flowers together with botanical flowers to evoke a sense of the whimsical. The spontaneous placement gives the work a naive and natural look while its minimalist aspect is reflected in the reduction of colour.
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And I just have to mention that I’m in awe of the tremendous amount of work that must be involved in bringing in all the flowers and setting up the landscapes and floral displays for the Garden Festival. And the daily maintenance required. Here’s just one example – this person is replacing the flowers one by one in this display:
May 5, 2008
Let your camera open your eyes
I will never be a really serious photographer, but recently, I decided to ‘borrow’ my brother’s digital camera, and bring it everywhere with me, just to see what happens.
And it’s been an eye-opener. There are so many people, places, things that I usually don’t really look at as I go about my daily activities. But with camera in hand, even the commonplace yields special moments. It’s surprisingly therapeutic.
I’ve found that it’s a gift to be able to capture unique glimpses of your friends. And to be at the right place at just the right time to take a good picture? That’s like an unexpected treat.
Photo below was taken at Expo MRT (commuter train) station, Singapore. Still don’t know what plant this is (let me know if you do), but the broad leaves, and the beauty of the sun shining on (and through) them, caught my eye.
Crooked Turret 