Friday, December 17, 2010
The Esplanade is also known as
Theatres on the Bay. A centre for performing arts, located along the side of Marina Bay, near the mouth of Singapore River. The unique exterior design looks like a 'durian' due to its spiky glass roof, thus is also known as
'The Durian' to most of the Singaporeans.
The Esplanade was officially opened on 12 October 2002 and is one of the world's most busiest art centres with many facilities to exhibit and showcase art. It has gain popularity throughout these years as it showcase wonderful arts and performances. There are facilities such as the Concert Hall, Theatre, Recital Studio, Theatre Studio, Jendela, Library@Esplanade and Outdoor Theatre.
The Concert Hall and theatres hold different kinds of events, ranging from performances like concerts, recitals, musicals, plays, and even holding presentations and meetings.
The Jendela, which means 'window' in the Malay language, is an exhibition space which holds showcase art by locals, regional and international collections. The Jendela and Recital Studio is located side by side.
If you enjoy arts and prefer a quiet and peaceful environment, you might want to visit Library@Esplanade to check out the books on arts. The Outdoor Theatre is a place where free performances are held regularly, making the outdoor lively as well.
Other than theatres and exhibitions, Esplanade offers a variety of retail and food & beverage. There are shops where you are able to purchase souveniers of the Esplanade, shops selling flowers, chocolates etc. The food & beverage outlets offer Asian food, Western food, and there are Cafes and bars too.
The Esplanade is a great place as there are many different kinds of performances to enjoy. There will always be performances going on, so you could try to find time to catch a performance, enjoy and relax yourself after having a hectic period in work or school. I have attended a Band performance in Esplanade and it was held in the Concert Hall. It has a wonderful atmosphere, with comfortable seats and a great view of the stage. It was totally relaxing and enjoyable with the music playing along.
Accessible from City Hall MRT Station, with directions guiding you how to go to the Esplanade. During the walk to the Esplanade, there would be long corridor which is also an art exhibition, displaying artworks mostly done by local students. The artworks will change with new ones regularly.
One of the exhibitions in 2008
One of the exhibitions in November 2010
Where is this place?
1 Esplanade Drive
For more information, please visit
http://www.esplanade.com/index.jspLabels: Building, City Hall, Esplanade
♥Arts, Culture & Heritage
11:11 PM
The Merlion, also known as Singa-Laut in Malay, is an imaginary creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. It is used as a mascot of Singapore. Its name combines "Mer" meaning the sea and "Lion". The fish body comes from Singapore's ancient name back when it was a fishing village –
Temasek — meaning "sea town" in Javanese. The lion head represents Singapore's original name —
Singapura— meaning "lion city".
The completion of the Esplanade Bridge, in 1997, blocked the views of the Merlion from the Marina Bay waterfront. By then, the original Merlion location was also no longer the entrance of Singapore River. So, in 2002, the statue and its cub were relocated 120 metres to the current Merlion Park that fronts Marina Bay where it stands on a newly-reclaimed promontory in front of The Fullerton Hotel.
Breathtaking Night View of the Merlion
It would definitely be a waste if you never visit the Merlion when you're in Singapore, it is Singapore's icon. Known for its unique features, the Merlion has became tourists number 1 attraction. The Merlion is huge and there will be many tourists there taking pictures with it.
Note : Many people like to take a boat along the river and take pictures acting like the Merlion is spitting water into their mouth.
Labels: City Hall, Merlion Park, Outdoor Attractions
♥Arts, Culture & Heritage
12:42 AM
