Curiocity: Encore in the City

Every space we are in have gone through countless incarnations. How can we help a new generation to reconnect with forgotten spaces?

The Brief

As part of the Light to Night Festival during Singapore Art Week, National Library Board (NLB) commissioned us to create a public installation that revisits the entertainment landmarks of our past.

Our Process

Encore in the City began with the idea of connectedness. Each landmark connects between the past and present across streets and spaces. With this spark of a concept, we envisioned an installation that creates pockets of spaces through a singular structure. The structure would cut through the wind, allow visitors to come in any direction, give every featured landmark its own space while weaving everything altogether .

We wanted each entertainment landmark we featured to be just as relevant today as they were in their heyday. With that in mind, we dug into NLB’s archive and looked for stories and themes that would resonate with our present, then we translated them into experiential spaces that gave a nod to the landmark and its themes.

Bugis Street

Before Bugis Street became a popular shopping district, it used to be a notorious hotspot for nightlife. Known internationally as “Boogie Street”, its nights were filled with street hawkers, tourists, transgender partygoers and western sailors. We wanted to create the energy of the Bugis Street of old and relate it to how nightlife has transformed in Singapore today. 

Wave to get disco ball spinning!

Odeon Cinema

Known as a “super cinema” in its time, Odeon was the king of user experience before user experience even entered our lexicon. Odeon provided hearing aids, a sound-proof cry room and even drive-through ticketing. So in this zone, we invite people to reimagine a more inclusive cinema through play and discovery.

A secret voice beckoning people to think about what the perfect volume for everyone is.

An array of textures to invite visitors to reflect upon how materials affect their cinematic experience.

Challenging visitors to find the “right” viewing angle.

Amidst Covid-19, something as simple as a see-saw becomes the perfect solution for safely-distanced play.

Cathay Building

Cathay’s legacy goes beyond just its building. Cathay was a major studio in Singapore cinema’s golden age and we wanted to use the chance to shed light on local films in Singapore.

Art Deco touches inspired by the Cathay Bulding.

Peepholes inviting visitors to watch some of Cathay’s greatest hits.

Rex Cinema

Rex was more than a cinema, it was also a food haven with some of the most popular street hawkers of its day serving up favourites right beside the cinema. The relationship between food and entertainment is indispensable and this zone was our chance to explore it.

How did we go from kacang puteh to popcorn?

What foods do you sneak into the cinema?

Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall

Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall is the only venue of all the landmarks to feature live performances. With the Covid-19 still looming large, this zone explored the relationship and contrast between live performances and live streaming.

Step up and experience a “live applause”.

Capitol Theatre

With the largest projector room in the world for its time, Capitol Theatre drew crowds internationally. Through Capitol, we look at all the other attractions in Singapore that made it to the world stage.

Vote for your favourite world class landmark!