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Recasting Singapore's Colonial History
SINGAPORE BICENTENNIAL OFFICE (PR / AMBIENT ACTIVATION)TEASER for Singapore Bicentennial
TEASER for Singapore Bicentennial
Singapore Bicentennial marks the 200th anniversary of the British arriving in Singapore.
The curtain-raiser to the Singapore Bicentennial celebration, we decided to "deface" a national monument and spark a conversation on the arrival of the British and their contributions to the nation.
A chance to let Singaporeans see their history more accurately, beyond putting the British colonialist on a pedestal, we made Raffles's statue disappeared. Using trick eye techniques, we camouflaged the Raffles statue against the backdrop of the Singapore skyline, hiding him at first glance.
Raffle's "disappearance" was covered by news channels like Aljazeera, CNA and all of Mediacorp's news channel. Fueled by online speculations, chatter hit fever pitch. Then, we brought Raffles back, along with a few friends -- Sang Nila Utama, Naraina Pillai, Munshi Abdullah, Tan Tock Seng.
The recasting of our colonial past started Singaporeans talking about our history like never before. And perhaps more importantly, led to Singaporeans seeing their identity in a whole new way.
CREATIVE CIRCLE AWARDS 2019GOLD - PR GONGSLaunch / RelaunchSILVER - OUTDOOR GONGSBest use of cultural insightBRONZE - OUTDOOR GONGSBest use of Ambient BRONZE - PR GONGSBest use of Cultural InsightBRONZE - MEDIA GONGSBest use of Cultural Insight
The 4 statues were of figures who each left their own mark on our history. A leader in the community, a businessman who built temples and a hospital, a linguist and scholar. Even a Srivijayan prince, who was the original founder of Singapore over 700 years back. The statues introduced their stories, and passersby were invited to read more about them on the Bicentennial website, where they could discover an even wider cast.
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