Singapore Bicentennial 2019

The year 2019 marks the 200th year since the founding of modern Singapore by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819. The Singapore Bicentennial 2019 is a year-long event celebrating 700 years of Singapore history and heritage. Events will be held across Singapore, from the civic district to the heartlands and will include activities like special heritage tours, guerilla installations and roadshows.

Background

Prime Minister Lee will be kickstarting the year-long calendar of events with the official launch of the bicentennial on 28 January 2019. The 2019 edition of iLight Marina Bay called iLight: Bridges of Time will be launched on the same day, alongside the Light to Night Festival 2019: Traces and Echoes.

The Singapore Bicentennial logo was created by a local branding and design studio, Roots. Advertising agency J Walter Thompson was chosen by Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) to handle the marketing communications and campaign outreach for Bicentennial 2019, edging out other agencies like Gushcloud and Ogilvy Singapore.

There is an advisory panel of professionals from the private and people sector managing the entire Bicentennial calendar of events. These individuals range from university professors such as Assistant Prof Imran bin Tajudeen (NUS) to Mr Chua Thian Poh, Chairman and CEO of Ho Bee Land. Minister of Manpower Josephine Teo and Minister of Social and Family Development Desmond Lee will oversee the overall preparation of the event.

Event Highlights

Pop-up installations

On 29 December 2019, the statue of Sir Stamford Raffles along the Singapore River was found to be partially painted such that it would camouflage into the OCBC Bank building. It was later revealed that the stunt had been authorised by the Singapore Bicentennial Office (SBO). The artist behind the painting was Singaporean Teng Kai Wei, a specialist in public sculptures. The statue was restored to its original unpainted state on 3 January 2019.

On 4 January 2019, an additional 4 statues of Sang Nila Utama, Naraina Pillai, Munshi Abdullah and Tan Tock Seng were built overnight alongside Sir Stamford Raffles. The 4 individuals were key players in the early history of Singapore dating back to 1299. Like the earlier art stunt on the statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, the 4 statues were commissioned by the Singapore Bicentennial Office.

Left: The statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, before and after the implementation of paint. Source | Right: New statues of Sang Nila Utama, Naraina Pillai, Munshi Abdullah and Tan Tock Seng alongside Sir Stamford Raffles along the Singapore River. Source

The five statues are located at North Bank in the surrounding area of the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM), with the closest MRT station being Raffles Place (EW14/NS26). The statues occupy the iconic site where Sir Stamford Raffles allegedly landed in 1819.

Festivals

In conjunction with Bicentennial Singapore, existing programmes such as iLight Marina, Light to Night Festival, Singapore Night Festival, and National Day Parade will include the heritage themes of the Bicentennial.

iLight Singapore: Bridges of Time (28 January - 24 February 2019) is the Bicentennial edition of the annual sustainable light art festival in Singapore. Organised by Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), the festival will operate from 7.30pm to 11pm daily and 12am on Friday and Saturday. There is no admission fee. The festival consists of 33 art installations in total, with some installations specific to Bicentennial 2019. The festival will be spread across 5 zones - Fort Canning Park, The Lawn @ Marina Bay, MBS Event Plaza, Bayfront Event Space and Esplanade Park.

“HALO” at Esplanade Park by UK-based artist Michael Davis is one such installation designed specifically for Bicentennial 2019. It comprises of 200 illuminated rings, one ring representing each year since Sir Stamford Raffles landed in Singapore. “Sails Aloft” is another holographic installation from Estonia depicting the boat dwellings of the earliest inhabitants of Singapore, the orang laut (sea people).

Left: Sails Aloft by Studio Biangle (Estonia) Source | Right: HALO by Michael Davis (UK) Source

Light to Night Festival 2019: Traces and Echoes (18 January - 24 February 2019) is an urban art festival consisting of 2 editions - a Singapore Art Week edition (18 - 27 January 2019) and the Bicentennial edition (28 January - 24 February 2019). Installations and programmes will be scattered across the Civic District of Singapore spanning from National Gallery Singapore to Asian Civilisations Museum. The event is organised by National Gallery Singapore.

Left: Light to Night Festival 2019 promotional poster. Source | Right: National Gallery light show. Source

Exhibitions

“Raffles In Southeast Asia: Revisiting The Scholar And The Statesman” (1 February - 28 April) is a special showcase held at the Asians Civilisations Museum (ACM). In collaboration with British Museum, approximately 240 Javanese and Sumatran artefacts gathered by Sir Stamford Raffles himself will be accessible for public viewing at the ACM. These artefacts range from traditional keris daggers to drawings of flora and fauna. Admission fees are priced at $12 for Singaporeans and permanent residents and $20 for foreigners. The closest MRT station to ACM is Raffles Place MRT (EW14/NS26).

Left: Promotional poster for for “Raffles In Southeast Asia: Revisiting The Scholar And The Statesman”. Source | Right: Left: The Asian Civilisations Museum. Source

“An Old New World: From the East Indies to the Founding of Singapore, 1600s to 1819” (August 2019 - February 2020) is another exhibition detailing the history of the region and Singapore. The exhibition will be held at the National Museum of Singapore. There will also be showcases held at National Gallery and National Library throughout the year.