National Theatre

PAULINE PHOON

Framed Print

40 x 50cm

2017

The artist found a childhood photo of herself in front of this interesting structure that she is unable to locate in Singapore’s current landscape. After some enquiries, she found out it was the iconic Singapore National Theatre. The Fort Canning MRT exit and carpark currently occupies the land. This theatre was built partly through public donations. More than $800,000 of the $2.2 million spent on the structure were public donations, represented by the red bricks. It is also this reason that it had another name, People’s Theatre. Apparently it was a good site to catch the National Day fireworks at the top of Fort Canning then. In 1984 it was closed due to its structural integrity. In 1986 it was demolished to make way for the construction of The Central Expressway.

This is a series of sketches of historical buildings and structures in Singapore. Largely monochromatic, these sketches evoke a sense of nostalgia, reminding Singaporeans of how far the nation has come. Customisable wordings can also be written below the image upon request, at additional charge.