THE ALTERNATIVE NARRATIVE : RETHINKING SINGAPORE LANDMARKS

Abstract

In a 1972, the late Mr S Rajaratnam, former Foreign Minister set Singapore the goal of becoming a "global city", highlighting the need to transform Singapore’s international image from a traditional city to a modern metropolis reminiscent to that of Tokyo and New York City. Within three decades, Singapore’s city skyline is gleaming with landmarks designed by the world’s best. This dissertation is premised on the assumption that Singapore’s “global city” image is hinged on the definition of “Singapore Landmarks”; the hypothesis being the image of Singapore is prescribed by the state through the means of two mechanisms: “publicizing new landmark projects led by the state” and “the selective preservation and representation of Singapore’s architectural heritage”. An investigation to test the hypothesis reveals that “Singapore Landmarks” are indeed manifestations of the ideologies and rhetoric of policy makers, instrumental in defining the national narrative and spatial identities to be impressed on the public’s consciousness. In this model, even significant landmark projects from private initiatives have little foothold in the national narrative despite their architectural merits. The tendency to exclude non-national projects from the official records signifies the desire for selective representation of national development history by the authorities, thereby obscuring a holistic view of Singapore’s heritage and architectural development history. In view of the limitations of the national narrative, this dissertation takes the opportunity to introduce the “alternative narrative”; an alternative version to the national narrative. It attempts to capture as much as possible a holistic version of Singapore’s architectural heritage and historical development, not limited by political ideologies and agendas.