RECLAIMING BARRACKS: FROM MILITARY TO ARTISTIC

Abstract

During the early 19th century, Japan’s expansionist ambitions had started to assert a great deal of pressure upon the British Empire as a potential threat to the defense of its colonies. The uncertain provocation had since solidified when Japan’s navy gained its competency by becoming the third largest in the world, immediately after the United States and Britain. The Royal Navy, under the increasing pressure and uncertain of its strength to protect its colonies thus dispatched a Far Eastern Fleet with its base in Singapore. Since then the construction of the naval base and the fortification of Singapore’s coast lines has been initiated, inducing the spur of military barrack communities around Singapore. Following the British military’s withdrawal from Singapore, the legacy of the British Empire has either vacated by the Singapore military or left abandoned. Some of the deserted military colonial buildings however are being cherished once again when it was given new life, transforming into artistic villages and art enclaves, one by one. This paper discusses the criteria for creativity productions as well as to examine the suitability of military colonial barracks to house art productions. Long before the Japan’s emerging Imperialism ambition, the British Empire had started to import their foreign architectural style into Singapore in the mid 18th century. From the earliest Anglo-Indian bungalow to the later military barracks as well as colonial houses with Art Deco and Modernist tendencies, every stage of evolution has documented the participation of local architectural style so that those houses were able to adapt to the tropical climate. Such mutual integration is considered equally important within art production as well, to preserve the distinction of vernacular culture, which is why art production will have their native creativity be valued within the black and white houses. However, tangible aspect should be accessed to determine the suitability of the colonial houses’ Urbanism configuration to cultivate art production. By exploring into Jane Jacob’s conditions for primary diversity as an analytical tool, there will be a conclusion of the capability in promoting artistic production within the cluster of colonial houses.