THE KALLANG WAVE

Abstract

The thesis looks at the relationship between the city and water in Singapore. For Singaporeans, water is precious. It is money, it is scarce, and it is about survival. The fear of losing water, coupled with the channelization of canals to prevent floods, has led to the alienation of water experiences in many Singaporean’s lives. However, water is not just a tangible resource; it can also be consumed differently as an intangible experience. So, how do we stop resisting water? How do we also free the water that has been isolated behind this rigid barrier?

Looking into the different natures of water: the warm amiability of water in engaging people through water activities, the imperious self-assurance of water in dominating and transforming the landscape, and the exuberance of water explored through carnivals which negotiates the contestation between capitalism and leisure, the thesis seeks to tap into water’s potential to seduce, engage and connect with the user through different levels of interaction intensity by providing areas of opportunity of various relationships (nature, materiality and activities) with water as well as through temporal disturbances where such deviations from normality allow the manifestation of relations among things which gives rise to new meanings.