JJ at The Bicentennial Experience – From Singapore to Singaporean
Mummy J signed us up some months back for the Bicentennial Experience. Good thing she did that.
When we first heard it however, we went like “What? Are we going to a new shopping mall?” and never thought back anything about it until last week when Mummy gets a reminder on her trusty iPhone calendar and off we go to the Fort Canning Centre (located at 5 Cox Terrace, Singapore 179620) [Park at F0022].
Note: what we’re attempting to describe below is based solely on our collective experience and will definitely not do justice to the amount of work the production team has put in over the past years – there has clearly been an incredible amount of effort and investment that has gone into making this show, experience, exhibit or whatever-you-call-it a reality.
This is ‘an-admission-by-ticket-only’ event and FREE tickets can be booked online here. Be sure thought to secure your tickets ASAP to immerse yourself in an educational experience that showcases defining events in Singapore’s 700-year history!
The following is an excerpt from the Bicentennial Experience guidebook which succinctly captures what the experience is all about:
The Bicentennial Experience commemorates the 200th anniversary of Raffles’ landing in Singapore. The Bicentennial Experience reflectively unfolds the story of our country’s evolution – stretching beyond the British arrival in 1819 to explore the preceding 500 years. As the centrepiece event of the Singapore Bicentennial, this multimedia sensory experience will take visitors back in time to witness key moments in Singapore’s transformation. The Bicentennial Experience has 2 main sections:
- The Time Traveller which takes place indoors, bringing visitors on an epic experiential journey through Singapore’s key historical moments.
- The Pathfinder which is an outdoor experience, with a series of pavilions designed for visitors to explore a diverse range of ideas and themes that show how Singapore’s connections with the rest of the world have spanned 700 years.
We thoroughly enjoyed the Time Traveller experience, comprising 5 different acts, preceded by the Atrium experience where we were taken thru a summary audio documentary of the rise and fall of civilisations and cities with a digital rotunda table of the visuals and map of the story, culminating with an awe-inspiring visual of the reverse-rain effect (rain drops rise from bottoms up)!
Act 1: Beginnings – Live performers and a moving travelator add drama and dynamism to some of the most colourful exploits that unfolded in early Singapura. The synchronised performance of the actors with the music and audio recap were choreographed perfectly and added drama and suspense! This was our favourite part of the entire experience.
Act 2: Arrival – We board “The Indiana”, the ship that brought Raffles to Singapore in 1819. The digital screen and animation were simply astounding, and left us awe-struck. [JJ Tip] Sit at the back rows if you are prone to motion sickness!
Act 3: Connectivity – Still in the same room, the circular surround screens now move and seats rotate to provide an all-immersive show experience. The JJ Tip of sitting at the back pews still apply since Mummy J had her eyes shut at some point to prevent her getting dizzy!
Act 4: Occupation – We disembark from the ‘vessel’ and are herded into a small darkened room to simulate refuge within an underground bomb shelter. The sirens and alarms blare signifying the Japanese occupation of Syonan during World War 2 (1942-1945). The audio broadcast of happenings around are vivid reminders of the very significant yet painful WW2 era in the history of Singapore. When we exit the room, we talk into a tunnel with supposed cracks in the wall through which we see glimpses of historical events during this time, culminating with an audio+visual account of a Sook Ching survivor (a Chinese term depicting the purging or cleansing or eliminating or individuals resisting the occupation).
Act 5: Destiny – Prior to entering the next room, we were handed brollies which we promptly opened before a gust of rain hovered across and started pouring cats and dogs.
Soon the weather fined up and we were ushered into a new dawn. A new era of Singapore, our Singapore today.
View our videos below in 2 parts [Caution on the 2nd video which may require parental guidance]