Romancing the city

a juxtaposition of ulysses with babel?

Nice balmy whether, sun hidden behind a thick layer of clouds, light breeze caressing my cheeks..what a truly fine day it was. It was perfect, for touring the city and as always i almost never leave home without my good 'ol trusty 'ol digi-cam. It was yesterday that i went on a little city tour of sorts; not that i had planned for it with itinery in hand and what not, but somehow, it just happened by chance. Armed with my digi-cam, a nice and balmy whether coupled with some time to kill before meeting up with friends at Clarke Quay, i decided to walk the CBD and its fringes. Like times gone by before, my explorative nature and my shutterbugging ways actually got the better of me, hence, i went about capturing just about anything and everything that caught my fancy. However, due to my preference for most things big (pun not intended, excuse me) and somewhat tall, i captured mostly skyscrapers. I was glad to be able to find some really good vantage points from which i took my pictures, which incidentally also turned out really decent, or like what Alfie said about the above shot; "the buildings look like add-ons, somewhat like photoshop was administered."(i hope i did not quote you out of context) But, really that shot also happens to be my favourite picture out of thirty over other shots. Its just so flawless, i must add.

Anyway, i can say that after my visit to the URA gallery a couple of days back, i am truly more inspired. Architecture is not dead in Singapore, i just believe that people must be bolder in their creations. Besides taking into consideration the utilitarian purpose of the architecture of a building, our buildings should also be impactfully designed. In achieving that, architects must not be afraid to create a statement, albeit one that is bold and perhaps not go down well with locals. But, in aiming to truly become a cosmopolitant hub and a melting pot of sorts, we have to be more embracing of the works of people with eclectic taste. These are the people we can and should count on, in putting Singapore on the map. These are the people who must showcase to the world that Singapore is capable of producing iconic structures that can rival their counterparts in the West. However, Singaporeans are a fussy lot and i must say very difficult to please; artistic expression does not account for more than just careless whisper. A tragedy?..well not quite for now... Therefore, i propose that us Singaporeans should celebrate creativity and not be so practical for once; not that its a crime but really sometimes it just devalues creativity.

Let loose and let those creative juices start to flow.....Cheers!