Verbalism Personified

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I took more shots of the concourse at the Esplanade Theatre while waiting to dinner a friend. The last time I came through was in April this year to attend an organ recital by the fabulous Carol Williams.

When the plan for the Esplanade was unveiled, the reaction from anyone who saw it ranged from the derisive to the intrigued. Some likened it to bugs eyes that should have been squashed, others scoffed at it as the "uneaten durian". Today however, this odd duckling is now the iconic 'durian' by which Lion City identifies itself. And so it should be, when not too long ago the Changi Airport Tower and Merlion were roped for duty to represent the country.

The reaction to national icons are not always favorable and even fewer manage to endear themselves to the very citizens they are supposed to represent. But as with the passing of time, icons that draw the strongest reactions, either positive or negative, always make a statement.

Take the Sydney Opera House, once ridiculed as "erect orange peels", is now treasured as Australia's national icon, much to the irritation of Melbournites who want an icon of their own. The Eiffel Tower in Paris was derided as a feeble attempt to salvage French manhood. Never mind that the Allies had to rescue France from the Germans twice in a single generation. Today, you haven't been to Paris if you haven't been to the tower.

So the Esplande has had a promising start as Lion City's unlikely representative. Shaped like the very fruit Lion Citizens salivate over, would the integrated gambling dens and that giant hamster wheel steal some of the limelight?

posted by Teutoburg @ 1:16 PM