Guardians by the Bay

From Tales To Legends: Discover Singapore Stories - an SG50 commemorative floral display at the Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay, is now open till Sept 13. We showcase some of the myths and legends you will encounter at the exhibition.

These names and places are familiar to many Singaporeans - Redhill, Pulau Ubin and Sang Nila Utama, to name a few.

But how many actually know the folklores behind them?

Ten of these local legends have been brought to life at Gardens by the Bay through an array of floral interpretative displays designed by award-winning Singaporean landscape architect Damian Tang.

The exhibition, held at the Flower Dome, features local legends such as the Merlion and Sang Nila Utama, and showcases the folk stories behind key locations in Singapore such as Bukit Timah and Redhill. Each of the exhibits features intricately carved mahogany statues and zinc structures specially commissioned and sculpted in Bali.

More than 8,000 specially selected orchids and plants will be placed alongside the statues to tell a story.

One of the highlights of the exhibition is a redesigned Merlion statue battling multiple 10m-tall tornadoes made up of banyan roots.

The new Merlion design is conceptualised by a Singaporean game artist, Ms Lynette Wu, who wanted to capture the strength of Singapore as a successful nation.

Apart from the 10 legends, another exhibit to look out for is Tales Of Our People, a series of seven paper tole and five statues that pays tribute to our nation's builders such as Samsui women, hawkers and coolies.

FYI

WHAT: From Tales To Legends: Discover Singapore Stories

WHERE: Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay

WHEN: Now until Sept 13

HOW MUCH: $8 to $12 (For locals)

This article was first published on August 11, 2015.
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