Why do you think Warhol’s work is so enduring?
By raising daily life objects, commercial and mass culture to the rank of art, he revolutionized the way we look at the world. In a way, he democratized art and made it accessible to all.

Do you have a favorite exhibition piece?
If I had to pick one it would be “The Silver Clouds,” an art installation of balloons made of helium and oxygen. Their unpredictable motion creates a work that is in constant change which I find very poetic. In the exhibition you can see a video of Merce Cunningham dancing with the silver clouds in his dance creation called “Rainforest.”

Are you presenting Warhol to a Singaporean audience differently than you would to an American one?
Certainly. As with all our exhibitions, we adapted this one for a local audience. We didn’t want to take for granted that our visitors, even those who have heard of Warhol, are intimately familiar with who he was and how he worked. So we made a point of re-contextualizing his works by showcasing tools and materials similar to what he used, in order to showcase his creative process.

The Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal exhibition is on through August 12 at ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands.

I became steadily fascinated by plants from the age of five and can honestly say that now I have to have them around me wherever I go.

The most interesting feedback solicited from the public in response for our shout-out for new ideas for SBG was a request for a toilet for dogs!

If I could rule Singapore for a day, I’d make education about plants and their environments, the benefits they bring us and the appreciation of outdoor green places, a compulsory part of the national curriculum for all ages.

The more you think you know or could learn, the more you get hooked by that interest—so it’s the nerd thing.

When I’m not ensconced in my office, I prefer to be immersed in greenery.

Change is essential when it is timely and driven by good reason—meaningless when instigated for its own sake and for want of having anything better to do.

If I have any regret about my career it would be that nowadays I need to understand people better than I understand plants.

I think it fair to say that the standard of maintenance and presentation at SBG is somewhat higher than The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (where I used to be Head Curator of Horticulture).

Kew has a greater diversity of plants, however, and reasonably claims to have the largest number of species in cultivation in the world. Oh, yes, and Kew does not allow in four-legged beasties unless they are to guide the blind.

SBG will still shine with Gardens by the Bay around because both gardens are very different. The former has a classic English Landscape Movement style of informal design and glorious rolling historic landscape with heritage trees that are hundreds of years old.

SBG holds special memories for many in Singapore with its rich heritage of more than 150 years.

Being nerdy is good as long as you do not bore everyone to tears.

If I were a plant, I’d be a big fat barrel cactus covered in sharp spines—happy in the drought and heat, but also happy enjoying a long drink after it rains.

Muddy Murphy’s Irish Pub
Muddy’s basement spot across from Orchard Towers isn’t the most salubrious, but with extended trading hours until “three or four in the morning” on St Paddy’s Day, it can’t be beat. Expect live Irish music, Irish food, green wigs, green faces and Guinness galore.

Molly Malone’s Irish Pub
Competing with Muddy’s for the biggest St Paddy’s bash in town is Singapore’s oldest Irish haunt, which has been pulling pints in the city since 1995. Everything was brought in from Ireland, including the raucous atmosphere. Expect the place to be shoulder-to-shoulder on the big day, though the place, we’ve confirmed, will not have extended hours. Boo!

Mulligan’s
Over at Clarke Quay, Mulligan’s will also throw a respectable bash and they’re planning to temporarily extend their reach for St Paddy’s to where the fountain is on the quay. Mulligan’s says it may open longer than its usual 3am “depending on the crowd.”

Who’s the oldest artist on the block? And the most recent?
About half the studios have participated since the first open studio in 2006 when the area was promoted as an artists’ enclave. This year there will be one new artist studio: Junko Tsujii.

Has making Wessex a designated art enclave helped you guys?
Yes, we think it has. This year will be the sixth open studio walk and slowly the public have got to know and look forward to the event.

What’s the ratio of local, i.e. Singaporean, artists in Wessex compared to foreigners?
The ratio is approximately 45 percent Singaporean artists, 55 percent international artists (from the US, UK, Japan, Netherlands, Serbia, Italy and Brazil) with most international artists having lived longer than 10 years in Singapore and being PR.

That’s a pretty healthy mix of foreign and local. What’s the vibe like?
The studios and artists work independently and really only apart from the ArtWalk do we come together —and even then, artists don't see each other as they’re busy with their open house. Some artists know each other better than others as they live or work near each other, or have shared interests.

ArtWalk@Wessex takes place on the weekend of March 24-25. Maps available at all studios. The walk is free and self-guided with an advised start at #03-05 Block 28, Woking Rd. or #02-03 Block 2, Whitchurch Rd.

Has Elbow’s gradual success—as opposed to a single breakout release—helped the band keep it real?
I think so. But it’s difficult to say; I don’t know what would’ve happened, for example, if we’d been a big success from the first album. All the other bands we know say that success has happened really well for us.

After the success of The Seldom Seen Kid was there a temptation to write more commercially friendly albums?
We were all quite cautious about how to follow it up. We all said we didn’t want to cash in on the success of the album. One of the nicest things about the new album [2011’s Build a Rocket, Boys!] is that most of the music press told us they were all relieved when they first heard it.

How does the band’s song writing process work?
Basically, we all pitch in with everything. I’m not solely responsible for bass, [Mark] Potter’s not entirely responsible for guitar, Guy [lead singer Guy Garvey] isn’t solely responsible for lyrics. It’s a bit of a free-for-`all, to be honest.

Elbow seems quite close knit. Do you guys ever fight?
Well, we do, but we’ve learnt to deal with it. Arguments don’t last long with us. It all starts very quickly and ends very quickly. Generally, it means we get on really well.

Elbow will close the Mosaic Musical Festival 2012 on March 18 at Esplanade Concert Hall.

I first came to Singapore in the mid-‘90s. I was approached by the late [Brother] Joseph McNally, founder and then president of LASALLE College of the Arts.

I accepted a six-month contract, but liked LASALLE and Singapore so much. I’ve been here ever since.

I have a tendency to always look forward, even if I know it’s healthy to slow down at times, step aside, reflect and look back.

Leonard Bernstein’s conversations were exhausting for me, because he jumped from one topic to another. His encyclopedic knowledge was awesome; you name it, he spoke about. He also spoke a lot about death, but with a sort of serene detachment.

I’m into bird watching and philately. The rarest stamps I own are Belgian ration food stamps from WWI.

I avoid Bach’s St Matthew’s Passion because it brings me to tears.

I don’t have a single favorite composer, but I inevitably return to Bach because, during the time of worst difficulties in my life, he reminds me why I chose to be a musician.

I wish I’d written Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.

Musicians have a tendency to look down on composers from their own country. I suppose the reception has improved somewhat in Singapore, but there’s no short cut.

It took a good millennium to create Europe.

Handphones ringing during a concert are unnerving. I lose concentration while conducting, I must then refocus the musicians, and we must then reconnect with the audience.

We don’t have the right to penalize the rest of the audience for the behavior of one individual.

I have a problem with audiences who don’t recognize a good performance from a bad one, judging by their response.

When I was young, I couldn’t understand why, the older my mentors and teachers were, the less they attended concerts. Now, I’m starting to understand.

What gave you the idea of the series?
I’ve been shooting several contemporary dance companies for the past few years and often wondered what it would be like to reintroduce dance into less typical environments and return dance to its urban tribal roots.

Was the dancer's internal dialogue dictated by you or the dancers?
Both. It was an open-ended collaboration with the dancers from the locations and costumes to the choreography and the internal dialogue. I thrive on the creative energy of the dancers and their unique perspectives. One of the dancers had always dreamed of doing acrobatics on public transport - while the logistics were a little tricky I just couldn't resist the challenge!

What was the most challenging shoot?
The most technically difficult was capturing the fire dancing brilliance of Karen Ng, but the most challenging was probably the shoot at Senoko Fish Market on account of dodging fork lift trucks while avoiding falling of the fish strewn floors!

What was the most interesting crowd reaction you got?
The most enthusiastic response was in Little India while shooting a traditional Tahitian dancer. You can imagine the reaction when a lady dressed in little more than a grass skirt and coconuts starts dancing in the middle of a street. By the time we finished shooting that we had an audience of around 80 people who appeared out of nowhere. We had to make a rapid exit!

Is this your day job?
During the day, I work for a large multinational bank and exercise my logical and organization brain. During the evenings and weekends, I indulge my passion for Fine Arts Photography. I need both outlets to feel truly fulfilled.

Matthew G. Johnson’s first solo exhibition, Urban Tribal Dance runs from March 9-18.
 

The year ahead promises all kinds of brilliant new arrivals, including the $1 billion Gardens by the Bay, a new budget airline, an appetizing international food festival, and another world-first zoo experience. Hell, we’re even getting a Jawa transport from Star Wars (yes, really). Here’s a squizz of what’s to come.

1. Scoot

Singapore loves a discount, and a mighty big one is about to descend from the sky like manna from heaven. Singapore Airlines’ new long-haul budget airline, Scoot, which starts flying mid year, will be offering up to 40 percent off fares from traditional airlines. What the low-cost carrier lacks in frills it will make up for in “Scootitude.”

“It’s engaging, it’s a little bit informal, it’s a little bit quirky, it’s not exclusive or exclusionary, it has something for everyone,” explains CEO Campbell Wilson.

Sounds like Virgin to us (and that’s no bad thing). Wilson, who’s worked for Singapore Airlines for 15 years, is the first to admit that the vibe is pretty much the same. “The overall spirit is similar,” he says.

Scoot will be flying ex-Singapore Airlines Boeing 777s and serve destinations with a flight time of roughly five hours and above from Singapore. Sydney and as yet undetermined (as we went to press) cities in China have already been announced as Scoot’s first flight routes, and other destinations are being busily negotiated at present.

As you might expect, the comp are running scared. On hearing the Scoot launch announcement, AirAsia supremo Tony Fernandes offered this tweet: “SIA has no creativity. A confused puppy as an airline. Confused. Scoot? Aiyo. Sounds like a man in a hurry.”

Confused? The world’s best airline knows what it’s doing. And forty percent off is the kind of confusion we like.

When: Mid-year

Where: Changi Airport, Terminal 2, www.flyscoot.com

2. Reflections at Keppel Bay

The six towers of this strange, Middle Earth-type residential project topped out a while ago so Singapore has already had quite some time to reflect on Reflections at Keppel Bay. We like what we see, it seems. Most of the units have already been sold (and you don’t even get them forever, just a 99-year lease) despite an exorbitant price tag—around $2,200 per sq. ft. with the highest price hitting $2,600 per sq. ft. For that you get an uninterrupted 750-meter shore line, a 100,000 sq. ft. reflecting pool, a full-length Olympic pool, children’s pool, lap pool, Jacuzzi, gymnasium, landscaped sky bridges, a two-storey clubhouse, tennis courts... and the best bragging rights in town until the next luxury residence comes along.

When: First half of the year

3. Circle Line Extension

Not the sexiest entrant in this list, we will admit; but practical nonetheless. Two new train stations on the SMRT Circle Line—Bayfront and Marina Bay—will open this month, boosting connectivity to the new downtown area. Five entrances at Bayfront will link to MBS and Gardens by the Bay. Trains will run at intervals of seven minutes, and commuters are expected to number about 400,000 within six to nine months. Let’s just hope it doesn’t break down…

When: Jan 14

4. Publishing Awards

Following the success of last year’s Singapore Writers’ Festival and our increasingly prolific literary scene (more indie publishers, talented new voices), the Singapore Book Publishers Association (SBPA) will be launching the inaugural Publishing Awards in November to recognize our local writing talents. Categories include best novel, best debut work, best non-fiction title, best cover design and best e-book.

"We feel this is the right time to have our very own Singapore awards and to recognize outstanding work by publishers, authors book retailers and designers," says SBPA President Triena Ong. "This award will be the Oscars of Singapore's publishing world!" That’s what they said the last time about the Singapore Film Festival, so we’ll just have to wait and see…

When: November

5. 4G

SingTel technically rolled out their 4G service in late December, but most of us will only get the full benefit of it this year. For now, network coverage is mainly in the CBD and pockets such as Bukit Panjang, Boon Lay, Bedok and Changi, but will expand to 80 percent of users by the end of the year and to 95 percent by the first quarter of 2013. Competitors StarHub and M1 (which was the first to roll out 4G in June 2011, but only to its enterprise customers) have also said they’ll launch their 4G services in the second half of 2012. So what can we expect? Try mobile speeds five to 10 times faster than current 3G speeds, so downloading a video to your iPhone will be a breeze. Think of all the K-pop videos being downloaded on the SMRT. Actually, let’s not…

When: Mid-year

6. Savour 2012

It wouldn’t be Singapore without a new food fair, and this year sees the launch of Savour 2012, an all-in-one wining and dining experience. For three days, Marina Bay Street Circuit Paddock & Pit Building will play host to a veritable feast from international chefs such as three-Michelin-starred L’Arpegeat’s Alain Passard (Paris), Bo Innovations’ Alvin Leung (Hong Kong) and two-Michelin-starred Chez Dominique’s Hans Välimäki (Helsinki), as well as locally-based chefs like Emmanuel Stroobant, Roberto Galetti and Gunther Hubrechsen at the alfresco Gourmet Village. After you’ve had your fill, head over to the Gourmet Auditorium for a master class by more of the world’s top chefs and sommeliers.

Dean & Deluca
Another new foodie arrival in 2012 is American brand Dean & Deluca, which is slated to open in the second quarter at Orchard Central. The flagship store will be selling its usual goodies like gourmet cured meats, pastas, sauces, vinegars, herbs and salts sourced from all over the world, and will also house a café with the option to dine-in.

When: Mar 30-Apr 1 (tickets available from Jan 10)

Where: Marina Bay Street Circuit Paddock & Pit Building, 1 Republic Blvd., 6736-1458, www.savour.sg

7. Marine Life Park

Step aside Atlanta, because Singapore is about to steal your spot as home to the world’s largest oceanarium. Marine Life Park at Resorts World Sentosa will feature 100,000 aquatic species such as giant rays, sharks, seahorses and crustaceans, as well as family-orientated water attractions including reef swims, a wave pool and waterslides. MLP’s stated mission is to promote marine education, conservation and research, and even before the oceanarium’s opening it has participated in shark-finning education programs, coral conservation and anti-poaching initiatives in the Galapagos Islands. It does not, however, have an unblemished record: its purchase of 27 bottlenose dolphins, of which two have already died in captivity, has attracted a good deal of controversy. Local animal welfare group ACRES, which otherwise welcomes the opening of the oceanarium, is spearheading a campaign to have the dolphins released.

When: Unknown at press time

Where: Resorts World Sentosa, 8 Sentosa Gateway, www.rwsentosa.com/Attractions/MarineLifePark

8. Gardens by the Bay

Those two, distinctly unmissable domes next to Marina Bay finally come into bloom when the $1 billion Gardens by the Bay opens in June. The domes, which are actually conservatories, have already proven a big hit with the public, drawing some 300,000 visitors when they opened for a week-long preview in November. But the domes make up just 5 percent of the sprawling 101-hectare site, which comprises three waterfront gardens straddling both sides of the bay—Bay South (home to the conservatories), Bay East and Bay Central.

Darren Oh, Gardens by the Bay Assistant Director of Business, explained more when we toured the Gardens: “It’s part of the government’s master plan to transform Singapore into a garden city, and Gardens by the Bay is one of the key components. The idea is ‘a city in a garden’ as opposed to a ‘garden in a city.’”
The domes will feature over a quarter of a million plants, mainly from places with a Mediterranean-type climate, including bottle trees from Argentina that are over a thousand years old. While entry to the domes will be ticketed, the rest of the Gardens will be free.

And there’s more to enjoy here than just plants. The Gardens will have an outdoor concert area able to accommodate a crowd of 30,000 (compared to Fort Canning’s 10,000), and 12 “super trees”—vertical steel structures ranging from 25-50 meters high with a living “skin” of climbing plants. The tallest super tree will have a chill-out bar/café at the top where you can marvel at Singapore’s latest icon. Throw in a restaurant by Michelin superstar Jason Atherton in one of the domes and we’ve got ourselves more temptation than the Garden of Eden.

The inspiration for the domes comes from the Eden Project in Cornwall, about six hours drive from London. (See right)

When: June

Where: 18 Marina Gardens Dr., www.gardensbythebay.org.sg

9. International Cruise Terminal

Our city’s new ICT at Marina South is going to reinforce Singapore’s prominence as one of the region’s premier port cities and give rival cruise ports New York and Barcelona, currently the world’s top two, a run for their money. The design of the terminal is based on the idea of waves breaking onto a shore. This cruise terminal supersizes our existing port at Keppel Harbour and looks set to berth some mighty big cruisers, including the Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas, the largest cruise ship ever to call in Asia when it docks in May.

When: Mid-year

Where: 61 Marina Coastal Dr.

10. “The Sandcrawler”

Star Wars comes to Singapore in the form of Lucasfilm’s new Singapore office. The building bears a very distinct, and entirely intentional, resemblance to the design of the Sandcrawler, the large, slow-moving treaded transport used by the Jawas in the original Star Wars movie. The facility made of glass and steel will house extensions of several major Lucasfilm divisions, primarily gaming development, visual effects and TV and feature animation. It will also have retail shopping, elevated public gardens and, as you might expect, a movie theater.

When: Mid to late 2012

11. Singapore University of Technology & Design

Singapore gets a brand spanking new seat of learning this year when the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) begins matriculation in April. A collaboration with the world renowned MIT, of which founding dean Professor Thomas L Magnanti is an alum, SUTD will offer four specializations: architecture and sustainable design, engineering product development, engineering systems and design, and information systems technology and design.

“My dream is that SUTD will do for Singapore what MIT and Stanford have done for Massachusetts and Silicon Valley, as well as for the US and the world,” says Magnanti. “It will become an intellectual hub and an engine of growth.”

When: April. SUTD is already holding workshops, the first for 2012 is “Women in Technology and Design” on Jan 27, 2-5pm.

Where: 20 Dover Dr., 6303-6600, www.sutd.edu.sg

12. River Safari

Whereas Gardens by the Bay is bringing the world’s plants to Singapore, River Safari is bringing its rivers. The $160 million attraction from Wildlife Reserves Singapore, the same crew behind Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Jurong Bird Park, will bring the world’s eight greatest rivers—the Amazon, the Congo, the Nile, the Ganges, the Mississippi, the Murray River, the Mekong and the Yangtze—and its wildlife to town in an attraction that is half walking trail, half river cruise.

River Safari will feature some 300 animals including 38 endangered species including the Mekong’s Giant Catfish and Giant Stingray, the Amazon’s Capybara (the world’s largest living rodent), and two Giant Pandas.

River Safari’s two undeniable stars are Jia Jia and Kai Kai, state-gifts from China to Singapore and the first permanent residents of their kind in the city-state. The pandas, aged three and four, will arrive in March.

When: October

Where: 80 Mandai Lake Rd., www.riversafari.com.sg