Day 308 : We are Loving Marina Bay!

If there is one place in Singapore that has gone through the most dramatic changes in the past 30 years, in my opinion, it has got to be Marina Bay. From reclamation works starting in 1971 that expanded our bay mass by another 177ha to the progressive developments that transformed the downtown waterfront area into a showcase of trophy skyscrapers and iconic architecture, Marina Bay would have people falling in love with our little red dot in a heartbeat.

So when I was approached to be one of 20 featured photographers and bloggers for the Loving Marina Bay outdoor photo exhibition, I was struck with cephalgia for decent shots to submit. The pressure was high because my photos will appear alongside pro-photogs and multi-award winning photo enthusiasts. I didn’t want to be the weakest link that bring down the overall standard of the exhibited works.

Launch of Loving Marina Bay exhibition at San-Sui Sumiyaki & Bar at One Fullerton. Food was simply amazing with top marks for taste and creativity.

To hunt for the photos, I scoured through folders after folders of photos I’d taken of and at the bay area within the last 2 years while reaching into my memory bank for personal Marina Bay encounters.

My most enduring awareness of Marina Bay began at the now defunct Satay Club where my mum used to work as a beer promoter at night. While waiting for her to get off work, I spent many hours playing by the Tan Kim Seng Fountain which marked the entrance of Satay Club. The fountain still stands today but the waters have dried up like my very distant childhood.

Good thing is, there are so many more avenues around the bay for new memories to be born and the Loving Marina Bay photo exhibition is a collective dialogue with our darling waterfront!

Met up with many photographers and bloggers whose works and words I follow on Facebook and their personal sites. I feel so little in the presence of their mammoth talents and creative capacity.

All featured AmBAYssadors were presented with a token of appreciation with one of our photos printed in canvas. It was wonderful that URA recognised our contributions for the exhibition with such a thoughtful and unique gift.

Occupying a stretch known as Clifford Square (between One Fullerton and Collyer Quay), the outdoor exhibition is high on gawk factor with stunning shots of Marina Bay through the unique perspectives of individual AmBAYssador.

Photos ranged in subject matters from architecture, celebrations, festivals, people, Marina Bay at dawn, and at night.

Retrace the footsteps of Marina Bay’s development with Street Museum style photos where heritage photos are mapped onto current scenes around the bay.

Scene with the old General Post Office (right) which has been given a new lease of life as the luxurious Fullerton Hotel.

Collyer Quay then and now.

I chose these 4 photos to show the different aspect of Marina Bay… the abstract, the fiery, the contemplative, and the vibrancy.

Frame your love at Marina Bay!

Loving Marina Bay.

Loving Marina Gay?

Loving Marina Yay!

The photo under the Esplanade Bridge was taken with Casio Exilim ZR100 and this goes to show that compact cameras can take exhibition-worthy pics too!

Map showing the location of Loving Marina Bay exhibition and Fullerton Hotel where you can drop off postcards produced in conjunction with the event and it will be sent anywhere in the world free-of-charge. One of the 6 postcards is my dawn over Marina Bay photo.

The Loving Marina Bay photo exhibition runs from 3 Nov – 3 Dec 2012. It is a free-to-public event with special photography workshops, activities and heritage walks conducted by AmBAYssadors happening every weekend. So come on down and check out the photos! … and discover a piece of Marina Bay that you love