Northstar

14 | www.travelweekly-asia.com DESTINATION: SINGAPORE Contemporary arts cluster Gillman Barracks in Singapore has just concluded its 4th anniversary celebrations, but what's more exhilarating is its recent upswing. Less than a year after nearly a third of its 17 galleries decided not to renew their leases as reported by Straits Times, the precinct welcomed four new tenants in the first half of 2016. They are Handlebar, a bikers- theme restaurant-bar, Creamier, a handcrafted ice cream parlour, and Supermama, a gallery shop and artist residency studio – all local; as well as Sullivan+Strumpf, an Australian contemporary art gallery which opened in June. With the new openings, this brings the total number of tenants to 11 art galleries and seven F&B outlets. The revival of Gillman Barracks boils down to a revision in the enclave's vision in 2015, which involved the broadening of tenant mix by bringing in visual arts organisations and creative businesses, according to Low Eng Teong, director of sector development (Visual Arts) at the National Arts Council (NAC). He said, "This has helped increase Gillman Barrack's offerings beyond commercial galleries, allowing us to attract new audience, raise visual art literacy and enhance the visitor experience while complementing the gallery core." While Singapore's Bugis Precinct and Civic District are home to bigger- name institutions like National Gallery Singapore, National Museum of Singapore, and Singapore Art Museum, Low believes that Gllman Barracks has a lot to offer as a destination precinct. Setting-wise, Gillman Barracks is set amidst lush greenery in a former military barracks, offering a unique experience that combines art with history and nature. The cluster is also home to creative businesses like home-grown gallery Supermama, a lifestyle store selling unique items and organiser behind the inaugural Supermama Porcelain Festival inspired by the porcelain culture in Arita, Japan; and Playeum's Children Centre for Creativity – a draw for tourists with kids aged one to 12. In addition, its galleries – all of which have a strong focus on Southeast Asian Art – are moving away from "merely selling and displaying art to engaging the public on different levels," said Low. During Gillman Barracks' 4th anniversary celebration, which included a special double-bill of its popular bi-monthly 'Art After Dark' and 'Art Day Out', Sundaram Tagore Gallery engaged Singapore-based artists to do up a wall mural on its 'Art After Dark', Gillman Barracks' bi-monthly initiative, where galleries and visual art tenants open their doors till late and premiere new exhibitions. in 2013, there has been a 35% annual increase in the number of visitors, said Ute Meta Bauer, founding director of NTU CCA. While most of their visitors come from the art community, almost half were tourists and the general public, according to a vistor survey they conducted with 400 respondents. "There is clearly a hunger in Singapore for discursive formats and a general public that seems eager to learn more about art and related fields," concluded Prof Bauer. In March, the Economic Development Board (EDB) and NAC jointly set up the Gillman Barracks Programme Office to boost creative content for the precinct. Shared Low, "We hope to engage a variety of audiences across Gillman Barracks' different offerings (programming, F&B, visual art and creative businesses) and establish it as the region's premier contemporary art cluster and lifestyle destination." A PERFECT FOURTH Morotai. Recently celebrating its 4th anniversary, Gillman Barracks in Singapore gears up to become not just an art cluster, but also a lifestyle destination, starting with a broadened and expanded tenant mix. By Lee Xin Hui A PERFECT FOURTH premise in front of a live audience. Even a walk around on the grounds can be interesting and interactive. For instance, passers- by can speak into a 4.5m-high sculpture of two French Horns by multi-disciplinary artist Sai Hua Kuan, to hear themselves. At the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore (NTU CCA Singapore), Gillman Barracks' anchor tenant and a research centre under the Nanyang Technological University, visitors can interact with art in diverse ways such as lectures, workshops, open studios, film screenings and Exhibition (de) Tours – the latter conceived as responses to exhibitions allowing for different perspectives of the works. Since the Centre's inauguration Gillman Barracks. Credit: Gillman Barracks

• Cover