Taking flight from Old Kallang Airport
No, it wasn't flights of fancy that one might associate with the idealistic pursuit of expression that artists are sometimes inclined to have that took off from what was Singapore's first civil airport, Old Kallang Airport. The former airport, still with us in the form of its iconic terminal building and control tower, along with a few auxiliary buildings around it, isn't of course capable of hosting flying machines – something that we have not seen in the shadows of the simple terminal building for over half a century, with its runway and much of the land it occupied given to other uses.
The light is shinning on Old Kallnag Airport for the Singapore Biennale 2011.
One that certainly did not take to the skies .... parked where a flying machine might have been seen over half a century ago.
It wasn't just the flying of an imaginary flag up a flag pole that Old Kallang Airport saw on Sunday.
What did take off from the old airport were some of the simpler pursuits we once indulged in during our childhoods, something that both young and old were able to participate in – the flying of simple light paper and bamboo framed kites. It was a simple yet brilliant idea that provided a welcome distraction to many of the younger and otherwise bored visitors at Singapore Biennale Open House, which hasn't really taken Singapore by storm as it should really have done. The kite flying was part of the craft activities that reached out to the young that included terrarium making, badge making, and paper aeroplane making. Children were allowed to decorate their own kites, have tails fixed on, and with a kite string on a small reel, the kites were ready to go.
The lack of a runway did not deter flights from taking off from Kallang Airport.
A child running with a kite ...
Even the older "kids" had a ball of a time.
Flights from Kallang Airport ...
A kite seen through a dangling cable.
The activities are all part of the Beinnale's Family Day Out aimed at reaching out to members of the public offering not just a host of activities, but also free admission to all venues on Sundays and Public Holidays in April and May right up to the Beinnale's last day on 15 May. For more information on the activities and the Family Day Out, do visit the Singapore Biennale 2011's website at this link.
Despite the manifesto for bad music ....
... there was some good music in store for visitors to Old Kallang Airport with an enjoyable performance by Ling Kai.
Tags: Contemporary, Events, Events around the World, Family Day Out, Kallang, Kallang Airport, Kite, Kite Flying, Museums, Old Airport, Old Kallang Airport, Singapore, Singapore Biennale 2011, Singapore Biennale Open House
Categories : Art, Contemporary, Events, Events around the World, Interesting happenings around town, Kallang, Reminders of Yesterday, Singapore, Traditions