Singapore: Sketches of the Lion City
Lorette E. Roberts
Singapore: Bridge House Design, 2009
ISBN: 9789889732837

Singapore: Sketches of the Lion City is a collection of images. by artist Lorette E. Roberts. She illustrates the amazing and fascinating range of variations to be found in this vibrant country. Indeed it seems that perhaps the only constant in Singapore is its weather! Everything else is truly multiple, as Lorette suggests in her introduction. So this sketch-book contains pictures - as one might expect - of Raffles, the Marina, the varied architecture, mouthwatering food, Bumboats, Singapore Slings, Boat Quay; Orchard Road (one of the best places to “people watch”) ...... but Lorette digs deeper and shows us much more, for instance Singapore’s history, including its heritage derived from a diversity of cultures - or the new versus the old such as the Fl debut around the Padang in contrast to the brightly coloured shophouses of Joo Chiat. She brings to our attention the wide range ‘Of places to yisit- the Jurong Birdpark, the Zoo, Sentosa, Art Museums - to mention a few! Then she highlights the unexpected - the farms at Kranji, a tiger-faced car at Haw Par Villa, hedgehog pastries, the Art Bridge, birdcages on tall poles in a park at AngMo Kia, a posse of schoolgirls with bright umbrellas arriving for “Ballet under the Stars” at Fort Canning and so on ... Finally, don’t forget to look for her trademark snail - sometimes heavily disguised - on every page!