Back to Beyond

So Singapore, that very modern Western/Asian fusion city, turns out to have a lot of colour. Some is in found objects – the rich green of tropical foliage; the lemon, lime and orange infusion of palm frond stalks; the plastic netting around bags of potatoes and onions; the plastic chairs and tableware of an outdoor seafood restaurant. But a lot of the colour is deliberately applied to jazz up the decor. Whole streets of shophouses are a frenzied mashup from the Pantone charts, with the upper floors and shutters painted to catch the eye and please the senses. Even institutional buildings are given the shutter treatment. It works – and provides a bit of an antidote to the order otherwise around.