A talk by Dr Chee Lilian. In 1902, a tiger was allegedly shot under the Billiard Room of Singapore’s foremost colonial monument, the Raffles Hotel. This rare specimen has since refused to leave the premises, resurfacing intermittently in the hotel’s history as archive, anecdote, humour, satire, even translated into children’s stories.
Although Singapore is synonymously known as the ‘Lion City’, it was the tiger whose presence was more significantly felt in the island’s history. We find that the tiger narrative could open up new perspectives within the monument’s architectural history which are less abstract and culturally distant than we imagine.
Time: 2.30-4pm
Venue: Multi-Purpose Room in Central Lending Library
Website and contact: http://www.nlb.gov.sg/
