The Little Red Brick Show (SG50 edition)

I had heard quite a bit about this LEGO exhibition, and seen many fascinating images of the exhibits on social media. Being a LEGO fan, I decided to pop down with K during her school holiday last Thursday, and I was so glad that I did, cos it was crazy awesome.

I thought it was great that this was a community effort by various LEGO enthusiasts, instead of an exhibition profiling the work of just a few master builders. It was evident that the contributors put their own personal memories into the builds.

Old buses and bus stops

I had to take a photo of this, because bus number 14 was my “school bus” in secondary school. I remember waking up really early to catch it…

This was cute cos the builder recalled how he always hoped the girl at the bus stop would speak to him one day…

My beloved Stamford Road Red Brick National Library

I got almost teary-eyed upon seeing this. I guess over the years, I’ve realised that my strong emotional reaction to this building is not just about the building per se, but what its passing represented.

The back of the National Library build was delightful to peer at. Microfilm! (Top right). I noticed a few familiar school uniforms too – St Margaret’s (bottom left), MGS (on the front steps of the library) and SCGS (tee and skirt – behind the National Library Sign), but no RGS or any boys’ schools I recognised. The male builder had his favourites I suppose!

Below, I was impressed that the exact signboard name of the small kopitiam next to the library was replicated…

Heritage Playgrounds

The pelican is in focus here, because there was one at the foot of my block, and it will always be my favourite. The beak should have been empty though, instead of filled with squarish glass blocks.

K kept asking why those little square tiles were left loosely scattered like that. I told her that it was supposed to look like piles of sand, but she still didn’t quite get it.

Pioneer Generation

The bare-backed rickshaw puller grimaces as he lifts his heavy load of a businessman with his briefcase shouting out his destination.  The Samsui Women use a pulley system to transport buckets of sand as they built multi-storey shophouses.
I liked this installation because it belongs to an era that still seems foreign to me. Perfect use of these pieces for the red scarves! Immediately recognisable as 红头巾。

Other Singaporean landmarks and events

This one celebrates the wet market, which is a big part of heartland life.

Then there were the usual Singapore landmarks builds… (as below)

And there were builds showcasing two types of entertainment – Zouk and Wayang.

Then there was an exhibit to mark our national obsession with 1) queuing and 2) hello kitties. Note the gangster pushing some hapless chap down.

I liked this exhibit because “Chope!” and “Ka-chak!” are exactly what I do on an almost daily basis. 🙂

National Service – something every male Singaporean can identify with. It is where one meets Singaporeans from all stratas of society, and where they are banded together for years. So after ORD, and finally MR, the feels are many.

SOC – or Standard Obstacle Course. Every 18 year old’s nightmare. Ok lah, if you are some school athlete then it’ll be a piece of cake? There’s still some mental torture though. But if you switch gears into pure soldier mode (I am not I, I am SOLDIER!), I think you’ll survive better.

I thought it was meaningful that this Little Red Brick Show didn’t just celebrate our successes and heritage, but also historical moments of adversity, like the rather traumatic SARS episode, which hit us hard economically too.

The build depicting crowds queuing to pay their last respects at Parliament House commemorates the sombre event of LKY’s passing.

Heritage architecture

The buildings say it all… this was certainly the pièce de résistance of the exhibition.

K recognised this Katong Bakery as the “sweet shop” featured in Adrian Pang’s book “Hansel and Girl Girl“.

I had taken more photos, but I guess I’ve posted too many already, as it is! I would have lingered longer at each exhibit if I weren’t so pressed for time that day.

This project by The Little Red Brick LUG (a community of enthusiasts) is supported by the Singapore Memory Project’s irememberSG Fund, as part of the Singapore’s SG50 celebrations.

As I walked around, I felt that these exhibits should be permanently displayed at a museum! I’m sure tourists and many more school children would benefit from learning about our history in such a visually arresting way.

Hop on down if you haven’t seen it yet! It’s open till Friday 28th August.

Little Red Brick Show Facebook Page
Last day: 28 August 2015
Opening hours: 11am – 8pm
Central Public Library Atrium
100 Victoria St, 188064