An ark-like structure, made from 150 stacked shipping containers and propped up by giant paper columns, looms over Marina Bay.

An illusion? No, just a work of wonder known as the Containart Pavilion (pictured below).

It serves as one of the venues for the Singapore Biennale 2008 (SB2008), which is on from tomorrow until Nov 16.

Made and designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, the ecologically-friendly structure covers an area of 3,200 sq m, and is located at the Central Promontory Site in Marina Boulevard.

It houses the three largest installations of the art event, which includes an igloo-like structure and a room of lights.

With its theme of “Wonder”, the second instalment of the Biennale aims to enthral visitors with 137 works by 66 artists and art collectives from over 36 countries.

The former City Hall and the South Beach Development in Beach Road – a cluster of three buildings that used to be the headquarters of the Singapore Volunteer Corps – bookend the entire exhibition.

Artistic director Fumio Nanjo, 57, said: “We want people to look at things and be surprised, be moved and to discover something new.”

He also headed SB2006, which drew around 883,000 people. Organisers expect to see a crowd of at least 500,000 this year.

SB2008 will run from Sept 11 to Nov 16, and the public can also look forward to a slew of parallel events at other venues.





For more information, log on to www.singaporebiennale.org

This article was first published in my paper on Sep 10, 2008.