Post A: Preserving Peranakan Heritage

Singapore is home to over 5.61 million people where approximately 74.3% of them are formally considered Chinese, followed by 13.4% Malay, 9% Indian and 3.2% others (Singapore Department of Statistics 2017, p.5). Despite these ethnic numbers, Singapore is one of the most multicultural countries in the world containing many cultures and traditions. As the country continues to grow, it seeks to preserve and ‘articulate the value and importance of heritage, especially its role in connecting people, strengthening identity and belonging’ (National Heritage Board, 2017).

One of the most fascinating pieces of heritage is the Peranakan, who are descendants of Chinese-Malay marriages, referred to as ‘Baba Malay’, ‘Nyonya’ or ‘Straits Chinese’ (Henderson, J. 2003, p. 31). This culture has rich history and traditions that have religious influences from Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, as well as ethnic influences from China, Malay, Indonesia, and Britain (Henderson, J. 2003) resulting in a wonderful mix that is the Peranakan.

Located in Katong, one of the Peranakan centres, is the Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong, a Peranaka-inspired boutique hotel. This hotel, found on the site of the Joo Chiat Police Station, ‘is an interesting juxtaposition of modern architecture and a conservation building’ that pays homage to the Peranakan neighbourhood (Hotel Indigo 2017).

Figure 1, Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong

General Manager of the hotel Adel Aramouni (in M2 Presswire 2016), claims that it ‘gives our guests the opportunity to experience and immerse themselves in the rustic charm of the Katong district’. M2 Presswire (2016) believes that it ‘thoughtfully incorporates highlights of the Kantong neighbourhood story’.

However is this design a money grab or a genuine celebration of the culture? Dr Ien Ang (2001) argues that the heritage industry ‘generally thrives on a rather superficial and sentimental exploitation of nostalgia’, and that heritage is intensely symbolic of how and what we value in the past, present and future. In this regard, Ang suggests that the heritage industry merely values money and profit over identity and culture. Yeoh and Kong (1996, p. 54) however, recognise that the rapid societal changes due to industrialisation in Singapore has inevitably brought out ‘…questions of place and time, roots and heritage’ suggesting such designs may be a necessity in preserving the rapidly disappearing cultures.

Figure 2, Pinang Peranakan Mansion, photo by Alcuin Lai (2011)

The Pinang Peranakan Mansion (Figure 2, 2004) shows the interior for a typical rich Baba. Despite its obvious geological difference and likely socioeconomic difference some parallels can be drawn. In particular, Hotel Indigo has appropriated the antique Rosewood furniture (Figure 3) and adopted the opulent patterning of English tiles (Figure 4). Other references can be found in Figure 5 which shows feature walls using collages of Peranakan ceramic patterns. In addition, the materiality throughout the design has been transposed, such as with the use or reference to iron bars (conventionally used for security) can now be found in the legs of stools and tabling.

 

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What is not present, (or omitted from the photography) is the pervasive Chinese religious imagery and iconography, however this may have been done in consideration of its present use as a hotel. Throughout the design, there is a clear merging of the antique and the contemporary resulting in a bizarre mix of aesthetic styles. It embraces the vibrant and rich colours of the surrounding area (Figure X) that pairs back the innate sense of excessive opulence. The overall effect of Hotel Indigo’s design is an evolution of the Peranakan style that uses contemporary design to create a homely and (albeit luxurious) inhabited feel.

Figure 6, Joo Chiat Road (Visit Singapore 2017)

When using design to deal with heritage, the designer must walk a fine line between superficial cultural nostalgia and genuine cultural appreciation. Cultures evolve and change with time, and as such I believe that this designer has effectively captured and successfully evolved the Peranakan style into the 21^st century, providing an outlet of nostalgia for the old, and a didactic experience for the young.

 

References

Department of Statistics Singapore 2017, Population Trends 2017, Annual Report, September 2017, Singapore, viewed 27 December 2017, <http://www.singstat.gov.sg/docs/default-source/default-document-library/publications/publications_and_papers/population_and_population_structure/population2017.pdf>.

Henderson, J. 2003, ‘Ethnic Heritage as a Tourist Attraction: the Peranakans of Singapore’, International Journal of Heritage Studies, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 27-44, viewed 28 December 2017, <https://doi.org/10.1080/1352725022000056613>.

Hotel Indigo 2017, Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong, Singapore, viewed 1 January 2018, <https://www.ihg.com/hotelindigo/hotels/us/en/singapore/sinki/hoteldetail>.

Lai, A. 2011, Pinang Peranakan Mansion, Flickr, viewed 27 December 2017, <https://www.flickr.com/photos/forecastle/6357553581/in/photostream/>.

MS Presswire 2016, ‘First Hotel Indigo® Opens in Singapore’s Charming Katong Neighbourhood’, M2 Communications, United Kingdom, viewed 28 December 2017, <http://ezproxy.lib.uts.edu.au/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.lib.uts.edu.au/docview/1802700475?accountid=17095>.

National Heritage Board 2017, Our SG Heritage Plan, Singapore, viewed 28 December 2017, <https://www.nhb.gov.sg/heritage-plan/our-sg-heritage-plan/about-the-heritage-plan>.

Visit Singapore 2017, Joo Chiat/Katong, Singapore Tourism Board, viewed 27 December 2017, <http://www.visitsingapore.com/en_au/see-do-singapore/places-to-see/joochiat-katong/>.

Yeoh, B. & Kong, L. 1996, ‘The Notion of Place in the Construction of History, Nostalgia and Heritage in Singapore’, Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 52-65.