Following the 2014 exhibition in Paris that detailed the history of the Orient Express, Singapore has been chosen by the Orient Express as the first destination outside of France to kick-start a series of showcase that unveils a fairy-tale universe related to travel, culture and gastronomy. A historical and educational presentation for all ages spearheaded by the Arab World Institute (IMA), the popup attraction “Once Upon A Time on The Orient Express” will open in Singapore this December 2020 at Gardens by the Bay, until June 2021.
“Once Upon A Time on The Orient Express” will present some of the most extraordinary objects and documents to showcase centuries old of history that retraces the legacy of the train, allowing visitors to discover events that transformed the world, and shaped the map. It is a unique opportunity for visitors to explore the tracks and landscapes that generations before had once travelled on, and witness what then, only a few explorers and diplomates had.
The Pop-Up Attraction “Once Upon A Time on The Orient Express” will open this December 2020 in Singapore at the West Lawn of Gardens by the Bay. Visitors can relive the emotions of travellers who have boarded the Orient Express through a reconstituted train platform, and showrooms where they can embark on fascinating journey displayed in evocative giant trunks that encapsulates the history of the Orient Express.
“Designing and staging a display like the Orient Express in Singapore meant collecting around 300 precious items and documents, having to restore some of them and adapt many of the furniture and displays to its former glory. It involved shipping historic monuments – a locomotive built in France 158 years ago and a 1930s sleeper car, weighing close to 200 tonnes, it is undoubtedly one of the heaviest to be shipped across the world. All these elements needed to be housed in a custom built infrastructure with the right conditions to store, preserve and protect the artworks and displays. This is especially due to the hot and humid climate in Singapore,” said Claude Mollard, Curator of “Once Upon A Time on The Orient Express.”
This pop-up attraction retraces a highly fantastical universe from an incredible collection of pieces from a bygone era, presenting objects and documents summarising the history of the Orient Express – posters, menus, crockery, cutlery, suitcases, stained glass windows and furniture testifying to a luxury now by gone. Allegories of travel presented through large displays of trunks address social, cultural and technical themes linked to the adventures of the Orient Express, looking back on the art of living on-board as they evoke the scenic stopovers placed on its route such as London, Paris, Venice, Istanbul, Aleppo, Damascus, Baghdad, Cairo, Luxor and Aswan. Visitors can also immerse in documentaries, newsreels and film clips that will elicit the rich literary and
cinematographic heritage inspired by the Orient Express.
Tickets: https://www.sistic.com.sg/events/orient2021
Venue: Gardens by the Bay – West Lawn
When: 12 Dec 2020 - 12 Sep 2021,
