Public Spaces?

Taking my two younger kids out for breakfast a week ago changed my notion of public spaces. We went to McDonald’s at the Metropolis, situated in North Buona Vista. With the MRT station right at its doorstep, it is accessible. There are a number of eateries and cafes. It is clean and has wonderful sculptures including Ju Ming’s Pushing Hands and Fernando Botero’s Horse. I can understand why this Grade A office complex was awarded the BCA Green Mark Platinum. 

I took the kids to look around the open spaces after their breakfast. I snapped photos of some of the sculptures and the kids voluntarily mimicked the subjects. Art appreciation 101. I thought about how fortunate we were to have shared spaces where the general public could have access to wonderful pieces of art. But I thought too soon. After 10 minutes, I was approached by a security officer who told me that photos were not permitted at the complex. I was quite surprised and thought that it may have been because I took photos of a sculpture in one of the buildings. Perhaps I should not have gone into that building.  It may have also been because I got my daughter to stand on the plinth of the Horse. So I asked the friendly security officer whether photos of the outdoor sculptures were also disallowed. He confirmed that that photos were not allowed in that whole complex including the outdoor areas. But he kindly informed me that I could take photos of the large Christmas tree that was recently put up.

Who would have thought! I may have missed it, but I didn’t see signs on the property that disallowed photography. I wonder how this works. This wonderful complex that houses some of the largest multinationals such as Proctor & Gamble and Shell, and local listed companies like SGX and NOL, does seem to have pretty rigid house-rules. If guests or visitors to these companies decide to take a photo with these wonderful sculptures for keepsake will they too be directed to the giant Christmas tree? What happens during the rest of the year. Will there be a giant peach put up for Chinese New Year?

You can roam around, you can see and you can touch (I think), but no photographs please.