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Electrosonic on Sentosa Island
Jack Rouse Associates (JRA), an American design and master planning firm, designed and produced the revamp of Fort Siloso, Singapore’s only preserved coastal fortification. Electrosonic, who supplied the original audio-visual equipment to a local installer in 1991, was this time contracted to engineer and install the complete audio-visual systems in the refurbished attraction. Siloso has been updated with accessible walking routes and new interpretive displays designed to bring the Fort and its stories more vividly to life. The re-opening of the Fort was in conjunction with the JRA-designed and produced Merlion Experience, Sentosa’s 37 metre tall landmark.
Fort Siloso provides an easy-to-walk guest experience that tells the Fort’s story with interactivity and excitement. With relocated exhibits, new multi-media shows and stories that represent a diversity of people and experiences, Fort Siloso offers a one-stop overview of Singapore’s World War II history, and a premier historical example of coastal defence fortification.
The new Fort Siloso experience takes visitors from Singapore’s earliest days through the events of World War II in a comprehensive and cohesive fashion. Guests start at a new square, where they can take in a series of exhibits and films that detail Fort Siloso’s history. From there, visitors tour the Fort’s structures, experiencing along the way what life was like for soldiers and volunteers who served on Sentosa Island from the 19th to the 20th centuries. Popular attractions, such as the ‘booming’ 6-inch gun and vignettes depicting the lives of soldiers are blended with more reflective exhibits that address the POW experience and Singapore’s years of Japanese occupation. An interesting point here is that the ‘booming’ guns display uses the original Electrosonic equipment, which has been refurbished and reprogrammed.
The role Sentosa Island played during the Battle of Singapore is celebrated, as are the deeds of Singapore’s local war heroes. The new experience ends with the popular wax Surrender Chambers, which have been relocated from Sentosa’s Images of Singapore galleries. In this new setting, the chambers gain significance and context by bringing Sentosa’s military and war-related exhibits together into one powerful attraction. Here Electrosonic installed multi language video replay with a variety of plasma and monitor displays.
Fort Siloso is not a history museum, nor is it a memorial. Rather, Fort Siloso offers visitors the opportunity to step back in time, experiencing the story of Singapore’s coastal fortification and defence in the place where events happened. As a one-stop overview of Singapore’s World War II history, Fort Siloso complements Singapore’s other war-related attractions, many of which have specialised themes. Meanwhile, it gives history buffs a firsthand look at a defense strategy from bygone years.
The whimsical re-envisioning of the Merlion story includes an animated theatre show, a lively pre-show and greater guest interactivity, with all audio-visual systems engineered and installed by Electrosonic. The pre-show is on a plasma display, with walkthrough multi-track audio from Electrosonic ESTA sound stores. Dimensional scenic elements and special lighting make the guests feel that they are walking through a fantastic and fun underwater cavern. Along the way are six different scenes depicting the fantastical creatures that dwell in the underwater world. The scenes are linked together with one theme song that is heard throughout the walkthrough, and plays in a continuous, synchronised loop so that visitors can experience the story regardless of when they entered the attraction.
The walkthrough culminates in the main theatre, with an exciting and dynamic HD show, where visitors learn first how Singapore got its name and then about the Merlion and its significance. The show is sourced from an Electrosonic HD Player. Effects take place around and within the audience that echo the action on the screen, such as wind, birdsong and directional sound effects.
12th November 2004
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