Has one noticed a whale hanging around Esplanade over the last couple of months? That is none other than Ikan Besar Skali (translated from Malay as "fish of monstrous size") by local artist Hu Qiren. His inspiration was the beloved old blue whale skeleton that once occupied the second floor of National Museum (formerly Raffles Museum). As a kid of seven, that 13-metre-long skeleton was a marvel of natural history that I always looked forward to when visiting the museum. And it was free too!
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| Our old whale skeleton, sold out by some bureaucrat! |
Imagine the disappointment when I later found out that the skeleton was given away by the Singapore Science Museum during the mid-1970s because it had "no space for it". Bah, humbug bureaucrats, and while we're at it, bohong and bollocks! Anyway, a smaller sperm whale was found dead off Jurong Island in 2015, and it has become the pride of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.
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| Jubi Lee, the mascot of LKCNHM (no relation to the Lees of Oxley Road) |
Anyway, this gleaming silvery exhibit at Esplanade Concourse occupies the background and serving as a backdrop to its many free concert. After passing it many times, I decided to take a closer look and what a glorious beast it is, and here are the photographs. Such is the glory of evolution, and nobody should ever tell me that fitted in Noah's Ark unless they are also trying to sell me the Eiffel Tower.
IKAN BESAR SKALI
Esplanade Concourse
On until 5 July 2026
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