Anyone’s wonder at Children’s Biennale

My real destination is the newly open Funan Mall, so I wonder how I end up visiting the Children’s Biennale at the National Gallery Singapore.

Maybe it’s bad route planning. I wonder.

“Daddy, look! It’s the Children’s Biennale again!” said an excited Pangzi as we were walking past the gallery on the way to Funan near City Hall.

“What do you mean again? You never came last year.” I said.

“Hello, Children’s Biennale means it happens once every two years,” he corrected me.

“Okay, so your English is better than mine. Now, can we move along?” I said, already thinking of checking out the much publicised indoor cycling track at Funan.

Maybe it’s a lack of will. I wonder.

I found myself agreeing to a mini detour to the gallery that wouldn’t take forever.

Because Funan won’t run away.

Children’s Biennale is a collection of 11 interactive art installations around the theme “Embracing Wonder”.

Very apt, because I wonder why not only am I persuaded to come, but also linger here for so long.

Maybe it’s simply poor time management. I wonder.

“Can we go now?” I asked Pangzi, after he has tied and untied the colourful braids at one of the stations for the 128th time.

“Just one more minute,” he promised.

The minute turned into an hour. The hour turned into an eternity. Serves me right.

Maybe it’s general laziness. I wonder.

Children’s Biennale is a great art exploration playground for kids, but also a great rest stop for accompanying adults.

There are seats and bean bags near the installations where idle parents get to sit around and twiddle with their phones.

After a while I got comfortable and didn’t want to budge.

One of the highlights of Children’s Biennale has to be this pirate ship shaped like a giant foot.

Pangzi helped himself to a pirate’s hat and eye pad as he pretended to raid the seven seas.

“Daddy, come fight with me!”

“Don’t disturb me, go slash the other kids.” The kids’ parents gave me a dirty look.

I couldn’t remember how late we left Children’s Biennale and went to Funan opposite eventually.

But Pangzi was not done.

“Daddy, can I come back again? It’s ongoing till the end of this year.”

I wonder.

We were here: