Merlionicity
The twenty first century elaboration of a Singaporean symbol
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13061782 |
|---|---|
| Authors | P Hayward (0000-0002-0018-0174, Southern Cross University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 1 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 113-125 |
| Publication date | 2012-12-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Marine and Island Cultures (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2212-6821 • E-ISSN: 2212-6821 |
| Publisher | Shima Publishing (PUBLISHER • AU) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.imic.2012.11.008 |
| OpenAlex | W2048529135 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 2 |
Designed in 1964 as a symbol for the (then) fledgling Singaporean tourism industry that reflected Singapore’s maritime heritage, the Merlion – a figure comprising a lower half fish and upper half lion – has become a widely recognized icon of the modern island-state. But despite its prominence in representations of Singapore, the figure has divided opinion and generated debate amongst Singaporeans. Since the 1980s and increasingly in the 1990s and 2000s, artists, writers and critics have variously re-imagined and modified the Merlion in order to comment on aspects of Singapore’s national project. Prompted by the re-imagination of the Merlion at Singapore’s third Biennale of Arts (2011), this article develops comparisons to similar international symbols and analyses the role and historical trajectory of the Merlion in Singaporean society and the manner in which it has stimulated discussion of the island-state’s identity
Aesthetics · Archaeology · Art · Art history · Economics · Elaboration · Humanities · Icon · Identity (music · Linguistics · Media studies · National identity · Order (exchange · Political science · Sociology · State (computer science · Symbol (formal · The arts · Tourism · Visual arts · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · History · Law · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology · Philosophy · Travel Writing and Literature
| Citations per year | 0.55 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2015 - 2023 (9) |
| Highly cited | No |