Merlionicity Part II: Familiarity breeds afection

Hayward, P

Merlionicity Part II: Familiarity breeds afection

Hayward, P

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Journal of Marine and Island Cultures, 2017, 6 (2), pp. 78 - 88
Issue Date:: 2017-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Hayward, P https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0018-0174	en_US
dc.date.issued	2017-01-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Journal of Marine and Island Cultures, 2017, 6 (2), pp. 78 - 88	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/130499
dc.description.abstract	© 2017 Institution for Marine and Island Cultures, Mokpo National University. The merlion is a figure that comprises the upper half of a lion and the lower half of a fish. In an earlier issue of this journal (1[2], 2012), I charted the merlion’s invention and introduction as a logo for Singaporean tourism in the 1960s and its memorialisation as a fountain statue in 1972. After examining a variety of cultural engagements with it during the 1970s-1990s, I concluded by analysing interpretations offered by artists contributing to the 2006 and 2011 Singaporean Biennales. In this follow-up article I explore the extent to which Singaporeans, expatriates and visitors have developed an increasing degree of affection for the figure. As subsequent sections detail, various recent deployments indicate that for some tourists, expatriates and Singaporean nationals, at least, the merlion is now regarded as a symbol that can be used in playful, ironic and/or often personalised manners, such as, most notably, a logo that they are willing to have inscribed on their flesh.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Journal of Marine and Island Cultures	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.21463/jmic.2017.06.2.06	en_US
dc.title	Merlionicity Part II: Familiarity breeds afection	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	2	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	6	en_US
utslib.for	2002 Cultural Studies	en_US
utslib.for	1904 Performing Arts and Creative Writing	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences/School of Communication
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.issue	2	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	6	en_US

Abstract:

© 2017 Institution for Marine and Island Cultures, Mokpo National University. The merlion is a figure that comprises the upper half of a lion and the lower half of a fish. In an earlier issue of this journal (1[2], 2012), I charted the merlion’s invention and introduction as a logo for Singaporean tourism in the 1960s and its memorialisation as a fountain statue in 1972. After examining a variety of cultural engagements with it during the 1970s-1990s, I concluded by analysing interpretations offered by artists contributing to the 2006 and 2011 Singaporean Biennales. In this follow-up article I explore the extent to which Singaporeans, expatriates and visitors have developed an increasing degree of affection for the figure. As subsequent sections detail, various recent deployments indicate that for some tourists, expatriates and Singaporean nationals, at least, the merlion is now regarded as a symbol that can be used in playful, ironic and/or often personalised manners, such as, most notably, a logo that they are willing to have inscribed on their flesh.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/130499