Gillman Barracks is a public art showcase, LOCK ROUTE, opens officially during Art After Dark on Friday 13 January 2017.
Curated by Khairuddin Hori, LOCK ROUTE takes inspiration from Gillman Barracks’ address and the 24km long route march common in the training of ‘graduating’ army recruits in Singapore, harking back to Gillman Barracks’ history of being a former military barracks. LOCK ROUTE features 16 arresting outdoor artworks by 15 world-renowned and emerging international and Singapore artists, including several new commissions. The artworks consist of site-specific installations, sculptures and murals, and visitors are invited to traverse the grounds of Gillman Barracks and experience a closer encounter with art out in the open.
Gillman Barracks was one of the last British outposts to fall to the Japanese during the Second World War, where the Regiment fought the Japanese three days before Singapore fell in February 1942. Upon Japanese surrender on 14 August 1945, command of the base transferred to the returning British forces.
In August 1971, the British handed over Gillman Barracks to the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) for a token sum of $1, as part of their withdrawal from Singapore. For the next 13 years, it served as the headquarters for the School of Combat Engineering and the 3rd Transport Battalion. In 1984, a similar handover was done between the School of Combat Engineering and the SAF Transport Base, with $1 being the handover fee. Gillman Barracks was later vacated in 1990 and used subsequently for commercial purposes.
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