Whether you are a travel wanderlust, an explorer, a history and heritage lover, or a geek/nerd in transportation networks via land, sea or air travel modes, or a fascination for space and beyond, AROUND THE WORLD at Alliance Française De Singapour will definitely interest you to hop onboard a journey AROUND THE WORLD!

Pack your bags, it’s time to embark on a journey AROUND THE WORLD at Alliance Française De Singapour! Following protagonist Phileas Fogg’s challenge in the novel, you are now going to transcend through time and space, traveling around the world via air, land, sea or space.

Arrival at the Itinerary Office 

Upon arrival at the Itinerary Office, you will be greeted and invited to write your your thoughts and feelings as you prepare to embark on this highly immersive, interesting and engaging journey AROUND THE WORLD. 

The Alliance Française De Singapour AROUND THE WORLD travelers notebook/passport to France is your companion guide. When I returned home after visiting this amazing exhibition that brought out the travel visual storyteller (and wanderlust) in me, I took out my travel writing kit/ink stamps and travel accessories, and began my journey AROUND THE WORLD. 

When I started writing down my travel adventures journey AROUND THE WORLD, it brought back memories of “The Little Prince”, an exhibition that I visited some years back in 2018, held at the former Singapore Philatelic Museum.  Somehow, this kind of connects the dot together in my exploration journey AROUND THE WORLD.

There is no hard and fast rule on where and how you want to start your AROUND THE WORLD journey at Alliance Française De Singapour. You can start with air travel that you might be most familiar and comfortable with, or you might prefer to go on a historical and heritage approach from the Industrial Revolution, to the boom of world travel and tourism and beyond.

Around the World By Land

Discover France’s intercity TGV, an acronym for Train à Grande Vitesse. Duly named ‘high-speed train’, he holds the world record for speed and is constantly pushing the limits of high-speed rail technology globally. TGV M (“M” for modular), the newest generation of high-speed trains is also presented, providing a forward-looking lens into the future of higher energy saving and more cost-efficient modes of land travel.

Did you spot Singapore’s MRT train inside this land transportation segment? What is the relationship between our Singapore MRT and French transportation? I would leave it for you to visit and discover the answer for yourself! 

Around the World By Sea

Long before flying around the world becomes a common form of transportation, sea travel leads the way for movement and travels around the world. In this fascinating world of French sea transportation, check out a model of of the SS France, celebrating the epitome of French excellence, recalling how the longest Trans-Atlantic liner at the time, a record held for 42 years, charmed sea passengers in the 1960s with her luxury, beauty and grace, up till her very last journey in 1974.

Around the World By Air

Some of the most iconic aircrafts that have played a significant role in shaping modern air travel. Before you vote for the Airbus A380, check out the world’s first supersonic passenger-carrying airplane, Air France’s Concorde, which still holds the record for some fastest commercial flight journeys today, embodying French art de vivre at its finest. Guests are encouraged to reminisce the craft in its glory days through Concorde’s original menu, tableware or beauty pouch on display.

By the way, do you recall or still have the Singapore $20 note that has the image of the iconic Concorde soaring above Changi Airport? Do you remember when the Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 make headlines arriving into Singapore Changi Airport? 

While I may not have flown on the Concorde, I did at least flown once on the Airbus A380 from Singapore to Shanghai! Next travel wanderlust goal is to fly on the Airbus A350 to a faraway destination!

Around the World by Space 

The human race dreamt and wrote about traveling to space in the earlier centuries, today it’s a reality. Let’s take a journey beyond Earth and into vast expanse of space. 

Have a first-hand experience by entering into an immersive experience of space travel through a Virtual Reality experience, ‘Dans la peau de Thomas Pesquet’, literally in the shoes of Thomas Pesquet, allows them to explore space like never before, with the French European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut, famous for spending six months in the International Space Station.

Next stop: Space travel? 

A Chance to win an Air France flight ticket!

As you completed your journey AROUND THE WORLD at Alliance Française De Singapour, has your travel wanderlust might probably be invoked and awakened deep inside you. How would you like a chance to win a trip to Paris? 

Every visitor to the AROUND THE WORLD exhibition will also stand the chance to win an Air France Singapore-Paris flight ticket. How do you participate? Visitors just simply need to submit their entry ticket and complete a quiz about the exhibition. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn, explore, and win at AROUND THE WORLD!

Fabian Forni, Executive Director of Alliance Française de Singapour, said, “We are truly honoured to present this important exhibition inviting you to discover all the French innovations that have revolutionised the way we travel on land, by sea, and in the air or space, from the record-breaking ones to those that will allow us to better preserve our planet.”

Series of Activities during the MOVE! Programme 

That’s more than just this captivating and mesmerising AROUND THE WORLD exhibition, there are also a series of dynamic, fun and enriching activities hosted by Alliance Française De Singapour throughout the duration of the MOVE! Programme, their tenth French Excellence Programme. You are invited to explore the past, present and future of French transportation, along with a series of talks, film screenings, workshops and activities for kids.

Film Screenings

The French action thriller film, “The Wolf’s Call”, which stars Omar Sy from Netflix acclaimed TV series Lupin and award-winning biopic on Jacques-Yves Cousteau, ‘The Odyssey’. Families with young children can look forward to a family-friendly selection of films which includes the film adaptation of Jules Verne’s timeless masterpiece, ‘Around the World in 80 Days’, as well as a chuck glider making workshop and engaging storytelling sessions in the Alliance Française library to immerse themselves in the exciting world of aviation.

Workshops

For wine lovers, there will be an immersive wine tasting workshop, hosted the multi-Michelin starred French restaurant, Les Amis, as a nod to the role of Michelin in French transportation, led by Mr. Hervé Pennequin, who ranked third in the 2004 Sommelier World Championship. 

Guests who wish to dive deeper into the future of transportation can attend a talk by Professor Jean-Marie Tarascon from the Collège de France, who will be speaking on the theme “Transportation Tomorrow”.

Alliance Française de Singapour would like to thank its sponsors – the Embassy of France in Singapore, Alstom and Perrier, and its partners – Airbus, Air France, Decathlon, Institut Français, La Vingt-Cinquième Heure, Les Amis, Michelin, Nanyang Polytechnic, Petrossian, RATP Dev – for helping to bring MOVE! to life.

AROUND THE WORLD Exhibition 

Venue: La galerie, Alliance Française De Singapour 

Address: 1 Sarkies Road Singapore 258130

Dates: 27th April to 15th July 2023

Gallery opening hours

Monday: closed

Tuesday to Friday: 1:00pm to 7:30pm

Saturday: 9am to 5:30pm

Admission: Free

For more information about Alliance Française De Singapour and information on booking tickets, please visit https://alliancefrancaise.org.sg/move#/ 

Alliance Française De Singapour 

• Website: https://alliancefrancaise.org.sg 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllianceFrancaiseSingapore 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afsingapour/ 
• LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/school/alliance-fran-aise-de-singapour/ 

* A TGH Photography x Canon EOS R50 Explorer Series Production *

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There are six sculptures inside this special dark collection space, you can touch, you can feel, this experiential learning and visit into The Little Prince In The Dark Collection brings your visit to the Singapore Philatelic Museum to an all new level and dimension (for everybody including the blind who can now also “see”, touch and enjoy their museum experience). The six sculptures depict the iconic characters and scenes inside French author Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s Le Petit Prince, a classic book that was first published in 1943.

All the hand made and hand painted sculptures were made from fibreglass and resin, coated with marine lacquer and they were created by French artist Arnaud Nazare-Aga. Using UV LED lights shining on the painted sculptures inside this customised dark room, welcome into The Little Prince In The Dark Collection!

“One sees clearly only with the heart. The essential is invisible to the eye.”

This is a world famous quote, written by French author Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Upon entering into The Little Prince In The Dark Collection, the feel and connection was beyond my eyes looking into the world of The Little Prince when I touched and felt the sculptures, with my heart and soul. It seems like I was flying away into many different worlds and exploring them, just like The Little Prince.

I invite you to visit and enter into The Little Price In The Dark Collection at Singapore Philatelic Museum, touch, feel and immerse yourself with your heart, not with your eyes.

Welcome to the world of The Little Prince!

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Upon entering into The Little Prince: Behind the Story exhibition, I was brought into another world (of fantasy, travel, adventure and writing), just as what the author, French aviator Antoine de Saint Exupery would want to open it to and share with his readers, whether you are a young child or an adult.

“One sees clearly only with the heart. The essential is invisible to the eye.”

I read this quote before, it’s famous and well-quoted. Now, I know where this quote comes from, it’s taken from one of the world’s most widely read books – “The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince)”, written by French aristocrat, writer, poet and pioneering aviator, Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900 – 1944). As I entered into The Little Prince world at the Singapore Philatelic Museum, I became curious and wanted to know more about Antoine de Saint Exupery and his book “The Little Prince”. When I was a young kid, I love to read, I began to ask myself, where was this book when I was young? Would this book make an even greater impact on me as a traveler, photographer and writer?

During my research on Antoine de Saint-Exupery and on his book The Little Prince, I discovered that this book is the world’s most translated book (300 languages) and sold almost 200million copies worldwide since it was first published in 1943. This year 2018, marks the 75^thanniversary of this world famous French classic book and Singapore Philatelic Museum has a new exhibition dedicated to Antoine de Saint Exupery and his book The Little Prince in this exhibition titled “The Little Prince: Behind the Story”.

A really amazing exhibition presented by the Singapore Philatelic Museum that goes beyond stamps, philatelic materials and artefacts, the stories behind The Little Prince story are the ones that are invisible to the eye, yet can be felt when you visit, feel and connect with his works, travel and adventures, perfectly in tune with Antoine de Saint Exupery writings.

When I was chatting with Ms Tresnawati Prihadi, General Manager, Singapore Philatelic Museum, she highlighted to me on the number of institutions and organisations that were involved in making this exhibition so enriching and amazing, through the precious loan of items from their collection.

The Little Prince: Behind the Story exhibition highlights are from:

– Singapore Philatelic Museum Collection

– Foundation Latecoere

– Charles VII Museum

– Air France Musee

– D’Agay – Saint Exupery Estate

– Facsmiles from Archives Nationales

– The Morgan Library & Museum (New York)

– Arnaud Nazare-Aga

Well … It’s time for me to enter into the world of The Little Prince. He hails from Asteroid B-612, one day he leaves home and visit different planets, meeting different grown-ups who are very odd, before landing on planet Earth, The Little Prince is searching and seeking, what is he looking for all this while?

On planet Earth, The Little Prince meets a wise fox, attaining a precious secret from it …

“Goodbye,” said the fox. “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

Thereafter, The Little Prince befriends a pilot who learns to understands him, on why and how he sees life/human beings/things in certain angles and perspectives.

Entering into the world of The Little Prince, this is like The Little Prince beckoning me to continue walking, “Come on in, don’t be shy!”. Walking through the history and real life stories of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, he is more than just amazing, he is an inspiration.

Entering into another world, probably the real world of the Little Prince, there is a garden of roses where we can meet the different types of grown-ups in The Little Prince world. This is probably the fictional and fantasy world that maybe every human being dreams of and wants to live in.

On a very personal basis, The Little Prince opened up my world of fantasy, reading, photography and travel writing into another dimension. The stories of Antoine de Saint-Exupery are an eye-opener, an inspiration to me, as a traveler, photographer and writer. He has also infused his teaching/quote inside my heart and soul, to see and feel with my heart, that I am unable to see through my eyes, something that I hope to apply them into my photography, travel and writing.

This June school holiday season, it’s Children Season! Parents, time to bring your children down to Singapore Philatelic Museum for an educational and fun time at the exhibitions. The Little Prince exhibition is perfect for the children to learn about world history, stamps, international airmail services, as well as to explore a world of their own, to be inspired in seeking and building their own journeys ahead, through universal themes of courage, dedication, love and hope. For this June school holidays, the Singapore Philatelic Museum has exciting programmes for young children, for more information and details, visit their website!

Details of The Little Prince: Behind the Story

Venue: Singapore Philatelic Museum, 23-B Coleman Street, Singapore 179807

Date: 8^th June 2018 to 17^th March 2019

Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday, 10am – 7pm

Admission Charges:

– Free admission for Singaporeans and Permanent Residents

– Adult $8

– Child (3 – 12 years) $6

Telephone: 63373888

Website: www.spm.org.sg

Official hashtags: #littleprinceSPM #singaporephilatelicmuseum

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