Queen Street: Art, sushi and pole dancing

In case you haven't noticed, Singapore's art and civic district has gotten a little livelier over at Queen Street, one of Singapore's oldest streets. The seeds were sown two years ago when the Singapore Art Museum extended its premises and opened its contemporary art wing, 8Q Sam. 

"I've lived in the area for seven years. In the past, it was a no man's land," says Howard Lo, 34, long-time resident and owner of Standing Sushi Bar, which recently celebrated its opening at 8Q Sam.

"Things started happening when the government started widening the roads, introducing festivals like the Night Out Festival and the Bras Basah MRT station opened."

The transformation of Queen Street

The buzz grew louder when architecture firm Daniel Teo & Associates transformed the site of the old Catholic High School into an arts center last year.

At the heart of the project are the directors of 222 Queen Street, Rachel Teo and Andrew Lau. The two have some experience restoring old buildings. Teo helped conserve the shophouses along River Valley and Kim Yam Road, while Lau was one of the visionaries behind Old School -- previously Methodist Girls School at Mount Sophia -- which has since become an area housing an independent cinema, photography studios and advertising firms.

"222 Queen Street is different from Old School," says Lau. "It's much smaller compared to Old School. We wanted to further differentiate it originally by focusing on being a dance and performing space. That was why we roped in tenants like Dbl O disco, Singapore Ballet Academy and Bobbi's Pole Studio. We had hoped to incorporate all kinds of dance -- from classical to street -- within this place."

For the famed Australian pole dancing school, the decision to set up a Singapore branch of Bobbi's Pole Studio here was an easy one.

"We're involved in the performing arts and Queen Street sits within the arts belt," says Linna Tan, director of Bobbi's Pole Studio Singapore. "NAFA Academy of Fine Arts and LaSalle College of the Arts are nearby, and there are other dance studios around so the location was a good fit."

The evolution process

The vision for 222 Queen Street then evolved to include the visual arts with privately owned and funded art museums showcasing contemporary and European works such as The Private Museum and Art Trove.

Children's art school, Little Art Bug, moved in too when interested parties like Sinema and the China Cultural Centre shied away due to funding limitations. As with many arts-related initiatives, the support of the authorities has been key.

"It was National Heritage Board who first initiated the project by putting up the building for public tender, and they've been supportive," adds Teo. "As 80 percent of the space is allocated to arts-related businesses, all tenants have to be approved by NHB."

The nuts and bolts

That's not to say everything has been smooth sailing. The 222 Queen Street building has been abandoned for more than 15 years ever since the Catholic High School moved away in 1992 to its current location in Bishan. 

A massive overhaul was required. There was also no plumbing and not enough power for the entire complex, all problems that have since been solved.

Vetting of the tenants was also necessary. Architecture companies and graphic design firms looking for offices were turned away as they don't strictly belong to the art category. They weren't the only businesses that got declined.

"For some reason, we kept getting approached by karaoke joints which wanted to come in," says Teo.

Among the non arts-related businesses that did make it to 222 Queen Street is gourmet catering company, Fine Palette, opening its first cafe bearing the same name and serving up healthy, organic fare.

"I love the colonial feel to the building," says owner Heather Barrie. "I'm also incorporating a show kitchen where we can conduct wine tastings and chocolate workshops."

It's this sort of community spirit that Lau and Teo hope will inject more energy and relevance into Queen Street.

"There's now enough critical mass to generate diversity and traffic," says Lo. "And Queen Street is right on the cusp of being a destination neighborhood."

What to check out at Queen Street:

1. Art Trove
A private museum dedicated to works by lesser known European artists such as German painter Strawalde. Art Trove will be exhibiting paintings of expressionist painter Ewald Platte starting in October.
#02-01/03, Entrance at 51 Waterloo Street. Tel +65 6336 0915

2. Functional Training Institute
Think of this as a fitness rehabilitation meets personal training center. With no membership fees, participants can train in a group or in a one-on-one session to improve the way your body and its muscle groups work together.
#03-01/02, 222 Queen Street. Tel +65 6636 0422

3. Bobbi's Pole Studio
Both men and women can learn their way around a pole at this newly opened dance studio that offers classes in lap dancing and striptease.
#02-01, 222 Queen Street. Tel +65 6333 4308

4. Dbl O
The dance club known for its cheap drinks and popularity with the young and restless is also a platform for artists. The Dbl O Arts Space allows graphic designers, photographers and tattoo artists to showcase their works through the murals on the walls and interiors of the club every four to six months.
Ground floor, 222 Queen Street. Tel +65 6735 2008

5. Standing Sushi Bar
The popular sushi place at the basement of OUB Centre gets bigger and brighter and has seats at this second outlet. Expect super fresh sashimi and grilled items from its newly introduced robatayaki section.
#01-03, 8 Queen Street, Tel +65 6333 1335

Preserved murals maintained within the Singapore Ballet Academy.

6. Food for Thought and School for Thought
It's a cafe with a conscience as it donates 10 percent of its profits to charity projects. The company has also taken up residence at 222 Queen Street where it plans to hold book readings, talks and a 24-hour comic creation session.
8 Queen Street. Tel +65 6338 9887

7. Singapore Ballet Academy
Occupying the old Lee Kuo Chuan Hall of Catholic High School, the Singapore Ballet Academy preserved the old murals of Singaporean scenes done by ex-students within its dance studios.
#04-01/02/03, Entrance at 51 Waterloo Street. Tel +65 6337 9125