An Exclusive Treat: Wishing Spheres Installation

Have you ever wondered how these spheres stay afloat and anchored in place on the Marina Reservoir? Thanks to Esplanade and URA, I’m given this rare golden opportunity to witness how these wishing spheres were ‘installed’ onto the reservoir. Join me as I give you an exclusive sneak peek behind the ‘installation’ process of your wishing spheres on the waters of Marina Bay; the Bay of Hope and Light.

In its 5^th year running, the wishing spheres project has become a yearly tradition and a permanent feature of the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown forming a spectacular visual arts display. This year, the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown celebrates ‘Gratitude’.

Firstly, the spheres from all the 27 wishing stations are deflated for ease of transportation to Esplanade. This is where the spheres will be inflated again.

Once inflated, these spheres are tied firmly along the white rope as you can see from above. Following that, the white rope is then tied to an anchor rope that connects the line of spheres together.

As a result, this is how the end product will look like after all the spheres are firmly secured to the ropes together.

The secured spheres are then gradually release onto the reservoir like so, before being towed away by a boat.

Once the spheres are lined up, I set sail onboard a cruiser to get up close and personal with the spheres installation process in the center of the reservoir.

I was accompanied by an Esplanade staff and Uncle Nicholas: our chaperon (in blue), the man behind the steering wheel. Given his experience, for all you know he might just be the moral fibre behind the installation of these 20,000 wishing spheres.

Minutes after we set off from the Esplanade jetty, the dark clouds ominously huddled together and it started pouring instantly. It is to no surprise given Singapore’s erratic weather as of recent; it could be sunny one minute and rain the next.

The sudden downpour however did not dampen my spirit to witness the installation process. Uncle Nicholas then steered the boat towards under the Esplanade Drive Bridge to seek refuge while waiting for the rain to subside.

After a good 20 minutes wait under the bridge, the clouds decided to clear and the pouring weather decided to have mercy allowing me to continue with the exclusive tour.

As seen in the picture above, the staff grabs onto an anchor rope (brown) in which the white ropes are then tied onto. Mr Nicholas verbally explains simultaneously how the installation of the spheres is done while his staff demonstrates accordingly. The white ropes are interconnected with the main anchor rope which is then anchored down at each end to the reservoir by a weight preventing it from being swept away by the current.

Notice that the ropes are interconnected in a sector.

He showed us how the spheres are being tied onto the rope.

He double checks the knots to ensure the spheres are securely tied. The painstaking process cycle continue until all 20,000 wishing spheres stay float and anchored proper onto the reservoir.

As the weather seems unforeseeable and unpredictable, we decided to head back to the jetty to disembark before it starts to rain again. I learn that maintaining and installing the spheres is such a daunting task. It takes a lot of effort and time to fill the entire reservoir with the wishing spheres, bearing in mind all 20 000 of them. Therefore, I would like to give a pat on the back and extend my gratitude and heartfelt thanks to all the staff involve with the wishing spheres installation.

Have you penned down your wishes on the wishing spheres yet? Grab the opportunity and visit the Esplanade wishing station till 23 December 2012 to do so. Or click on the related article link below to find out the locations of the various wishing stations near you. Subsequently, in commemoration of its 10^th anniversary in service to the community, with the theme Celebrating Life – The best of the Human Spirits through Arts, Esplanade presents Celebrate December featuring lined up performances and activities throughout the month of December.