The Esplanade — Theatres on the Bay opened in 2002, but its silhouette almost never existed. The original design presented two smooth domes to the public, who said they looked like marshmallows. Or bread loaves. One critic suggested two copulating aardvarks.

More practically, engineers pointed out that Singapore's subtropical heat would turn the glass into a greenhouse. The solution was thousands of aluminium sunshades spiking the surface, which filter light while deflecting heat. Locals took one look and named the building the Durian, after the large, spiky, pungent fruit beloved across Southeast Asia.

Before the theatre was built, the site hosted the Satay Club, an open-air collection of food stalls that had run since the 1960s before making way for construction in 1995.

VoiceMap's self-guided audio tours approach the Esplanade from the waterfront, tracing the arc of Singapore's performing arts from its street-food origins to world-class productions on the bay.