VIRGIN TERRITORY

Awe is an emotion that, like a sharp knife that dulls with use, is harder to feel as one gets older. It’s the curse of experience. See the magnificent Iguazu Falls once and all other waterfalls will pale in comparison. Likewise, the exhilaration one feels watching Avatar in 3- D for the first time will mellow with repeated viewing. Call it maturity, this tempering of emotions that comes with experience, and a we is the first casualty.

Enter Adrian Goh, this month’s cover personality and maestro of awe. The chief of multimedia company Hexogon Solution is behind some of Singapore’s most breathtaking spectacles. At last year’s National Day Parade, Goh raised a dazzling city from the stadium grounds and floated it several storeys above the performers, to the amazement of the audience. The monumental feat followed Goh’s world record-breaking production of the 28th Sea Games opening ceremony, where he made the ground roil like a sea as part of the fantastical story-telling. Read about this creator of excitement on Page 34.

Also in this issue, we speak to individuals searching for their own slice of wonder. See View from the Top, Page 40. As some who use drones to explore previously unseen parts of the earth have discovered, it’s not just rare images that can astonish. Sometimes, it’s the opportunity to connect to the world at large that adds depth and meaning to what we see. And that’s an idea that can only be understood with age.