STEPHEN Wiltshire typically goes on a helicopter ride over a city for about 20 minutes. But those 20 minutes are enough for him to remember every detail of all the buildings and roads he can see from his bird's eye view, down to the last tree, window and street lamp.

He then reproduces what he's seen in his large drawings accurately and painstakingly over several days, relying solely on his photographic memory rather than maps and pictures. This feat has made him something of an artistic sensation around the world. He's frequently invited to different cities to illustrate their skylines.

Next week, Wiltshire is set to carry out the feat here in Singapore. On Tuesday, he's taking a helicopter ride sponsored by the RSAF around the Central Business District. Subsequently, he will station himself at Paragon shopping mall from July 16 to 20 to draw the Singapore skyline on a four metre by one metre canvas. The public can watch him work at the mall's atrium from 10am to 5pm daily, with one-hour breaks at 1.30pm.