SINGAPORE – Original art pieces by local artists will be featured at seven train stations along Stage 4 of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), which opens on June 23.
The art installations, which recall memories of the histories and communities in which they are situated, are part of the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) Art in Transit programme.
Launched in 1997, the programme aims to celebrate local history and community by incorporating art into the architecture of train stations. The LTA invites artists to submit their portfolios and be considered for commissioning for new rail lines.
To date, more than 440 art pieces are housed at 103 train stations across Singapore under the programme.
The Straits Times got a first look at the stations and their respective art installations at a media preview on May 2.
1. Tanjong Rhu
At Tanjong Rhu station, acoustic panels shaped like honeycombs and circles are fixed on the station walls in a piece that explores Singapore’s colonial past.
Titled Telinga Ekologi Kita, which loosely translates to Our Ecology’s Ears, the artwork’s aluminium panels evoke the image of the ears of plants that are able to listen to everything and everyone.
Created by musician and artist Bani Haykal, 38, the piece draws inspiration from an abandoned colonial project by the British to construct acoustic mirrors in Singapore. Such devices were used in World War I to detect enemy aircraft.
As no proof has been found of acoustic mirrors being constructed here, the piece also imagines Tanjong Rhu as a possible site where some of these mirrors may have been built.
The artwork took about six years to complete from the point of conceptualisation till completion, said Mr Haykal.
2. Katong Park
The photo series Time After Time brings the past and present of Katong Park together.
For each image in the series, artists Sit Weng San, 43, and Tania De Rozario photographed present-day Katong Park with archival images projected onto it.
The artwork draws inspiration from outdoor movie screenings in the 1960s and the rich history of Katong Park.
