Art In The Parks – Rewritten: The World Ahead of Us ( Jan 22-Jun 6, 2021 ) ( first posted on thebarefootfoodie.org on 1 Jun 2021 )

 

Art In The Parks – Rewritten: The World Ahead of Us ( Jan 22-Jun 6, 2021 )

JUNE 1, 2021BAREFOOT ARTS, PUBLIC ART

There is a common thread running across this series of 14 public art installations by local artists commissioned by the National Arts Council’s ( NAC ) Public Art Trust. It runs across 8 parks, over a 36 km trail from Punggol in the East to Jurong in the West. The message that rings out loud and clear is ” Look On The Bright Side”. There is nothing too abstract for those who are “afraid” of contemporary art – merely words and phrases that plainly say what they mean, for the general public to stop, look, reflect and ponder. It’s only Words – but Words that are poignant and profound.

According to a spokesperson for NAC, “…Just barely a year ago, arts spaces went dark and a hushed silence enveloped the nation at the height of COVID-19. Artists started to look inwards and seek new avenues of expression, and Rewritten presented an opportunity for them to push their creative boundaries and create works that inspire

Just prior to the Phase 2 Heightened Alert, NAC arranged for two tours to take Gillman Barracks docents to view the artworks with the artists on site. There was good fun, camaraderie in the fading light at dusk, some fodder for mozzies, but mostly it was food for the soul, to be able to interact with the installations and to hear it first-hand from the artists themselves.

PUNGGOL WATERWAY PARK

1. Distance Will Bring Me Closer to You by Hanson Ho

what's in an oxymoron? Absence makes the heart grow fonder

2. Still Travelling by Laniakea Culture Collective

Musings of a migrating Swallow ( Image courtesy of NAC )

Taking Flight - one day at a time

” Soon I too will spread my wings subtly, unwavering, straggler on these shores, you must find where you are before you can begin your journey elsewhere”. The artwork takes its title from this poem by Aaron Lee, who together with his wife, Namiko Chan Takahashi, make up the Laniakea Culture Collective. During the pandemic season, Namiko sat down day after day to paint this series of birds.

So much of this resonates with the wanderlust in us. When, oh when, oh when can we take to the skies once more?

3. Temporary Escapism by Sam Lo

Sam Lo is no stranger to the Singapore Art scene with her tongue-in-cheek lines that are punny, but yet with a ring of truth in them. “ I always look at the public spaces like we can play with them. I really wanted to take back the streets.” LIke little pick-me-ups, look out for all 11 of them scattered all over this park which surely confirm will bring a smile to your face – capture those moments of escapism, at least temporarily.

Escape 11 times, if you will…

4. 間 (Jian) by Cheryl Chiw

Step onto the doorway into the light

間 Jian is a composite Chinese character meaning space or realm which is formed by sub-characters ‘門’ (which means door) and ‘日’ (for sun / day). Strategically perched on high ground in the park, it can be seen from different vantage points of approach. Underneath the sculpture is a collection of carefully curated soundscapes captured on a playlist which has an intimate connection with the site and the different rhythms of day and night.

5. Yellow ( at Lorong Halus Bridge ) by James Tan & Petrina Dawn Tan

Shades of Yellow from Dawn to Dusk

And yet, some of your young opt out, niggling,
‘You are not green enough,’ They love, (you know),
Parks where spring contrives to give to green
A shine that does not yellow easily.
~
Few, few don’t know that green can be greener,
Or yellow, yellower. If we cannot choose,
Entirely, which flowers will grow wild on our soil,
We can, at least, graft blossoms for new homes.

– Excerpt from Robert Yeo’s Poem Those in Urban Yellow (2012)

Set against two different directions of the bridge, the first stanza of the poem above marks the vantage point for dawn while the last stanza faces the direction of dusk, etched below billowing yellow PVC drapes. Lorong Halus Bridge is a popular thoroughfare, well traversed by pedestrians, cyclists, families and different communities. The yellowish glow of the sunlight casts a warm and welcoming embrace as if smiling over one and all on the bridge.

SENGKANG RIVERSIDE PARK

6. Anamorphic Vibes by Adeline Loo & Cheong Yew Mun

Courage Over Anxiety ( Image Courtesy of Virginie Labbe )

When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change

This is a collaboration between two visual artist buddies. Yew Mun designed the sculpture while Adeline sews it all together with brightly colored yarn. Like two sides of a coin, where does it land when you toss it? Sometimes things are not entirely here or there when you vacillate between the two axis – and that’s ok too.

7. Every Seed Carries Within it the Dream and Blueprint of the Whole by Hunny and Lummy

You may slump here if you are 100 kg and below. There are i8 of these pods and hammocks for safe distancing

There is a lifetime of destiny in one seed,,,

Artists Hun Ming Kwang and Quinn Lum Fu Loong (Hunny and Lummy) hatched these pods as a resting place for people seeking solitude with nature. It is a place of solace and an anchor for contemplation about the things that really matter and gratitude for the things they still have. The title of the installation is taken from local writer Alvin Pang’s 2011 publication ” What Gives Us Our Name

LOWER SELETAR RESERVOIR PARK/LUXUS HILL PARK

8. Hey, How Are You? by Weimin Lai

Hey, How are You? Turning a perfunctory greeting into an opportunity for new connections

Poems by Yashira Yusoff

Weimin Lai tirelessly weaves a series of 3 flags from vividly coloured tarpaulin patches being greetings like ” Hey, How Are You?” ” So How Are Things?” “Are You Doing Okay?” In pandemic times, this may just be the thing someone out there needs to hear and be uplifted.

ANG MO KIO LINEAR PARK

9. Bond by Jerome Ng and Zed Haan

Let's bond - forming connections and ties in this season

Sounds of Silence

Jerome and Zed are two childhood friends who have been making art together since school days. Linger long enough on this sculpture-pavilion to catch the sun’s rays on a 4-part poem called ” Silence” in its nooks and crannies. Art,, architecture and poetry bonding in harmonious respite.

BISHAN-ANG MO KIO PARK

10. This TIme by Perception3

Apart, Together

Longing, Reaching

Bridges are powerful symbol markers of transitions, time, history and connections. This particular bridge, where the artwork is installed on both sides, happily leads to happy meals at McDonalds on the other side.

11. Hello Stranger by Dawn Ng

Strangers are just friends waiting to happen

The Billboard reads ” Everything You Got Everywhere You Go Anytime You Please Nothing You Want More Than This” This is taken from a larger body of work by Dawn called Perfect Stranger where she engaged in deep conversations with a stranger who later became a confidante. Despise not the small things that you don’t really have to go looking for. In such a time as this, everything we ever wanted may be right here.

12. [ ] With Dual Possibilites by Vertical Submarine

Are you old enough to remember this and how often it gets stuck?

Opportunities in times of Crisis

On one side, there is a quote from local author Yong Shu Hoong with some key words omitted, leaving the visitor to fill in the blanks. The other side contains a well-known Chinese saying akin to ” When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade” Vertical Submarine is well known for their play on words. Light shines, even when it’s dark and the music continues to play on.

JURONG LAKE GARDENS

13. It Takes Time by Robert Zhao Renhui

It Takes Time...to Grow Up

Grow, Sapling, Grow

Slow and steady…so many things take time to take root and grow. How we tend to forget, in our quick, quick, chop, chop world of instant gratification. Robert patiently and stoically tracked the growth of one such young tree and captured its development over11 months in 11 changing light boxes. Sometimes the changes are almost imperceptible, and sometimes there is a growth spurt when the tree begins to shoot up from nowhere. Unseen, below ground, it is constantly growing and transforming. “It Takes Time” – plain and simple.

14. When A Tree Becomes A Forest by Ang Song Nian

From A Tree to a Forest

This is a clever play on the Chinese language which has its rudiments in pictorial form. It took 195 of one tree sculpture “木” (wood/ tree) to multiply into “林” (woods) and finally into “森” (forest) One tree does not make a forest. There is strength and unity in numbers. Looking from different perspectives, you may see a tree, or two or the entire forest when you have an aerial view. Another popular saying tells you not to lose sight of the forest for the trees – something worth chewing on when almost anything and everything can become contentious and offend some sensitivities.

On this note, we come to the end of the coast to coast public art in the parks. The back story is that art reflects life. In one particular artwork, a contractor pulled out at the last minute leaving the rest of the team to scramble, pull out all the stops to prevent it from scuttling. Just as an artist does not work alone, the works are a timely reminder that every individual has a part to play to keep safe, stay well and make our planet a better place for all.