Art-in-Transit

DT1 Bukit Panjang
Punctum of the Long Hills by John Clang

Bukit Panjang means long hills in Malay. The impressive row of tall HDB flats subtly suggests the long hilly landscape. The giant kampong boys peeking beyond the HDB flats represent their curiosity. As a country, we have made great progress. As citizens, we should be adventurous, taking risks in exploring our identities and seeking out for better opportunities.

DT2 Cashew
Project Eden by Donna Ong

In 1968, the vision of Singapore as “Garden City” was conceived by then Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew – the key epithets being “green and clean”.  Today, corridors and balconies flourish with bonsai, terrariums and various potted plants.  This work pays homage to the island’s creative high-rise gardeners.  Using a collage of everyday items found within Singaporean homes; like toilet brushes and other domestic items, the artist metamorphoses them into the “flowers” and “grasses” of picturesque gardens.

DT3 Hillview
What Remains by Darren Soh

In June 2011, the Malaysian KTM trains stopped running to Tanjong Pagar Station and the railway land was returned to Singapore. Railway tracks and other embellishments were swiftly removed upon the land's return. In a matter of months, all that was left of the KTM railway's century-old presence in the Bukit Timah area were the conserved Bukit Timah Station and three railway bridges. ‘What Remains’ is a body of photographic work that documents the remnants of the KTM railway line in the form of the steel bridge nearest to Hillview Station as well as the stretches of railway tracks left at the sites of all three bridges.
 

DT5 Beauty World
Asemic Lines by Boedi Widjaja

Referencing the earliest forms of writing, the artwork comprises ‘words’ and letterforms including Chinese, Jawi, Tamil and Latin layered one upon another rhythmically. At intersections the writings are accentuated in ascending and descending order like music scores.

The artwork presents the mix of languages as the result of our diversity, and invites the viewers’ aesthetic intuition to ‘hover’ between reading and looking.

DT6 King Albert Park
The Natural History of Singapore’s Mythical Botanic Creatures by Chan Mei Hsien, Long Ying Han, Soh Pei Ling
(Artists Caravan)

‘The Natural History of Singapore’s Mythical Botanic Creatures’ is a whimsical narrative illustrating the juxtaposition between natural and built habitats in our environment. The mythical biological collection os strategically positioned in nooks and corners of the station.

In collaboration with students from Methodist Girls’ Secondary School and botany experts, Ms. Tan Beng Chiak and Ms. Kok Oi Yee, the secret lives of mythical creatures from Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, in King Albert Park station are revealed

DT8 Tan Kah Kee
Gratitude (饮水思源) by Hwa Chong Institution

Inspired by the traditional Chinese idiom, 饮水思源, and Tan Kah Kee’s remarkable philanthropic legacy, the students and staff of Hwa Chong Institution embarked on a community art project to reflect on what it means to give back to society today.

Gratitude is composed of streams of colourful text diligently handwritten by students of the school.  Up close, the artwork reveals a myriad of rousing tributes to those who have walked before us, as well as heart-warming reflections of those currently walking by our side.  When viewed from a distance, words dissolve into trickles of blue and green, forming the river that connects us to our rich history and cultural heritage.

DT9 Botanic Gardens
What is a Tree by Shirley Soh

Located in different parts of the station, the Tembusu is one of Singapore’s best-loved trees.

Musings on trees have also been captured from local poets, artists, nature lovers and visitors to the Botanic Gardens: Dr Geh Min, Danielle Henricus, Keith Hillier, Kuo Pao Kun, Madeleine Lee, Rahmah Mirza, Salima Nadira, Ong Kim Seng, Tan Chu Chze, Tham Pui San, Robert Treborlang and Arthur Yap.

DT10 Stevens
PIN - 23040 by Om Mee Ai

PIN – 23040 illustrates existing patterns in nature that constitute a historical dimension of the junction of Stevens and Bukit Timah. In the 19th century the area was the natural habitat for biodiversity with an expanse of various exotic crops. The manually stamped artwork uses nutmeg and rubber tree foliage, seeds and fruits to remind commuters of the distinct historical and natural identity of the surrounding area.
 

DT11 Newton
Newton by MessyMsxi

Singapore is constantly reinventing itself to adapt to changes and challenges. While redeveloping and altering our urban landscape, the search for more space grows.

The artwork draws inspiration from our city and Newton heritage, featuring the imagined landscape of Singapore in 2200. Most importantly, it envisions an alternate reality of how it may look as we progress, evolve and develop to new heights and deep under, using our ingenuity, mindfulness and creativity.

DT12 Little India
Woven Field by Grace Tan

The soft curves of the architectural features in Little India Station set the backdrop for Woven Field - a landscape of tessellated triangular patterns inspired by the woven patterns commonly seen in the traditional sari. The beauty of the sari cloth lies in its intricate and repetitive geometric patterns. Weaving interlaces the architecture and artwork to form a single entity.
 

DT13 Rochor
Tracing Memories by LASALLE College of the Arts

Local vintage objects, acquired from The Thieves’ Market, are featured deliberately in Tracing Memories to convey the impression of a motherboard. Executed in three styles of image making, the artwork attempts to examine the binary lives of Singapore’s youths: a fascination with technological advancement through the latest gadgets and gear, as well as sentimentality for history, tradition and memorabilia.
 

DT14 Bugis
Ephemeral by Patrick Chia

Working within the opportunities and constraints afforded by the space, Ephemeral invites commuters to experience the work over time during their daily journeys.  The artwork aims to engage each commuter at his or her own moment.  Some notice and understand immediately, others experience it differently at each encounter and some may take it in only at a subconscious level.
 

DT15 Promenade
Earthcake by Ana Prvacki

Earthcake examines the geology and tradition of Singapore by zooming into the layers of cultural sediment permeating the site. Conceived as a collage of earth and local kueh—focusing on the kueh—the artwork looks at the quintessential component of Singapore's multi-ethnic fabric—food—a powerful and unifying element essential to its identity and core.
 

DT16 Bayfront
When The Ship Comes In by Lee Wen

When The Ship Comes In commemorates Singapore’s history as an important port of call for ships from different countries and cultures.  Based on actual historical ship models as well as pure fantasy and imagination, the mural is a collage of images of ships drawn by young Singaporeans, age 7 to 12. Through these ships we not only recall our history but also project the children’s hopes for the future serving as a concrete archive of collective social memory.
 

DT17 Downtown
Leaves by Jason Lim

The artwork draws inspiration from the biological structure of bamboo leaves.  Looking through the microscope, the dense cell networks of leaves symbolises the intricate networks of businesses around the station.  The blending hues of green illustrate the vibrancy of the area above.
 

DT18 Telok Ayer
Charm of Bay by Lim Shing Yee

Historically, Telok Ayer, which means ‘bay water’ in Malay, is a coastal street and the main landing site and focal point of settlement for Chinese immigrants.  The artwork celebrates the history of the area by using abstract forms inspired by plantations and elements of water.  The three large bulbous structures symbolise primitive monuments, while their shadows mapping the ever-changing passage over time.  Perceived as whole, the artwork transforms the concourse into a whimsical landscape.
 

DT19 Chinatown
Flying Colours by Cheo Chai-Hiang

Flying Colours attempts to transform the mundane hanging of clothes to dry on poles outside HDB flat windows into a festive celebration.  Created in a lens shaped format, commuters will experience the subtle changes of colours, giving the illusion that the clothes are flying in the wind.  The artwork spans across the concourse and leads commuters to the platforms.

DT20 Fort Canning
Through His Eyes by Lim Tze Peng

The artist makes reference to the history of Fort Canning in his artwork, imagining Sir Stamford Raffles seeing a bustling port below from his house on the hill.
 

DT21 Bencoolen
Tracing Memories by Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

The students of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) students created this artwork with images of the community around the station. Each figure is composed of a collage of photographs of buildings, people and objects.

The team of NAFA students collected more than 800 photographs, and the artwork acts as subtle wayfinding to Singapore Management University (figures with laptops) and to NAFA (figures with drawing tools).

DT22 Jalan Besar
A Kaleidoscopic World by Lydia Wong

The Downtown Line Competition winning artwork, the artist photographed a collection of items along Sungei Road to capture the slightly chaotic and vibrant feel of the community living and thriving in the area.

The work is called ‘Kaleidoscopic World’ because images are angled and juxtaposed to create a sense of personal journey and experience.

DT23 Bendemeer
And A New World by Cristene Chang

Impressions, memories and feelings of the area helped the artist create an artwork in celebration of the patterns found in the local fabrics and architectural motifs on the buildings found in the Bendemeer area.
 

DT24 Geylang Bahru
Constructed Memories by Marienne Yang

The artist recreates scenes from a community going about its daily business of painting a wall, buying kopi-o, construction workers drilling – capturing the essential flavor of Singapore.

The use of pictogram figures adds a sense of whimsical fun and a touch of curiosity as commuters discover a kitten, a safety boot, a plastic bag of kopi-o around the station.

DT25 Mattar
Agar Panel by Genevieve Chua

The religious landscape around Mattar Road is deeply ingrained in the history of the area, and the artist transformed a cluster of agarwood shavings, a unique and rare type of wood used in incense and perfumes, into a nebula or cosmic landscape.

The light and scent (depicted in white and blue in the artwork) work subtly as a wayfinding device leading the commuters to and from the platform and concourse.

DT26 MacPherson
Trails of Thoughts by Aminah Mohd Sa’at

The artist worked with residents of MacPherson area to develop the artwork, and had interviewed 27 residents during a National Day event in 2013. These interviewees, comprise of different age groups from across all races from the MacPherson area, gave their thoughts and sentiments on their community. Eventually, these were recorded and reproduced along the concourse wall, in Singapore four official languages.
 

DT27 Ubi
Staple by Zainudin Samsuri

The Malay word ‘Ubi’ refers to the tapioca plant and the artist explored this idea when creating the artwork for Ubi Station. The skeletal stainless steel artwork represents an abstraction of the tapioca roots. He also provided a more literal representation of the tapioca plant, using stainless steel inlay, in the granite floor on the concourse and platform levels.
 

DT28 Kaki Bukit
Welcome to Kaki Bukit by Hans Tan

The artist engaged the diverse community of residents, workers and students around the station and had asked them to write “Welcome to Kaki Bukit” while being filmed. These handwritten messages create a dynamic art screen which will greet the commuters as they descend from the escalators.
 

DT29 Bedok North
Dedaun Masa (Leaves of Time) by Ahmad Abu Bakar

The artist aims to harmonise the station with its environment by bring in the elements that are close to the station – nature, community, history – into the station atmosphere. The type of leaves was chosen from the trees surrounding the station, and will continue to be present many years to come.
 

DT30 Bedok Reservoir
Somewhere Else by Ng Chee Yong

The artist was inspired by Bedok Reservoir to create an artwork based on water – creating connections between the flow of water and flow of human traffic through a station. It consists of a typographical installation on the lift shaft with connecting motifs on the platform leading towards the exit. A special bench formed out of a graphic element was developed such that the entire artwork serves both visual and physical enjoyment.
 

DT31 Tampines West
Welcome to Jingapore by Jing Quek

DT33 Tampines East
Welcome to Jingapore by Jing Quek

The artist engaged the community around the stations in a 5-day public event and captured photographs of 250 residents for each station in a specially-designed photo booth. He then combined the images of people, places and objects to create a collage of community.
 

DT32 Tampines
Tall Long and Big Round by Studio Juju

This hyperbolic artwork magnifies the experience of symmetry and reflection between the art walls and the benches. The artists explored the concept of pure geometrical forms to bring a sense of calm and order into a chaotic station environment.

The white ‘Big Round’ artwork, contrasts with the red ‘Tall Long’ artwork, aid as wayfinders for commuters moving to and from the platform.

DT34 Upper Changi
I am Anonymous by Boo Junfeng

The artist engaged the students at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) to create the artwork. The students were asked to contribute their fingerprints and were told to write down an adjective that describes them. Using lenticular technology (an image that will only be visible at a specific angle), the adjectives embedded in the fingerprints will reveal themselves at different angles as the commuters walk pass them.
 

DT35 Expo
A Banquet by Yeo Chee Kiong

A Downtown Line Competition winning artwork, this piece comprises two chairs and a speech balloon in between, which signifies a conversation. The reflective material of the artwork will reflect its surrounding colours and movement, symbolising a cultural exchange. The artwork manifests the ‘Free-Trade Spirit’ through a free-floating ‘Cloud over the table of negotiation while the isometric chairs are arranged in a manner to signify the necessity of “game rules” in any business.