Public art offers hope and refuge

FEELING the toll of the pandemic? In Sengkang Riverside Park, there are eight individual rattan pods scattered on an open field. Inside each pod there is a comfortable hammock and a solar-powered light for when it gets dark. Anyone can take their place in one of the pods to read, meditate, listen to the sounds of nature, or simply take a nap.

Because the pods are spaced at least 10 metres apart from each other, you could presumably remove your mask and breathe in the fresh air deeply and directly, without being castigated.

The pods, which resemble seeds, are inspired by a line in Alvin Pang's bestselling book What Gives Us Our Names, which goes: "Every seed carries within it the dream and blueprint of the whole".

Artists Hun Ming Kwang and Quinn Lum Fu Loong (aka Hunny and Lummy) conceived the pods as a way for people to find solace in solitude and nature. Hun says: "Essentially, we think many people have become disconnected from their dreams, especially in this crisis . . . so we want them to spend time in these 'seed pods' and reflect on the things that really matter to them, and be grateful for the things they still have."

The pods are a hit not just with the residents of Sengkang, but also Singaporeans from other neighbourhoods who come to the field just to occupy the pods for a few hours.

The large-scale installation is one of 14 newly-commissioned public artworks scattered across eight park spaces in Singapore along the 36km NParks Coast-To-Coast trail. The parks include Jurong Lake Gardens, Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Lower Seletar Reservoir Park and Punggol Waterway Park.

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Commissioned by Public Art Trust, an initiative of the National Arts Council, most of the works are inspired by Singapore poems, prose and other text-based works.

Under a bridge in Punggol Waterway Park, for instance, poet Aaron Lee has inscribed an original poem titled Still Travelling on the long beams holding up the bridge across the water. The poem alludes to our yearning to travel to find refuge and inspiration - a wanderlust that's difficult to quell in a time of widespread border restrictions.

Poet Lee says that he hopes that poem provides comfort to those who stop to read it, adding that "if anything, the parks of Singapore have been a lifeline for us in this pandemic, giving us space to roam and find relief."

Nearby, his wife and artistic partner Namiko Chan Takahashi has painted images of birds that similarly allude to our wanderlust. She says: "Birds can fly to different places, unlike us who are bound by our borders . . . So the birds are symbols of freedom and flight, which we all hope to have more of soon."

Among the 14 commissioned works, one of the standouts is Ang Song Nian's When A Tree Becomes A Forest. The monumental installation in Jurong Lake Gardens consists of 195 wood structures that each form the Chinese character "mu", meaning "wood". The structures are arranged in a cluster, such that an aerial view of the work yields the Chinese character "sen", meaning "forest".

Ang's work has several layers of meaning. Firstly, it reminds us of the critical role nature plays in our lives, a fact that has become inescapable in the wake of the pandemic. Secondly, "forest" is a symbol of collective strength and unity, a call to one and all to work together to overcome this crisis.

Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the island, artists Petrina Dawn Tan and James Tan - better known as theatre designers - have hung two large sets of yellow uni-PVC drapes across the Lorong Halus Bridge that connects Punggol and Pasir Ris.

Inspired by the lines of Robert Yeo's poem Those In Urban Yellow, the work uses the thick and transparent curtains to diffuse the sometimes strong sunlight, and bathe anyone walking on the bridge in the early morning or late evening with a cheerful yellow glow.

The artwork even lights up at night, when LED strip lights coloured with yellow gels come on and give the bridge an inviting glow.

Petrina says: "Yellow is the colour of warmth, hope and positivity - something we all need right now to help us through the pandemic . . . So by day, the work bathes you in warm yellows to put you in a good mood. And by night, the bridge glows inwardly, like a lantern to guide you through the dark."

• For more information on the 14 artworks and their locations, visit publicarttrust.gov.sg