Mass Rapid Transit :: SINGAPORE ::

Buangkok station

Buangkok station often draws stares from passer-bys intrigued by its distinctive, abstract look. Resembling a circus tent, the station's unique Teflon roof covers the station entrances, linkways and bus-stops. While fulfilling its function, the roof's unconventional design is a visual treat that draws passengers into the station.

A tunnel from Buangkok station links it to the North East Line depot, and trains from the city can be re-routed off the main line to return to the depot. This two-level station built under Sengkang Central Road has also been designed as a civil defence shelter.

The formerly undeveloped area has welcomed increased accessibility with the new MRT station. A network of new roads, such as Buangkok Green and Sengkang Central Road were constructed to complement the new station. Future developments around the station, which sits between Sengkang and Hougang Towns, will certainly embrace the new transport links.

Vincent Leow's works at Buangkok station capture the energy and open-mindedness of Singapore's contemporary arts scene.

For his commission at Buangkok station, Vincent Leow decided against creating the paintings and sculptures for which he is best known. Instead he seized the opportunity to push his own artistic boundaries by exploring the fusion of art and photography.

The artist's concept cleverly uses the station's spaces to create a bold contemporary work that embodies the essence of transit art and the fleeting approach commuters have to it.

Vincent Leow's work is made up of two colourful bands of images framing the station's two open stair voids that link the concourse level to the platform. Commuters riding the escalators from the concourse down to the trains and from the train platform up towards ground level will find themselves on eye level with Vincent's unique collection of black and white photos, artfully enlivened with colours, dots and graphic motifs.

Comprising 80 vitreous enamel panels silk-screened with different images, Vincent Leow's work resembles movie stills or film strips featuring photos of people, activities and nature.

Conscious of how commuters rush through a station, he designed his work to be appreciated as a whole or in easily digestible bite sizes if commuters so wished.

There isn't any focal point for his works. Each image is meant to express his thoughts. The artist expects commuters to be on eye level with the works for no more than 10 to 15 seconds each time they pass through the station. People are in a rush so they will probably pick up different things from the work each time.

There is an element of intrigue in Vincent Leow's work; a subtle sense of "now-you-see-it, now-you-don't". In fact, the blown-up photo images look abstract, almost like a collection of dots, when viewed in close-up. It is only when viewed from afar that the whole image comes into focus.

The black and white photos, which the artist obtained from the National Archives, were chosen to give a flavour of what life used to be like in Buangkok and other rural areas similar to it. The artist's idea was to connect with commuters; those from Buangkok as well as those from all over Singapore who travel through Buangkok station.

Elements of everyday Singapore life are woven into his works, from the traffic police to a soldier on parade to the vitamin pills that working people take every morning before heading to the station and to work.

The images also double up as a commentary on life in Singapore. The photo of the soldier on parade might remind us about national service; a rite of passage into adulthood for most Singapore men. Similarly, people could interpret the police presence as being a case of "Big Brother's watching". That's one way of looking at it. You can also think of it as the police being there to protect us.

Vincent Leow's works don't just take commuters on a walk back in time. It is the loud, even audacious embellishments on the black and white photos, expressed as coloured dots, bands of colours or graphic motifs that will make commuters stop in mid-stride to take a second look at the work. And this too, is part of the artist's intention.

Reaching beyond aesthetics, Vincent employs different devices to create layers of meaning in his works, his use of colour being one such method. He wanted an explosion of colours in the station - to create a bright, happy ambience. Primary colours were the obvious choice because they literally scream "Look at me! Look at me!" Hopefully, it will reflect the energy of the people who live in Buangkok now.

There is a reason behind the dots that pepper just about every single one of the photos, adding a gentle hint of irreverence to what might have been a documentary- style treatment. Vincent very much a child of his time relates to dots as they blur out certain images while creating a new image. They allow you to play with layers of images. You can choose to look at the dots or the pictures behind them.

In the same way, the graphic symbols and illustrations in his work help him make an emotional connection with his audience. Examples of such symbols include computer-manipulated images of fishes which were chosen due to its auspiciousness.

Some of the images may have red or tangerine clouds floating through them. The cloud patterns are based on the cloud drawings used in Chinese folk art.

The artist's original works, which were on paper, and in electronic files, were converted into silkscreen images on vitreous enamel panels.

The artist's distinctive artwork certainly shows that he made the most of his opportunities. Indeed, the vibrant colours and bold images of Vincent Leow's work at Buangkok station seem to invite commuters to exult in the many possibilities of our times, and to share in the artist's zest for life.

Artist: Vincent Leow
Born: Singapore, 1961
Education:
- Diploma in Fine Art & Design, 1987
LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts, Singapore
- Masters in Fine Art, 1991
Maryland Institute, Mount Royal Graduate School of Art, Baltimore, USA

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