Mass Rapid Transit :: SINGAPORE ::

Clarke Quay station

The curvilinear features of the entrance to the Clarke Quay station at Eu Tong Sen Street allude to a meandering river. It is only natural that the river is the central theme in the station's architecture as it is located on the banks of the Singapore River.

As the North East Line runs under the Singapore River at Clarke Quay, construction of Clarke Quay tunnels required the use of precise methods and the latest technology to reduce the risk of flooding and to preserve the scenic riverfront environment.

The last 20 years have seen the transformation of the riverfront into a leisure and entertainment belt. Clarke Quay station undoubtedly adds more like and colour to this area since the river and its attractions are only a train ride away.

As bold as the brushstroke, as fluid as Chinese ink - at Clarke Quay, Chua Ek Kay celebrates the parallels between life on Singapore River and the myriad possibilities of his life's work in Chinese brush.

Chua Ek Kay's work for Clarke Quay is outstanding on many levels - it is as dramatic, timeless and grand as it is restful, refined and quiet.

A 60-metre long mural within the concourse paid area of the station depicts life on the Singapore River, through a series of four paintings. Originally painted in ink on rice paper, the images were then silk-screened onto vitreous enamel panels at a factory in the United Kingdom.

The works in the ticket concourse area are all done on brass. His 20-metre long panel, aptly titled "The Reflections" is a splendid play of textures and colours in movement. The rich swirls of gold, red, blue and green on the brass seem to race with the currents, rise and fall with the tide, even go murky with the debris to match the river in its many moods.

In modern day Singapore, seafaring symbols have been reprised to help commuters find their way. Placed in pairs, the tongkang eye tiles lead passengers into the station, inviting them to pause at major decision-making points such as ticket vending machines or fare gates.

In the station, the role of Singapore River as the city's lifeline is depicted through wall murals showing the arrival of early migrants in the 19th century; the tongkangs that used to ply the river and finally, street celebrations by the riverside.

The nostalgia of Chua Ek Kay's silk-screened murals contrast with the raw energy of his work in brass. Full of movement, the dancing brush strokes seems to throb with the life of the river and the "reflections of moving passengers".

Just as the river seems to change colour with the monsoon rains and the time of the day, the colours of Ek Kay's brass work seem to mirror the rhythms of nature; the dominant red giving way to a striking green before re-emerging with traces of gold on aquamarine.

The works open up a wider space for imagination because his works on brass are more abstract. The colours, movement and rhythm of the painting seem to be changing, firing the imagination of commuters.

Ek Kay applied brushstrokes on the brass sheets before immersing each of the tiles in a chemical bath, creating an etched effect on the acid-tinged areas. This process also aged the acid-etched patches, changing the colours from turquoise to green to orange to dark brown.

The entire process of realising the artworks took a year. Four to five times a week, the artist spent whole days at his studios, doing his best work between 10pm and 3am.

So strong was the sense of shared vision between the artist and architect of the station that the architect took the unusual step of getting the station's colour scheme changed from beige to grey to better project Ek Kay's work in black ink and on brass.

Looking back over the project, Chua Ek Kay observes that perhaps creating public art is itself its own reward. His works at Clarke Quay are some of the largest works of his entire career, and yet another step in his natural course of development.

Artist: Chua Ek Kay
Born: China, 1947
Education:
- BFA, 1994
University of Tasmania, Australia
- MA (Hons) Visual Arts, 1995
University of Sydney, Australia

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