Mass Rapid Transit :: SINGAPORE ::

Sengkang station

Sengkang station is the gateway to Sengkang New Town. Meaning "prosperous harbour" in Mandarin, Sengkang station showcases Singapore's success in integrated town and transport planning.

The station is fully integrated not only with other transport facilities, such as the bus interchange and the Sengkang Light Rapid Transit (LRT) system, but also with residential and commercial developments, like Compass Point and Compass Heights. The efficient utilisation of land space is exemplified by the sitting of two tennis courts above the LRT station.

As an interchange station, commuters from the North East Line in the basement can transfer to Sengkang LRT station by escalators and lifts without passing through the fare gates. Commuters coming from Compass Point at the mezzanine level can head straight to the LRT platform on the third level or go down towards the concourse to catch trains running along the North East Line.

Glass art has been described as "painting with light", and with good reason. For it is the play of light, in its many moods, on glass, that makes a stained glass work come alive and subtly evolve through the course of a day.

At Sengkang station, Koh Bee Liang branches out from ecclesiastical commissions to find her voice in contemporary glass art for a public space. Her work is vibrant and colourful yet quiet and dignified; gently inviting commuters to pause and take in the beauty of traditional glass as they hurry through the station.

The artist's works comprise two stained glass murals depicting life in Sengkang today and in the past. The murals are located above ground at opposite ends of the station concourse. Near the escalators, the artist uses semi-abstract images of rural scenes to depict life in old Sengkang. At the opposite end of the station near the staircase, new Sengkang is represented by abstract images of the skyscrapers that are now part of the area's landscape.

These images of new Sengkang were created using a mixture of highly transparent, mouth-blown, textured and opalised glass accented by colours, bevel strips and lenses.

The artist's sentiments are echoed by a poem accompanying the artworks. Composed by poet Lee Tzu Pheng, the handwritten verse gives commuters something to ponder while the painting makes its impact.

According to the poet, the text captures human aspirations on two levels - expressed as urban development and as a longing for the fulfilment that spiritual life can bring.

Going beyond merely depicting high-rise HDB (Housing Development Board) blocks, the artist has also incorporated an element of commentary into her works.

Demonstrating how urban renewal in Singapore often means having to part with an old home and the memories associated with it, the artist incorporated a drawing of a building being demolished into her works.

Using glass as her canvas as well as her paintbrush, the artist had cleverly chosen the types and cuts of glass with care to create interest and variation in her work. Bevels or glass with shape angled cuts are used to catch the light, drawing the eye to the work. At the same time, the smooth 'blank' spaces in the work add breathing space and different textures to the whole.

In contrast to the simplicity of the new Sengkang mural, the artist's perspective on Sengkang's part is more involved. Assorted characters from Singapore's recent past find their way into the work - there are village women and their children, British colonials, a Malay fisherman and an Indian curry paste seller. Drawing all these elements together is the image of a village well rendered in a single, bold brushstroke. According to the artist, the well represents a source of life that also serves as a gathering place for village folk.

The artist uses different types of glass for the murals of old Sengkang, working with opalescent glass, which has a softer, more dewy feel in the middle of the work, and transparent glass at the sides. The glass was also treated in various ways, some pieces were silk-screened and fired while others were airbrushed and fired. But it was the process of etching large pieces of glass that stretched the artist the most.

One of the more interesting effects created by etching is something that looks like a thin veil of water running through the centre of the images on opalescent glass. It is almost like a veil of tears, perhaps of joy, perhaps of sadness, through which we look at the past.

Artist: Koh Bee Liang
Born: Singapore, 1960
Education:
- Painting workshop with British painter Patrick Renytiens, 1989
- Glass casting workshop by American hot glass artist Dan Fenton, 1990
- Worked as stained glass designer and ecclesiastical stained glass painter
in North America, 1989 - 1992
- Hands-on workshop with Lutz Haufschild, 1995
Derrixglassstudio, Taunaustein, Germany

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