Mass Rapid Transit :: SINGAPORE ::

Serangoon station

The four entrances to Serangoon station add a splash of colour to the Serangoon Town Centre. Each entrance is coloured distinctly in red, blue, yellow or green and serve as unique meeting points for commuters. These four colours are also to be found in the artwork in Serangoon station, subtly guiding commuters to and around the station.

Below ground, the subtle checker-board patterned floor and off-white wall panels provide the perfect setting for Eng Joo Heng's colourful artworks.

The North East Line's Art in Transit programme showcases an eclectic mix of artworks that mirror the diverse tastes of Singapore commuters. However, a few stations on the line stand out for having architects that transcend individual preferences to achieve an instant, easy rapport with commuters of all artistic persuasions.

Eng Joo Heng's work at Serangoon station is one such favourite. It offers a warm, joyful glance back to childhood in the kampungs or villages of Singapore's past. While the artist was inspired by his own carefree, rural childhood, his woodcut prints have a universal appeal that cuts across individual experiences.

At the station, his original woodcut prints of children at play are found in silkscreen on vitreous enamel wall panels. The panels are wrapped around eight columns at platform level. Two of the artist's larger works are displayed at concourse level.

Like a kaleidoscope of warm memories, his prints show how the children of yesteryear filled their long lazy afternoons by amusing themselves with the simple pursuits of kampung life.

One such print shows a boy sitting cross-legged on the grass, entranced by a dragon fly. He seems to be torn between merely observing the insect in flight and trying to catch it, to show off to his friends. In another, a boy proudly cradles newborn chicks in his hands while hens run around at his feet.

While the artist's works may exude a child-like charm, they reach beyond the descriptive. Their subtext hints at the sense of wonder that makes play so magical for children. The artist also alludes to how these "sweet memories of childhood" can sustain adults.

One of the larger works at Serangoon station shows a group of children lining up classroom chairs to form an imaginary train. In this single print, he shows how rural children of the past created in their minds' eye the very trains that decades later would become part of Singapore's urban landscape.

To create the 10 prints that adorn the Serangoon station, the artist started by sketching his ideas on paper. Some of his early sketches explored the theme of childhood using stronger, more specific symbolism. These images were revised to become more graphic, general images which commuters can easily appreciate. When he finally settled on the drawings that would be used, he carved his woodcuts, creating three blocks for each painting.

Eng Joo Heng uses primary colours for his woodcuts - yellow, green and black for one set of prints and blue, red and black for the other. This is partly because strong vibrant colours are sympathetic to his theme, reminding us of children's crayons or of how children see the world in its glorious colour.

These bold colours that seem to have come straight out of a child's palette are echoed in the station's architecture. Equally distinctive colours have been used at each of the station's entrances, adding to their uniqueness, making the station a masterpiece of the fusion of art and architecture.

Artist: Eng Joo Heng
Born: Singapore, 1956
Education:
- Ecole Nationale Superieur Des Beaux Art, 1986 - 1990
Paris, France
- Atelier 17 Printmaking Studio, 1990
Paris, France

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