The Search for Street Art: Project Void Deck Revamp & MayFlower Food Centre/Market in Ang Mo Kio, Singapore

​There is actually so much street art in Ang Mo Kio. Ang Mo Kio may be the latest town decorated with beautiful street art that make the walls of the town attractive. Not only attractive, beautiful or Insta-worthy. All these street art pieces of Ang Mo Kio tell a story about Singapore, its culture, rich heritage and history.
 
It is so heartening to know that there are two areas in Ang Mo Kio where the wall murals were painted by school students. The creation and presence of public works of art provide immeasurable opportunities to those students involved and those who experience them.  These projects show that Singapore is a place that not only values the expression of local artists, but is a country that is eager to share opportunities with others for the sake of art education and community building.
 
The first set of murals are known as “Void Deck REVAMP” project. Art students from Canberra Secondary School, Ang Mo Kio Secondary School, Maris Stella High School, Presbyterian High School, Chong Boon Secondary School, Mayflower Secondary School and Nanyang Polytechnic, led by local artists revamped a total 11 void deck areas at various Housing Development Blocks (“HDB) at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, 3 and 10. The  murals were completed in July 2014. I know I am a bit late to write about them, but  better late than never, right? The aim of Project Void Deck REVAMP was to allow engagement between the artwork and the residents, promoting community arts, getting everyone to beautifying the environment and lastly, and also to promote our local artists.

Blk 205 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1

The mural design was designed by artist Pu Ziyang which symbolises Singapore had braved the choppy seas and harsh storm, facing many struggles throughout history since its founding. Through the turbulence, it is able to adapt to its environment and has grown strong, even playful in the face of adversity.

Blk 306 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1

This mural was designed by Cherryn Yap (an illustrator) and assisted by students from Canberra Secondary School and Nanyang Polytechnic. The idea of this mural design was that the void deck is a space where many activities and interactions take place like weddings, funerals, wet market gossip as well as serious conversations about prized songbirds.

Blk 310C Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1

​This mural was designed by Jackie Cheong and Chia Ying Herng and is located along the passage at Level 2 from Blk 310C in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1. Named as "Majulah Singapore", the design of this mural sought to communicate something all of us know through a language all of us can learn, no matter how old we are, which race we belong to, will stop by and feel and learn something new.

Blk 319 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1

​This mural was designed by Chen Guangyang (illustrator and artists) and also students from Ang Mo Kio Secondary School. Interestingly, the humans' heads were replaced by Squares which symbolise stability. 

Blk 325 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3

This mural as designed by artist Elizabeth Sutrisna which had captured the natural world beyond the concrete and to evoke the spirit to keep on striving for greenery.

Blk 343 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3

​This mural art piece was designed by Lin Wei, which symbolises a hope that love begins at home, with you and me, as we journey to learn how to love people in the block, in the nation, in wherever we go.

Blk 418 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10

This mural containing Singapore's distinctive local langague Singlish was designed by a graphic designer, Janice Soh.

Blk 470 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10

This mural was designed by a student from Anderson Junior College and it is thought provoking. The storm represents difficulties in life; the island represents our destination; the sun represents the positive light.  The ship sailing in the storm represents every one as a person. When facing difficulties in life, we should never forget that, the storm is temporary, and the sun behind the cloud is perpetual. The sun can always shine through the cloud one day, no matter how dark the current situation is.

Blk 463 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10

This "Save Every Drop of Water is Life" mural was painted by students from Anderson Secondary School, in conjunction with Singapore World Water Day.

​The murals at Mayflower Market & Food Centre date back to a 2015 project for Singapore’s 50th Jubilee celebrations by the National Environment Agency. Called the NEA Our Hawker Centres – An Art & Heritage Project, 6 murals were painted by students from Ang Mo Kio Primary School and ITE College Central (Ang Mo Kio) for SG50. The murals were painted directly onto hawker centre walls and will be there permanently.

​The murals mainly reflect major landmarks or historical events that took place in Ang Mo Kio. The ITE students incorporated drawings of tomatoes in their art installation to represent "Ang Mo Kio", which they found out is the Hokkien translation of "tomato".

​Mayflower Market is located at Blk 160 Ang Mo Kio Ave 4, and Mayflower Food Centre is right next to it at Blk 162. The murals are located in the centre of the market and near the covered walkway leading to the food centre, and near the toilet.

At the Mayflower Food Centre near DBS ATM machine, I also found "To go to Kebun Baru" by Fish Jaafar, adapted from Alvin Pang’s poem, "To Go to S'pore". It is a black and white mural illustration of Singapore’s daily life interpreted by the residents of Kebun Baru. The artwork makes a point about the transference of expression and attempts to visually interpret the poem. Residents traced their sketch over the projected lines of their ideas, imprinting their recollection onto the walls of their neighborhood.

It was additional bonus when I found some other murals which I spotted as I walked over from the Mayflower Market, such as the mural near a music school, featuring a cello and a mural on a boy's shirt was caught on due to a protrusion in the wall. These two murals can be found near Kebun Baru Birdsinging Club, one of the last remaining bird singing corners left in Singapore. It’s a short distance from Mayflower Market & Food Centre.

Here are the other street art in Ang Mo Kio which I have photo-documented:
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• The Search for Street Art: Ang Mo Town Centre in Singapore
• Wayfinding Project for Senior-Dementia-Friendly Community in Kebun Baru Neighbourhood

If you are interested to know more about street art, please click here to browse all my street art blog posts to-date.