2 Art Museum banners in Tg Pagar replaced after complaints

Two banners commissioned as part of an art project by the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) have been swopped out after complaints from members of the public and the People’s Association.

This is the latest controversy over public art in recent months following an unapproved smoking samsui woman mural in Chinatown and the erection of two colonial statues in Fort Canning Rise.

The two banners involved read “Choose one apartment window above to look at. Keep staring until the inhabitant catches you staring” at Duxton Plain Park and “Cover your ears while crossing the road” at Tanjong Pagar Plaza.

Both are part of 80 site-specific prompts distributed across Tanjong Pagar in July through various media, including postcards and banners.

They are aimed at encouraging ordinary actions as creative responses in everyday spaces, though some have also came in for criticism over safety concerns in a senior-centric zone, along with allegedly promoting inappropriate social behaviours.

SAM, in response to queries from The Straits Times, said that of the 80 prompts, nine were banners that had been due for a refresh by the end of this week anyway, with new materials printed before calls for their change.

The changeover process for the second cohort of banners is proceeding as planned. The two were removed ahead of schedule over the weekend and replaced with, respectively, “Name the next chicken you see” and “Blink continuously while crossing the road”.

About 30 different prompts are also being distributed across cafes in Tanjong Pagar, while a different prompt is being distributed each day through fliers.

The project, called A Daily Act, is a creative effort by local independent research lab Atelier Hoko, which spent the first quarter of 2024 observing the social behaviours and leisure activities of people in places where they frequently wait and rest.

Most of its prompts did not come in for as much scrutiny. One at Cantonment Towers reads: “When you hear the school bell ring, hum along with it.” At Discover Tanjong Pagar Green bounded by Tras Street, Wallich Street and Peck Seah Street, it invited passers-by to “Remove all footwear. Let the grass tickle your feet”.

ST understands that at least three other prompts had been labelled as “detrimentally distracting” in official complaints, including “Imitate the sound of a loud vehicle passing by”, “Say ‘hump’ when you go over the hump” and “Squint your eyes before entering the carpark”.

No actions were taken with regard to these. SAM’s spokesperson said the point of the works was to spark interesting conversations and, as such, the museum appreciates the discussions that have arisen.

The banner at Duxton Plain Park that suggested staring into others’ windows embraces the natural human impulse of looking up when people pass by residential flats like those at the Pinnacle, the spokesperson added.

Atelier Hoko had noted that before the banner, it was mostly children who looked up to observe the features of the building, while adults hurried by or were glued to their mobile phones.

Even the Tanjong Pagar Plaza banner that asked people to cover their ears while crossing the road was aimed at provoking people into more active awareness of their actions and surroundings. The short crossing meant that many used it absentmindedly, often toggling their phones.

SAM encourages people to keep submitting their thoughts about the project. “As an evolving project that invites responses from the public, A Daily Act invites participants to submit their responses through the project’s Google form, be it immediate reactions, emotions evoked or even thoughtful reflections to the prompts they have encountered.”