SINGAPORE — A handwritten “Welcome to Kaki Bukit” sign located at Kaki Bukit MRT Station has caught the attention of Singapore online users.
The sign, which looks like it has been hastily scribbled by a child, was dubbed by a Redditor as a “low effort” sign on the r/Singapore subreddit on Sunday (April 2).
“I always thought this was because someone accidentally deleted the actual sign and did this as a cover up,” said one Redditor.
Further probing by online users revealed that the sign is in fact a video installation by local designer Hans Tan.
Part of the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) Art in Transit programme which showcases art from local artists, the artwork was commissioned and installed at the Downtown Line station in 2018, according to the local designer’s website.
A nod to the varying landscapes of Kaki Bukit, Mr Tan sought to highlight the divide between the industrial and domestic landscapes of the area, separated cleanly by the train line in Kaki Bukit.
The installation features a video showing different versions of “Welcome to Kaki Bukit” being scribbled with a marker and erased on a whiteboard.
“A video installation that brings together the split personality of the Kaki Bukit area, capturing the essence of the industrial and domestic landscape through a demography of hands writing a dynamic welcome sign where words are periodically over-written by workers and residents,” wrote Mr Tan, describing his video artwork on the LTA website.
The different demographics of Kaki Bukit were represented in those who actually wrote the words for the installation.
“Welcome” was written by members of the estate like school children and residents, while the words “Kaki Bukit” were written by workers in the industrial estate on the opposite side.
The linking word “to” was written by the artist, to represent the train station between the two landscapes, explained Mr Tan on his website.
