Chen Yiqi
GEM1902P Reflection Piece
Punggol – From Kampung to Developmental Heartland
On the walls of the void decks of towering blocks of HDB flats in Edgefield Plains, one would be surprised to find a series of murals filling the public space. Painted along the outer edges and corners of the HDB flats, being incorporated into dents on the walls and pillars, its cartoonish style is juxtaposed with the sleek and modern architecture of the buildings that house these murals.
Figure 1: Mural found at the void deck of Block 105D Edgefield Plains.
Figure 2: A street view of Block 105D Edgefield Plains.
Commissioned by Housing Development Board and Punggol Coral RC, this mural is one of the many heritage preservation initiatives in Punggol …show more content…
Predominantly occupied by Malays and some Chinese, it was one of the oldest settlements in Singapore and believed to have existed for over two centuries. Being a coastal region, villagers reared farm animals and traded fish, vegetables and fruit. Even at the height of Singapore’s development during the 1970s, villagers resisted moving out, as Kampung Punggol offered a ‘laid back lifestyle and access to open spaces which moving into the modern suburbia would rob them of’. Indeed, the mural accurately depicts both races with a man in the foreground strumming a guitar, emphasizing the carefree lifestyle led. The simplistic drawings could also be used to depict the lack of sophistication of the kampong life.
Furthermore, a mural in new Punggol about old Punggol makes it extremely site-specific and historically relevant. This reflects Punggol North Constituency’s mission of “My Home, Our Kampung” as the constituency tries to emphasise a unique heritage point of Punggol to its present-day residents. The mural serves as a form of education to the public and community engagement, a tie-in reminder to the residents about the roots of the
GEM1902P Reflection Piece
Punggol – From Kampung to Developmental Heartland
On the walls of the void decks of towering blocks of HDB flats in Edgefield Plains, one would be surprised to find a series of murals filling the public space. Painted along the outer edges and corners of the HDB flats, being incorporated into dents on the walls and pillars, its cartoonish style is juxtaposed with the sleek and modern architecture of the buildings that house these murals.
Figure 1: Mural found at the void deck of Block 105D Edgefield Plains.
Figure 2: A street view of Block 105D Edgefield Plains.
Commissioned by Housing Development Board and Punggol Coral RC, this mural is one of the many heritage preservation initiatives in Punggol …show more content…
Predominantly occupied by Malays and some Chinese, it was one of the oldest settlements in Singapore and believed to have existed for over two centuries. Being a coastal region, villagers reared farm animals and traded fish, vegetables and fruit. Even at the height of Singapore’s development during the 1970s, villagers resisted moving out, as Kampung Punggol offered a ‘laid back lifestyle and access to open spaces which moving into the modern suburbia would rob them of’. Indeed, the mural accurately depicts both races with a man in the foreground strumming a guitar, emphasizing the carefree lifestyle led. The simplistic drawings could also be used to depict the lack of sophistication of the kampong life.
Furthermore, a mural in new Punggol about old Punggol makes it extremely site-specific and historically relevant. This reflects Punggol North Constituency’s mission of “My Home, Our Kampung” as the constituency tries to emphasise a unique heritage point of Punggol to its present-day residents. The mural serves as a form of education to the public and community engagement, a tie-in reminder to the residents about the roots of the