Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

Residents of Tampines North, have you ever noticed the murals painted at the void decks in your area?

The featured butterflies at selected blocks are part of a project by local artist Ernest Goh for Tampines North's Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP), titled "Wings".

Goh told Mothership that his work aims to try to "understand the complex yet awe-inspiring interconnectivity between our planet and its inhabitants", and a previous 12m mural of his comprising numerous photos of wildlife specimens from the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum is displayed at its lobby.

According to his Instagram post, Goh collaborated with 32cm, an agency that connects artists to facilitate community building through art.

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ernest Goh (@theanimalbookco)

While Goh conceptualised and designed the murals, illustrators and painters from 32cm's network would help to implement his designs at the HDB blocks.

The butterflies painted are combinations of species previously recorded at Tampines Eco Green, a park which is a stone's throw away from the HDB blocks.

Several species referenced include the Black Veined Tiger, the Modified Emigrant and the Blue Pansy.

The murals

Goh shares that there will be more than 40 murals scattered across the blocks at Tampines Ave 9, Street 45 and Street 43.

So far, 20 have been completed.

The murals will be painted at Tampines HDB blocks 491A to 496G.

Each block has one to three murals.

The murals will be completed by end-March 2023.

Ideas take flight

The idea to beautify the neighbourhood with butterfly murals came about when Goh met with Member of Parliament (MP) for Tampines GRC Baey Yam Keng and representatives from Tampines Town Council.

They explored the possibility of incorporating art into the neighbourhood surroundings during this renewal phase, and this led to Goh ideating the project "Wings".

He decided to paint different species of butterflies, merging the different fore and hind wings of each insect together to create an entirely "new species" of butterfly for each mural.

This, Goh said, symbolises how "like nature, our housing communities are diversified and continually evolve with cultures and traditions, coming together to form new bonds and relationships".

Blk 492B (Photo by Zoe Ern Yap)

As sustainability was a key concern in the implementation of this project, Goh decided to partner with Gush, which specialises in air-purifying paint that is odourless and free of harmful Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), in order to minimise the environmental impact.

Community engagement

The residents of Tampines North were engaged in the creative process of the project as well.

Goh and his team carried out art workshops at Brahm Centre Tampines, inviting residents to make butterfly-shaped tiles using recycled household plastic waste.

These tiles would later be added to the murals at the Residents' Committee corner.

Related articles

Images via Zoe Ern Yap and theanimalbookco/ IG