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It's always cool to see new art projects on display in the neighbourhood.

One particular exhibit revolving around chickens in urban spaces, the "Everfowl Estate" at Everton Park, has garnered attention from netizens.

Installation went viral on TikTok

On Mar. 28, user @shay.mless shared a clip of the art installation on TikTok, where it amassed 262,000 views at the time of writing.

The video showed some miniature versions of housing flats scattered around the estate, with small sculptures of jungle fowl inhabiting the buildings.

@shay.mless guess there this is at? #chicken #BTO ♬ The Chicken Song (Tchip Tchip) - The Dancing Chickens

Netizens were very amused by the concept, as there is a sizeable population of junglefowl in Everton Park's estate.

Some thought this was an attempt by the authorities to house the junglefowl in the area, suggesting it should be done for other animals.

They also suggested other locations with many junglefowl the art installation can be situated at.

Others poked fun at the potential price of BTO housing for junglefowl.

The art installation

Instead of actually housing real junglefowl at Everton Park, the tiny buildings are just a creative way to represent the presence of the junglefowl population there.

Mothership visited the area on Mar. 28, at around 4pm.

The "Everfowl Estate" installation is located at 1 Everton Park, in front of Ji Xiang Confectionery and behind the Police Cantonment Complex.

On the way there, many junglefowls were observed in the vicinity.

Turning into the HDB blocks opposite Police Cantonment Complex, the art installation seems rather unassuming from afar, and can be easily missed.

Inside the various "houses" are sculptures of junglefowl.

The first house, green with a red roof, is reminiscent of a shophouse with two storeys and numerous windows. At a height of slightly below 1.6m, it even has intricate tiling patterns in the doorway.

Inside, there were models of two junglefowls and a chick.

A junglefowl came to inspect the green house, and even posed for the camera.

Opposite that is a tall "three-storey glass building", containing a junglefowl and several chicks on each floor.

Finally, there is a colourful model of a HDB block, with sculptures of several junglefowl congregating at the staircase.

A curious hen also came to check out the void deck.

The Everyday Museum

Beside the model of the HDB block, a sign has been put up by SAM to inform visitors of the purpose of the installation.

The installation was set up as part of "The Everyday Museum", an initiative by the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) which commissions a variety of art projects and programmes for physical and virtual means of engagement and interaction.

It aims to "shape cultural spaces for and with communities".

The exhibit is part of a public art trail titled "Port/raits of Tanjong Pagar: Encounters with Art in the Neighbourhood".

The sign describes the junglefowl as "citizens of Tanjong Pagar". "Go up close and peer into the houses for an impression of potential harmonious living with feathered neighbours", it wrote.

In response to Mothership's queries, SAM shared that public art projects by "The Everyday Museum of SAM" are "carefully curated to offer new perspectives and ways of engaging everyday life through art".

"The work is an outcome of deep conversations between curators and artists as well as keen observations of the living environment of the Tanjong Pagar neighbourhood," SAM said.

Inspired by junglefowl, the "living icons of urban heritage"

This art installation is created by Divaagar, a visual artist who, according to SAM, is "(interested) in examining narratives and new ways of thinking about our relationship with the environment".

Diva spoke to Mothership, saying that SAM had invited him to propose an artwork for Everton Park.

He stated that the art installation was "truly inspired" by Everton Park and the Tanjong Pagar vicinity.

According to him, the junglefowl that live at the intersection of Cantonment Road, Everton and Neil Road are a "juxtaposition to the rather cosmopolitan developments".

He envisioned them as "living icons of urban heritage", especially since they are "very adaptable" to the city, and have been living there "for many decades".

"I wanted to acknowledge their presence and belonging to the area in this work," Diva said.

While creating the art installation, he took inspiration from the elements of the architecture in the area.

Diva also pored over the designs of commercial chicken coops, incorporating those structures into the models of the  junglefowl homes.

Location

Address: 1 Everton Park

Opening hours: The exhibit officially opens on Apr. 29, 2023, and will remain there until Mar. 9, 2025.

Images via Zoe Ern Yap.