Public outdoor work
Various locations along the Rail Corridor (Wessex Estate and Kampong Bahru Bus Terminal)
Singapore Deviation is a series of public art commissions exploring the iconic Rail Corridor in Singapore through the works of three artists: Sookoon Ang, Hilmi Johandi, and Tan Pin Pin. Conceived as site-specific installations, each artist offers a unique entry point into the evolving uses of the site, from colonial railway to wildlife corridor and recreational trail.
The public art trail is named after a revised alignment to the original Singapore-Kranji Railway in 1932, which resulted in the present-day 24km track that runs through the north-south axis of Singapore.1 Through its conveyance of passengers and goods between Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia, the railway passage embodies histories that are integral to the city-state’s transformation. It remained a significant means of transportation and communications and operated for decades before the last train from Tanjong Pagar departed in 2011. Since then, it has been repurposed as an urban retreat and community leisure zone.
Singapore Deviation calls attention to the shifting publics and uses of the Rail Corridor. The series sets up an encounter with a range of figures, messages and sensations that constitute the multi-faceted experience of the Rail Corridor. Each artist reanimates the physical site, considering the Rail Corridor not just as a space of transit but as a constantly changing space, with an ambiguous status and uncertain future. These works invite new perspectives on the diverse social, historical, and ecological relationships that determine the continued relevance of this historic railway track.
Singapore Deviation is commissioned by The Everyday Museum, a public art initiative of Singapore Art Museum. It is made possible with the generous support of Sun Venture and in venue partnership with JTC, SBS Transit and Land Transport Authority.
To find out more about the programmes and discover #ArtWhereYouAre, please visit
1 Curator’s note: At the end of the 1920s, a nine mile “deviation” to the original Singapore-Kranji Railway was proposed, partly motivated by the need to elevate and realign certain portions of the track that were prone to frequent flooding. When the realignment was completed in 1932, it brought trains through a new route from the Bukit Timah station to Tanglin Halt and Kampong Bahru, finally arriving at the new terminus at Tanjong Pagar. For more details: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/vol-7/issue-3/oct-dec-2011/singapore-railway-lines
2023
Screening room, Single-channel video with English and Chinese subtitles, 27 min 13sec; vinyl texts, various dimensions and LED backlit sign, 45 x 150 cm
Location: Kampong Bahru Bus Terminal
--------------------
Inspired by a commonplace activity along the Rail Corridor, walk walk (Singapore Deviation version) is a video and an installation on the theme of walking. While mundane, walking is a carefully managed practice in Singapore, shaped by public agencies and private developers. The island-nation is designed to be very walkable, with air-conditioned shopping malls and wellmaintained sidewalks shaded by trees. Siting this work in a bus terminal, artist Tan Pin Pin highlights ideas about freedom of movement, how walking is a basic expression of this freedom, and how public transportation further supports our mobility.
walk walk (Singapore Deviation version) comprises a video and text installations. The video documentary installed at the terminal’s Transitlink Office features several individuals discussing the role of walking in their lives. On the ceiling beams above the bus berths, lines of text reveal a poem about walking as commuters pass through the terminal. Read together, the lines create an onomatopoeic effect, mimicking the rhythmic movement of steps.
In the nearby National Transport Workers Union (NTWU) Cafeteria frequented by bus captains between trips, an LED text installation of the common parting phrase, “慢慢走” (walk slowly) imparts well wishes to the bus captains as they embark on their daily journeys.
About the Artist
Tan Pin Pin's (b. 1969, Singapore) films question the national identity of Singapore. From
documenting Singapore's everyday rituals in IN TIME TO COME (2017), to interviewing exiles in
To Singapore, with Love (2013), Tan's films speak to gaps in the city’s history, memory, and
documentation. According to Moviemaker magazine, “Self-examination—both its necessity and
its limits—as well as the intersection between the personal and the public, are the thematic
foundations to Tan’s work.” Her award-winning films include Singapore GaGa (2005), Invisible
City (2007) and Pineapple Town (2015). www.tanpinpin.com
check out the line-up of free and ticketed events below!
![]() |
SAW at SAM
Catch live performances after dark, on 17-19 January, and a vibrant art market on 24-26 January. Enjoy free entry to exhibitions by Robert Zhao, Yee I-Lann, and Pratchaya Phinthong.
|