Hidden in Plain Sight

Discovering Singapore's Vibrant Street Art Scene

by Jennifer Williams and Isabelle Tadmoury

Travelling Art at Changi Airport

If you have lived in Singapore these past two years, it's been hard to imagine traveling without COVID restrictions. Many of us just didn’t leave the island in 2020 or 2021. If we did, we were faced with two-week quarantine in government-assigned hotels where in most cases windows didn’t open. Then gradually we moved to Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs,) reciprocal quarantine free arrangements with other countries. Only a few flights a week received this designation and those were typically also the most expensive flights. Every month a new list of countries would be added to the list. Ironically, the countries closest to us were added only towards the end of the VTL lifespan.

Today, that’s all a thing of the past. We can travel much more freely and go to whatever country we want. Soon Changi Airport will once again be the hub of travel for the region and likely regain its number one ranking for airports in the world.

As all of us start planning vacations and family trips, we wanted to point out some of Changi Airport’s hidden art gems. There’s much more to see at Changi Airport than the duty-free shopping or the departure lounges.

When you arrive at the Terminal 1 Departure Hall, ready to take your Singapore Airlines flight, stop and look at the “golden raindrops” that hang at the entrance area. More than 1,000 bronze droplets make up Kinetic Rain. They move in harmony to create abstract art patterns and not-so-abstract shapes. Introduced in 2012, Kinetic Rain symbolizes the one thing most Singaporeans have a love-hate relationship with, the rain. The Kinetic Rain was inspired by Singapore’s tropical weather.

Kinetic Rain

If your departure is from Terminal 3, there are three stunning pieces to see. Don’t miss the amazing green wall. The whole length of the hall has been planted with leafy tropical greenery. Just across from this oasis sits the Daisy by Christian Moeller. Its propeller (surprise! Daisy is in actual fact a propeller created to resemble a daisy) moves gracefully when it detects movements.

Daisy

Near the Terminal 3 link bridge to Jewel sits a pair of white sculptures that look like vases. The artwork, Flora Inspiration, was commissioned for the opening of the terminal in 2008 from Singapore sculptor, Han Sai Por. Resembling a cluster of seed pods, their corrugated surfaces assume the naturalistic texture of botanical organisms. The art resembles “Han Bai Yu,” a stone indigenous to China’s Yunnan region with close similarities to White Jade.

Han Sai Por, was awarded the 1995 Singapore Cultural Medallion for her contribution to art. Her work is permanently on display in hotels, libraries and train stations across Singapore, as well as parks in Malaysia, Japan, England and the United States.

For kids, the best piece of art is the giant Chupa Chups lollipop that sits at the entrance of the security doors. There’s even a Chupa Chups play area at the right side of the Terminal 3 entrance lobby.

Giant Chupa Chups Lollipop

There are more art installations in Terminal 2 and 4 but we haven’t included those as these terminals remain closed (at least at the time when we wrote this piece). Instead, we want to take you to Jewel.

Jewel Waterfall

There’s nothing more stunning than the waterfall at the center of this recreational and shopping complex connected to the terminal. Cascading down 40 meters from the dome-shaped roof,the Vortex is the world's tallest indoor waterfall. Surrounded by greenery, this isn’t a bad place to catch your breath before you head to your travel destinations. As you walk to the taxi stand, look up at the Crystal Clouds created by artists Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot. These “hanging clouds of crystals” are 16 ‘clouds’ made up of thousands of shimmering crystals which reflect the weather patterns through dynamic lighting.

There are also Grains of Thought, an installation of two giant rice grains suspended in mid-air. A reminder of the role that this humble food plays in the region. Singaporean artist Eng Tow is often inspired by nature in her work.

Our thoughts for you are...Safe travels everyone!

Isabelle and Jennifer share a love of art, good coffee and exploring Singapore. Both came here in 2019 and are always on the lookout for the next great statue or mural that is just around the corner.