Art in Transit

“Art in Transit?”  Who knew that the Singapore MRT N-S line has ART in each station?  Who knew that the plans they are executing today for transportation were conceived 10-20 years ago?  Who knew that the entire MRT system was also designed to be one giant bomb shelter for Singapore residents?  

The answer?  None of the 7 of us who went on this tour today.

Mae Anderson and one of the lead engineers/architects for the Land Transit Authority taught us so much about the MRT system, and by doing so, taught us so much about Singapore.

The MRT system was devised 30 years ago.  It was built 15 years ago.  They had to divert and cover many of the rivers flowing through Singapore.  By doing this, they at one point had to close a portion of Orchard Rd (Singapore's 5th Avenue) for 4 1/2 years to complete the Dhoby Ghaut station.  We also learned the Dhoby Ghaut refers to a washing station.  On the site of this station there used to be a giant laundering business out of the river.  

As part of the construction plans, $6M was designated for ART to be not only displayed in the MRT’s - but to become an integral part of the actual building.  Each station had a selected artist who designed art symbolizing something having to do with Singapore, bridging the “old” ways to the “new” and quickly changing cosmopolitan ways of the future and something specific to the site upon which each station was built.  

The resulting artwork is really quite awe inspiring and is something that the average person walks by every day and never notices that it is there.  

Listening to Mae tell the stories of Singapore, and it’s rapid growth in it’s extremely short history, is simply amazing.  

Additionally, the government had the foresight to make dual use of this massive system.  They designed the tunnels and platforms to serve as an emergency evacuation center for all of Singapore.  There is food, water and ventilation all there waiting behind the scenes.  There are anti flooding measures designed at the entrances to the stations.  The pathways include sharp 90 degree turns once you are down in the tunnel to thwart off the blast from a bomb above.  This little country is probably the most prepared of any in the world for defense of it’s people.  Unfortunately, they are also probably one of the most vulnerable due to economic success in relation to size and ability to deter any threat.