SINGAPORE — A handwritten “Welcome to Kaki Bukit” sign located at Kaki Bukit MRT Station has caught the attention of Singapore online users. 

The sign, which looks like it has been hastily scribbled by a child, was dubbed by a Redditor as a “low effort” sign on the r/Singapore subreddit on Sunday (April 2). 

“I always thought this was because someone accidentally deleted the actual sign and did this as a cover up,” said one Redditor.

Further probing by online users revealed that the sign is in fact a video installation by local designer Hans Tan. 

Part of the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) Art in Transit programme which showcases art from local artists, the artwork was commissioned and installed at the Downtown Line station when it first opened in 2017, according to Mr Tan.

A nod to the varying landscapes of Kaki Bukit, Mr Tan sought to highlight the divide between the industrial and domestic landscapes of the area, separated cleanly by the train line in Kaki Bukit. 

The installation features a video showing different versions of "Welcome to Kaki Bukit" being scribbled with a marker and erased on a whiteboard.

“A video installation that brings together the split personality of the Kaki Bukit area, capturing the essence of the industrial and domestic landscape through a demography of hands writing a dynamic welcome sign where words are periodically over-written by workers and residents,” wrote Mr Tan, describing his video artwork on the LTA website.

The different demographics of Kaki Bukit were represented in those who actually wrote the words for the installation.

“Welcome” was written by members of the estate like school children and residents, while the words “Kaki Bukit” were written by workers in the industrial estate on the opposite side.

The linking word “to” was written by the artist, to represent the train station between the two landscapes, explained Mr Tan on his website.

The award-winning designer told TODAY that despite video installations being out of his comfort zone — as it was his first time working on this medium — he decided to do so to respond to the context of the location.

NETIZENS DIVIDED OVER ARTWORK

While the installation attempts to highlight the division between the industrial and domestic landscapes of the estate, netizens, too, were divided over the artwork.

In 2017, Redditors were already discussing the piece of "vandalism" in a thread after someone spotted the art piece at the station.

"Not sure if its vandalism or done on purpose. I was there a couple of days ago the sign was differently drawn," claimed a Reddit user.

Another even commented that "it looks pretty ugly", while one questioned "which bidder was awarded this tender?"

In the latest Reddit thread, however, many online users seemed fond of the installation, and found that the “cute” and “original” scribbled sign added character to the usually pristine image of an MRT station.

“In a structured country like Singapore, I think it's pretty nice to see something so simple yet sends a message. Thumbs up,” one Redditor praised.

Another Redditor mused: “It's these unexpected things that make us remember that underneath the sterile image that Singapore has, we are still capable of the human touch.”

Though some netizens raised qualms about whether the modern art installation was being fully understood.

“This is the main problem with most modern art, you can't really know it unless you understand the background, how it is made, etc. Most people will just look at it and see a bunch of scribbles made by kids or office workers.”

Although the installation was mostly well-received, some criticised the artwork for being “no effort” or being “done by an intern”.

However, the original poster on Reddit retracted his or her statement after learning more about the meaning of the art installation: “I wish I can change my post title because it is really high effort and meaningful. Thank you for educating me, Singaporeans of Reddit.”

Speaking to TODAY, Mr Tan said that he was happy to see that his artwork has generated discussions about the "aesthetic experience, and the purpose of art".

He credited LTA for pushing through with the implementation, even though the installation was a more "unconventional" piece amongst the Art in Transit collection.

Whether or not it is indeed a "low effort" piece, at least it’s got people talking. Isn’t that the point of art?