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Wallflowers SG, Tiong Bahru
Photograph: Wallflowers SG

Local project Wallflowers spotlights the overlooked sights and sounds of Singapore

Here are seven things we learned from speaking to the local artists helming this multi-disciplinary project

Cheryl Sekkappan
Written by
Cheryl Sekkappan
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Who doesn't want to be chilling by the sea in Bali, or admiring cherry blossoms in Japan right now? If you don't, then we do. Pandemic times have unfortunately grounded us, and it's true, Singapore can get a little claustrophobic. And on an island so small, it's easy to think we've seen just about everything it has to offer. 

Wallflowers: The Sights and Sounds of Singapore wants to change your mind on that. This bootstrapping group of young artists are all about making the ordinary, extraordinary. Like a local – and more artistic – Avengers, they've put their myriad talents together to film and record the everyday sights and sounds of Singapore that are often overlooked. With their lens, boom microphone, painting brush and some production pizzaz, the team's short documentary snippets and soundtracks will make you see this little red dot anew. 

Since the Wallflowers team embarked on the project in August last year, they have released four short films and sound libraries starring Tiong Bahru, Toa Payoh, Geylang and Sungei Buloh. Local musician Cheng Jin An and visual artist Elisa Liu sit down with us to chat about the creative process. We make seven discoveries along the way. 

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Audio samples of local sounds are lacking 

That's what sparked this whole project, really. In her own production work, Jin An uses audio samples from all over the world – sounds from the marshes of South Africa, for example – but rarely comes across samples reflecting the things you'd normally hear in Singapore. "I thought it would be quite interesting to see the difference between sounds in this versus that area of Singapore, and what makes a particular location unique," she said.

Jin An and a group of artist friends were already contemplating a project that could combine their talents. The idea of recording the sounds of Singapore got the ball rolling – blossoming (over multiple discussions) into Wallflowers SG, which would draw on the directing talents of Heng Xiao Min, the visual art of Elisa Liu, the cinematography of Alvin Thoo and Jessica Lim, and a host of contributors to help with field recordings and instrumental soundtracks. 

Singaporeans are afraid of boom mics

Or at least, the store owners at Tiong Bahru Market are. Jin An and Elisa recount with some amusement (and endearment) the suspicious reactions the audio team received while collecting field recordings in the neighbourhood. "They thought we were from the NEA!" said Elisa.

Besides the wariness, we also learn that the audio team struggled to isolate specific sounds in noisy environments. That includes the hiss of beer cans opening in Geylang and the clinking of spoons against coffee mugs in Toa Payoh. The effort's paid off – the found audio was organised into sample packs (for example, percussive sounds versus melodic sounds) and passed on to the music producers to create the charming soundtracks you hear in the videos. What's more – these sound libraries are now available online (free for a limited period!), a generous gesture that also makes up for the lack of local audio samples Jin An identified.  

People here are actually...quite friendly?

Singaporeans have a reputation for being...well, less than warm. But watch the Tiong Bahru video and you're bound to see lots of smiling faces and people waving at the camera. Elisa shares that behind the scenes, people they met warmed up quickly, "The uncles and aunties were so excited to talk to us. They will ask 'what are you doing? What are you filming?' When you explain what the project is about, they are excited to tell you their own stories." 

Elisa and Jin An's excitement is palpable as they relate small and simple times of kindness and connection – the auntie in Toa Payoh who agreed to let the team use her backyard as a set,  another man who loved to share stories about his dog and his neighbours. 

Wallflowers SG
Photograph: Wallflowers SG

A kopi cup can be so much more

A cool thing about the Wallflowers project is the inclusion of art objects. These are every day and found objects like coffee mugs, kopitiam stools and even coastal trash – chosen to express the character of each location or an important message associated with it. Elisa unleashes her creativity on them, turning the objects into eye-catching art pieces meant to snap people out of passive daydreaming, take notice, and be in the present. 

Scrounging up the materials wasn't easy. Elisa said, "Usually, we go to art shops to buy materials. But for the kopitiam stool for example, I had to go to a Facebook group to ask for it. It was very dirty and grimy, but we scrubbed and painted it and it was good.”  

Toa Payoh means 'big swamp', and other things

Beautiful videos and soundscapes aside, the Wallflowers team also have an Instagram page through which they share snippets of history. Learn about Tiong Bahru Market's predecessor, the micro-businesses in Geylang, and Toa Payoh's criminal history. This aspect of the project arose out of Elisa's own realisation that there was much more to Singapore than we care to realise (or remember). 

"I feel like there is more to the place than what we know," said Elisa. "A year or two ago, the Bishan Town Council sent us a booklet filled with historical facts. I didn’t know a lot of things, so I wondered ‘what else do I not know?' So when this project came around, I thought it was an opportunity to share with others too!"

Singaporeans are mighty proud of their neighbourhoods

“When we posted on Reddit, a lot of people reflected that they’ve been living in Toa Payoh their whole lives and they felt like our video was a great reflection of the place they live in. They started to share their feelings for their neighbourhood,” said Jin An.

Maybe, we just need to slow down and appreciate it. “I think our lives are just too fast-paced... And with phones, people tend to be looking at it and not observing their surroundings.”

Elisa adds, "Even if for a moment, you think "wow, the birdsong is very nice", then that would be great.”

And your Internet search history is probably weird

Jin An and Elisa would know. The team behind Wallflowers have applied for further funding to film more videos in and around Singapore (fingers crossed). In the meantime, Jin An and Elisa have been keeping busy by running the Why Why Why Show, a comedy trivia podcast that sees them delving into their own search histories to discuss the most interesting findings of the week. Take for example, "Galileo's middle finger". Listeners are invited to share their own too – so take a look and you may be surprised at the strange things you've looked up yourself! 

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