Parking lots around Singapore were transformed into spaces for street art, music and entertainment for a day as part of a worldwide celebration.
Kenneth Lim Channel NewsAsia 18 Sep 15;
SINGAPORE: For circus practitioner Yap Zhijing, there is much more to do at a parking lot, than park a car. Ms Yap and her friends stopped traffic and turned heads at Rowell today with their street art, busking, and freestyle soccer tricks.
"We're here to really create some interesting installations, to let people rethink the way we live, and the way we see our public spaces," said Ms Yap, 27. "We're trying to encourage people to walk more often, and see our surroundings and neighbourhood."
Ms Yap and her friends are just one group who took part in PARK(ing) Day 2015, an international movement to bring life to streets and public spaces. This is the third time the event is taking place in Singapore, with 140 parking lots around Singapore being used as creative spaces on Friday (Sep 18), featuring street art, music performances, and even an outdoor karaoke competition.
"You're asking your normal citizens and your residents to come and activate urban spaces again, to make normal forgotten spaces something you can linger and pay more attention to," said arts manager Jean Hair. For PARK(ing) Day this year, the 31 year old set up two refurbished pianos at the Aliwal Arts Centre. Called "Play It Forward," Hair hopes passers-by will "unleash their inner pianist", while giving old pianos a second lease of life.
But it is not just about the entertainment. Some are also using the space to share their culture.
"We're letting people try the differences between Indian food, Bangladeshi food, and see if they can spot the difference," said Shannon Lim, director of construction firm, Onhand Industrial.
The 29-year-old was giving out meals of curry fish and rice to passers-by at Rowell Road alongside his workers. And he says there needs to be "greater awareness and acceptance, of the people that built the flats and quite literally built the parking lots that we're on right now."
PARK(ing) Day has arguably grown more popular since it first started in 2013. There are 70 "PARKS" this time around, compared with 52 last year.
But the movement has drawn mixed reactions. While some welcomed the initiative, others said it inconveniences drivers, especially when events are held at lunch in crowded areas like the Central Business District.
But ultimately, the Urban Redevelopment Authority said the intention is also to give people a chance to transform their city.
"The challenge is really not about putting the event together," said URA's director of Urban Planning, Tracey Hwang. "It's about changing the mindset of people to help people appreciate the importance of public spaces in our built environment, and to be able to understand what fewer car park lots could do, and how it will benefit the larger community."
PARK(ing) Day is one of the initiatives under URA's PubliCity programme. Others include "Play at Jalan Besar" - a series of life-sized games and installations, open till the end of October.
Play and unwind at parking lots around Singapore
AsiaOne 18 Sep 15;
SINGAPORE - Parking lots across Singapore will be transformed into arts spaces today (Sept 18) as part of the third local edition of the international PARK(ing) Day movement.
A total of 140 parking lots located at 70 clusters such as Bras Basah, Bugis, the Central Business District, and Tiong Bahru will be transformed into 'PARKS', with activities such as street magic performances to a freestyle football demonstration.
Visitors to Jalan Besar can also try their hands at ping pong, hoops, a giant-sized chess game and even a back lane maze, organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).
The activities at Jalan Besar is part of PLAY, an initiative to activate various public spaces in the area to allow residents and visitors to enjoy the neighbourhood in a delightful way.
PLAY will run from Sept 18 to Oct 30, URA said in a statement today.
The PARK and PLAY initiatives are part of URA's PubliCity programme aiming to involve the community in celebrating and enlivening public spaces through good design and programmes.
Ng Lang, Chief Executive Officer of URA, said, "The energy at this event was inspiring last year, and we do not expect any less this year. It is testimony that our people love our city, and want to contribute in responsible and creative ways to enliven our streets and public spaces."
Members of the public are encouraged to add the hashtags #PubliCitySG and #PARKingDaySG to their pictures and videos on Facebook and Instagram, or share them at the PARK(ing) Day Facebook page.
For more information about the PARKs and their locations, please log on to http://bit.ly/PARKlocations2015.
