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Dictionary Definitions from Oxford Languages ¡
đŹ fowl /faĘl /n. / a bird of the order Galliformes that is kept for its eggs and flesh; a domestic cock or hen.
đ similar-sounding word(s): fowl is sometimes confused with foul.
On a small section of green located in front of Block 1 at Everton Park, wrapped around by foot paths (an exemplar of how nature has been seamlessly woven into our communal living spaces), an eye-catching diorama has been put in place. Divaagarâs Everfowl Estate (2023) is an outdoor public artwork featuring 03 scaled-down structures which were made to model after the neighbouring architecture.
But as one gets closer and take a better second look at these brightly coloured miniature replicas (which, to me - are endearingly reminiscent of those ever-elusive large play dollhouses), the interesting characters that sparsely occupy these âresidential buildingsâ curiously begin to come into appearance : !!! Life-sized statuettes of the familiar junglefowl !!!
Unsurprisingly, such a sight tickled the interest of people residing nearby and caught much online attention after a clip of it was posted on # tiktoksg with the accompanying expression: âPOV: Chickens can now BTO tooâ.
(@/ shay.mless : https://www.tiktok.com/@shay.mless/video/7215212871154797826)
As a self-proclaimed bonafide art enthusiast, I just had to make the trip to view this art installation. From the explanatory plaque planted in its nearby vicinity â Everfowl Estate is presented as âa playful proposition introducing civilised living to the many feathered folks inhabiting the neighbourhoodâ.
Initially / Following the narrative that is presented by the official organizers, the trio of small-scaled complexes can easily serve as a retrospective display of the development in Singaporeâs public residential housing. Going through, in terms of architecture, from historic to contemporary : a heritage shophouse, a low-rise public housing flat. and a high-rise condominium.
As the artist reflects in an interview: âSometimes when you create miniature versions of large-scale items, you can really start to appreciate their details,ââ Divagaar. Instead of being an occupant in these buildings, the viewer is now observing from a birds-eye view. The visual impact - of seeing something familiar reproduced in an entirely different proportion, alongside the parallel that it plays into by mirroring the surrounding environment - truly incites an intrigue that would urge any to re-consider the urban spaces that they habitually inhabit and navigate.
(in front of Block 1), part of Port/raits of Tanjong Pagar: Encounters with Art in the Neighbourhood
Under the conscious and steady increase of public art initiatives in Singapore - due to government agencies and local art institutions actively collaborating and commissioning diverse programmes to further encourage community engagement with culture - ventures operating under the same breath have been popping up throughout the heartlands, melding the visual arts with everyday life. This work is no different â part of the public art trail Port/raits of Tanjong Pagar: Encounters with Art in the Neighbourhood, which comprises 06 different site-specific works (each created by a distinct local contemporary practitioner).
Conscientiously planned to span across a concise area in the historical district, Tanjong Pagar â this ensemble of art installations is meant to offer the regular passersby an opportunity to slow down, do a double take, and gain a new / alternative perspective of their familiar spaces. It faintly asks through the deceptively mundane / banal for the onlooker to consider, âWhere the significance and meaning behind a particular place lies- and how did it come about ?â
Among Singaporeâs earliest settlements, Tanjong Pagar is a location weighted by industrial and commercial legacies. With traces that hark back to its maritime relevance as the regionâs inaugural trading port â today, it has evolved to become a bustling district that boasts an interestingly mixed charm of both the old and new. Featuring revamped heritage shophouses and matured residential buildings, which are all a stoneâs throw away from the Central Business District (CBD) with its upscale commercial skyscrapers. It is a site that holds much national significance; a site worthy of having its âunexplored layersâ peeled away and re-evaluated.
Everfowl Estate subtly places another living species into the forefront of attention â the junglefowl.
These colourfully feathered, âwild ancestors of the domestic chickenâ (scientific name: Gallus gallus*), are such a common sight on the island that they have been written about in local news media and largely embraced by residents as more of a quirk to the area than bothersome. (i.e. recently in CNAâs IN FOCUS: The wild chicken population in Singapore, 29 Jan 2023, and in The Straits Timesâ Clucking nuisance: Complaints grow as wild chickens become more common, 17 Jul 2023)
These winged and beaked folks have become a distinct identifier of our localness (expanded upon below) and an expected / anticipated part of visiting any of the specific neighbourhoods that they gallivant. Frequently spotted near the vicinity of Everton Park, roaming freely around the intersection of Cantonment Road and Neil Road (as if they were the very forebears that owned these streets) - it is quite unexpected for an area so highly urbanised and close to the CBD, yet here they are. A living testament to the pastâs ability to persist - as evident from the natural history drawings collection of William Farquhar, the first Resident of Singapore, where a 19th-century watercolour painting of the âRed Jungle-Fowlâ can be found.
These free-ranging âchickensâ have an appeal that plays on a nationalistic sense of nostalgia â their enduring presence can be traced back to our nationâs âearly daysâ and they have been visually represented in art / paintings depicting a âkampong atmosphereâ. It was a way of life, as seen in the watercolour, Kampong I by Tong Chin Sye (1939â ) - locals have long been sharing their living spaces with the flock that dwell alongside them. Today, in our highly urbanised landscape, our feathered friends present a juxtaposition to the environment around them - and âEverfowl Estateâs projection of harmonious living with non-human residentsâ, however idyllic it may be, could be seen as a poignant examination of the human in relation to and with nature.
It asks, âWhat have we left behind in the pursuit of rapid development ?â
The organisation behind the art trail(s), a Singapore Art Museum subsidiary, the Everyday Museum (https://www.theeverydaymuseum.sg/), dons the ambitious tagline âArt Where You Areâ. It is a platform specifically dedicated to engaging with the wider public (a new type of audience compared to the usual museum-visiting art enthusiast). It champions âcreative production and experimentationâ by propelling the arts into local neighbourhoods, aka the spaces typically occupied and oftentimes unknowingly overlooked â and in doing so, it seeks to ignite a sense of rediscovery towards our cultural endeavours.
Everfowl Estate is an art installation that blends in well inconspicuously, incorporating itself seamlessly into the specifics of its location â which is a complement to the artistâs [https://divaagar.com/] incredibly personable touch and approach to the brief: create a work for Everton Park. From a site visit, Divaagar was able to effectively pick up on what was most notable and memorable for an ordinary simply experiencing the neighbourhood and has managed to utterly capture the spirit behind what made the space unique and come alive for its regulars (both feathered and otherwise).
Running from 29 April 2023 to 9 March 2025 (a span of close to two years), this project period gives these public art installations a proper chance of integrating and developing a proper relationship with the community â only one can tell with time, how this piece would shift and change in its reach and meaning.
