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SINGAPORE — Crouching down, a man in a batik shirt gingerly hammered another bottle cap into cement for a mosaic work of art in the middle of an open neighbourhood square in Bedok.
The artist, retiree Sim Boh Huat, said he empties his mind and simply lets intuition guide his work, made up of bottle caps forming the shape of Singapore, framed by bright floral designs.
The 77-year-old, who lives in the neighbourhood, turns up at the square every day to add to the mosaic. He started creating the community work of art in July.
He said of the mosaic, which is located beside Block 26 New Upper Changi Road: "Like a gardener, I plant each bottle cap naturally into the ground like a flower."
The work, which is still untitled, is one of East Coast GRC's projects that aim to involve the community under the East Coast Plan, getting residents to take greater ownership of their neighbourhoods.
The plan was introduced by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat during the 2020 General Election. It includes making the neighbourhood more vibrant by improving common spaces with residents' involvement.
Sim, who had originally experimented with bottle cap mosaics at a community garden where he volunteers, said the ground there was not suitable for laying the caps, which kept getting washed away by the rain.
He brought this issue up to the Bedok Bougainvillea Residents' Committee (RC), which manages his zone, seeking approval for a site for his work of art.
RC chairman Lanard Ng, 45, an engineer, said: "We were already looking for people to beautify… the area in line with the East Coast Plan, and it is difficult to find people who have the time and energy to put in effort for their community… Mr Sim is passionate and meets both criteria, so we were happy to help him."
Initially allotted a small plot near a coffee shop in May, Sim soon realised that his art would require more space. He was then provided with a larger plot in the neighbourhood square, said Ng.
This allowed the work of art to begin in July, when the plot of grass there was cleared and the RC began a publicity campaign to collect bottle caps.
Over a period of one month, residents gathered about 80,000 bottle caps. These were sorted by Sim and hammered into cement to form the mosaic.
Working on the project has helped him to stay fit and make many friends, he said.
"I work on this mosaic from 3pm to around 8pm every day and, during this time, many people walk by and buy me drinks or meals," said Sim.
He added that he met some of these friends through the open call for the bottle caps, which resulted in some unique-looking caps being handed to him.
Among those who help him is social worker Sheryl Yeo, 24, who turns up once a week. She lives a few blocks away from where the work of art is, and came across Sim at work on her way to lunch.
She said: "I just thought it was so rare that it was an initiative done by an uncle alone and not the Government… People are often so busy with their own lives and they hardly do things for the community, especially if there is not much to be gained from it."
She added: "I like community art and I hope that we will see more of it in Singapore."
Heng visited Sim's mosaic last Thursday (Dec 22) and said he was very impressed with Sim's ability to make art out of discarded things.
In a Facebook post, he thanked Sim for making Bedok more colourful and vibrant.
With the work of art due to be completed by the end of December, Sim said he hopes it will inspire joy in those who chance upon it.
Pointing to the heart in the centre of the mosaic, he said: "The heart stands for my love for the kind people in Singapore with a heart… I hope that with my art, everyone and all my neighbours will be happy to be surrounded by beauty."
The work of art will be at the site permanently. The RCs in Bedok welcome proposals from residents on community projects. Applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and processing time may vary.
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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.