My recent article about driving through tunnels has got me thinking. I noticed that the entrance to the SMART tunnel in Kuala Lumpur has some murals on both sides of the entrance and if you look at it properly you would feel that even some colour is better than dull and drab grey concrete. I think that it is time that the LTA make Singapore's tunnels slightly brighter and more colourful than the standard grey. In fact, this idea is not limited only to Singapore but to every nation as well.
Imagine if you were stuck in a tunnel during a traffic jam and you looked up and saw the above picture. You would be stunned, amazed and you'd feel happy to be stuck in a tunnel just to admire the frescoes on the tunnel walls. Okay, the Sistine Chapel fresco by Michelangelo as pictured above may be a little extreme as firstly, he's dead and won't be able to complete any official request to paint or sculpt anything; and secondly I think it would cost the LTA a bomb if they decided to hire a few professional artists to spruce up the tunnel walls. This cost is one cost that people won't be happy with as it usually involves taxpayer's money. Of course there would still be a way to make our lives a little bit cheerful if the underpasses and short tunnels be filled with colour.
I'll give you an example. Here is a mural or graffiti painted by some unknown people in a suburb of Kuala Lumpur. Frankly it looks amazing. Compare the wall with the painting with the unpainted wall (photo below) beside it. The grey wall looks pretty dull.
The mural isn't a legitimate one but it has been there for a while and makes the place more cheerful looking. Not that I condone graffiti and I am not suggesting delinquents start spray painting walls and tunnels without control or supervision. But imagine a government sanctioned project that allows groups of teenagers to express their talents by legally painting tunnels. Or if the risk is too great as these people may make it an excuse to spray paint every other thing, a great suggestion would be that the authorities cover the walls with sheets of printed art work of local artists so that their work may be appreciated by motorists. This would certainly brighten up underpasses and tunnels but still keep things legal.
Tunnel, art, graffiti, LTA and 1 more...
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