Inspired by Nguan’s Untitled from the series ‘Singapore’, which captures the quiet feeling of loneliness in shared spaces, we wanted to create an artwork that encourages people to share their thoughts and worries with others. We hope to make Singapore feel more connected and a little less lonely. We chose postcards as our medium, as they were once commonly used to reach out and communicate when people could not meet face to face. Each postcard is an image paired with a short message about issues in Singapore that matter to us or affect our daily lives.

The postcards are displayed in old-style letterboxes like those once found in HDB void decks—spaces where neighbours often pass by one another yet rarely connect. Our artwork invites visitors to pause, read and respond.

As you view our artwork, choose a postcard that speaks to you and write a reply using the materials provided. You can leave your response in the gallery, and we will read it after the exhibition ends.

Through this exchange, our private worries become shared points of connection, and we imagine this conversation leaving lots of echoes in the void deck. The next time we see letterboxes in shared spaces, may they remind us that even small gestures—a word, a drawing, or simply a reply —can turn loneliness into connection.

Detail view of Echoes in the Void Deck (2025) by students from Xinghua Primary School, as part of Under the Same Sky: A Think! Contemporary Primary School Exhibition. Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum.

Inspired by Han Sai Por’s Black Forest, our artwork reflects on the fragility of nature and the impact of human activity on wildlife.

Using recycled cardboard, we created 2D relief and 3D animal sculptures to show the struggles of animals and how easily their homes can be destroyed. As the animals are hung precariously in the space, it represents their delicate position in which they have little to no control over their environment. We also added colours and patterns to represent our hopes for a better future for the natural world.

Our artwork serves as a reminder of resilience and a call for all of us to think about how our choices affect the environment. This artwork inspires us to act with care and responsibility, protecting forests and ecosystems so they continue to flourish for generations to come.

Our artwork is inspired by Han Sai Por’s Black Forest. As we observed the blackened wood and charcoal, we were reminded of how nature can disappear as cities grow. While land in Singapore is limited and development is often necessary, it made us reflect on the balance between building cities and protecting natural spaces.

This is true in Singapore, where Dover Forest in the west is planned for future housing. Singapore has few forests, so learning that Dover Forest may be cleared made us curious to find out more about it and the plants and animals that live there.

Though we could not visit the forest in person, during our lessons, we practised researching and used this skill to learn about the forest’s wildlife and document it in our artwork. We also imagined a future where people and nature could share the same space.

If you were to document or preserve one aspect of a forest, what would you choose?

Our artwork The Forest Lives On is a ceramic installation inspired by Han Sai Por’s Black Forest. It explores how deforestation affects the plants and animals that live in the forest. We created many hand-built ceramic pieces of things found in nature—tree stumps, fallen logs, plants, insects and animals—and arranged them to form a fragmented forest landscape resting on a bed of charcoal.

Each ceramic piece captures a moment of life, trying to survive in the remains of a once-thriving forest. Plants push through broken bark, insects crawl along cracked surfaces, and animals take shelter in hollow tree stumps—showing the resilience of nature amid destruction. Bright, colourful life tries to hold on, peeking through the dark, burnt wood.

Our artwork brings out nature’s beauty, but it also serves as a warning on what is at stake. The Forest Lives On urges visitors to reflect on the long-term impact of deforestation and our shared responsibility to protect the natural world.

How do you feel as you look at The Forest Lives On?

Our sculpture was inspired by Like Shadows through Leaves by Migrant Ecologies Project. We thought about seeds, because every plant life begins with one.

Seeds come in many shapes and sizes, just like us. At first, they stay safe in their pods, just as we are cared for by our families, teachers and friends. But one day, they must travel to find a new place to grow.

This journey is not easy, but it is full of hope. Our hanging sculpture depicts seeds leaving home and floating into the world. We see ourselves in them —small but full of promise, ready to sprout, grow and begin our next adventure.

Installation view of The Journey (2025) by students from Haig Girls’ School, as part of Under the Same Sky: A Think! Contemporary Primary School Exhibition. Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum.

Many of us live or go to school near the forests in Bukit Panjang and Bukit Timah. We may not have paid much attention before, but looking through the artwork, we begin to notice many stories in the forests around us—even along the footpaths to school. We often see monkeys, birds and other wild animals wandering into our neighbourhoods. Sometimes, we spot them interacting with or living among things that humans have left behind.

Seeing Forest helps us reflect on how people and nature coexist in the same space and how our actions can affect the world around us. We observe nature—how strong and resourceful it can be, constantly finding ways to grow and adapt. Yet, despite nature’s resilience, we are reminded of our responsibility to care for and protect the environment. There is so much we can learn from nature if we stop, look and listen.

When you stop and look closely at our artwork, what can you see?