wetlands
a publication of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
Vol 9 No 1
Apr 2002

a new beginning
for sungei buloh wetland reserve!

young naturalists of sungei buloh

a new take on art
bird ringing in 2001

the journey of
a volunteer guide

shorebird monitoring 2001

the day a hornbill flew over 		 
a new take on art
in the mangroves
jeanne tan
senior education officer

discovering nature alive
Art was interwoven with nature as an interdisciplinary project. It tied in with the 'Adopt-a-Park' scheme, where Commonwealth Secondary had adopted the mangrove boardwalk by the nature nature gallery. The theme for this project was 'Discovering Nature Alive'.
In July 2001, Ms Ruth Ng, art coordinator and teacher of Commonwealth Secondary School made an introductory visit to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve at the request of the Park to do an art project. She was inspired by the unique flora and fauna of the mangroves, conceptualised the idea and design and shared it with her school.

It is a very meaningful
and interesting project
—Toh Yan Ping, class 3/6
Nothing ventured, nothing gained The whole process of putting the concept into something tangible, like that of a wooden tile with acrylic paint, was not easy. During their art classes, students painstakingly made sketches and drawings of the unique flora and fauna with the help of many visual materials of the mangroves as well as some direct studies. It was a long process that started off with research and drawings, planning the composition in colour, testing it out on samples, and finally painting it onto the wooden tiles with acrylic paint.

Each student painted an average of four tiles in 10-15 hours, and some took up as much as 20 hours for the whole project. The students were self-motivated but also received a lot of motivation from their art teacher, and under careful instruction, they finally completed their paintings by the third week of September. They were given about 6 weeks to complete their art project, which they did, with excellence and pride.
The Young Naturalists The creative art pieces were done by three hundred and fifty students from secondary two and a handful of secondary three art elective students. Completing a project like this within a time limit was a true accomplishment for the students. Not only did it give them a sense of achievement, many of them were totally awed by the final output, which mounted onto the shelter. They were proud of themselves, proud for their school, and the ultimate satisfaction was seeing their artwork displayed in a place of nature like that of Sungei Buloh.

It was a lot of hard work for the students and staff of Commonwealth Secondary school, but the results were worth it!

The whole combined effect
of nature and art
was very good
—Xu Zhu Qiang, class 3/8

A Difference Made The whole mural painting experience was a very satisfying and fulfilling experience for both staff and students of Commonwealth Secondary School. Ms Ruth Ng, the school's art coordinator and teach said, "Visual art is a very personal experience. The students will grow to love art". Not only did the students grow to enjoy art, Sungei Buloh had ignited a new interest in them to explore all that nature had to offer.

Mural painting had been an experience like no other for these students. To some, it had not only been fun, but it helped them improve their art as well. This project made a positive contribution, not only to Sungei Buloh, but to each individual student and to the community. The students of Commonwealth Secondary felt honoured and privileged to be able to serve the community through their art in the murals. Their teacher, Ms Ng, was happiest to see her students "love nature, paint beautifully and really experience directly the visual art process from a research concept to realisation of the outcome", and finding satisfaction in "serving the community through something beautiful".

A motivational and interdisciplinary project, a creative way of serving the community and a whole visual art process was made possible through the faithful and conscientious commitment of the students and staff of Commonwealth Secondary School. And here it will be in Sungei Buloh for long time to come, to be admired and enjoyed by all.
   
© Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve