Zine Research: Punggol

‘Punggol’ is apparently a Malay word. It means to ‘hurl sticks at branches and fruit trees so they fall to the ground.’ It also means the stump of a tree, like this.

PErhaps Punggol had a lot to do with nature. After learning more about Punggol’s history, it actually is strong roots to nature.

Back then, way before even Stamford Raffles (founder of SG) came over, Punggol already existed and had her own community of people. Back in early 1950s, Punggol was a fishing village where fishing docs were set up so fishmongers can make a living, kampongs (villages) were nearby, fruit trees were planted, and they had farms to look after pigs and other animals. (Picture shown later below)

First Impressions

I alighted at Punggol MRT station and walked in to Waterpoint Mall which was nearby. The mall looked quite new; they had a lot of stores, high end stores especially, which wasn’t surprising. It was clean. It was in the morning so it wasn’t crowded or anything. I had a  hard time searching for the recreational space that was suppose to be somewhere nearby. Got lost along the way, but I eventually found my way through.

Walking Along Arc Bridge

Too many tall buildings to count.

The waterway terrace was interesting. I like the look of it. It had green and white walls. And the white pillars aren’t flat, they actually jut out, like a wing, and have this wave like pattern to it (if you look closely). The leaf motifs on the white walls are quite interesting too. It’s not commonly found in HDB flats because it’s always a solid colour with no pattern to it. I guess Punggol flats are starting to develop it’s own nature-friendly character through it’s designs.

 

The Waterway Park

The place was really beautiful, very nature-friendly and there some nice architecture – such as that Kelong bridge. ‘Kelong’ is wooden blocks in Malay – they’re used to build bridges where fishermen go to get their fish. It’s like a dock. I liked how they remodified this Punggolian thing into a Kelong bridge for people to walk by.

 

Research Presentation

 

This was the Kelong Bridge I was talking about. Punggol is actually one of the few places in SG, where they have ‘kelongs’. In fact, the real actual kelongs can only be found in SG, Malaysia and Indonesia. Because of urbanization, it’s disappearing.
The 1st 2 pics from left is known to be that ‘Instagram Tree’. I dont have IG so I’m not sure what’s the buzz about. But reading about it online, the IG tree was just a famous hotspot for people to take photos, because of the nice backdrop and it’s lone position. the one that I took (far right) is newly grown, apparently.

 

Feedback From  Research Presentation 

  • My concepts weren’t strong enough, it’s vague and too broad,  so I need to be more in depth with my findings
  • Pictures were nice, but not enough to show concept
  • Can’t use cut outs with leaf motifs ( my plan for design), so I might turn to photography instead
  • Can’t use Punggol’s ring trademark for actual ring binder for the Zine, so I have to scrap that one out
  • Research more on Punggol’s trademark (like ring)
  • More visits to Punggol again

 

Author: Najiha

Always looking for something more.

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