I visited Gillman Barracks a couple of weeks ago, and just a heads up, the pictures here are taken from the internet and from the artists themselves, because I lost my phone and therefore couldn’t take any pictures myself 
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◊ LOCK ROUTE ◊
There are quite a lot of exhibitions going on at Gillman Barracks and the one that stood out was the public LOCK ROUTE, which is accessible 24 hours a day. There were 16 works by 15 artists/collectives, and they were spread across the outdoor area of Gillman Barracks.
Curated by Khairuddin Hori, LOCK ROUTE is inspired by the 24 km march taken by ‘graduating’ army recruits in Singapore. It also makes use of Gillman Barracks’ history of being of former military use.
It is really interesting to see the outdoor works and I love the interactive qualities they have. Many families were also there and there were plenty of children running around and playing with the artworks or looking at them with wonder.
Spread over a large area, it is actually quite time consuming to visit every work, so for some of the works, I simply had a short look. I will write about some of my favourite ones (and include pictures of whatever I can find on the internet!)
Ok so first up here’s a random video I found on Youtube that shows all 16 works (although not very clearly)
I’ve always had a fascination for large-scale artworks, so “Land of Shadows” by Cleon Peterson really captured my attention.
gillmanbarracks.com
luxuo.com
I love how minimalistic the style is, how the white building is being engulfed by the black figures, and how they were wrapping around the walls. It makes me think of possibilities of stories behind it, why do they look like they are fighting, what are they doing? Are they trying to protect the house? What is happening?
I also like the fact that it can conjure up such a response from me despite how simple it is. Moreover, the style is unique to the artist, just as Keith Haring’s human figures are iconic.
“Constellation of One” by Kirsten Berg also caught my eye.
both from ajugglingmom.com
Set against a natural backdrop, the mirror geometrical sculpture indeed looks out of place. It was fun to look at, as the many convex mirrors, along with flat ones, reflect an interesting view of the surrounding. The shape itself also makes me think of whether it is from outer space and induces a child-like wonder in me. (Especially with all the kids making funny faces around me)
“Kampung Singa” by Sheryo is a structure that allowed for people to go in, there was a small cosy space inside with plants hanging from a ceiling that allowed some light to pass through.
mommychuck.com
arthop.co
mummychuck.com
“Goyang Cukur” by indieguerillas also caught my eye. Apparently, during some sessions, real barbers would be there to give haircuts! I didn’t witness this, but I imagine it’d be a fun experience. I also like the colourful nature of the work and the cacophony of materials used in the sculpture/installation. I noticed that the human puppets are reminiscent of Indonesian wayang kulit puppets (shadow puppets), and it turns out that the artists that make up indieguerillas are from Indonesia!
Looking at everything, I’m not really sure if LOCK ROUTE had a specific theme or any reason why Khairuddin Hori chose to exhibit them together, but I had fun walking around to discover artworks that were around the corner, or going up small hills to look at the works in closer detail.
A particular takeaway from this exhibition is the interactivity. I’ve always liked interactivity in artworks because personally, it engages me more and makes it more memorable, and this was a memorable exhibition indeed. Interestingly, I think that I had more fun there because many kids were present. Them having fun around the artworks brought the mood up and made me enjoy the artworks more too.