SINGAPORE – A student’s decision to add some shine to her HDB block by covering a flight of stairs with gold foil has won praise online, with many netizens offering their support and encouragement.
But to the authorities, all that glitters may not be gold.
Photos of the golden staircase at the HDB block in Jalan Rajah first emerged on Reddit two days ago, while citizen journalism website Stomp also caught wind of the matter.
Soon, it emerged that it was the work of Ms Priyageetha Dia, an art student at Laselle College of the Arts.
In a Facebook post, she wrote that while she was apprehensive of the consequences, the process of covering the stairs had been invigorating. “At the end of the five-hour long hushed deed, the intervention of the gold finally reverberated against the ever lifeless and grey architecture on the 20th floor of my block.”
She added that she considered her work as art, and not vandalism, as her intention was to enhance the space and her surroundings.
“My work does not seek to obliterate a public space; vandalism in all sense has no respect for another individual,” Ms Priyageetha wrote.
Many online professed to liking the blinged-up stairs.
Former Nominated MP Janice Koh also weighed in with her support.
Not everyone was as enamoured, however.
Some netizens also worried that the stairs would be slippery with the covering.
The Jalan Besar Town Council told Today that while it appreciated Ms Priyageetha’s desire to enhance the space, her act “constitutes an unauthorised act and is thus not permissible”.
However, a spokesman did extend an olive branch, saying that the council wants to “explore ways in which we may be able to work together”.
seanyap@sph.com.sg
