Banner at Tanjong Pagar that asks passers-by to stare into flat windows causes confusion

SINGAPORE: A banner at a residential development at Tanjong Pagar has left some passers-by feeling rather confused, unsure of what it means to communicate.

“Choose one apartment window above to look at. Keep staring until the inhabitant catches you staring,” the banner reads.

As it turns out, the banner is from The Everyday Museum, as some very small print at the bottom indicates. The museum is a public art initiative by the Singapore Art Museum commissioning varied art projects and programmes. Its website says that it is “dedicated to supporting artistic practice in public spaces.”

Reddit user u/cuddlyfalabella shared a photo of the banner on Tuesday (Jul 2), joking that it promoted “stalker-ish behaviour.”

“What is the banner even trying to promote?” was the most upvoted comment from netizens.

However, as is common with many Reddit posts, users on the platform by and large treated the matter with humour, poking fun at the whole situation.

One pointed out that there is a QR code at the bottom right side of the banner, which they said can be scanned with a telephoto lens.

Another joked that following what the banner says is “A way to fill the Singaporean prisons.”

A commenter joked that the banner is meant to lower property prices at Duxton, where, after all, a five-room flat was re-sold last month for an eye-watering S$1,515,000.

“It’d be funny if the other side of the ad was like “Feel like someone’s watching you? Stay safe. Learn Taekwondo at Tan’s Dojo,” a Reddit user chimed in.

Another quipped that it was “no wonder” that they had been seeing “boomers” looking through their windows.

One decided to involve the two other banners–one for gymnastics and the other for taekwondo– in on the joke, writing, “Well if you are the stare-er, to further your skills, u need to take up gymnastics to get nearer. But if you are the stared-at-ee, you taekwondo for a good takedown.”

The banner is actually part of a project from The Everyday Museum, which can be found here, that calls for A Daily Act: exercises for the everyday, from the everyday. It encourages participants to “explore the emotional nuances of their daily routines.”

Residents across Tanjong Pagar receive instructions every day such as placing a flyer “at the sunniest spot in the house for the next 30 days,” shared one Reddit user.

The Independent Singapore has reached out to The Everyday Museum for further comment. /TISG

Read also: 5-room Pinnacle @ Duxton flat resold for record-breaking $1,515,000