Giant dice in Joo Chiat Snake and Ladders community project goes missing, artist hesitant to make police report

Community project prop in Joo Chiat gets vandalised before it goes missing, artist appeals for their return

A power-washing street artist had set up a giant game of Snakes and Ladders in Joo Chiat, but the community project hit a disheartening roadblock regarding the project’s two large dice.

They were first vandalised before being stolen a few days later.

Large dice for Joo Chiat game stabbed with sharp object

Speaking to MS News, 25-year-old Marcus Pang explained the successful creation of the art piece.

In mid-February, he took part in the Marine Parade Innovation Contest and won the community hackathon.

Through ‘drawing’ on the ground, Mr Pang’s Gazing Power Wash created a life-sized Snakes and Ladders game in an alley behind Joo Chiat Community Centre (CC) over four days of work.

Of course, no game of Snakes and Ladders can be played without dice, so Mr Pang purchased two large foam dice, which he left in a container.

A message in the box instructed people to return the dice after use and not to remove them.

On 24 March, Mr Pang found that someone had vandalised the dice by stabbing them with a sharp object.

I felt disturbed, because the game is meant to be a safe space for families with children, teens and adults alike to play. The stab marks were caused by someone wielding a sharp object, which is quite worrisome, given that families with young children frequent the CC.

Things went from bad to worse when two days later, Joo Chiat CC staff called to tell him that the dice had gone missing.

Power-washing artist hesitant to potentially ruin thief’s life over missing dice

Despite a search of the local area, Mr Pang could not find them.

“I was obviously disappointed as it’s $40 down the drain, and I would have to spend another $40 and wait another 2 weeks, possibly more due to current affairs, for the replacement dice to arrive,” he told MS News.

Mr Pang knew that there was always a risk of the dice being stolen. In fact, he claimed to have experienced theft before, which he did not report to the police.

He showed a similar reluctance to lodge a police report regarding the dice, prompting MS News to ask why.

I hesitated because it is a rather small matter in the grand scheme of things. Do I really want to press charges over mischief and theft that could possibly ruin someone’s life?

He brought up a hypothetical that it was an unruly child who didn’t know any better.

Initially, Mr Pang requested a viewing of the CCTV footage, but was not allowed to unless a police report was made.

On Instagram, he ultimately appealed for the thief to return the dice to Joo Chiat CC by 8 April.

Replacement dice possibly only available during Joo Chiat CC operating hours

The community game is currently closed due to a lack of dice, and the incident led him to think about measures to prevent another theft once he buys replacements.

Currently, his idea is to have the dice stored in the Joo Chiat CC office, only accessible during operating hours.

“People who want to play the game will have to sign in and sign out,” Mr Pang explained.

For interactive projects in the future, the power-washing artist said that he would have to put his foot down and lodge a police report if theft and vandalism occurred again.

Additionally, Mr Pang announced a plan to return to the Joo Chiat alley and revitalise the game for a community event in early August.

Also read: S’porean artist learns to paint via YouTube, artworks now sell for up to S$7.5Ks

Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.

Featured image adapted from @gazing.pw on Instagram and courtesy of Marcus Pang.