A horse-picious labour of love brings CNY cheer to Cantonment Close

SINGAPORE – Walk past a moon gate and spot a white horse, the God of Wealth Cai Shen Ye, and a Chinese pavilion among the Chinese New Year decorations adorning the void deck of Block 8 Cantonment Close.

Created from recycled materials, the decorations are a labour of love by resident Anitha Tamilmaran, 50, who spent two months conceptualising and putting them together, with a little help from her husband.

“Because the void deck has very high ceilings and many openings, there are no continuous walls or lines. So I used beams and frames to visually enclose the space and make it feel like one cohesive festive area,” said Mrs Tamilmaran.

She also received help from residents and nearby shops, which contributed recycled materials, while a few seniors assisted with simple tasks such as cutting.

Mrs Tamilmaran, an interior design graduate, said the most difficult element was the Grand Auspicious Horse, or Hong Rui Ma, which required significant time, effort and attention to detail. She reworked its facial features twice to ensure it was aesthetically pleasing.

The mother of two boys aged 25 and 23 considers Hong Rui Ma to be her “third child”.

She said: “The residents keep telling me he’s so handsome and muscular that Cantonment has fed him well to be so strong. I saw a resident rushing to bring her family member down to the void deck and crying out, ‘Look, a horse!’”

“The residents’ confidence in me gave me the extra push to bring it to life,” she added.

Mrs Tamilmaran, who is currently not employed, has always been passionate about art, sustainability and thinking outside the box. She has also created Deepavali decorations for Cantonment Primary School.

In 2025, she created a 1.8m x 2.7m mosaic Singapore flag comprising 260 tiles in the void deck for SG60.

After receiving a positive response, she was asked to create decorations from recycled materials for Christmas and Deepavali and has been making festive decorations ever since.

Mrs Tamilmaran is now working on decorations for the upcoming Hari Raya Puasa celebrations in March.

She usually spends two months researching the festival, sourcing recycled materials and assembling the decorations. She begins work around 7.30am and continues until 11pm, sometimes extending into the weekends.

Working in a public area, she has to deal with wind and rain while ensuring the decorations stay in place. She occasionally returns at night to check on them. Very rarely does anyone tamper with her work, and when they do, it is usually a curious young child.

She also received funding support for her Chinese New Year and current projects from the HDB Lively Places Fund and Challenge, a programme that encourages residents to initiate community-driven place-making projects to help build more vibrant and bonded communities.

Mrs Tamilmaran bought her flat at Cantonment Towers in 2005 but has largely lived abroad as her husband’s work took them to different countries. Her family returned in 2020 when her son began national service.

Her work has been warmly welcomed by residents, who say the displays bring them joy. They sometimes show their appreciation by bringing her snacks and drinks while she works.

She said: “I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to make (the residents) happy and bring a smile to their faces.”

“I hope people realise that festive decorations can be created even with the simplest materials at home. It is also a reminder to reuse, recycle and care for the earth for future generations.”