Tingkat Painting Classes at Pei Lin Studio in Singapore

(SPOT.ph) It's impossible to visit Singapore and not shop in its numerous towering malls, go on sightseeing tours of their technology-meets-nature attractions, and devour chili crab or kaya toast while downing Singapore Slings. But what's there to do in the Lion City that is more of a cultural experience than, you know, practicing self-restraint from spending more or eating more?

Well, here's one for the artsy kids: Pei Lin is a studio in Singapore where you can learn the art of tingkat painting, a traditional Singaporean craft. 

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Take tingkat painting classes in this Singapore studio

Tingkat refers to the homecooked food packed in traditional tiffin containers and is mostly used by the Peranakan folks, an ethnic group of mixed heritage, in this case, Chinese and Malay or Indonesian. The word "tingkat" has Malay origins and means "tier" or "levels," which translates to the tin containers stacked on top of each other, held by a metal frame. 

At Pei Lin's studio, located in a nondescript area behind Parkroyal along Beach Road, you get the opportunity to learn the art of painting on these tiffin containers. Pei Lin, a jolly lady with salt and pepper hair and smiling eyes, is the owner of the studio and the one who handles teaching the class the Peranakan history tied to Singapore, and, of course, the painting techniques.

Pei Lin shared that the reason for the structure of these lunchboxes is really  practicality. These lunchboxes were prepared by housewives and vendors back in the day to keep homecooked-style meals neatly compartmentalized and warm. More than anything, the tingkat is a reflection of Singapore's multicultural society—it is a melting pot (also a good description of Singapore itself, especially during summer).

The mini tiffin containers come in varying pastel-colored bases, and they're given to the class already sporting painted outlines of different figures to serve as guides, much like in a coloring book. Some of the designs we saw during our visit were flowers, roosters, houses, even dragons.

Within the three-hour session, you're pretty much free to color as you please. You can apply different painting techniques and add more details as you see fit, making it more "you." Afterward, you can even add your signature to your masterpiece and bring the tiffin home. Pei Lin suggested placing different trinkets inside instead of food.

So, if you're an "anik-anik girly" or just interested in Peranakan culture and its vibrant aesthetic, this tingkat painting class is something you should add to your next SG itinerary. It's something different, something uniquely "you" you can bring home as opposed to just another purchase from a mall.

Pei Lin Studio is at 7500A Beach Road, The Plaza, Singapore. You can book a class through Seek Sophie, each session costs S$ 57.51—or P2,485.25—per person.

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