The Lines Between Our Home and Office

In mid-2021, I embarked on a photography project, as part of a collaboration amongst four other artists, who are alumni from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.

Our project, Surviving in the Concrete Jungle, was exhibited at Objectifs - Centre for Photography and Film from 26 October to 6 November 2021. The exhibition showcased a multi-disciplinary body of work comprising ink paintings (Ernest Seah), videography (Antonius Cong), animation (Cynthie Renata), charcoal drawings (Grace Angel), and photography (myself).

I made the decision to focus on three main areas that I am familiar with. North Bridge Road, Chinatown/South Bridge Road, and the Central Business District. I also made it a point to only photograph in the evenings and at night, to further drive home the narrative.

These are the outtakes from the numerous photographs I made between July to August 2021, at a time that was called Phase 2 Heightened Alert, where working from home was the default (still is now), dining in was not allowed (slightly more relaxed but not by much), and spaces that once were teeming with workers or diners no longer had that vibrancy and energy.

July 2021 to August 2021.

This is a gallery about a little known architect and the firm that is very likely named after him. Not much is known about Tay Joo Teck Chartered Architects, and while his creations do not get much fanfare, they have stood the test of time and for now, have avoided the fate of the wrecking ball. Not for lack of trying in two of the three buildings though.

Tay Joo Teck Chartered three buildings in Singapore that somehow do not get much fanfare. There is Shenton House along Shenton Way, Peace Centre and Peace Mansion, and SLF Building. Shenton House was once part of a trio of buildings along Shenton Way known as "The 3 Sisters of Shenton Way". The other two are Robina House, and UIC Building, both of which have been demolished and rebuilt as 1 Shenton and V on Shenton respectively. Shenton House is the only one left standing, somewhat in its original form. It (Shenton House) was also the shortest among "The 3 Sisters of Shenton Way". Still is today but I digress.

The three buildings mentioned above feature a podium and tower design, allowing office tower units to enjoy a sea view, while the podium was reserved for retail outlets. This was part of a URD (Urban Renewal Department, the predecessor of the Urban Renewal Authority) regulation so that sites built further inland can still enjoy a sea view.

Of the three buildings I have shared that were designed by Tay Joo Teck Chartered Architects, Shenton House is probably the oldest, having been completed in 1974, followed by Peace Centre/Mansion also in 1974 and lastly, a pair of towers known as SLF Complex in 1985. In all three of the buildings, you can see similarities in their design to some extent.

It is also obvious which of the three buildings is my favourite ;)

You may notice the images are larger now. I am experimenting with 2048 pixels at the longer end to see if it works better.

When one thinks of an estate, the town centre naturally comes to mind. For estates that were developed in 1980s, town centres were usually where most amenities are located, and the same is definitely so for Bedok. Bedok is a huge estate, and its town centre has seen much change in recent years.

The landscape of Bedok Town Centre is not done changing, and over the years, as new public housing spring up (one is already nearing completion right next to where the bus interchange is), we can expect that new flats will either come up in addition to or to replace older ones.

Bedok Town Centre also used to be the home of four cinemas, quite a rarity in the days when the estate was developed. Of course, the cinemas came later, but at its peak in the 1990s, four cinemas were operating and all four were concentrated a stone’s throw from each other. Today, there is only one that has been rebuilt, but for a time from 2008 till 2018, there were no cinemas in Bedok.

I first noticed a photograph of Bedok Town Centre on the cover of the 1979/1980 HDB Annual Report, and tried recreating it, which you can see in the last 2 images. Here, you can actually see the changes that have taken place over the course of 4 decades.

Siglap Community Centre (Siglap CC) is one of a duo of community centres that are the oldest in Singapore. The honour is shared with Serangoon Community Centre. Both were the first community centres opened in 1953.

These are photographs of Siglap CC where it stands now. Its original location was at Palm Road, where currently, Siglap South CC stands. Seeing as how the two structures are intertwined in its history, it will only make sense for me to make photographs of Siglap South CC someday

The building where Siglap CC currently occupies was formerly known as Tanah Merah CC. There are no clues as to when exactly it changed its name to Siglap CC, but looking through archival maps, right up till 1995, it was still known as Tanah Merah CC. There were no maps for 1996 and 1997 and a 1998 map shows it as Siglap CC.

The last photograph shows Siglap CC as it stands in April 2020. I am led to believe that once demolition of the five blocks behind is complete, Siglap CC will be demolished, and relocated to where Bedok South Horizon is being completed.

Block 46 to 50 Bedok South Avenue 3 are 5 blocks in Bedok South that were sold en-bloc back in July 2004. When the original residents left, it was left empty for several years before being reopened for rental again in 2010, right up till 2018.

From then on, access to the blocks were blocked, and it stood empty for 2 years save for load testing done some time in 2019.

In early 2020, demolition work began in ernest right up till early April when almost all work stopped due to the global pandemic that is Covid-19.

I began making photographs of these blocks again the moment I saw the first signs of hoarding being put up, and continued right through till 8 April 2020. Work has since resumed since I posted these images and it looks like the demolition will proceed moving forward.

All photographs made between 31/01/2020 to 01/04/2020, except the last one, a view from Block 46 made in December 2017.

31 July 2017 marked the day Bedok Swimming Complex closed its doors at a location it had been at since it was first built, and moved to a new venue at Bedok Integrated Hub. The strong geometric lines of the entire swimming complex was an iconic sight in Bedok and it was sad for me and I am sure many who grew up learning to swim in that public pool.

I made a few photographs of the swimming complex on her last day of operation at the old venue on 31 July 2017 that you can see here, and then throughout the rest of 2017 and the first half of 2018, the swimming complex stood there, silent, empty; her pools completely drained of water. 

When I spotted sound barriers being put up some time in late August 2017, I knew the demolition was only a matter of time, and I had to photograph the process. I made quite a large number of images from that time right up till early May 2018, when the entire swimming complex was nothing more than a flat field. These are the 20 images that I felt best represented the demolition process. To say it was painful to watch would be an understatement. You knew it was going to happen, yet there was nothing you knew could be done about it, except to keep photographing.

The space will probably not stay empty for very long, and I will not be surprised when a few HDB blocks spring up pretty in the future.

31 July 2017 marks the last day Bedok Swimming Complex will operate from this current location after more than 3 decades.

I have lived in this area since the early-1990s, and the strong geometric shapes of the swimming complex's architecture is hard to miss. Passing by the place each and every time told me I was close to home.

On the afternoon of the 31st, a friend prompted me to check when the place would close. As luck would have it, the pool was scheduled to move to a new location from the very next day. The staff there were kind enough to let me go in and make images despite the place still being used by people.

Bedok Sports and Recreation Centre is made up of several standalone structures built between 1981 to 1998 and spread out over a rather large space. It currently houses a stadium, gym, multi-purpose hall, a small outdoor fitness corner, a swimming complex and a building housing both the Singapore Sepak Takraw Federation and Singapore Silat Federation.

By the end of 2017, most of Bedok Sports and Recreation Centre would have relocated to an integrated hub at Bedok Central. Other than the stadium, the buildings you see in these images will likely not be around this time next year, as they relocate in phases. As it is, the swimming complex has already relocated on 31 July 2017, with the gym slated for relocation on 21 September 2017 and others to follow over the course of the next few months.

I am not exactly sure what is going to take its place here, but I know many, including myself, will miss the greenery, shade and cool breeze that this place offers.

At the end of this article, I have included a video that showcases all the images seen here, and added audio and some simple animation.

On 19 August 2017, Bedok Public Library will cease operations at its current location, and relocate to Bedok Integrated Hub, resuming operations on 28 October 2017. This building first opened its doors to the public in September 1985, and has served the population of Bedok since.

I met an acquaintance on one of the days that I was making images, and being retired, he comes here every other day. He mentions that he much prefers standalone complexes like these compared to those integrated hubs that seem to be all the rage in mature estates these days. Have to say I agree wholeheartedly. Each of these buildings, like Bedok Swimming Complex, served one purpose and did it well.

I am very sure this particular building holds fond memories for many who grew up in or around the area, probably reading their first book here, or maybe even a first meeting point for a date? Who knows?

The area in Singapore known as Rochor is part of the central area here in Singapore. It starts somewhere after Kallang and ends just before Newton, and in the south, it ends just before Beach Road. Located right at the edge of Singapore's Civic District with her heritage buildings, museums and skyscrapers, it was probably perceived as a less glamorous part of town that has seen renewal efforts in recent years.

While it does not have the glitz and glamour of the Civic District, the area has always played an important role in our history. I work in and visit the Rochor area quite a fair bit, so it would make sense for me to start putting all the photographs I have made of the area in its own album.

In 2017, I made photographs of one unique block in Circuit Road. Back then, it was the first time I came across the block and the sheer physical size of it in relation to the other blocks around the area meant that it took me awhile to figure out angles I would like to make photographs from. In 2018, I was informed that the block was undergoing repainting and I decided I had to come and make photographs of it myself.

These are the photographs of the block after getting a repaint, and it is impressive what a fresh coat of paint has done.

The photographs of the block before it was repainted can be seen here.

These images are of Block 37 Circuit Road made over a 1-month period and 6 visits at various times of the day. I first came across this block when a friend of mine told me about them and that piqued my interest in the place. This block is relatively huge, made up of 1 long slab with 2 protruding extensions on either side, connected by walkways. There are a total of 16 storeys, and at least 14 of them are residential units. Each floor has 40 units. 

Block 37 is the largest block in the whole of Circuit Road, and takes up the most space amongst all the other similar blocks

I will leave you with a quote from my friend that got me interested in photographing this block.  "Block 37 play block catching will die, too tired."

Osaka Silhouettes are a series of images I made on my last trip to Osaka in 2019. I do not often shoot street photographs, if at all. However, I enjoy making abstract images.

In Osaka, there is a spot in the hotel where the light streams through in the evening and people walk past behind the frosted glass panel. I noticed extremely interesting and abstract silhouettes of these people passing by and made a series of photographs, of which these nine are probably the ones that worked best for me. All images were made with the iPhone 7+ camera.

In 2020, when the global pandemic hit, a few photographers including myself felt we wanted to do something to help the migrant workers, who were hardest hit by the pandemic and saw huge spikes in the number of positive cases amongst the workers living in dormitories. So we arranged a print sale, with Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film handling the print sales, and AVS Printing Pte Ltd sponsoring the prints. 100% of the print sales went into donations handled by 4 NGOs that were providing help to the migrant workers stuck in dormitories, basically unable to go anywhere, much less work. You can read more about the print sales initiative here.

It is heartening to know that we raised close to S$60,000 over the course of less than a month.

Kyoto Nights is a collection of photographs made on a family holiday to Osaka and Kyoto in early June 2019. In Kyoto, I decided to make photographs only after dark, as Kyoto has a reputation (deservedly or not, that is another matter) of having very little nightlife compared to the larger cities like Osaka and Tokyo.

A habit of mine when on holiday is to wander around the hotel at night, but this time around, I decided to just get lost and try to make photographs outside of the typical tourist spots.

This is the Public Utilities Board Recreation Club (PUBRC) located at Woodleigh Close that I was commissioned to photograph in 2021.

PUBRC is a recreation club for staff and family members of the Public Utilities Board, a statutory board under the Ministry of Sustainability and Environment.

When it was first built in 1974, it did not look like this at all, and I am sure some renovation has taken place since then, but there is almost no information on when said renovation took place.

Recreation clubs were quite the thing back in the day, and was one of the few perks of a job in the public service. Lately however, I am not aware of many that remain exclusively for use by current staff. Of course, if we look at clubs like SAFRA and Home Team NS, those cater to a very large demographic, but when it comes to any one particular ministry, I am not aware of many that still have a recreation club. As far as I am aware, there is this, the Land Transport Authority Staff Club, and the Ministry of Education Sports and Recreation Club.

Interestingly, the Housing and Development Board used to have a recreation club, and this is the cool part. It was located on the 18th floor of Selegie House. Basically, a rooftop bar, back in 1964!