Artist and photographer Sean Cham has embarked on his very own SG50 project, Yesteryears: he finds abandoned buildings in Singapore and takes stylized photos of himself in them, like the one on our cover. Here he tells us more.

 

 

It was triggered by how many buildings are being torn down for future developments. This changing landscape creates a sense of unfamiliarity as well as nostalgia for many Singaporeans. There are so many stories and memories resonating within these walls that I wanted to capture.

 

 

With my background in theater, I immerse myself in the surroundings, feed off the atmosphere and architecture of the place and channel these into visual images that allow the audience to connect—a lot like method acting.

 

 

Built by the Housing Development Board in 1977, it consists of a threestory building of shops and offices and four blocks of flats [in Rochor]. These iconic colors were painted during the early 1990s during an upgrading program. These buildings will be demolished by 2016 to make way for a new expressway.

 

 

A lot of research is put into the finding of these places, either through reading articles and blogs or scrolling through Instagram. Upon finding a suitable location, I read up on the history of the place and the significance of each in telling the Singapore story.