ZINE: Study in Paya Lebar

Theme: World Creation (Reinventing the Old and New)

‘Paya Lebar’ – Swamp Wide in Malay. Previously in the early 1800s during the colonial time, there were plantations and small Malay settlements during the area.

The estates’s heyday is mostly during the 1950s to 1980s, with 1970s of the area being infamous for the hideout of Secret Societies; though there are close to little traces of this part of its history left. It is interesting looking at the differences and mix between the cultures of the Chinese and the Malay. The oldest shop I managed to locate was an old Bread-making shop that denied photos, but still  accepted a few interviews. It was with mirth that the old shop owner complained that their work was taken over by bigger, industrial ‘Breadtalk’.

I started out at Geylang Serai, moved along and simply snapped photos to gain more insight into the area. To which there is previously a Chinese and Malay Kampung Settlement; took photos and some notes. The food is heavenly though, especially the kuey tutu and various Malay snacks. I wanted to venture further, but I was wandering close to the edge of Paya Lebar and reaching Geyland instead. I saw some dubious stuff in daylight, though the general sense of safety and ease is still there. Especially the massage pallor and entrances to the smaller streets, went back into the white collared world soon after a quick food tour.

There are forms of textures and and patterns of various forms I observed then, as well as the deeply embedded culture into the location. There is an exceeding amount of strong, unique factory architectures in the area. Since there are a mix of such a wide variety, I figured it would be nice to combine all these small nuances into a pattern unique to Paya Lebar; somewhat collage style.

Precisely due to the factories, wide, clear skies are exposed to the eye frequently whilst walking through the various main roads and smaller streets. It would nice to compile it into a tight photo-book that skies in Singapore can be equally pretty as well; as the other countries; perhaps to visit during the sunset to see if the evening colours can be captured as well.

Nevertheless, the presence of unique architecture and building cannot be ignored as part of the intricacies of this growing, industrial estate. By collapsing all these buildings together, I thought of how interesting it would be to predict the future landscapes with what we have; to create a completely unique landscape with the more peculiar features of the factories at the industrial estate.

Technique: (Refer to Slide 10)
Purpose: Kind of like a personal sketchbook of combined buildings
Combine the details and uniqueness of the Old and New buildings, to show the possibilities of combining a new form of building in the future and an unique brand of the architecture together of Paya Lebar, Singapore.

Some possible style references:

I will be looking into the creating a personalised unique style; from the references of the world creation. It would be mostly collage-style, and possibly recreated from my own drawings. Then, create a blend of futuristic and olden world.

Some artists to look into:
– Graham Holland
– Giacomo Costa
– Krista Svalbonas
– David Hockney
– Jospeh Binder