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Explore the visual diaries of residents aged 14 to 70 as they find joy and beauty in daily rhythms, buildings, animals, and people that shape their neighbourhoods. Examine how shifting their focus to search for new things helped them discover new worlds and appreciate familiar ones.
Guided by photographer Deanna Ng and multidisciplinary artist Marc Nair through a series of photography and creative writing workshops, participants learnt to combine images and the written word in meaningful and creative ways. They also worked closely with the instructors on the curation of the show.
Enjoy the exhibition, and who knows, like them, you may learn to notice something new in your routine.
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About Objectifs
Objectifs is a visual arts space in Singapore dedicated to film and photography. Established in 2003, Objectifs cultivates original voices in visual storytelling that inspire and broaden perspectives. Throughout the year, Objectifs presents exhibitions, screenings, workshops, talks, mentorships, and residencies that foster dialogue about visual culture, and advance the practice and appreciation of photography and film.
Deanna Ng is a photographer and educator. www.deannang.com
Marc Nair is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist. www.marcnair.com
Works by Residents
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Works by: Antonius Cong, Medha Nogaja, Jenny Ho, Alessandra Nardin, Koay Saw Lan
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Change Is Energy
— Jenny Ho
Between 2 MRT Stations (Lakeside to Chinese Garden)
what we add
always something else is
taken away
take the clouds to form a pathway
take the trees to build the bricks
take the water to give the rainbow
take the shadows to reveal the sunshine
take the grass to feel the wind
take the mirrored self passing by
to form a shape of days to come
The ritual uses beautiful objects:
Textured golden paper,
Wooden sticks,
Gnome huts.
It opens with
fire
everywhere.
Chai Chee has probably the best huts in the island, with their chimneys, ledges, see-throughs and little roofs. They are the same and some of them are different. 16 huts make a hamlet.
When were they built? Who designed them? Why? “I am looking into your email. I would need more time to respond to you,” says the HDB, mysteriously.
Kallang goes big, industrious and industrial,
surely catering for hobbit families.
Bedok has run out of money, alamak
it’ll be raining on its gnomes.
And when all is settled,
swirling ashes and charred shells.
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Gardens Right in Our Neighbourhood
Rain, cloudy, sunny weather
— Koay Saw Lan
I went for a walk
but there were no roses to smell,
no petals to unlock
the fragrance of a thousand perfume bottles
I found instead
every other flower
beckoning in bloom,
Colors, scent, a crowd that intoxicated
yet was often hidden
behind large, leafy stalks
Crowds walk past,
in the early hours, rain or shine,
In the hot afternoons with the soaring temperatures
In the evenings and nights, dark, misty and wet
Yet these flowers, plants just give off their best,
Sharing with me their vibrancy, colors, fragrance
Making my environment a better place
Works by Students of Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School
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Works by: Nur Alysha Umairah Muhammad Iswandy, Annabelle Lim Jia Ying, Norfalisha Amelia Binte Faizan, Carissa Tan Yi En, Charlotte Loh Yu Wen, Denetta Lim, Jancis Chan, Ho En Ning Janelle, Tan Lee Yen Jordin, Katelyn Lee Wen Shan, Koh En Xi Lavonne, Marisa Ravichanthiran, Megan Tan Yan Xin, Merilyn Chan Yu Xin, Abdulkhader Abdul Jabbar Naina Nabilah Rokiah, Natalie Ngoi Yun Xi, Rianne Tay Rui En, Chan Ryanne, Eng Jui Eern Shayna, Sophie Ho Zhen An, Tueesha Gupta Kasi, Tyra Tan
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For The Love Of Nature 🥀
— Alysha
It's nothing much to it. I just have a “thing” for nature. The flowers and plants are the prettiest things that were ever grown or given to us. We have to learn to appreciate what we are given, like food, clothes and shelter. I take these pictures to appreciate what was given because many people don't realise what's given until it's gone. These pictures can create memories of the beauty of a certain thing.
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a book of a page of the life
— Annabelle
A book has different story background in it and life also have a sad time, happy time and etc and a book has different meanings in each paragraph, I use different places to picture to take of a book. My expression of reading a book might be boring to others but for me it is fun to read a book.
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Stuck in Time
— Amelia
‘Stuck in Time’ talks about how Tiong Bahru has been standing tall despite urbanisation in Singapore through all these years. I used Tiong Bahru’s history in most parts of my text to let readers know how authentic Tiong Bahru is and to make them appreciate it and be interested. For the place to survive, it will need people telling future generations about it and this is shown through the relationship between the mother and the daughter, comparing their different perspectives about Tiong Bahru.
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Changing Landscapes
— Carissa
Singapore’s landscape is recognised widely as one that has undergone tremendous change in the last half a century, specifically of 56 years. Today, it has developed into a thriving city that has achieved many successes beyond our imagination. In a place with a constantly and rapidly changing landscape like Singapore’s, it is inevitable that the pang of nostalgia and emotion runs deep.
“Changing landscape” is a story about the old versus the new through the eyes of different individuals. Each pair of photos reflects the distinct comparison between how the scenery of Singapore used to look like in the past and how it looks like in the present. I hope that as you go through this collection of photos, you can take your own personal experiences of being in such similar locations and fit it into each photo.
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A School Daze
— Charlotte
‘a school daze’ talks about how PLMGS has grown through the years into what over 1000 students call their second home. Through generations of principals sharing the story of PLMGS’s history, we as students have learnt to appreciate how much our school has changed from the past.
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Journey to the hawker centres
— Denetta
Hawker centres are open-air complexes that house many stalls selling a wide variety of affordably priced food. They are mostly conveniently located in the heart of housing estates, usually with adjourning wet markets. Hawker centres are a unique aspect of Singapore culture and lifestyle. Hawker centres, or coffee shops are where many people go to eat because of the variety of food offered, rather than restaurants where you can only eat one type of food – how boring. My idea behind this picture was to portray how they prepare the food and their interactions with the customers that makes hawker centres and coffee shops seem so attractive.
It takes place from the POV of a stray cat comparing its life with a house cat who was originally its friend back when both of them were still strays. I wanted to show that while many people may love and care for their cats, there was also a portion of cats in the world who didn’t have homes like them.
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Carefree and Fun
— Janelle
‘Carefree and Fun’ describes how my childhood was like growing up. Unlike in the present, there was nothing that I had to worry about as a kid. Life was enjoyable back then.
I used a yellow crochet donut to represent my childhood, with yellow symbolising happiness and donuts being a treat that I grew up eating. I also wrote a haiku for every two pictures to symbolise how simple life was in the past and also capture the significant things I did at the different places while growing up.
Walking past these places to take my pictures made me feel nostalgic. Taking these pictures gave me the chance to reflect on how much more I should have appreciated the benefits of being a child, and made me see the big contrast between being a kid and growing up.
Running to the court
Full of life and energy
Focused on winning
Feeling exhausted
I watched the koi fishes swim
Until it was dark
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My first ever classroom
— Jordin
Since young, my mother has imparted nine meaningful life lessons to me, lessons for me to weather through life. Looking at my photos, some might wonder, out of all the places I could have taken my pictures, why would I choose some random condominium? Well, this condominium is where I grew up, where I spent my childhood, my first ever classroom and exactly where I picked up all these life lessons. Now, feel free to join me as I take a walk down memory lane revisiting those important lessons.
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Wacky Architecture
— Katelyn
These images shows the different art styles of buildings and the personalities of the owners. I wrote haikus to show the differences between buildings while specifically focusing on a single aspect about the building. Architecture is a way to express oneself and show one’s creativity. There are many different ways to design one’s home through architecture and the details and decisions to build the structure the way it is often go under-appreciated.
Whimsical houses
Seems like they're out of this world
So fantasy like
Modern day houses
Their designs all different
Personifying us
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Mother nature doesn't need a filter
— Lavonne
When the daylight fades and the sun is no longer visible, representing all the beauty seen in the sky is not the best definition. The glamour lies in the effervescent sky during a sunset. It combines the tranquility of the unburned sun, pale pink tones, and the rich light radiating from the end of the sky to the last grain of sand in the ocean to achieve absolute perfection.
The sun is setting
Vibrant colours all around
Gone until morning
Floating in the sky,
Forming, changing, drifting on,
Nature’s wispy breath
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My loved ones
— Marisa
It is not everyday that I get to spend time with my family members, so I treasure the time I get to spend with them every weekend, especially my grandparents. My family and I go to my grandparents house almost every two weeks. My grandparents welcome us with excited faces, which brings a smile to my face. As my grandparents don’t know how to speak English, they show their care and love to us by giving us food and drinks, especially my grandmother who loves to make Milo. Every once in a while, I join my grandfather by the sofa to watch a Tamil drama on TV. Being able to spend time with my family like this brings me a lot of joy, even despite the language barriers that me and my grandparents face.
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How books share
— Megan
Books have been around for decades, with the first printing of books between 618 and 907 CE in China. Each book has a story of its own to tell and it’s up to the reader to decide how to interpret what has been shared with them. Starting from mere notebooks that contains one’s darkest secrets to fictional books that help us in imagining a brand-new life, books are used to acquire knowledge and can result in amusement, enjoyment or even relaxation.
“How Books Share” is a short story about the different types of books that one may have lying around in their homes. These books are universal to those around us, helping to share little bits of information that allow us to form a bigger picture. One that can suddenly make all those random events that have occurred make sense. They also give us insight to fictional worlds, where one can be whoever they want to be through the power of imagination. Not to mention, books teach us various life lessons involving experiences that very few have gone through.
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Feeling alive again
— Nabilah
My story is based on my main character ( the lighted balloon ) feeling empty their whole life and later on finally having to explore and experience all the great things there are outside the four walls that she is trapped in. Being trapped their whole life had them decide that they will stay outside forever but finally being out had them thinking otherwise.
The lighted balloon of this story represents most of us. We are all so caught up with our school work / work that sometimes I feel like we forget that there is more to life than what we are doing right now. We often complain that there are many obstacles in the way of enjoying our lives. But I feel that we are the ones who think in such a way when we can change that.
Been inside the cave their entire life, seeing the night light had them filled with enthusiasm that without any hesitation and without knowing what to anticipate they flew directly to the night sky feeling the indescribable emotion in the air.
Being out of the cage got them gliding through the sky. Checking every corner and edge to ensure they do not miss out on anything. Laying their eyes on colours and textures that they had no idea of got them elated. Their mind was occupied with amazement that all they wanted to do was this.
First a variety of colours and textures now new objects. “Wow this is amazing,” they thought. Seeing the beautiful things got them overwhelmed with joy. They sat down in a nice corner and observed every detail in the scenery and sat there as their eyes sparkled.
They surely wanted to spend every second of their existence feeling that indescribable feeling but then it hit them, special things are only special as we always return to reality from them. Took a last glance and went back to their reality. They know they will survive as they have things to be happy about.
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Revisiting times of the young
— Natalie
By revisiting the times of the young, it reminds us about living in the present moment.
Children are usually regarded as innocent and lacking knowledge. I feel that they are more than that. At times, they can also teach adults important life values we all forget sometimes like gratefulness and compassion.
Some may call them ‘cute’ and some call them ‘annoying’. I would say they are young teachers. Children can teach us many things that an adult cannot. They have taught me to be kind, grateful, not to judge others and explore the world with no fear. They may be naughty at times but they always care for the ones they love and it is limitless.
With every child comes a gift, a gift of spreading joy and laughter to those around them.
Although they will grow up, there will always be children around.
They sing, they dance, with joy and glee, especially with their friends. Friends come and go and some will stick with them till the very end.
Children are happy beings with friends like them. It does not matter whether their friend has lighter skin than them, are different genders or completely different.
They will all be seen as a new person to make friends with. That is something we should learn from them.
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Being in the city
— Rianne
There are two kinds of people. People who enjoy exercising and relaxing in the city area and people who enjoy being in nature areas. Some people prefer being in the urban city environment as there are more busy bustling city lights and they may also prefer huge crowds. As compared to the nature rural side, people there prefer being in a more quiet peaceful environment and with the nature breeze.
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Emotions flowing through my veins
— Ryanne
The pictures describe the emotion or the things I feel in my day to day life.
I wrote haikus on how I express my feelings through the photos as it may express different feelings for others. The emotion that experience and how I feel like it is a roller coaster. Many times I express emotion throughout my daily life. Therefore we need reminders to control our emotion or sometimes even life lessons.
After the long runs
You will reap fruits of hard work
If you deserved it
When you very bored
the phone is the solution
but you must control
Sleep is important
for all ages and sizes
it causes your health
reading gives calmness
when there’s chaos around me
just pick up a book
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A Cat's Neighbourhood
— Shayna
A cat in its neighbourhood, exploring how humans live. I used different pictures of different places where a cat would go during the day before taking one of its many naps as usual. It is common for us to miss out the beauty of what surrounds us. Join the cat who is more carefree than us as it tours the neighbourhood, observing the wonders in a way we never do.
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Trapped
— Tueesha
It is about feeling a sense of longing to be in contact with nature and wanting to be free from the pandemic era.
Due to the pandemic, we are not able to go out and spend much time with nature. This can cause some people to miss the vibrant colours and fragrance given out by nature, which invokes a sense of longing towards nature.
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Appreciating nature around us
— Tyra
Expressing appreciation for the beauty of nature, its processes and effects
Plants and flowers tend to get overlooked or taken for granted. These plants and flowers are known as home for organisms such as insects. Certain actions could cost them their shelter and food. The greenery also make our surroundings more attractive.
Around us are plants
Discarding of the dullness
Making it lively
The petals show bliss,
As they burst with happiness,
Filling us with joy
Deep in the garden
Are some stalks of magenta
Bright and radiant
Observe as it grows
Through the effect of the sun
Grows a new flower
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About Arts in Your Neighbourhood
Arts in Your Neighbourhood is an initiative by the National Arts Council that brings enriching arts experiences to everyone at their doorsteps. With programmes inspired by their very own neighbourhoods, audiences can look forward to a diverse mix of arts offerings by established artists at various spaces across the island.
For more information on Arts in Your Neighbourhood, please visit artsforall.gov.sg/AYN.