Celebrating the histories and people of Waterloo Street
10 Aug to 27 Aug 2023
Courtyard and Lower Gallery, Objectifs
Free admission
Held as part of the Singapore Night Festival
Waterloo Street Stories is a collaborative project by the #WaterlooStKakis for Singapore Night Festival 2023, to spotlight the dynamic and textured stories that make this street unique. At the heart of Waterloo Street Stories is a rich narrative of one of the main thoroughfares of the Bras Basah Bugis district, illustrated through movement, audio plays, music and photographs that responds to the oral histories of different Waterloo Street personalities.
Stretching from Rochor Road to Bras Basah Road, Waterloo Street is home to a diverse mix of communities, as well as religious, arts, food, and lifestyle organisations. This mix includes Centre 42, Objectifs, P7:1SMA, SMU-ACM (Arts and Culture Management Programme at Singapore Management University), and The Theatre Practice, who each have been building their own artistic and educational communities on this street.
Through movement, audio plays, music and photographs, which respond to the original oral histories of different Waterloo Street personalities compiled by students from SMU-ACM, we invite audiences from around Singapore to celebrate these stories with us.
The showcase will feature the following components:
A Photography Exhibition by emerging photographers Marc Chu, Muhammad Zulfadhli, Pek Yan Lin, and Sarah Lee
Originating from the oral histories collected for Waterloo Street Stories, four emerging photographers, Marc Chu, Muhammad Zulfadhli, Pek Yan Lin, and Sarah Lee, spent some time photographing 18 individuals who live and work in the neighbourhood.
From a priest that makes cocktails at a Catholic social enterprise cafe to a private investigator who started a fundraising campaign for the community cat’s medical fees, each photo series tells a unique tale, showcasing the remarkable diversity of people and culture on Waterloo Street.
The stories will be exhibited in Objectifs’ courtyard as part of Waterloo Street Stories, and visitors can also sign up for guided shoots led by the participating photographers over the festival weekends.
Music Performances produced in collaboration with local music production house Panik Records, featuring emerging music artists Alicia DC, Angelo, Krysta Joy and Farizi
Audio Plays produced in collaboration with local audio creative house Artwave Studio, and written by playwrights selected through an open call – Christopher Chee, Laura Hayes, Lim Shien Hian and Rajkumar Thiagaras.
Movement Responses featuring dance artists include: Kansh, Xie Shangbin, Eleanor Si Ying Ee, Nathania Lauren Sim, Dalilah Diyanah, Syarifuddin Sahari
About the photographers
Pek Yan Lin is a Singaporean photojournalist and documentary photographer. In addition to assignment work, Yan Lin devotes her time to projects that focus on community, social issues and the people around her, processing her surroundings and world. Yan Lin’s aim is to shed light on a lesser-known side of the society and inspire others to care. In 2021, she was selected to participate in the 34th edition of the Eddie Adams Workshop.
Marc Chu is a visual artist based in Singapore. Marc uses photography and videography to explore his inner journey and document his life experiences. His works also act as a way for him to reimagine reality and spaces. In his free time, he enjoys drinking coffee and daydreaming.
Working mostly intuitively, Muhammad Zulfadhli uses photography as a main medium to capture spaces of personal interest to convey what words cannot. Zulfadhli continues to explore different genres and mediums of photography outside his usual practice.
Sarah Lee (b. 2005) is a junior college student in Singapore with an interest in photography as a tool of exploration, expression and documentation. In 2021, Sarah was selected to participate in Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film’s Shooting Home Youth Awards (now known as Young Photographers’ Mentorship Programme), culminating in a group exhibition in February 2022. She seeks to improve her practice by learning from different types of photography.
Waterloo Street Stories is a collaborative project by the #WaterlooStKakis for Singapore Night Festival 2023, to spotlight the dynamic and textured stories that make this street unique. #WaterlooStKakis is a neighbourly collective comprising Centre 42, Objectifs, P7:1SMA, SMU-ACM (Arts and Culture Management Programme at Singapore Management University), and The Theatre Practice.