Living nostalgia, today : a study into repurposing nostalgia in present day Singapore

Singapore’s constant urban development has become a regular sight in our everyday life. Buildings and spaces gets demolished and redeveloped to make way for newer and modern infrastructure. As such, feelings of nostalgia, a sense of loss and threat of the nation’s identity are often evoked amongst young Singaporeans. Caught in a struggle of reminiscing the past and the need to move towards the future is a missing link – the present. While places of nostalgia holds memories of younger days, these places have now become irrelevant to a younger Singaporean audience who patronise much more modern facilities. Places of nostalgia have simply become a relic, awaiting to be grieved over when the day of its removal arrives. (For instance, the removal of Sungei Road market.) This FYP seeks to encourage Singaporean Millennials to actively engage in places that are part of their everyday lives in the present day instead of reminiscing only when the space is gone. It is in the hope that through conscious efforts and awareness that their everyday places become a part of the young Singaporean’s lifestyle, experiencing nostalgia in the present day.Bachelor of Fine Art