Book 1

Northeast Hinterland

by Kevin WY Lee and Exactly Foundation

Published 15 December 2017
Northeast Hinterland captures evocative and thought-provoking night scenes of Punggol – a northeastern suburb that has been touted as “a waterfront town of 21st-century Singapore”. This series of photographs shows a side of Punggol that we do not normally see, where “sleep and sight are paradoxical”, and where “histories, mythologies and legacies ... play hide and seek”.

The book also documents the responses of 105 viewers from all walks of life. Their opinions, recollections and musings triggered by the photos offer us a fascinating, multifaceted look at history, identity, and the ambiguities of land custodianship in Singapore.

What To Keep?

by Exactly Foundation and Lau Eng Seng

Published 15 December 2017
567 households. 187 shops and stalls. Four iconic housing blocks. In 2011, Rochor Centre was given its demolition sentence. In the days of packing up that followed, residents confronted the question of what to keep, what to throw out, where to go...
In this probing series of photographs, we come face to face with a microcosm of Singapore’s drive for redevelopment. How do we preserve our heritage, our lifestyle, our communities?
The book also documents the responses of viewers from all walks of life. Their opinions, recollections and musings triggered by the photos offer us a fascinating, multifaceted look at history, urban upheaval, and the effects on people’s lives.

Mute

by Exactly Foundation and Chia Aik Beng

Published 15 December 2017
Can a photograph show what is absent, what has been erased? Through this illuminating series of images, we get to "see" Singapore's forgotten Little Japan, a once-flourishing enclave with a red-light district featuring "karayuki-san" - right where Bugis Junction stands today...

Mute is a uniquely moving collection of photographs. Photographer Chua Aik Beng gives a highly personal take on Little Japan's forgotten history, prompting us to ask, "Why do we not know?"

The book also documents the responses of over 80 viewers from all walks of life. Their opinions, recollections and musings triggered by the photos offer us a fascinating, multifaceted look at memory, progress, and the nature of time.