Photoessay — the locals are perfectly posed

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the locals are perfectly posed 24th Feb 2020 Images by Marc Nair and Daniel Tan Text by Marc Nair

the locals are perfectly posed

24th Feb 2020

Images by Marc Nair and Daniel Tan
Text by Marc Nair

Call it Saturday afternoon ennui in Singapore.

Call it a collision between the commons of public space and the heavily made-up streets of Chinatown, carefully signposted and manicured for the tourist gaze.

Here, the locals are lined up like extras in a film set, a perfect foil for the busloads of tourists who are disgorged beside the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and then proceed to wander around the glorious mixed-use amalgamation of architecture that defines Chinatown.

Walking around with our cameras, we are taken by how well arranged the locals are, almost as if they are a kind of living tableau.

With HDB blocks connected to the food centre and a bevy of de facto souvenir streets, Chinatown is every tourist’s humid dream.

Some gaze into the far distance while others subconsciously strike a quasi-bitter pose. Most are just doing their thing. Perhaps this is still the draw of Chinatown; its people.

And what happens when this generation slips away? Will a new generation take over the chess tables, day drink in cool corners or read newspapers outdoors on warm afternoons?

SketchMackerel MagazineFebruary 24, 2020Chinatown, Singapore, Photoessay