“A sense of common history is what provides links to hold together a people who came from the four corners of the earth. Because our history is short, and because what is worth preserving from the past is not all that plentiful, we should try to save what is worthwhile from the past from the vandalism of the speculator and the developer, from a government and a bureaucracy which believes that anything that cannot be translated into cold cash is not worth investing in.”

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S. Rajaratnam, from “Adaptive Reuse of History,” Kwa Chong Guan, ed. S. Rajaratnam on Singapore.
Singapore: World Scientific, 2006.

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Singapore Memory Project

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Building Memories is an interactive art book documenting the intrinsic histories, as well as personal and collective memories of four public buildings which have helped shape the nation. These were the National Library (1960), the National Theatre (1963), the Singapore Conference Hall and Trade Union House (1965) and the National Stadium (1973). This project was supported by the Singapore Memory Project’s irememberSG Fund as part of the Singapore50 (SG50) celebrations.

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The idea leading to this meaningful publication was mooted and brought to fruition by three like-minded friends – an architect, an illustrator and a designer – who shared the same appreciation for these buildings. Given the scarcity of cohesive and up-to-date accounts of these buildings, it is hoped that the key themes connecting architecture, people and the period of nationhood can be better appreciated while sharing and reminiscing those halcyon days with our future generations.

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Over four dedicated chapters, the art book offers an informative and immersive reading experience through the inclusion of interactive elements such as old photographs, comic illustrations, interesting graphic components, a miniature 3-D paper pop-up building and even an old library borrowing slip complete with pocket. This tactile approach was taken to evoke nostalgia in senior readers as well as provide younger generations with a deeper insight to life of the yesteryears.