Evoking Nostalgia

When one mentions Hawpar Villa, it will almost certainly evoke some form of nostalgia among Singaporeans. Our parents thought it would be fun to bring us to this place when we were kids, which features rather abstract statues and sculptures of Chinese folklore. In fact, they often tricked us into thinking that it was an amusement park. Well, amusing for the parents indeed, when they see our frightened faces. Hawpar Villa is probably most known for its depiction of Hell. Inside their "Ten Courts of Hell", horrified children can take a look at which sins / crime would land them in which parts of Hell. While parents standing behind their kids would take the opportunity to tell them to behave, and be a good kid or they would end up in Hell. 

There is also a whole segment dedicated to "Journey to the West" and if you're a true Singaporean Chinese, then you know it's quite possibly the most famous Chinese folklore there is. Of course, most of the sculptures would seem as "scary" to most kids, and even some adults. But despite everything, and how our parents tricked us, this place still holds some form of nostalgia and memory to us. 

I revisited the place in 2017, many years after my first visit as a child and I saw the place with a new perspective. I was, and still am, very in love with @uuanjie's work and his earlier works featured Hawpar Villa. He managed to bring forth a sense of nostalgia through his style in those photos, despite the models being in fashionable clothes. It was through those photos which I realised that I was lacking in perspectives. But my photography wasn't what I hoped for back then, so the photos didn't exactly turn out the way I wanted them to.  

Fast forward to just last week, I went to Hawpar Villa again. This time with a very sweet friend of mine, Megan (@meggychiaaaa). I was also equipped with better editing, framing, and a piece of cling wrap. Right from the start, I wanted to do a very nostalgic / retro-ish shoot. So I got Megan to dress like she was from the 70s and she did not disappoint, since she loved retro too. The cling wrap was to act as a soft filter of sorts. It softens the image so much it gives the photo a film-like look, and when there is sunlight, the cling wrap gives it an additional glow. Bless Natalia (@natalianaa) for having gifted me this tip because it honestly gives me the kind of look I've been searching for for the past two years.

I did this shoot hoping it would evoke some form of nostalgia in all Singaporeans who looked at these photos. And also to connect myself with my childhood in a way. Many would call Hawpar Villa a "unique" choice to shoot in, and that not many would do so because it just doesn't seem "aesthetic" by most photographers. But I've always been a sucker for old things, and old locations. As long as I can make my photos look like they're from decades back, I'm sold. Hence, Hawpar Villa serves as the perfect location to me. Not many people would appreciate, but I hope a few of you do.