The current Highlands of Bedok merely hint at the undulating elevation and terrain that used to dominate the area before the levelling of the land began in the 1960s for housing development. Bedok Rise used to be the highest peak in the area, from which residents could survey the nearby areas to spot and react to fires and other incidents.
Excavations began in the middle of 2016 on a plot of forested land, designated ‘Parcel B’, at the corner of Bedok South Ave 3 and New Upper Changi Rd. As part of a renewed interest in residential development in the area, this 24,394 sqm plot of land, triggered for sale on 7th January 2016, is being cleared for the construction of a condominium, adding to the belt of recently-built condominiums near Tanah Merah MRT Station.
Mother and Child, Divided (Parcel B) documents the excavation work carried out on this once-forested area in the first two weeks of November 2016. Captured at night, these images capture the hauntingly barren land as it experiences this transitionary phase. This series aims to contribute to the conversation of man’s intervention of nature, and critiques the pragmatic values held by our local culture.
This series is continued in Built to Shape Your Body (Parcel B).
