Page 12 - Darren Soh's Interview with Kanto_Neat

We are at a period when rampant disinformation and freedom of expression have blended
into a toxic mix, to the point that facts and figures are debated. How do you think your study,
documentation, and dissemination of built heritage can contribute positively to the coverage
and discourse on Singaporean history? How does it impact the continuing national narrative of
Singapore?

I’d have to add that the ease by which individuals can digitally manipulate images to show things that
were not there or remove elements that were is also contributing to this problem. For me, I abide
by a very strict set of ethics when it comes to what can and cannot be done to my images. And while
I cannot control what others do, I can only hope that I offer an example of how things can be done.

Of course, for many out there, photography isn’t even remotely related to historicity or representation.
Instead, it is a pastime or a sport even, one used to chalk up likes and shares. On my end, I try to
do proper research when it comes to the history of the buildings and spaces I photograph and,
wherever possible, to corroborate the research with other sources. I do this to make doubly sure
I’m not making things harder for future generations as they look back upon my work for reference.

The advent of Instagram-friendly architecture and Instagrammable spaces has shown that
architectural photography does exert considerable influence over its chosen subject. Let’s close
this interview with your manifesto as an architecture photographer. What defining principle
governs what you do and the stories you tell?

I used to be very much at odds with much of what is deemed “architectural photography”
on Instagram. You know, that ultra-wide-angle image with skewed leading lines toned in
orange and teal, ending with a mysterious looking subject dressed in a hoodie taking up 5%
of the frame, small enough to add scale to the scene but large enough to show the hoodie.

Jokes (or not) aside, I have since realized that there is room on Instagram for all sorts of
content and content creators, and if someone wishes to call him or herself an architectural
photographer but ends up eschewing the architecture for basal aesthetics, then so be it.

One of the pet peeves that remain for me is that many Instagrammers do not have the basic courtesy
of naming the architect (or, shockingly, even the building itself) in their 100% LitAF images.

How hard is it to provide some background on your subject matter? Unless the subject really doesn’t
matter to the image-maker. I guess this is where I (and other image-makers steeped in facts and
historicity) come in, where viewers definitely have a chance to go away with more than just a pretty image.

I see myself as a visual archivist of modernism (like it says on my Instagram), and I am
here to educate in addition to showing you what a building looks like and how it is used.

Could you share a little-known vantage point anywhere in Singapore that has rewarded you with
beautiful imagery?

I could probably write a book on this, given the number of locations I have come across in all my
scouting. Almost every single HDB common corridor in Singapore is accessible to the public, and some
of these HDB blocks tower up to over 40 floors in height, so the views afforded would all be amazing. I
can’t single any one of them out, but I can offer a tip. Look out for newly completed or tall, unblocked
HDB projects near the city. These are usually super tall and super dense and would more than likely
offer amazing views from their corridors and stairwells. Here are two, one shot from Chinatown
Complex next to the CBD and one showing CityVue @ Henderson, one of the newest HDB projects
recently completed. The latter was made from a stairwell of another HDB block at Jalan Membina. •