The Singapore National Stadium (Chinese: 国家体育场; Malay: Stadium Nasional Singapura) is located in Kallang. Opened in 19 July 1973, the National Stadium was used for many sporting, cultural, entertainment and national events, such as the Southeast Asian Games (when it was hosted in Singapore), the Singapore Armed Forces Day, the Singapore Youth Festival Opening Ceremony Parade, and the finals of the 2004 Tiger Cup. The National Stadium has been the venue for the National Day Parade 18 times (in 1976, 1980, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996 to 1999, 2001 to 2004, and 2006).
Plans have been made to demolish the stadium in the second half of 2007 but due to some reasons, it was delayed. The stadium has to make way for the new multi-purpose Singapore Sports Hub which is expected to open in 2014. On 29 September 2010, Wednesday, an official ceremony was held to mark the start of demolition works at the old National Stadium. In its place will rise a state-of-the-art, S$1.3 billion facility in 2014. As a unique, multi-functional sports facility capable of supporting numerous major local and international events such as athletics, football, cricket, rugby and the National Day Parade, Global Spectrum Asia, a venue management company, is confident of attracting the crowds with a vibrant event mix.
Before its closure as announced back in 2007, the Singapore Sports Council organized a photography competition to commemorate the stadium. I did not take part in the photography competition but certainly took the advantage of exploring inside the stadium for some personal fine art photography.
I chose B&W medium format for this series because shooting in film always has this aesthetic where digital somehow lacks. It gets me totally involved and engaged in the process of making the photographs, which is very important for me on the personal touch. I've always tried to minimize the process of manipulations and do things right on the spot in my utmost best ability. I've always love 6x6 square format which poses great challenges in my photographic composition and on the choice of my subjects. It alters the way I see on my subjects and makes me think and think and think before I decide to release the shutter. Yes it certainly demands one's discipline, persevere and patience. And I love every minute of making these photographs.
All photographs are made with a Shanghai TLR (Twin Lens Reflex) camera on KODAK TMAX B&W film, mounted on a Manfrotto 055Pro tripod with Giottos ballhead. Selected negatives are scanned and edited in Photoshop with minor adjustments on Level and Curve. As with the traditional darkroom techniques, dodging and burning are essential and have applied on these photographs. Slight sepia toning is added for warmth.
Category:Architecture and Structures
Subcategory:Buildings
Subcategory Detail:
Keywords:black&white, buildings, documentary, heritage
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