The Black & White Project – Unseen Landscapes of Singapore

The exhibition draws its name from two concepts – all the photographs are in black and white, and each one showcases natural landscapes that encompass a black-and-white house. Black-and-white houses are a part of Singapore’s colonial history and are conserved by law. However, both black-and-white houses and the landscapes surrounding them are becoming rarer due to competing pressures for land resources.

During the 18th to 20th centuries, it was a common practice to send postcards from Singapore that captured scenes from life in the tropics. Such postcards have become a timestamp of bygone days – a rarity and a precious memory of the past.

Through his photographs, photographer Peter Zaman creates modern-day timestamps of these fast-disappearing landscapes of the black-and-white houses. Simultaneously, Zaman pays tribute to the painstaking conservation work done by the National Parks Board in maintaining Singapore’s green spaces.

The images are part of a collection of photographs taken for a dedicated project between 2021 to 2022 during the COVID-19 travel restrictions in Singapore. The collection also forms the basis of a book of the same name as this exhibition.

Visitors are invited to enjoy the landscapes of Singapore as never seen before.

Date: 21 Sep – 1 Dec 2023

Time: 5am – 12am

Venue: People’s Gallery exhibition spaces at Botany Centre (Tanglin Gate), Nassim Gate Visitor Centre and Botanic Gardens MRT Exit A (Bukit Timah Gate)

Free exhibition.