5 Photographers Document Singapore’s Hawker Culture On Their Phones
The pandemic has affected the daily lives of many individuals in Singapore and these five photographers capture that impact perfectly
The position of our hawker culture as an intrinsic part of our collective identity as a nation has been a cornerstone of conversations about Singapore of late – especially at a time of the pandemic and dining restrictions.
While the best way to preserve their role and support them is to continue patronising them, five popular homegrown photographers who are known for capturing images on their phones, have gone further to capture the vignettes of hawker life – in the hopes of highlighting the diverse cuisines these street food experts whip up and the resilience they demonstrate during these trying times.
Scroll on to see how Lauryn Ishak, Yudhi Aristan, GirlEatWorld, Yais Yusman and Jason Lim document these moments with just an iPhone.
Professional photographer Lauryn Ishak encapsulated the hustle and bustle of Ghim Moh Food Centre days before Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) was enforced through her images.
iPhone photographer Jason Lim turned his focus on new generation hawker Thomas Koh. The 33-year-old took over his six-decades-old family business selling pig’s organ soup at Tiong Bahru Market when he was 25.
These shots at Bendemeer Food Centre were taken during Phase 3 (Heightened Alert) by food and travel blogger Melissa Patrice. She wanted to document the various popular dishes there such as authentic beef noodles made with recipes from the ’70s and Indonesian Curry Rice with queues that never seem to stop.
Popular street photographer Yais Yusman made a trip to Golden Mile Food Centre and Kampung Admiralty Hawker Centre to capture these perspectives – a poignant reminder of how hawker life has slowed down during the pandemic.
Text: Imran Jalal/FEMALE