the heartlands

A photo-essay exploration of our beloved mosaic playground of yesteryear by Justin Zhuang, with photography by Zakaria Zainal and graphics by Wee Ho Gai. Inside are four stories from Singaporeans whom I found while looking for old playgrounds: Mr Khor is the designer who created these spaces; Miss Antoinette Wong learnt about life through playing in them; Mr Fong Qi Wei developed his photography by using the playgrounds as subjects for ‘light paintings’; and Mr Lim Chee Peng who sees these play spaces as an escape from the modern, bustling city of Singapore. It is through their acts of remembering that make these playgrounds come alive. Just like the individual glass mosaic pieces that make up the old playgrounds, it is only when their stories come together that a collective memory is formed — and this is what makes the old playground a national icon of Singapore.