Capturing a nation in mourning

A series of 36 poignant stills was showcased at a special exhibition titled “Period of National Mourning” from 21 to 25 March at Tembusu College, University Town, to mark the first anniversary of the passing of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew. The photographs, taken by Year 2 and Year 3 NUS Chemical Engineering students Tan Ke Han and Johannes Liew respectively, captured vividly the intense emotions of the first day Mr Lee laid in state at the Parliament House.

“It is highly admirable that 400,000 Singaporeans young and old, working and retired, able and disadvantaged, stood under the hot sun for a large part of the day just to pay respects to our late founding father,” said Ke Han, who has never met Mr Lee. “Everyone spoke, but it felt quiet,” he added.

Ke Han spent about four hours shooting the various scenes as part of his final assignment for a Tembusu Junior seminar titled “Images”. Another four hours were spent on editing, captioning and compiling the photographs.

Several images depicted the snaking queues along the Singapore River. Others showed the state flags flown at half-mast, flowers laid out in honour of Mr Lee and people in quiet contemplation. The photographs, in muted colours to reflect the sombre mood, were accompanied by succinct captions such as “Taxing” and “Amongst” to describe the situation and sentiments of the moment.

The exhibition served as a tribute to the founding father of modern Singapore while offering a cathartic channel of remembrance and reflection. Ke Han also hopes his work will let future generations remember Singapore’s first Prime Minister, his contributions to the nation and the people’s appreciation of his lifetime work.