You pass by it almost every day and sometimes, the stench coming out of it is revolting.
However, for a photographer, the open drains (locally referred to as its Malay phrase “longkang”) in Singapore remind him of the neglect he experienced during his childhood when his dad used to shout at him because the father was in the middle of a divorce.
Photographer Ben Matchap then decided to take his childhood experience escaping his situation at home and roaming around in open drains through parkour skills, and put that on film.
The result is a series of stunning images with a model braving the open drains for a photo series called #LongkangLife that Ben shared on his Facebook page on Saturday.
In an interview with Coconuts Singapore, Ben said that his work plays with spaces and perceptions; he had also previously shot a series called “Purple Line” that uses only minority models who were either plus-sized, dark-skinned or queer, and features them in locations 10 minutes away from Singapore’s metro North-East Line which is coded purple.
“Many photographers tend to focus on the ‘nice places’ in Singapore and I wanted to show people that you can find magic or at the very least create good work even in the most looked down (of) places,” said Ben to Coconuts Singapore.
In shooting at the “longkang”, Ben hopes that Singaporeans are challenged to look at places that they would rather not see and learn to confront their beliefs.
“I want people to take a long, hard look at (the ‘longkang’) and, in a sense, reflect on themselves and their judgments on these places, people and topics that we rather not see,” added Ben.
Getting a model who was game enough to traverse in open drains was a challenge, but 20-year-old model Charissa Tung bravely stepped up to the plate, along with stylist Chanel Yui who didn’t mind the clothes getting dirty during the shoot.
Ben’s girlfriend Megan Boey also stepped in to help out with makeup.
The shoot took about two hours according to Ben, with one hour for makeup and wardrobe styling, and another hour for the actual shots.
Those who would like to own a #LongkangLife print need not worry, for the prints will be on sale at the upcoming art fair Art Stage Singapore from 25 to 27 January 2019, at the Coda Culture booth.
Ben also plans to show the full “Purple Line” series of photographs in an upcoming exhibition to be announced, he said to Coconuts Singapore.
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