by Steve Golden
ISBN 9789811855986
196 X 154 mm
Paperback with flap; 160 pages
Pub Date: November 2022
BIC: AMX, GM
Photographer Steve Golden set off to find Singapore’s remaining heritage shops—family run businesses that are multi-generational and at least 35 years old. His search saw him exploring nearly every street in Singapore by foot, from the bustling center of Chinatown to the quiet heartland housing estates. After nearly a year of research, including interviews with local neighbors, shopkeepers, and heritage experts, he photographed over 70 shops and the families that have run them for generations.
The photographer often arrived unannounced, and used small street cameras with natural light in order to observe and document daily life. The result is a snapshot in time in the long and ever evolving history of one of the world’s fastest changing cities; a lasting tribute to the shops, the merchants and the artisans.
This book contains 34 heritage shops, organized by geographic location, and spanning the many different trades that collectively contribute to the patchwork of Singapore’s cultural identify. The work also explores the themes of survival in the face of overwhelming and constant change, and why Singapore’s intangible cultural assets must be saved.
This book has been designed to be portable for those who wish to explore the neighborhoods themselves and find the shops.
