Lui Hock Seng: “I’ve lost the city I used to shoot”
Lui Hock Seng, an 81-year-old photographer, is nostalgic for the long-vanished Singapore he used to capture.
An 81-year-old photographer who has been taking photographs of Singapore for more than 50 years, Hui Hock Seng is nothing likeĀ the typicalĀ photographerĀ you’ll expect at professional studios and working on projects.
With aĀ keen eye for photography, Mr LuiĀ has documented perhaps the most transformative years of Singapore with his lens.
Images of kampung life and of Chinatown’s snake-meat vendors and letter-writers for the illiterate,Ā these are scenesĀ that has now disappeared from Singapore.
Since his teenage years in the 1950s, he hasĀ picked up photography, and managed to hone his skills when he joined the South-east Asia Photographic Society for a few years. When he started work,Ā he will bring his trusty camera along with him everyday, capturing any moment that caught his attention. Despite his full-time job, Mr LuiĀ also took up part time stints asĀ a photographer at weddings and funerals.
“I never thought that some places would change so fast.”
Mr Lui has carried his photography to variousĀ placesĀ from festivals, wildlife to portraits – but his favourite muse was theĀ kampung –Ā especially the three that used to beĀ atĀ Tanah Merah, Tai Seng and Potong Pasir.
“There was a lot to see in kampungs – people washing clothes, as well as cows, goats and chickens. The best light is between 7am and 9am, especially when the sunlight shows through the clouds,” Mr Lui reccountsĀ in Mandarin.
Another one of his favourite spot was the Merdeka Bridge in the 1960s and 1970s that spanned across the Kallang Basin. AsĀ he was still working at the soft-drinks factory at River Valley then,Ā he will wake up an hour earlier every morningĀ to take photos at the bridge, before cycling to work.
Mr Lui’s photography journey has not been all smooth sailing. Born into a working class family with 5 other siblings, cameras were exorbitant to him and dark rooms were too exclusive to gain access to.Ā A workĀ accident in his early 40s alsoĀ resulted in a partial loss of visionĀ inĀ his right eye.
Yet all these setbacksĀ did not deter Mr Lui, as he saved and improvised to produce his precious films. Now, he puts his left eye to the camera instead. Having won quite a sum of money from photography competitions, his finances for his hobby has also improved. Despite his age, he has even kept up with the times and technology, even dabblingĀ with Photoshop.Ā Mr LuiĀ still holds a job as a cleaner at night, but dedicates his day time to photography.
Last year at former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s wake, Mr Lui was among the thousands onĀ the streets, drenched in the rain. Yet he was moved and determined to stay in the crowd,Ā seeking to capture images of individuals who stand out.
“I’m looking for the weird and wonderful.”
Thanks to two men,Ā Mr Nicolas Genty andĀ Mr Ryan Chua, Mr Lui has managed to hold his first soloĀ exhibition at Objectifs earlier this year. Mr Genty, a Frenchman who works as an engineer in the petrochemical industry, was struck by Mr Lui’s photographs and decided to help preserve his work along with Mr Chua, the manager of the museum Objectifs.
Watch BBC’s cover of this amazing man and the rich stories behind his lens below.
LuiĀ Hock Seng has also released his collection of some 80 photographs in his first book – Passing Time. The book is currently available for purchase here.