Welcome to Time Out Singapore's 52 Weeks of #ExcitingSG – our commitment to showing you the best of what's going on in the city this week. Every Monday, a guest writer who's "in" with the scene shares a recommendation on what to see, eat, do or buy in the city. This week we shoot the breeze with photographer Christopher Sim who is known for his work documenting the independent creative scene in Singapore. What you get with his work are intimate vignettes of youth, music, art and culture in Singapore that leave you more intrigued.
What gets you excited you about Singapore?
In general, there's been a glut of opportunities made available to artists and creatives in recent years so I'm excited to see how the industry will develop. We also have really good chendol!
How did you get into photography and when did you realise it was something you wanted to do?
I picked it up to supplement schoolwork but found photography to be a relatively fuss-free medium for creative expression, especially since I don't have a fine art background.
Chris Sim
What are some interesting projects you've worked on?
Recently did an impromptu shoot with musician, Of Methodist where he plays a lovelorn kopitiam assistant that was meant to be a pastiche of Hong Kong cinema. I put out a call on Instagram Stories on a Thursday night and this shoot happened the following afternoon. The press photos I've done for Singaporean bands were also fun projects. Trying to distill their music and stage personas into a set of still images is quite an involved process, and we end up being closer after the shoots.
You've been a keen documenter of the youth and music culture here, what do you love about it?
In secondary school we had an essay assignment to write about Singaporean culture for a pointless post-exam period class. So whatever I'm photographing now, these pictures are answers to that essay, I guess. It's really just photographing what happens around me, I didn't set out to specifically document "youth and music culture". This urge to document, it's irrational, almost an obsession. Leroy from local band Long Live The Empire calls me a voyeur, and I think he really means it.
Who are some local artists and creatives people should know about?
Kurt Tay is the region's hardest working performance artist, he really doesn't get enough credit for his efforts.
Chris Sim
How do you see your work developing in the future?
There's no need to develop digital photos since they appear on the screen after the shutter is released so the future is now!