What is today one island used to be three: St John’s Island (Pulau Sekijang Bendera), Lazarus Island (Pulau Sekijang Pelepah) and Seringat (or Rengit) Island. Since the 2000s, and following the relocations of most of the residents to the mainland, the islands were merged via land reclamation and a causeway. Due to developments over the years, many of the physical sites (and their attendant stories) are no longer palpable. The current process of cleaning up the asbestos infestation also threatens to remove whatever vestiges are left. This project is an attempt to salvage and excavate the (in)tangible heritage of the islands and deposit them into the repositories of our cultural and national memory. Drawing on archival research, oral history interviews and general surveys of its current uses, the project seeks to consolidate what we know about the islands and ensure that Singaporeans get to know the Islands not only from a historical standpoint but also from the points of view of the ex-Islanders.

For more information about the project, click here.

PI & Co-PI(s): Hamzah Muzaini, Creighton Connolly, Rita Padawangi, Sonia Yue Chuen Lam-Knott & Desmond Hok-Man Sham
Research Team: Grace Chong