I was slapped with a photomontage project about a week ago. It was simple, nothing fancy, but I figured that I'd make an attempt at Pop Art since the opportunity presented itself, experiment with the concept a bit, and here's the result.

“Imagine a country that’s stuck in time, lost in transition, vacillating somewhere in between an all too real past, and an all too decadent future, and you’ll have Singapore, Circa 2025. It is a stifling, stagnant place, a world of drab, grey streets and steel monoliths, skyscrapers populated by faceless, nameless, unknown citizens toeing the thin white line, content to live the grueling, monotonous nine-to-five routine. In 2025, the State is the new religion, McDonald’s is big brother, and the Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew is God. There will be times everyday, at 9 am, at 12 noon, at 6 pm, where the horns will sound, music will play through the streets, and everyone will sing a hymn to this great man, the father of our nation, the one who outlawed chewing gum and trounced the opposition with lawsuits and court injunctions. Children will want to be like him, they’ll buy Lee Kuan Yew action figures, and wear Lee Kuan Yew rubber masks. Their parents will chart their futures out for them; buy into advertisements and public announcements on the TV. Like lambs to the slaughter, they will raise their young, and cast them onto the fire of the National Effort. A glorious thing indeed! In this great and illustrious vision, Singaporeans will have learnt the credo “Time is money”, and live it everyday. They’ll meditate on it; ruminate on it, whether they’re in the bus, or MRT, or taxi. They’ll be taught the importance of consumerism, told to banish thoughts of being their own man, and that it’s better to take the tried and tested route than to be “idle”, or to risk “failure”. There will be those, of course, who hold out to their own thoughts, and dream of the grass on the other side. Is it greener, is the air cleaner? Is Lee Kuan Yew going to sue them for trying? The rebels, they’re called, except they’re now terrorists. They’re the ones who send surreptitious emails, smses, post racist comments on blogs. They’re seditionists, artists, poets, idealists. They’re the ones with open eyes and open minds. They’re the ones who know this world is a sham, and they’re the ones who want out. They want to fly away, but can’t. They’re stuck in this prison paradigm.”

Dystopia: Singapore, Circa 2025 is a social commentary, a critique of Singapore’s structured, stifling, commercial and radical conservative nature. It takes a jab at the unthinking, herd mentality of the masses, at the banality of the average salaried worker’s existence, and the shackles and walls they’ve built for themselves in the pursuit of trivial happiness. More importantly, this piece is a prediction, cautioning of things to come in this already totalitarian state, and the dangerous course the country is pursuing for the sake of economic progress. Humans become featureless strangers caught up in their own little worlds and worries, children the commodities of the future, free speech is stifled and outlawed, and idleness a crime. It is a process long in the coming, and its final evolution, its final outcome, is a chilling vision of hell indeed. It is not a hell of fire and brimstone and devils, but a hell of banality, uniformity, conformity and the death of big ideas.

Dystopia: Singapore, Circa 2025 was pieced together from various photographs of people and objects taken by the artist, supplemented by images culled from the Internet. It follows the style of Pop Art in the 1950s and the politically critical Dada Anti-Art movement of the1920s. It emphasizes the use of ready-mades as espoused by Marcel Duchamp, in particular easily distinguishable and common objects such as paper bags, mannequins, sofas, Lee Kuan Yew, Ronald McDonald, and chewing gum to deliver a deeper, metaphorical and allegorical message. The use of text and typography to crystallize the message follows newer Pop Art trends, particularly those of the 1980s and early 1990s.

List of Key Visual Elements

Airplane (Red and White) – Taking off, instead of landing. Representative of the desire to emigrate, and dreams of a better life elsewhere.

Coins – Reflects the Singaporean love for, and pursuit of, money. In context, “money-faced”, and “Time is money”.

Dunce Hat – A symbol for idiocy and ineptitude in school. In context, reflects the competitive nature and emphasis on grades in Singaporean education.

“Failure one more time” coaster – A reflection of Singapore’s unforgiving nature. Failure is never rewarded, and often, people who fail are looked down upon and regarded poorly. Taken in context, it also evinces how Singaporeans only really manage to succeed after going overseas, where there is ample room to grow.

Family of Four – The quintessential, ideal Singaporean family unit. A reflection of Singapore’s stringent family planning policies. Taken in context, their prayerful and solemn stance appears to be one of veneration and adoration for Lee. It is synonymous with the generally conservative, unquestioning and obedient nature of Singaporean families.

Green bubbles with Grass inset – Thought bubbles, the pipe dream and hope that the grass really IS greener on the other side.

Idling Girl – A symbol of disgruntlement with the system and disillusionment. Also, signifies lost youth squandered in the compulsory education system, lost dreams and hopes. Somebody who is lost and confounded by Singaporean society at every turn.

Label “I was here doing nothing” – A jibe at Singapore, its lack of freedom, and its lack of opportunities.

Lee Kuan Yew – Minister Mentor Lee is the founding father of the nation, and has been credited with many things. He is an icon of everything the radical conservative, totalitarian government stands for.

“Make Them See” flyer – A revolutionary slogan. Taken it context, it accuses Singaporeans of being blind to their own state, and being blind followers and adherents to the status quo.

Mannequin – Representative of the faceless, nameless, homogenized citizenry that inevitably emerges in a commercialized and capitalist society. Also, reflective of Singapore’s insular mindset.

Nokia Phone – A common phone, symbolic of a common thread of conversation, or a common language and the freedom of speech, something which is lacking in Singapore.

“Out” sign – Taken literally, points the way out, a solution for Singaporeans trapped in this myopic society. It points towards the airplane in the distance, flying away from this country. Also synonymous with the desire to break ‘out’, and want ‘out’ of this country and its stifling environment.

Red dot – A metaphor for Singapore, as popularized by former Indonesian president BJ Habibie’s criticism of the country.

Ronald McDonald – Popular commercial icon. The Golden Arches Theory claims that a country with McDonald’s outlets in it is a democracy. Also, a symbol of capitalism and Western hegemony. In context, a mockery of Singapore’s democratic ideals.

Sofa – A jab at Singapore’s armchair approach and detached means of governance. Singapore runs on a “Big Brother Knows Best” style and often, policies that are crafted in the boardroom have no bearing on the common, working class man.

Stamps, Singapore’s Progress over the years – A series of stamps charting Singapore’s growth and the architecture that defines each decade. Aged and sepia toned to further heighten the feel of history. The stamps show the growing reliance on technology and the advancing technocracy over the years.

Stick of Wrigley’s Gum – A popular brand of chewing gum. It was outlawed because it was a public nuisance, and smuggling gum into Singapore carries a hefty fine and a possible jail term. Recently, the law was relaxed due to a Free Trade Agreement with the US. This evidences Singapore’s overly stringent legal system, as well as the hypocrisy of the system in its willingness to bend laws due to trade pressure.

Suntec City Convention Centre – One of the architectural works Singapore is famous for, and an international convention centre that sees many foreign visitors. It is a symbol of Singapore’s wealth, and its desire to suck up the foreign dollar. The big video screen depicts the mannequin in stunning detail, a reflection of the many faceless individuals that dot the landscape within.

Text “I was here doing nothing” overlay – Scribbled text overlaid on the idling girl to add depth and emphasis to the message.

Text “In A.D. 2025 Singapore goes to hell in a bloody hand basket” – Scribbled text overlaid on the montage to reinforce the message.

Thin White Line – Synonymous with something known as the Party Line, and the O.B. Marker. The Thin White Line denotes the sphere of the ruling party’s influence, and the line that cannot be crossed, lest the ire of the State is aroused. Also, it signifies the system and the paradigm in which Singapore is placed and governed.

Time Magazine – Popular magazine, often with social and political articles and commentaries. A casual read for many people, especially the white collared workers on MRTs and public transport. A relief for boredom, and to ‘kill time’. Also, a symbol of homogenization as Time magazine is forced into many Secondary School and Junior College school curriculums as compulsory reading. Taken in context with the coins, puts forth the message that “Time is money”.

TV with inset “Plan now to ensure that you can realize your child’s potential” – The TV is one of the most common mediums for communication in Singapore. It permeates everything, from houses to buses and MRTs. The Inset comes across as a public service announcement or propaganda.

Two ladies in MRT – The MRT, a plebeian means of transport used by almost 600,000 commuters daily, forms the backdrop for this piece. Two ladies, one young, the other old, and both working class in nature, represent the generic masses that populate the country. The MRT is also the snaking backbone of the country that runs across the entire landscape, the veins and arteries that carry the cells that are humans to and from work.

Vin, Graffit Artist in Gas Mask – Representative of the rising number of artistic, rebellious youth who aim to be different and wish to break out of society’s constraints. They are often misunderstood, and often snubbed and demonized by the masses, but their youth and enthusiasm is what is essential for the way ahead.

Watson’s paper bag – Watson’s is a popular budget convenience store chain. This bag is a symbol of commercialism that permeates even the plebeian masses.


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Most of the photos and graphics used in this piece are (C) myself. Additional photos and graphics are courtesy of Joey Lim [link] and online open sources. Special thanks to Vin [link] for permission to use his picture in this project.

All registered trademarks and symbols are Copyright (C) their respective owners, and the use herein is not a challenge to their Copyright.