“When was the last time you felt a photograph?”

That question was posed to me by han, who recently compiled a series of photographs from his past relationship for the book The sky I wish to share with you.

THIS BE: THE SKY I WISH TO SHARE WITH YOU

Before my little chat with han, I anticipated that he would be liberal with the photography jargon and technical terms.

Little did I know that han was not a photographer by profession. He prefers to be known as a historian, or, as he calls himself, a “document-er”, seeing his works as forms of documentation.

That might explain why he prefers film photography to its digital successor that leaves no physical trace. I pondered over his question for a bit and realised that it has been over a year since I’ve last developed a photograph.

To the untrained eye, The sky I wish to share with you might pass off as the sort of thing a sentimental guy does to get over a traumatic breakup. han however looks at it as a form of self-expression that allows him to chance upon discoveries within himself. He believes in authenticity, such as the essence of people and the legacy they leave behind.

PASSION DRIVEN, THIS GUY DETAILS EVERYTHING

One of han’s works, The consolations of museology, documents fellow artist Michael Lee, artist, art writer and independent art curator, as he takes on this installation of ten books in proposal of ten hypothetical museums that celebrate the personal failures of humans. As shown on han’s photo showcase on the website, it starts with the final installation artwork, and ends with a relatively contrary message of the entire project. As a personal touch to the entire artwork process through the eyes of han as he depicts each step, he reverses the order of the artwork process.

THIS UNCONVENTIONAL ARTIST PREFERS CRITICISM

I find a simple charm in his works. In reminiscing about the past, there lie the moments, immortalised. han’s current project has him documenting traditional coffee-making via the decades-old Nanyang Coffee brand. While declining to disclose more details, he readily spoke to me about the subject of coffee-making itself, as well as its historical roots.

I expect this upcoming project to take spectators on a journey, like how his previous work Wish you were there did. With Wish you were there, han projects photographs on walls, buildings, doors, chairs and other furniture, suggesting that memories are fragmented, like a jigsaw puzzle in our brains.

Peculiarly, han enjoys acting like a gallery sitter or a fellow visitor to the gallery to observe how people interact with his work instead of priding around.

HE'S A VERY PATIENT PERSON, HE'S VERY VERY PATIENT

The coffee shops were first run by Hainanese immigrants, who also came up with the different variations of coffee orders we are so used to today, such as ‘kopi-gao’ (extra concentrated coffee) and ‘kopi-c’ (coffee with evaporated milk and sugar).

Coming from a documenting point-of-view, Han tries to capture the full essence of the company. From recreating memories of sweetly scented Arabica beans to the hustle and bustle of coffee shops, han is working to capture the essence of coffee culture itself. I was slightly taken aback as he spoke about his plans to achieve so much through pictures and finds from the library. han even took it upon himself to learn Hainanese so as to communicate with the dialect-speaking generation who lived through the founding years of Nanyang Coffee.

Historian, meet photographer. Oh, and meet perfectionist. B.

This is the second part of a three-part series. Watch out for part III this week!

ARCHIVE
Self expression: The tattoo artist
Self expression: The parkour artist

PHOTOS: HAN (Ed's note: He is /that/ much of a perfectionist)

bernard[a]youth.sg

Bernard was just thinking of the day he was born and could only recall a cursing and swearing woman in pain.

THIS ARTICLE IS PART OF Mar 8-14 :: The Self Expression Issue

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