By Choy Myn

[Photo: Donor photos at NUS 115: Photos for Good can be enjoyed in a virtual-reality museum setting!]

Photography is more than just getting likes on your Instagram. Its ability to realistically portray life has deepened many viewers’ understanding, awareness and emotional connection to events beyond their everyday experiences.

For example, Isidro Ramirez’s exhibition for the the Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF) “JAKARTA – modest interventions and minor improvisations” allow Singaporean viewers to catch a glimpse of the frustration and ingenuity Jakarta residents demonstrate against the megacity’s everyday problems.

From Pictures to Action

December 14, 2020

Great photography talent, excellence and subject matter can also be found amongst NUS alumni and students. For example, in their exhibition “Breaking the Wall of Poverty Line” for Falling Walls Foundation x Berlin Science Week, NUS alumni and economist/photographer duo, Dr. Stefen Chow and Huiyi Lin, visually documented the types and amounts of food a person living on the poverty line can purchase daily in multiple countries.

Through their work, viewers can better empathise with these widespread social issues as the disadvantaged were no longer reduced to mundane words and numbers, but presented as members of society and reality.

An Indonesian man attempts to fix a poorly placed power line entangled in trees. Photo courtesy of Isidro Ramirez and 2020 Singapore International Photography Festival.

Photographs that address smaller, quieter, personal struggles are no less poignant. Anthony* is an NUS student with Asperger’s syndrome. Thus, he often finds social situations and making personal connections with others very difficult.

However, his documentation of serendipitous encounters with unique and colourful insects on campus not only enabled viewers to appreciate NUS’ peaceful natural environment and surprising biodiversity, but also experience the same joyful surprise that enabled Anthony to manage his condition more effectively.

Dr Stefen Chow and Huiyi Lin. Photo courtesy of Falling Walls x Berlin Science Week.

Photography’s ability to function as a medium of support and change is also reflected in NUS’ 115th Anniversary Photos for Good initiative. The project meant to raise funds for NUS’ disability assistance schemes, such as the Disability Support Office which Anthony also credits for his improved emotional wellbeing.

All the photographs were taken and donated by NUS students, Staff and Alumni like the Speaker for Parliament Mr Tan Chuan-Jin. Such an initiative showcases how the arts remain an integral part of our campus community. Furthermore, it reminds us to support each other through difficult times.

Photos for Good will be open to donations till 11th December 2020 and will continue to be live till 31st January 2021. We can even enjoy the photos in a simulated virtual museum at NUS115: Photos for Good!

So why not take a shot and do some good today?

*Name and identity have been altered for privacy protection.

Photo Credit: Anthony. Anthony photographs a peculiar insect resting on a leaf.