Singapore has a complex relationship with the sea. Once a nation of populated islands rich in maritime culture, highly centralized development has transformed the nation into a mainland-centric state that does not feel like an island. Public access to the sea has been gradually delimited since the beginning of resettlement of islanders. The islands were cleared then enlarged, merged or subsumed into the mainland to accommodate new designated identities – parks, resorts, refineries and military grounds – while bridging insularity and national security concerns. Meanwhile the mainland continues to expand into the sea until today, and insulate itself from the sea all at once. “Closed Seas” is a contemporary portrait of Singapore’s maritime landscape, an outward look into the forgotten space that is beyond land.
Singapore has a complex relationship with the sea. Once a nation of populated islands rich in maritime culture, highly centralized development has transformed the nation into a mainland-centric state that does not feel like an island. Public access to the sea has been gradually delimited since the beginning of resettlement of islanders. The islands were cleared then enlarged, merged or subsumed into the mainland to accommodate new designated identities – parks, resorts, refineries and military grounds – while bridging insularity and national security concerns. Meanwhile the mainland continues to expand into the sea until today, and insulate itself from the sea all at once. “Closed Seas†is a contemporary portrait of Singapore’s maritime landscape, an outward look into the forgotten space that is beyond land.