What To Expect
This talk shares insights from ‘From Jurong Island to Selat Sembilan,’ a research project and exhibition that focuses on the quieter, often-overlooked group of islands that once existed in Singapore’s southwestern waters. Known collectively as Selat Sembilan, this group—including Pulau Seraya, Pulau Ayer Chawan, Pulau Merlimau, Pulau Samulun and others—was gradually joined and transformed into Jurong Island, now a restricted industrial zone.
Drawing from fieldwork supported by the National Heritage Board’s Heritage Research Grant, Dr Hadi Osni reflects on the process of reconstructing island life through oral history interviews, archival images, and GIS mapping. The seminar explores five themes: the naming and mapping of the islands, recollections of daily life on Samulun, Merlimau, and Seraya, stories of growing up, and the timeline of infrastructural and social change.
It also explores memory-based methods, such as mental mapping, while highlighting how place names, ecological memory, and kinship networks provide alternative ways of remembering landscapes that are no longer physically accessible.
About the Speaker
Dr. Hadi Osni is a curator at the Malay Heritage Centre under Singapore’s National Heritage Board. He holds a PhD in Architecture from the National University of Singapore, where his doctoral research focused on how Baweanese communal spaces in Singapore were remembered and reconstructed through oral history and mapping. His research interests include mosque architecture in Southeast Asia, heritage and community, and the histories of everyday life in Singapore’s built environment.
Hadi is a Co-Investigator of the NHB-funded project “Socio-Cultural Heritage of Jurong Island and Former Offshore Islands” (2023–2025). As part of this project, he led oral history interviews, archival research, and GIS mapping to document the experiences of former island residents who relocated following land reclamation and industrial redevelopment. The project culminated in the exhibition “From Jurong Island to Selat Sembilan” at the NUS Museum, which presents stories of kampung life, inter-island connections, and changes to the landscape over time.
The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of the National Heritage Board and/or any government agencies.
Who should come?
Duration & Meeting Place
- Approximate Duration: 2.0 hours
- Language: English
- Please meet at My Community's Office (115A Commonwealth Drive, #04-13, Singapore 149596)
Other important information
- Please arrive 15 minutes before the talk for registration.
- Event is wheel-chair friendly.
- Parking is available in the vicinity.
Disclaimer
- Videos and photographs may also be taken during the event. By registering for this event, you give My Community full rights to use the photos for marketing and publicity.
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