Project 79 is a student-initiated project by Chinese Media & Communication students, paying sentimental tribute to the now-defunct Tanjoy Pagar Railway Station through a series of photo essays and short stories. A little fun fact: the figure “79” represents the 79 years of service provided by the railyway station since its commencement in 1932.
The girls behind the project: Shi Min, Xiao Xia and Dandan
Bob Lee, the photography lecturer and award-winning SPH photojournalist behind Project 79
It started out as a project to showcase various historical landmarks in Singapore such as the Victoria Concert Hall and Raffles Hotel but the girls decided to focus on showcasing the Tanjong Pagar Railway station following its impending closure. The project records the heritage and the collective memories of the Malayan Railway in Singapore.
The three girls hard at work with their cameras
The stories were collected through interviewing passengers at the railway station. During the course of the project, they have visited the place almost everyday to source for stories, over the span of 3 months. Out of all the materials collected, 79 top moving stories are published on their website, titled "Our 79 Stories".
One story featured was a romantic tale of a couple who first met each other at the coffee shop at the railway station. Their relationship blossomed at the railway station and eventually decided to get married. They chose to take their wedding photos at the place where they first met which was the last day of operation for the railway station. For them, it was a special moment as it was where they first met. They also held a event to invite visitors to sketch their best memory of the train station.
The couple who met at the railway station
Visitors sketching their best memory of the railway station at the couple's wedding
A huge crowd turned up at the railway station on its last day of operation and the girls felt like they were attending a press event with celebrity appearances. The last train out of the place was driven by Sultan Ibrahim Ismail of Johor, whose grandfather, Ismail of Johor, had also opened the causeway between Singapore and Malaya in 1923.
Check out some picture the girls took on the railway station's last day of operation:
Their project also received media coverage on local Chinese newspapers such as Lianhe Zaobao and Shin Min Daily News as well as being invited for a radio interview on Radio 1003.
The girls initially had to work with very little budget and had difficulty in acquiring funding for their project. Fortunately, the success of the project sparked interest from the National Library Board (NLB), who decided to aid their project. The girls are now collaborating with NLB in publishing a hardcopy version of their e-book.
Currently, the girls are working on an exhibition to showcase their project and busy working on the publishing of their e-book, which will be available in August 2011 at their website. You can also visit their the Project 79 Facebook Page. Let's wish them the best of luck in their project!
