Red Note

For the Chinese community in Pengerang, a red-coloured notice is usually a marker of auspicious and celebratory events such as weddings or religious rituals. Yet, for households in close to fifteen villages, receiving a “red note” as official resettlement notices have come to be known, is an ominous sign foreshadowing an uncertain future. Barely the size of a palm, these notices are pasted on doors of residences by authorities to earmark them for demolition, as part of massive land reclamation schemes for a refinery and petrochemical integrated development project. This series features a series of houses which have been slated to be torn down to make way for land reclamation. Consistently captured in a deadpan fashion, they constitute a methodical typology and lexicon of architectural styles adopted by each family, encapsulating their faiths, tastes, beliefs and concepts of “homeliness”. With homes forever lost to economic imperatives, these images now serve as precious records of the lives homeowners have since left behind and the community spirit that once was.