Spaces for the Dead: A Case from the Living

Duration: 2001-2004

Venue: SHS

Contact Person: Dr Kevin YL Tan

History of Cemeteries in Singapore

Albeit being seen as sacred final resting places, cemeteries are increasingly under threat from urban-redevelopment in land scarce Singapore. Regarded as “excess space” by the state planners as well as taboos from the local populace outside religious activities, the rich historical and cultural heritage of our cemeteries have remained largely unappreciated and hidden. Since the colonial era, cemeteries have been moved aside by urban expansion with the fundamental belief that “the dead should not take up the space of the living.” Today, there are about only eleven cemeteries left in Singapore. But, with the recent announcement of the development of a new public housing estate on the grounds of the present picturesque Bidadari Cemetery, concerns have been raised about the status of cemeteries in Singapore. This has prompted the Singapore Heritage Society to embark on a larger effort to raise greater public awareness of the richness of our cemeteries not just as burial grounds, but as sites rich in history, nature, activities and memories for the living.

Spaces of the Dead: A Case from the Living will be a pioneering volume bringing together various authors concerned with the need for conservation of cemeteries in Singapore. This book intends to showcase cemeteries as spaces of historical, architectural and social merit through the writings and photo-journals of the authors. This project does not intend to be a comprehensive documentation of cemeteries in Singapore due to the constrains of space and resources. Rather, we do hope it would serve as an initial step in generating greater interests and awareness in Singapore’s cemeteries.