Solitary Crowds
“Solitary Crowds” paints the lonely nature of one being in a transient space, also called a “non-place” through the lens of the Malaysian migrant workers in Singapore. During this period of transiting within these spaces, one’s anonymity is heightened as these spaces do not hold enough significance for it to be called a place as one is not meant to stay for a long period of time.
In the case of these migrants that cross the border daily, much of their time is spent travelling where one will often be at a “non-place” which considers these bodies to possess a high degree of spatial mobility. The life of a migrant is often one that is lived away from family and by themselves. Hence, this sense of isolation and loneliness is accentuated by how these images are composed in a choreographed manner where only one may be looking at a camera.
It is only in this specific time or frame that these commuters are not perceived as anonymous or nameless, with the camera becoming a spectator to witness this brief moment.
