Key Findings
Our biggest challenge was capturing Tanjong Katong Complex's self-effacing character, as modernity laid siege to it.
The Onslaught of Modernity
Shops attempt to assuage their fear of the mall's unknown future by looking to Hari Raya to turn tides. But a walk within its corridors reveals a forlorn hauntedness.
Instead of busy shoppers, displayed mannequins line the corridors of the Complex. The absence of corporeality is suggested in the stasis of the mannequins. They overshadow the sunken voices of shopkeepers, and voices of the past clamouring to to be liberated in the present.
Spatially engulfed by metal renovation structures and swanky malls, Tanjong Katong Complex is a parasitic anachronism, whose very existence is sustained from feeding on the souls of those who live/have lived there.
Internal and External Threats
21st Century Singapore:
Modern Urbanisation
In "Small Island Tourism: Development or Dependency?", R Bastin uses the "divided city" concept to illustrate economic and spatial division in Europe, which also typically embodies racial segregation.
While this duality between settler town and native town was employed by the British administration, Tanjong Katong complicates this duality in its laissez faire economy, as well as the ethnic makeup of shop owners who have settled there.
Through our research process, we underlined two distinct communities: a private, underlying Chinese network of dying crafts and trades, and what Anoma Piers terms as "an intricate social and economic" network within the Malay community encompassing migrants from different backgrounds (Piers in Hee)
Source: Hee Limin. "Redefining the Dual City: Changing Ideas of Plural Citizenship in Colonial/Postcolonial Singapore", in Constructing Singapore Public Space.
The Dual City:
The Economics of Race and Place
While Kampong Glam was demarcated as a distinct ethnic neighbourhood for the Malays under the British administration's "divide and rule" policy, the establishment of Geylang Serai as a distinct Malay community was a result of the post-colonial PAP government's 1960s Urban Redevelopment plan to resettle and relocate Malay families previously living in the Kampung Gelam area.
This accounts for the cultural and communal relationships formed, as the younger boutiques owned mostly by Malays (including a hybrid of Arab and Iranian heritage) depend on the support of an intricate social and economic network, outside the old crafts and trades of Chinese- owned shops who rely on a long-time customer base.
Communal Implications in Geylang Serai
Threats of Place and Time
In an attempt to upgrade the Paya Lebar/ Geylang Serai area, Tanjong Katong Complex was originally slated for demolition in 2008. In 2011, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) - which manages Tanjong Katong Complex - announced in 2011 that the lease will be extended for another 10 years.
As the end of the 2021 lease extension draws closer, the remaining shop owners would have to face the question of future plans yet again.
The main concern was Tanjong Katong Complex as a hub for cosmopolitan Malay-ness, in catering clothing, textiles, furniture and even shared spaces such as the ballroom, and praying room. If the complex were to be demolished, where would these shared attitudes and experiences go?
Implications on Mall as a Communal Space
“Geylang is just the Joo Chiat Complex and Tanjong Katong Complex where you can bargain for good materials to make baju kurung. It’s a colourful bazaar during Hari Raya. It is nothing more.”
— 23-year-old Salmah Hamid
The Straits Times, 9 August 1992
The absence of a food court or restaurant common in malls has led to a decreased traffic flow for the complex as shoppers head to surrounding malls for food.
Previously shoppers bonded through meal times before buying “baju”. Now, the lack of an eatery has made the mall a mere adornment space— people “buy baju and then go back”, while rest areas are occupied by elderly folk there to pass time.
Tanjong Katong Complex in a Nutshell
Cheap Rent
“$3,000-$4,000 you struggling to breathe, what more about $10,000 in other malls” — Mr Zaini, 63, owner of Kresai Indah shop.
The comparatively cheaper rent in Tanjong Katong Complex compared to malls in the region ($3000-$4000/ month vs $10,000/month) is a key reason why many tenants stay on in the mall. Even so, the declining sales make every month a struggle to make ends even.
One-Stop Mall
The mall offers a plethora of shops that provide daily necessities and lifestyle products. But above all it can be read as a Malay social space, because of how Malay-ness is carried out in the Malay bodies of shoppers, and the spatial logics of the mall.
Most shops cater to the Malay community. These include pilgrimage tours, a Malay cultural art gallery/customised Islamic artist, and even wedding planners and a ballroom for intimate gatherings.
The Tide of Hari Raya
Apart from weekends, shops usually have few customers. The corridors of the Complex are usually vacant, with the occasional shopkeeper sitting on a stool passing time, or chatting with an adjacent shopkeeper.
During Hari Raya, shops can earn up to $7,000 to $8,000 per day, which is double their rent of $4,000 for the entire month. Most shops adopt the practice of “rolling their money”, aspiring to do good business during Hari Raya to cover rental costs for the upcoming year.
When One-stop shopping becomes literal
Clothing & Garment Shops
Tanjong Katong Complex has become synonymous with baju and ethnic costumes because a majority of the shops design and tailor pieces for the Malay community in Geylang Serai.
“I only come here because I want to buy a kebaya for Hari Raya. Other than that, I normally wouldn’t come here.”
— Ms Hidayah, 32, shopper.
Lack of an Eating Space
Tanjong Katong Restaurant used to be the only eatery at the Complex for over two decades. However, since the passing of its owner, no one has taken over the restaurant.
Next to supermarket Giant is a small food stall selling nasi lemak and puff pastries. that opened 5 years ago. However its corner unit space, previously owned by Giant, pales in comparison to the larger communal space of Tanjong Katong Restaurant.
Colonial and Post-colonial Influences
Colonial-style Atrium
The management conducts a balloting exercise for shop-owners to ballot for slots in the atrium. During Hari Raya season, a 5m by 5m square bloc can be rented for $150 per day, for the whole month.
This practice is carried out thrice a year during the March and June school holidays as well as August. Only by partaking in the other atrium balloting exercises are shops eligible for a slot during Hari Raya season, which is also the most profitable time.
Hybrid Staircases
Juxtaposed alongside the escalators, the semi-circle staircase balcony connecting Level 3 and Level 4, serves a gallery-like panoptic function in allowing shoppers to have a full-view of the mall’s happenings.
Rest stops are also integrated into these semi-circle staircases, catering to the needs of the elderly while providing shoppers with a place to shop and rest.
Drum-like Layout
The drums at the four corners of the mall draw attention to the corners of the mall, which comprise of large departmental stores such as Giant and First Lady.
These megastores help pull shoppers to all 4 corners of the mall instead of just the atrium, aiding with crowd dispersal during the peak Hari Raya season.
Single- Direction Escalators
Escalators are located along the left side of the building at the front entrance, servicing the First to Third Floors.
Unlike modern-day escalators which overlap each other systematically, the escalators flow in one single direction, allowing for ease of travel between floors. In addition, they add to the expansiveness of mall space, which is pulled back by wide circular columns.
Unlike the first three levels that are accessible by the escalators, the fourth floor is connected via a panoptic stair-like structure, adding to its exclusivity and isolation from the rest of the mall.