Filmmaker Kirsten Tan broke out in 2017 with Pop Aye, a whimsical road movie about a man and his elephant which won a Special Jury Prize at Sundance and the VPRO Big Screen Award at Rotterdam. A graduate of New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, Tan’s visual language represents who she is: wry, poetic and always a little off-kilter. A creative nomad who has been shaped by stints in Berlin, South Korea and Thailand, she is armed with impeccable taste and a deep love for the pockets of Singapore which haven’t been photographed to death.
The unvarnished in-betweenness, she muses, is an aspect of Singapore she wishes were celebrated more. “We’re so good at presenting the shiniest, most gleaming versions of ourselves, like that perfect LinkedIn profile that’s void of all personality. Of course, we all love pretty, but that bores me sometimes because perfection is static and a closed vault. Imperfection, on the other hand, implies growth and becoming. It is a more tender and human space to be in,” she explains. “I wish we celebrated more of the unruly parts that aren’t curated for display; the subcultural groups; the home-based auntie food hustlers; the post-independence brutalist buildings perpetually at risk of en bloc sale. That’s where the soul of Singapore truly lives.”
For Tan, who has lived abroad for extended periods, across a variety of cultural terrains, the topic of home is a complicated one. “The question of where I truly belong has become a little muddied. In all these places I’ve lived, I find myself subconsciously shapeshifting according to the sociocultural context, not to obfuscate or be dishonest, but to actually offer others the easiest and quickest access to who I really am,” she reflects. “Given all this, home is no longer a place or a country. It lives in specific individuals who see me as I am, with no need for cumbersome social translations in between.”
Here, the filmmaker shares her favourite third spaces in Singapore—from the local eatery she’d rather gatekeep to under-the-radar stores, bars and neighbourhoods she keeps coming back to.
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The third space where you feel the most you:
The Projector. It’s not just a third space, it’s basically a third home. As a filmmaker and cinephile, I’ve watched films there, screened multiple ones of my own, programmed screenings, moderated Q&As, loitered with friends past midnight beyond the backdoor car park. It’s my safe psychic corner in the city, where I’m free (or even expected) to be my hyper-self.
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The local restaurant you tend to gatekeep:
Tan Ser Seng Herbal Soup Restaurant. I haven’t tried their infamous turtle soup, but their herbal chicken soups are what I go for. Every spoonful is a soothing and energising burst of flavour. I’ve gone there during both happy and difficult periods of my life, and that place has fed me in more ways than one. What’s even better is that it’s based in Geylang, which is one of my favourite neighbourhoods in Singapore; it lives by its own codes and moves to its own rhythm.
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The ultimate destination for a good night out:
I mostly listen to electronic music, from cinematic synthwaves and high-gloss electropop to hyper-clean Berlin-style productions. In Singapore, I seek out sounds that resonate on those frequencies, usually through community-led music collectives like Syndicate, Bussy Temple, Intervention and Strange Weather.
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A hidden gem shopping address:
I’m not sure if it qualifies as hidden, but it’s definitely a gem. Every time I step into Bras Basah Complex, my dopamine spikes. The art supply shops and rows of stationery with unopened paint bottles, brushes, pencils and Sharpies still give me goosebumps. The whole complex feels like a place of artistic beginnings, filled with objects patiently waiting to become something.
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Your best date-night spot:
I’d argue that with the right person, even wandering the aisles of a random Esso petrol station at 1am in search of cup noodles could feel like magic.
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Where you get your daily coffee:
In Singapore, I love my Kopi-C Peng Siew Dai from any Kopitiam. That’s the drink I look forward to most when I’m back. How do I even explain that sweet, sweet bitterness? It’s a touch more melodramatic in flavour (compared to my restrained NYC caffeine counterparts), but it hits like home.
Vogue Singapore’s July/August ‘Home’ issue is out on newsstands and available online.
