The SEAM Space exhibition “Housing Modernities” was officially opened at URA Urban Redevelopment Authority in Singapore on 28 November 2019.

Nikhil Joshi, who together with Johannes Widodo co-curated the exhibition under the direction of Ho Puay-peng, moderated the opening speeches of Housing Modernities at the URA Urban Redevelopment Authority Centre at Level 1 Atrium. Ho Puay-peng gave a welcome address and a brief introduction to the importance of housing after independence in the 1960s and 1970s. The first guest of honour, Lim Eng Hwee, CEO of the URA, followed with a speech highlighting the relevance of housing in Singapore.

The second guest of honour, Dr. Ulrich A. Sante, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Singapore, followed with his address, which placed the context of our project in the Bauhaus 100 programme. On behalf of the curator team from Berlin (Sally Below, Moritz Henning, Christian Hiller, Eduard Kögel), Sally Below explained the context of the project Encounters with South East Asian Modernism and Eduard Kögel addressed why it is important today to consider the future of buildings dating back to the time of independence.

Afterwards, Ho Puay-peng guided the guests of honour and the public audience through the exhibition and explained the exhibits and projects. The notable architect Tay Kheng Soon also attended, and engaged in discussion with the guests. The exhibition in the atrium of the Urban Redevelopment Authority enjoys many visitors on a daily basis, thus exposing its themes to a wide variety of social and cultural circles.