Discover the Differents
Discover the Differents
INSTALLATION
INSTALLATION
BAHRU
By Pooja Nansi
New Bahru began as a vision for a different kind of space in Singapore—soulful, creative; honouring the past as it looks forward to the future. More than a year on, this vision has grown into a thriving sandbox for leading and budding local brands, a community shaped by shared ideas and new ways of making.
Penned by celebrated poet Pooja Nansi, BAHRU is a lyrical ode to our past and the possibilities that continue to brim in the everyday spaces of our city. A powerful line from BAHRU will illuminate a permanent art installation at New Bahru.
Experience it for yourself this October
→ Big Block, Main Staircase, between L2 and L3
-
Pooja Nansi is an award-winning poet, performer, and educator known for her impact on literature, performance, and cultural leadership. She is the author of three poetry collections. A Young Artist Award (2016) recipient and Singapore’s inaugural Youth Poet Ambassador, she currently teaches at Nanyang Technological University and is Chief Publisher at AFTERIMAGE Press. Her acclaimed performance work includes You Are Here (Wild Rice, 2021) and Thick Beats for Good Girls (Checkpoint Theatre, 2018). As the first woman and youngest Festival Director of the Singapore Writers Festival (2019–2023), she redefined the event’s inclusivity and reach. In 2024, she was awarded the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, one of France’s top cultural honours.
WALKING TRAIL
WALKING TRAIL
Long before New Bahru became a home for creativity, it was filled with possibility as Nan Chiau Girls' High School, where a spirit of boldness and curiosity first took root.
Past Forward is a site-wide trail that invites you to uncover that very spirit in the site’s old bones. Two installations bring this story to life: Voices Through Time, a looping film tracing New Bahru's journey through the decades, and Time In Place, a series of symbolic clocks marking key moments in time across the former campus.
TIME IN PLACE
If walls could speak, here's where history and imagination meet in lively conversation. Explore six symbolic clocks across New Bahru, each marking a key moment from its days as a former campus.
Begin your journey at Big Block from 3 October
→ Main Staircase, between L3 and L4
-
Stop by the experience station at Big Block, Main Staircase (between L3 & L4) to bring home a keepsake of Time In Place. Complete a limited edition letterpress postcard with layered stamps, created in collaboration with The Gentlemen’s Press.
Available for a limited time only.
VOICES THROUGH TIME
Near the entrance, a looping film captures New Bahru's transformation through the voices and stories of its past—from its days as Nan Chiau Girls’ High School to the vibrant creative cluster it is today.
Watch New Bahru's story come alive from 3 October
→ Big Block, L1 Main Drop-off Point
EXHIBITION
EXHIBITION
NOW NOW
Featuring Lavender Chang, Jovian Lim, KHOOGJ, Sean Lee, Akai Chew and Liu Liling
Now Now is a series of 6 arresting photographic works of billboard stature and scale commissioned by New Bahru and curated by Dawn Ng. Featuring 6 local artists that represent a zeitgeist of Singapore’s here and now, the works form a bold yet intimate tapestry of moments across this city fossilized by the camera. The intentional placement of each work piques a visual dialogue with specific structures of the old school building, transforming large walls into time portals that freeze-frame moments both real and imaginary.