More than 80 SMU alumni, students, staff, faculty and supporters gathered in high spirits at the Li Ka Shing Library on 20 Jul (Fri) evening for the launch of TEN.
TEN is a commemorative collection of 100 photographs to celebrate a decade of SMU. It is a book about youth, history and the future, passion and revelations, and the arts.
In vivid colours and elaborately shot, the visuals portray the dynamism and zest of our students and faculty, the buzz of daily life in and around SMU and the beauty of the city campus.
The project was conceptualised by three then-SMU undergraduates, Hong Huazheng, Reuben Ong, and Shaun Yap to provide a visual document of the distinctive SMU culture. Under the guidance of Professor Winston Koh, the trio roped in fellow students to form a team and begin capturing images that revolved around 10 broad themes such as Graduation, Sports, Food Culture, Night and Hidden Corners, between April 2010 and January 2011. Having successfully undergone and benefitted from a rigorous and holistic SMU education, giving back to their alma mater was constantly on the minds of all involved. During the process, they also penned stories and thoughts to complement the photo collection.
SMU President Arnoud De Meyer, who graced the occasion as the Guest-of-Honour, also announced the setting up of a new SMU Emerging Artist Award, which aims to recognise outstanding young artists from the SMU community each year.“It was the TEN team which proposed for this award to be established and its members had held numerous discussions with our relevant offices to refine the details and selection criteria of the award,” he said. This award will be administered by the Office of the Dean of Students and it is open to qualified students from their Year 2 onwards.” President De Meyer then encouraged the guests to support the worthy cause while viewing 10 specially-chosen, canvas-printed photographs on display at the launch. Five of these prints were sold on the spot, much to the delight of the TEN team.
Having experienced first-hand the challenges of inadequate project funding, the TEN team felt compelled to give their juniors a headstart in developing their passion for the arts and sharing their creativity within, as well as beyond, SMU. Lead member Hong Huazheng, winner of the 2010 Singapore Youth Photographer Award, said, “We are excited by the organic evolvement of the project and thankful for the tremendous support of the SMU community. We hope to share our experiences with our juniors and that the Award can help them better themselves in their creative pursuits.”
Priced at S$50.00 per copy, all proceeds from the sales of TEN will go toward the SMU Emerging Artist Award through the “We Love SMU” campaign. To date, close to 500 copies of the book have been sold. The TEN team hopes to receive greater support from the SMU Community in their continuing effort to contribute to the SMU Emerging Artist Award.