It was hard to imagine how a private archive of 30,000 photographic slides would look like, until one enters the “toy room” of the prolific Dr Ivan Polunin.
The late British-born medical doctor arrived in Singapore in 1948. He spent most of his working life teaching medical students and researching diseases in the region’s tribal peoples. With a keen interest in everyday life, Dr Polunin also documented much of Southeast Asia through still and moving visuals.
With a keen interest in everyday life, Dr Polunin also documented much of Southeast Asia through still and moving visuals.
Folder after folder of slides are neatly organised and stored away in metal drawers. On careful inspection, many of these slides had short captions, mostly detailing the date and place where the photos were taken. It was in this treasure trove that our team hoped to find the lost gems of our history.
Between the 1950s and 1970s, the documentarian had travelled to Pulau Sudong, Kusu Island and other southern islands to witness island life, both as a BBC videographer and a National Geographic magazine contributor.
These images are the testament of a lost era. The good doctor passed away in his Singapore home in 2010. Thank you, Dr Polunin.
