After Peace Centre, the historic shopping mall along Sophia Road in Bencoolen was scheduled for demolition, a social initiative sought to turn the space into a community-led one that celebrated the arts and free expression.
Graffiti and spray-painting workshops were just a few of the colourful projects that blossomed out of the movement.
But now, the space will finally be closing for good as Peace Centre’s last day is today (28 Jan). A farewell event was held yesterday (27 Jan).
When news of the mall’s impending demolition broke, social movement PlayPan took over the deserted halls of Peace Centre.
It brought an old mall back to life with pop-up stalls, public spray-painting activities and parties over six months.
Hoping to bring the community together for one last hurrah, PlayPan transformed Peace Centre into an arts space that a photographer said felt “un-Singaporean”.
Before the mini revamp, the mall was home to an eclectic mix of shops. However, glitzier malls soon took the shine off Peace Centre, reported the Associated Press.
With the temporary yet fresher new look, the mall saw younger visitors flock to it for perhaps the first time in years.
Source: PlayPan
“Everyone wants to be a part of history and wants to witness the transformation,” OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation head Yvonne Siow told MS News.
She, together with her friend Gary Hong, co-founded PlayPan to turn Peace Centre into a social experiment, they told The Straits Times (ST).
Mr Hong had, by chance, gotten to know the developers of Peace Centre and managed to strike a deal to postpone the mall’s demolition.
From there, they gathered a group of “unlikely allies” to set up temporary stalls, including thrift stores, music shops, and F&B enterprises.
Yesterday (27 Jan), Bring The Roof Down hosted the ‘Peace Out Festival’, a music-and-mall experience to bid farewell to the historic mall.
Source: @bringtheroofdown on Instagram
Several local artists and DJs performed as part of the event.
For those who’d like to catch a final glimpse of the mall, here’s how to get there:
Peace Centre
Address: 1 Sophia Rd, Singapore 228161
Nearest MRT station: Bencoolen
According to ST, PlayPan will be handing the building to its owners tomorrow (29 Jan). The National Heritage Board (NHB) identifies Peace Centre as “one of Singapore’s oldest shopping malls built in the mid-1970s”.
Despite its long history, all good things must come to an end. However, these few months have proven one thing.
These unlikely spaces, as it turns out, might be just what Singapore’s art scene needs.
Following Peace Centre’s demolition in Feb, the developers will build a mixed-use commercial and residential development on the land, The Edge Singapore reported.
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Featured image adapted from Bring The Roof Down.
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