Bewildered

Watercolour
50 x 35 cm
20.12.2023 

From the 1980s a trishaw rider travels through the time machine and suddenly arrives at the Smith Street of today. The scene he sees is described in one word ‘bewilderment’.

Gone were the charm and attraction of the past. The architecture of the buildings befitting the past eras has now been altered beyond his recognition.

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Planted in the lane is a massive string of structures to support a rain shelter for tourists. Street vendors are set up by the sides of the road, again catering to tourists. The durian stall is selling the fruit pre-packed in Styrofoam and polyethylene wraps. He is intrigued by the ‘moa shan wang’, a specie of durians unheard of in the 80s. The people are mostly tourists, fair skin and blond hair. The dressing style of the people is also different. He decides to move on to avoid being the odd one out.