21st September 2016 was the birth of the long-running photography series that has since then heavily associated with me. It is hard to imagine the journey that an amateur photographer had to go through. Fast forward to 2021, the photography series is projected to hit its 300th image and 5th anniversary this year. As the milestones loom near, I figured that it would be appropriate for me to revisit some of the iconic images that resonated with me and marked as my personal favourites to look back at.
Picture this in your mind.
You are stepping into the final year of your diploma studies in a design school. After 2 years of building your design fundamentals and completing school projects, you are finally given the creative freedom to explore your identity, in preparations for the graduation showcase by the end of the final year of studies. The world is full of possibilities for you and your mind is clouded with countless ideas. Of course, as a young bubbling creative, you can't wait to show the world what you are made up of. You seem unstoppable and you have managed to convince yourself that.
Unfortunately, according to the rules of life, something terrible has to happen.
Did you seriously think that life is all filled with roses and sunflowers? Dream on.
The sudden Keratoconus diagnosis from my health checkup for my National Service has completely destroyed me.
Let me spare you the need to Google. Keratoconus occurs when the dome-shaped cornea gradually thins and bulges outward into a cone shape. As a result, it causes blurred vision (or as I describe it as double/multiple vision) and sensitivity to light and glare.
To my personal friends: This disease is the reason why I squint my eyes. And no, I am not always angry or serious.
As I have shared my overall journey through my previous post in a greater detail, I shut myself completely. Concerned friends were checking up on me. Despite their care and concern, I refuse to talk about it and I was in complete denial. Suicidal thoughts periodically popped by and I thought that I have reached the end of my creative journey.
I was robbed of my dreams and hopes.
While it sucks to have that thought circling around my mind for the months after the diagnosis, I still pretended and acted that I was okay.
That faithful day on 21st September 2016, I was with my crush - whom later became my ex-girlfriend at Bras Basah Complex. I was no stranger to the area or at least Bugis in general. During my days in Motion Graphics & Broadcast Design, we would often visit Art Friend in the complex to get our art supplies or head to Sunshine Plaza to get our works printed. Thinking back now, I vividly remember the chaotic times as we would often have to rush in order to meet all the tight deadlines our lecturers have set for us.
My crush and I were visiting Bras Basah Complex as she wanted to purchase gifts for a friend of hers. The shop in question is on the top floor. While waiting for her, I looked down and grasped at the view that I have missed out despite my many trips there.
I quickly whipped out my phone, Oppo Mirror 5S, and snapped a photo. Back then, I didn't think much of it and thought that this view just looked aesthetically pleasing. After admiring this photo for a good minute, I wanted to show it off to my crush and was genuinely curious of her thoughts.
"Looks so cool!" She exclaimed.
Inspired by her encouragement, a sudden wave of positive thoughts came into my mind. I wondered off thinking...
What if I started out a photography series that is heavily inspired by my eye disease, Keratoconus?
I translated my thoughts to her and she agreed with me. But I needed a name attached to the series.
"Hey, what do you think of the name - The Keratoconus Experiment?" I asked her.
"What is Keratoconus?" She replied.
I explained to her my condition and then shared the intention of the series is to always improve with each image produced. To my pleasant surprise, she loved the idea!
The image, Runway, debuted as the first image produced for The Keratoconus Experiment. This then set out a journey that I wouldn't have imagined at first. A journey that has lasted almost 5 years, seen 300 images taken, 3 countries visited and many hours of photo editing.
This image also has been revisited for The Keratoconus Experiment's 1st anniversary in 2017.
For the second time, I was with Samuel, a fellow photographer that I met through a mutual friend. He was also featured in two photos in the series, The View (107) and Hierarchy (287). This photo is not possible without him!
Also, a video was created to celebrate this milestone.
As the series hits its 300th image and 5th anniversary, it is important to always look back at and be reminded of what started it all. The debut image, Runway, embodies the spirit and vision of the long-running photography series. It gave me a new hope that I never expected it to give me and as well as a new meaning to life during my darkest days. This has then made me looked forward to the next image to be taken and the future that lies ahead for the series.
To learn more about the long-running photography series, The Keratoconus Experiment, visit us here! Alternatively, you can check out the full photography series over at Instagram.