The Light Between Us is a photo essay exhibition by artist Hong Huazheng, aka H, that examines the subtle yet profound tensions between prosperity and precarity in contemporary Singapore. Currently undertaking a graduate degree in Master of Sustainability here in SMU, H developed this documentary photography project in tandem with his academic research for POSC610: Development, Poverty, and Sustainability, a course which delves into the integral connection between reducing poverty and hunger, and fostering sustainable development.

H uses the photographic technique of double exposure as both method and metaphor in which two realities occupy the same visual space simultaneously: the often-hidden poverty and inequalities amidst relative wealth and prosperity. The artist hopes these images illuminate complexities that statistics alone may obscure.

Through quiet visual narratives, The Light Between Us seeks not to confront but to invite contemplation about the society we inhabit, the prosperity we witness, and the lives we too easily overlook.

Hear from both artist H and Dr John Donaldson, the Associate Professor of Political Science teaching the graduate subject POSC610: Development, Poverty, and Sustainability, in the three-part interview below. They came together on April 2024 for a conversation about the exhibition, and on how documentary photography and academic inquiry can shine a light on the unseen, what sustainable development truly means, and how we define vulnerability.