Photographer Zalindrome Documents The Creative Community Of Golden Mile Complex
Next month, the interiors of Golden Mile Complex, which sprung up 50 years ago, will be hollowed out due to an en‑bloc sale, and with that, so will its colourful spirit. To help us capture it all before they go away, photographer and party organiser Chris Sim (aka Zalindrome on social media) – who had a studio on the seventh floor for the past two years – shares his visual diary of the people, places and moments that make the place so special to him.
Golden Mile Complex, or GMC for short, is beloved for many things. There’s its striking Brutalist architecture and, of course, its unbeatable Thai grub. What’s most heart‑warming about this gazetted building, though, is perhaps how its community of migrants, nightlife tenants and long‑time residents has grown to include the likes of independent designers, architects, tattoo artists and musicians drawn to its affordable rents, laid‑back and convivial atmosphere, and rich nostalgia. (Cue the dive bars, jamming studios and live event spaces that have popped up in recent years, turning the mall into a haven for the art crowd.)
An intentionally obscured image of GMC’s exterior. Says Sim: “Memories hardly stay sharp and for most, this is what I imagine their mental image of the building to look like a year from now.”
Photographer and party organiser Chris Sim, or more popularly known as Zalindrome, knows these aspects of GMC intimately. In the two years that Sim had been a tenant there, renting a 1,000 sq ft unit on level seven to work out of, he also became one of its most intimate unofficial documentors. His personal album captures the many fun, sometimes romantic and occasionally hazy moments of the time he and his friends had spent there.
Adds Sim: "I like how Golden Mile Complex has always seemed to exist in dichotomy with Singapore at large: a rundown building that has colloquial associations with vice activities thriving in a country known for rigid order and efficiency. Of course, there’s a lot more to this landmark that we – the creative community – all love. And because I’ve always liked having a level of intimacy in my work, my images of Golden Mile Complex have largely only featured people that I know and interact with.”
A peek into a Thai disco, which had left its door open, while Sim was on a break
Rapper Mary Sue (second from left) standing by for a show organised by Sim’s music‑focused events collective North East Social Club at Room 0416. The venue is a multipurpose studio on the fourth floor that’s run by second‑generation GMC resident Rush Ang (yes, he lives in an apartment upstairs) and has become a choice location for indie gigs, parties and even dance battles.
The generous size of Sim’s studio space meant that it not only could be co‑shared with other emerging creatives such as tattoo artist Wayne Lange (in overalls), but also that it became a popular space for pals to hang out at. “Wayne and his friends were milling around outside and in the late afternoon sun that was shining in; I thought they looked like the cast of a Jonah Hill indie flick,” says Sim of this photo.
Rush Ang, the founder of Room 0416 on the fourth floor, who has lived in the apartment block above with his family his entire life
J.N. Najimudeen, the usually chatty proprietor of Maaza Trading Pte Ltd – a mama shop located near the ground floor entrance on the right side of the building – who declined to reveal his face for this photo out of shyness
DJ Tom Shellsuit, one of GMC’s most famous residents whose apartment on the 15th floor has housed a stream of creatives and where Sim has regularly dropped by for late‑night listening sessions and chats about creativity and culture
Tattoo artists Ashley Seow and Lange – Sim’s studio mates – posing for a photo to memorialise their shared working space after news of GMC’s en‑bloc sale broke
One can say that GMC is a place where many friendships have been inked. Here, friends of Sim’s tattoo artist studio mate Seow gather for a picture to show off their body art – they’ve all been her client at one point or another. Says Sim: “Our studio became a community centre of sorts – a place for unofficial pre‑parties, after‑parties, actual parties and more.”
Sim’s friends at Enclave Bar, a divey joint in the basement popular for its affordable artisanal cocktails, live music and unpretentious feel‑good vibes
DJ Dexter Colt, digging through records belonging to Shellsuit when he had a moving‑out sale
Oto Sequeira (in background) and Isaac Chiew, friends of Sim who work together at a music label and frequent GMC for cheap beers from the Thai supermarket and raucous gigs at Room 0416
Freelance spatial designer Amirul Nazree (in background) and designer Ethan Lee of fashion label Fassbender & Mellon Collie – both are devoted GMC foodies
Esther Goh (right) and Natasha Hassan of North East Social Club, which Sim co‑founded and remains a part of, hanging out at Room 0416, where they’ve organised two music events
Artists Qowomo (right) and Sam of the tattoo collective Crevice during a late‑night catch‑up in Shellsuit’s apartment
This article has been adapted from a story that first appeared in the April 2023 Community Edition of FEMALE