My parents got me this when I was a kid because I used to like vehicles and collected toy cars, trains and trucks. We were at a souvenir store in Sentosa when they bought it. After I shifted house, I never saw the toy bus again until chancing upon it at my grandma’s house a few years ago.

The toy bus holds a lot of memories for me. It reminds me of what Sentosa used to be like when I visited as a primary school kid, including the old monorail and the colourful cable cars. I eventually brought the toy bus home. It represents a time when children spent their time differently as compared to now. In the past, we used to collect things like country erasers, Beyblade cards and Pokemon figurines. Although the modern era offers everything, it will never be similar to what I experienced in that specific time and space.

Inspired by the owner’s nostalgic reminiscences of Singapore’s past, we sought to “repair” this treasured toy bus in the form of a time-travelling journal to bring to life his precious memories.

Surrounding the toy bus are hand-cut paper props that illustrate the owner’s many thoughts about the past. The child-like ensemble is supported by a journal filled with his personal recollections. On its left are local icons from the past, such as the dragon playground and shophouses, while on the right are their modern counterparts. Similarly, the toy bus is reimagined as a portal between past and present. Half the bus has been repainted in the colours of public buses in the 1990s, while the other follows designs in the 2010s.

The set is constructed in off-white paper to harken back to when thoughts were preserved only in hardcopy books. It is also a nod to the owner’s childhood memories of using craft materials to recreate the origins of this toy bus.

▸ about the designer