Snap Nation

SNAP NATION presents an analysis on the phenomenon of ephemeral photography within the digital age. The ubiquity of smartphones has influenced the way photographs are captured today; transforming their role from the preservation of memory to an act of capturing fleeting mundane moments of impermanence. However, are they truly ephemeral?

This series of data visualization and recorded video clips on 25 Snapchat and Instagram users over a period of three months, presents what is supposedly ephemeral but herein made visible through reconstruction by the artist, to reveal underlying trends and behavioural traits across all users. It is through the artist’s rigour in recapturing what is gone that ultimately provides tangible evidence to better illustrate society’s unnoticed cultural obsession with capturing the everyday.

A total of 5056 video clips were recorded, trimmed to three seconds each for easy viewing, and then categorized into several trends and sub-trends in chronological order. The data analysis concludes that the sharing of inane details on social media has resulted in behavioural imitation amongst users. Despite human variability, the saturation of overtly similar imagery that fades in time reveals a substantial amount of generic photographic content, which lacks distinction, creativity and authenticity. This suggests that ephemeral photography facilitates social modeling and learning in society, which is powerful but equally stunted, yet ironically we all participate in it.

Fido First Aid

Although every dog parent knows the importance of being prepared for emergency situations they tend to neglect safety education such as Canine First Aid and CPR. The significance of this life-saving expertise is only understood when their Fido all of a sudden encounters an emergency. Mishaps can occur anytime however, in the event that you are prepared, the serious crisis can be averted. With the rising number of dog owners and the lack of awareness about Canine First Aid and CPR in Singapore, I strongly felt that this issue should be prioritised and tended to.

Fido First Aid is a research and design project that aims to explore graphic strategies to develop Canine First Aid and CPR awareness among dog owners in Singapore. It aims to develop a cohesive visual system, enabling the visibility and accessibility of resources to dog owners during a fido emergency.

The exploration of design approaches were based on the mindset of the canine first aid user during an emergency and will be applied to minimise time and expand effectiveness. Dog owners will then be able to familiarise themselves with fundamental skills to handle a Fido crisis confidently.