Dear Data postcard | wastographics

wastographics 1

 

(N.B I haven’t been tagging these posts right last time hence I’m reuploading them in hopes that they appear in the class pages again!)

I like the idea of accumulation small things leading up to larger things. As such I thought about the butterfly effect / chaos theory that Joanne had discussed for her time project, the choices of one person or thing will eventually lead to another and accumulate to something.

When I first pitched it to my partner about this, she felt that I was a little pushing the blame to others and I was like yeah …. sorta

 

wastographics 2

Legend

wastographics 3

While doing this, I’ve decided to note the places I’ve spent the most time in as I wanted to prove that going out would be a large factor as to waste consumption but I actually realised having takeouts or tabaos instead is a bigger role player ( for that week). So my advice to myself is to cook more ( or at least eat at the restaurant/coffeeshop etc. )

Visuals wise, I’m inspired by spot paintings from artist Damien Hirst in terms of using very colourful dots. I was also inspired by the movement of water droplets coalescing when they merge into one another to become a bigger water blob, as such,  instead of using the same size of dots, I decided to vary their sizes according to how much waste was generated to give off the idea of accumulation. I liked how that effects creates a rhythm and flow to the infographics visually.

( originally posted on 25/3/2016.)

 

Issues : Hostile architecture & Void Decks

To be honest, I’ve never thought that hostile architecture would make its way to Singapore. There would have been no want nor need to implement these structures. After all, homeless rates are low and void deck weddings, funerals and sports are still a thing. In a country that focuses on community and heart, it would be ridiculous to set up structures that blatantly shoos people off “traditional” communal spaces, right?

When the barriers were set up, I guess it was more disappointment than shock. While it sounded like warning bell to most, some highlighted that it has been going on for quite a while. Then again, it has been done ever so subtly that I’ve come to realise certain changes only after it was highlighted by online communities.

An example would be the removal of that classic rounded stone tables, and them being replaced by steel benches with additional handles placed in the middle other than simply on the sides. They hence made it impossible for one to lie down on them or for people to gather together.

 

174691 bench-main-2

 

Tolerance, heritage, image and rules are becoming interlinked issues in Singapore. Will this be a one-off thing or there’s more to come out of this, we shall see.

 

Source Dumps for further reading:

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/jun/13/anti-homeless-spikes-hostile-architecture

Barriers installed to discourage football in HDB void deck

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/18/defensive-architecture-keeps-poverty-undeen-and-makes-us-more-hostile

http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/5-ways-we-design-our-cities-make-them-inhospitable-human-life-photos

10 Everyday Void Deck Scenes We Will Soon Never See Again

http://myhdbtown.blogspot.sg/2007/11/solve-old-folks-playing-cards-at-void.html

https://gintai.wordpress.com/2012/08/08/they-solved-the-homeless-sleeping-in-public-places/