Chameleons / Double life, 3rd Prize
In Singapore, public parks serve as a recreational space day and night. However, some leisure activities such as cruising fall outside of the parks prescribed usage. Public stigma against such alternative nocturnal activities dictates a need for secrecy, but privacy in a public space is limited. With the advent of social apps such as Grindr, cruising becomes an activity for those that are not regarded as cool. Hence, public venues become a social phenomenon in itself, the site of discrimination from both within and outside the gay community. The interaction between human figures and landscape is explored in this photographic series. Surrounding foliage both highlights and obscures human presence, thus necessitating an investigation of the underlying complexity. Peering into the photographs, the lighted images reveal the fleeting interaction as the figures retreat into the safety of the darkness.
Guang Hui Chan
