Instagram is an avenue which allows a viewer to live vicariously through another person’s photos. For example, browsing through a travelogue on social media allows a viewer to experience another country secondhand.

While documenting special moments serves the understandable purpose of preserving memories, the pervasiveness of such extravagant content on Instagram downplays the more ordinary aspects of a person’s life. Thus, to the unassuming eye, this vicarious experience is flawed because the viewer only gains insight into carefully selected aspects of another person’s life.

We composed the image with the intent of rebalancing perceptions on the reality of an ordinary person’s life, which is made up equally of both photo-worthy occasions and visits to the kopitiam. We deliberately manipulated the lighting in both settings to highlight the contrast between the two situations — one reflecting the momentous occasions and the other, the mundane day-to-day living.