15th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Altered Images
Gloves

It Can Be Better is a meditation centered around the impact of perfectionistic living habits. It seeks to illustrate how such living habits which are intended to bring about an ultimate degree of cleanliness and order, can be counterproductive. The photographs in the series depict intentions to exert rigid control over the order of items in one’s living space. Certain actions and behaviours seek to achieve an ideal level of immaculate order, cleanliness and hygiene. However, in the pursuit of an extreme ideal, these behaviours often rob the items of their original functionality. Through the staged scenarios, the photographs hope to spark viewers’ introspection on how such obsessiveness can be self-defeating and lead to unexpected outcomes.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 01.2017
Date Uploaded: 11.2017
Photo Location: Singapore, Singapore
Camera: NIKON D700
Copyright: © Ying Liu