Like most of us, growing up in Singapore, I was surrounded by the picture perfect sights and narratives of gleaming skyscrapers, spotless streets, economic success, and word-class public infrastructure . Those stories, admittedly, are true, but today they don't represent our nation's whole story.
Over time, I began wondering about the people whose experiences rarely make it into that national narrative, and front rows of success; the voices that sit outside the polished and almost picture perfect image that Singapore is so often known for.
That's where Picture Perfect Project finds itself within. Picture Perfect is an independent digital publication project that documents the voices and perspectives of individuals and groups that often sit outside mainstream public discourse; and sit outside of our picture perfect societal perception. Rather than speaking about and reporting on communities, I try to create space for people to tell their own stories in their own words. Whether it's former inmates rebuilding their lives after prison, migrant workers, academics challenging dominant narratives, or community advocates/NGO's working quietly behind the scenes, every interview asks the same question: What are we missing?
​The more I thought about it, the more I realized that public narratives are always selective. In Singapore, we are often described through the same familiar words: efficient, stable, prosperous, clean, and safe. And like the skyscrapers and spotless streets I grew up around, those descriptions are not wrong. But they are not the whole picture either. When repeated often enough, they can begin to form a picture-perfect perception of national life, one that leaves little room for complexity, tension, or discomfort. Picture Perfect Project exists to look just outside that frame, and to ask what stories, voices, and experiences we may be missing. I hope you all enjoy!
- Justin Park (Founder and Lead Editor)
​​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​​
​
Picture Perfect Project supports SDG 10 and SDG 16 by examining how inequality and justice are discussed—and obscured—in public life. Our work highlights the human consequences of policy, silence, and institutional narratives, with the aim of encouraging more thoughtful engagement with questions of fairness, justice, and accountability.​​​
Reading Beyond The Picture.
​​​​​​​​
