Project Ripple: It’s more than just noise

Ripple Effect:

noun

A spreading effect or series of consequences caused by a single action or event.

Noise pollution something most of us don’t think about consciously. How loud we are, the noises around us, they all contribute to it. As Singapore is a densely populated country, noise generated by the community tend to be more audible at night. In Clementi, the noise levels on average is at 71.8 decibels, which is above the recommended level and can disturb other residents. To put into perspective, 70 decibels is equivalent to the noise level created by your vacuum cleaners at home.

Our insights after observing Clementi and interviewing residents, is that they actually find some of these sounds comforting. They are used to it, since they are exposed to them regularly. That being said, there is still a sizeable proportion of residents bothered by the noise, and as mentioned previously the noise has reached harmful levels.

Since Singapore is an expensive country, many residents prefer using the communal spaces since they are convenient and free(Singaporeans love free things, don’t we?). The noises tend to get overwhelming since these places are being used simultaneously by many people throughout the day.
Our objective is to educate residents and encourage mindfulness in regards to noise pollution and peace in the neighbourhood.

The Big Idea

We created a 4-episode webseries that tells the story of four different individuals that stay in West Coast. With this webseries, it educates residents about the consequences of creating noise, and how it affects not just them but the people around them. The story focuses on how a series of actions done by the perpetrator of noise has created a ripple effect in the other characters’ storyline.

Timeline of Execution

Print Advertisements

There will be print advertisements displayed and showcased in various areas around the West Coast neighbourhood, including the bus stops and kopitiams. The print advertisements showcases the four characters of the webseries and includes a QR code for readers to access the website.

Website

A website would be used as a platform to release the web series and educate the people of the consequences of actions. At the bottom of the website, readers and residents can make a pledge regarding the noise pollution and take action.

The Web Series

We came up with the 4 storylines to show how noise pollution can affect different individuals.

Story 1:

Main character Boon Kiat, a Middle Aged working man, who spends his nights mostly drinking with his friends at the kopitiam in his neighbourhood. He creates a ruckus but the episode soon progresses to show that the reason why is due to the overwhelming stress of the possibility of retrenchment at work.

Story 2:

Samantha, a Secondary four student who is currently studying for her O levels. As she comes from a low income family, her parents are constantly working and never home hence, she is always alone. Shows her sleeping in class due to the noises made at the kopitiam back home, resulting in her teacher lecturing her about her dropping grades.

Story 3:

Farah, a young mother who juggles between work life and caring for her newborn. As she tackles her ongoing divorce, she also needs to care for her crying baby who is constantly woken up by the loud noises made underneath her home.

Story 4:

Final episode where it ends off with the story of Grandma Lee, an elderly woman who spends her time feeding the stray cats in the neighbourhood. Back home, it is shown that she has a distant relationship with her son who is revealed to be Boon Kiat, bringing the webseries to a full circle. The episode progresses by her having a talk with her son about the ripple effect before he heads down to drink with his friends. This time however, he tells them to lower down their volume.

Installations

Different installations will be placed in the neighbourhood to spark residents’ curiosity and encourage them to watch the webseries. These installations would be associated with the webseries as well and hence, allowing the film to come to life. A QR code and a link is provided for readers to go to the website. The use of installations has different uses, not only just sight, but also the other use of the other senses like smell and hearing aid.