Mapping Planned and Emerging Art Places in Singapore through Social Media Feeds

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology to collect and visualize social media data about art, in order to map art locations in cities using geo-localized data, and comparing planning decisions with the actual use of spaces. As various social networks have penetrated into the daily life of people, these become one important and effective data source to understand how people perform 'arts' around the city (Shah 2015). The case study for this methodology is Singapore, a vibrant city where art and culture are being promoted in the light of an emerging creative economy. The Singapore government promotes art and creates 'art clusters', such as art districts, galleries, fairs and museums in the city. Additionally, artists, creative entrepreneurs, consumers, and critics seek and explore alternative spaces. Understanding where art and creativity are discussed, broadcasted and consumed in Singapore is a key point to have better insights into art space planning, and study its effects on the city.The paper will try to answer the following research question:Is it possible to discover, through social network data, spaces where art is produced, discussed, and broadcasted to an audience in Singapore? How?