CARRIE JINYUE WANG







Be a Guinea Pig

Human-centric thinking is causing us to damage our planet and wreak havoc on other forms of life in ways that can’t be repaired.An 8-page zine that introduce the perspective of a guinea pig: how it senses the world and human being.  Date
2022 Fall

Role
Researcher & Designer

Type
Research Zine
Form One: Zine

Form Two: Expanded Poster




Human-centric thinking is causing us to damage our planet and wreak havoc on other forms of life in ways that can’t be repaired.
 As the Anthropocene evolves, the challenge for the next decade will be to reimagine how we live through the lens of the environment. Animals also use tools, have language, grieve for their loved ones, show love to other species, and act in ways that are altruistic
 and socially minded.

Dive into our zine for a captivating look at the world through a guinea pig's eyes. Crafted for guinea pig enthusiasts, this 11"x17" publication is ingeniously designed to be split and folded into an 8-page treasure trove of insights. 
Within its pages, three dedicated spreads explore the trio of primary senses that shape a guinea pig's perception. 
Concluding the zine, the reverse side serves as an invaluable poster, outlining the preferences and aversions of these charming creatures, offering owners a glimpse into what makes their pets tick.








Compared to Nomi’s sight, a guinea pig is more likely to rely on sound and his sense of smell to detect any changes around her. She uses her sense of smell to find food and recognize me. A guinea pig’s sense of smell is 25 times better than a human being's. In fact, Nomi’s sense of smell is just a little behind the dogs. Nomi sniffs continuously in search of food and checks for odors that warn of potential threats, such as predators, by moving their nostrils up and down along with her head. The twitching of her nose allows her to stimulate these molecules. Messages are then sent to Nomi’s brain, which decides whether it's a smell of food, their owner, or some threats.

Nomi also uses their sense of smell to recognize her owner — — me. Once she is used to their owner’s scent, she is more relaxed even when I’m around. I also realize that when I and my friends approach her at the same speed, she responds to us differently. For me, she stays around and waits for my next step. However, she immediately enters her shelter because of the potential attack.

I don’t think human beings rely on smelling that much. The most direct and accurate feedback comes from the eyes. Nevertheless, the smell may leave a strong impression on a human being since it’s not common for us to realize the smell of a product or a specific person.







Nomi’s eyes are located on the sides of her face to allow for 340-degree views. This is because guinea pigs are prey animals who need to watch out for danger. When I take any action behind her, Nami could detect my movement and respond to me. However, even though she is able to see almost all the scenarios around her, she keeps her head towards me to prevent any protentional attack happened behind.

Guinea pigs have another advantage — they can see 33 images per second. Compared to human vision, which is 22 images per second, this feature prevents blurred vision when a guinea pig turns his head. Nomi frequently swings her head if I make any movement.

However, Nomi lacks depth perception. If I place her on the counter or other high platform, she may fall off because she cannot judge how far away the ground is. If I place her into a completely new environment, she wouldn’t change her position at all but rely on her eyes to observe around.






Sound is another main resource for Nomi to know about the world. The guinea pig has a better hearing at higher frequencies, relative to humans. The human hearing range is typically defined as 20–20 000 Hz, whereas the guinea pig hears sounds from 150 to 50 000 Hz. For humans, hearing is best from about 1000 to 4000 Hz, whereas for guinea pigs, hearing is best from about 8000 to 16 000 Hz. 






All research is based on my daily observation of Nomi and scientific journals. Link to Research

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