It's Not Okay

In Singapore, about 700 million kg of plastic waste is discarded every year. Less than 10% of the plastic usage were being recycled (WWF). Plastic was the largest category of waste disposed of in Singapore last year — 763,400 tons. Reality perception — “When truth is blurred by lies and misinformation, perception becomes reality and all is lost.” What people perceive is usually what they believe, and this is based on what they hear, see and think. The government in Singapore has yet to take serious action in reducing the Plastic usage in Singapore. However, I believe that the consumption of bubble tea is one of the culprit that contributes to this issue. Yet, Singaporeans fail to see / experience the fact that the usage of plastic is a factor to the environment. I’ve created a series of illustration that could be potential posters, as a reminder / awareness to Singaporeans that there is always an alternative. By bringing their personal mugs or bags could help to save lives.

It's Not Okay

It's Not Okay

Place-Non-Place

Introduction This exploratory painting represents the contrast in culture between Singapore and Glasgow in which I have experienced through this study exchange. This painting was inspired by a Scottish poem (Auld Lang Syne) written by Robert Burns.

Place-Non-Place

Concept - Chaos is a definition of what the world is today, and being a part of this world, we are often blinded by the hiccup that is placed right in front of us. How often can we acknowledge that we are conscious of our actions all the time, namely our experiences, the things we purchase and consume? In this project of Place – Non-Place, it’s a creation of my experience in Glasgow, the visual comprises of parts taken from the poem of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ and the words were assembled in an unsystematic order. I have come to realise that, chaos itself, might not actually be what we think it is. Being in a state of chaos is a feeling that one may feel perpetually under certain circumstances. It is not an unfamiliar feeling yet we still let ourselves immerse into that state. As I was sitting by the ledge in Glasgow, I’ve came to an understanding that, the unknown always appears to be LOUDER compared to my ordinary, that might be where the feeling of chaos is found.

Place-Non-Place

The Ways of Seeing

This project was created with a combination of Spark AR (Augmented Reality) and Cinema 4D. The concept is a reaction to how society has advanced into something so absurd with the use of the mechanical eye. Everything that can be seen on the internet in this day and age, might not be the actual truth. In fact, a captured moment by an individual could easily be manipulated. Hence, I’ve chosen the use of Augmented Reality and a metaphorical theme (alienation) to explain the message of what we see from our phones, does not always represent reality.

The Ways of Seeing

Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa, a publication that speaks of the imperfections of the world that can’t always be seen with the naked eye. Mona Lisa embraces the imperfections using art and literature from the history and the present times to disclose a positive spirit for its readers. In the first issue of Mona Lisa, it has discussed the different viewpoints and ideas about the nature of love by Plato (The Symposium).

Pareidolia

A psychological phenomenon involving a stimulus (an image or a sound) where in the mind perceives a familiar pattern where none exists called Pareidolia that allows human to perceive faces in places where they do not exist. These images have been taken around Chinatown, Singapore and it forms a similar style and colour to create a typeface.

HUMPUMP

HUMPUMP is a branding/social campaign that promotes safe sex to protect children from being products of unintended pregnancy. A sex-friendly initiative that provides free condoms for anyone who wants it and invites them to have fun safely. Targeted at young adults who actively participates in the hookup culture, the dispensers are located inside bars and clubs where these demographics often frequent. Inspired by the designs of safety signs around us, it employs a straight forward message with a touch of millennial humor to reach its audiences.

The Ego

The Ego is an illustrated publication that attempts to prompt its audience to acknowledge the need to reconcile with oneself for conscious growth. A healthy personality, based on Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality, results from a balance in the dynamic interaction of three elements — id, ego, superego.

SPARK

This is a magazine design project. SPARK focuses on topics about personal development. In this edition, it discusses about how and why we fall in love, in hopes to being more familiar with this great mystery.

Grow

Grow is an A1 poster based on my experience during my Overseas Immersion Programme to Scotland. All of a sudden in a foreign land, I became fully responsible and in control of all my thoughts and actions. Having the power to act, speak, and think without externally imposed restraints. This unforeseen liberation felt conflicting. Why was I feeling burdened for being me? This labyrinth that I struggled to get out of sparked Grow, a maze designed as a visual reminder to prompt these thoughts I had on independence. (Text messages used were authentic conversations.)

Civilization Typography - Creating a writing system in a pandemic

Are we prepared when a pandemic is no longer containable? A dystopian writing system of a re imagined future that mirrors the present we live today, The Dead Counter’s Medical Journal portrays a world where infection and diseases are rampant and a cure is non-existent. With medical staff being shorthanded , an entirely new writing system is needed to teach new medical residents at rapid pace. Amalgamating ancient medical symbolism, prefixes and futuristic code, medicine has never been more crucial.

Peruse - A publication exploring the symbolism in Japanese cinema

Cinema is a form of art, and thus is a way of expressing our ideas, and putting them into audiovisual media. Yet not many know the inspirations behind their favourite films or the message it’s trying to get across. Peruse is a publication I’ve created that is dedicated to to exploring the intersections between film and its deeper meanings. The first issue explores Japan’s influence in film-making around the world and the use of symbolism in cult classics.

Obsessed - Flogging a narrative in the psychological horror genre in books

Psychological Horror is a genre that people tend to look down upon and not take very seriously. It has a reputation of being a low, somewhat trashy, titillating genre that appeals to our basest instincts. And more often than not, it’s always through the eyes of the protagonist. Obsessed is a storybook project that is an adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s short story titled “The Doll”. An exaggeration on the concept of love to the extreme; Incest, the story is told in the perspective of the antagonist whereby an obsessive, sexually abusive father finds out that his daughter has eloped with Julio, her fiance. The narrative portrays him writing love letters to her, hoping she’d come back. All the while showing his descent into madness

A publication on the freedom to express

This project is a reflection of my experience I had during my overseas immersion trip to Glasgow. Titled Disclaimer, it’s a visual synopsis of what had inspired and affected my overall perspective of design. Disclaimer is a publication that highlights the lack of freedom of expression in design thinking as well as design outcome in Singapore’s culture compared to art culture overseas.

Sweet of The Forgetfulness

A story about a boy and his mysterious encounter with a MAMA Shop in Singapore, that give him a chance to reset his life. This project deals with discontentment we have in our daily life, always never satisfied with the life have, instead we are always searching for that reset button in life.

EVERYTHING IS LOVE

This is an alphabet book about a love that was really something and not just the idea of something. Reimagining Bonnie and Clyde relationship in the 21th century.

EVERYTHING IS LOVE

This is an alphabet book about a love that was really something and not just the idea of something. Reimagining Bonnie and Clyde relationship in the 21th century.

RE:Singapore

Little Red Dot, known as home for majority of the Singaporeans ; whom many assume had explore and seen everything but not yet literally everything to this date. In these series of photographs which depicts the interior, artefact and the women of Imperial Harem ( hou gong ) serves the purpose of leading back in time through the Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle which is also known for its famous Dragon Kiln. Delving back into the Imperial Harem of the Qing Dynasty where the Emperor, Empresses, Consorts and Concubines live. Many of these women who were at the age between 13-17 years old when they married the Emperor of China. Thus with this little collection and series of photographs it serves a meaning deeper to know that there’s after all light and hope to explore further and leave no stone unturned.

Unveiled

Context in the form of assumptions leads to mental bias. My project is about how the media frames the truth in a political context. I used a colour-based illusion designed to trick the brain into thinking the same colour is two different ones. Colour acts as a metaphor for context and the media and the optical illusions is essentially a parallel for the illusion you are put under by the media.

Utopia Is Death 01

Utopia is Death is a series of photographs exploring the change of what we deem a ‘Landscape’ and how that change affects us as a species. The first image details the classic definition of a landscape; pristine nature untouched by man. Or so it seems. Unfortunately such a location does not exist within Singapore. This is a man-made quarry and is a pristine as nature gets here.

Utopia Is Death 02

The purpose of the second image is to portray what mankind has done with nature. Our industrialization and almost automation of it. Which begets the question; is a tree planted by man part of nature or is it man made?

Utopia Is Death 03

Working in conjunction with image 3, these two images are a modernization of John B. Calhoun’s behavioral sink theory; as we continue to shape our landscape for efficiency, its utilitarian appearance is a breeding ground for socio-cultural chaos.

Utopia Is Death 04

I photographed and processed both images to make them look as though they are both the same place; however they are taken in different countries. Through the use of colour, my intention is evoke a pretense of harmony between these two images because of their colour and likeness while at the same thing creating dissonance because of their subject matter; one being geometrically ordered and the other a chaotic sprawl.

Utopia Is Death 05

A common sight and landscape of modern day Singapore. High rise flats built for space-efficiency is how majority of the population here lives. I composed the image ‘tightly’ in such a way so that the individual apartments appear as prison cells; uniform and almost voyeuristic.

Utopia Is Death 06

Construction and its instruments are often used to depict progress. I took this image from a low angle at a crane yard to show the monstrous scale of our industrialization of the world. The photo was framed in a way to have a visible sky but blocked out and almost offensively obscured by the cranes. Reminiscent of how nature is still visible to us but only through a machine lens.

Utopia Is Death 07

My aim was to shoot tombstones to look like the typical close-up facade of a building. Bringing home the point that the continued mechanization of our landscape to construct a utopia will figuratively and literally result in death. Printed out and framed in A1, it has an effect of looking like something else completely from far and only from a close distance do viewers realize it is a graveyard.

YYENO

YYENO is a card game designed for people pleasers to practice saying no. Saying no is a difficult task for people pleasers as they see it as a trigger to all their fears becoming a reality. However, although intimidating, it is a necessary step to take back their lives. This game aims to ease them into this new normal by providing them with a safe space to practice saying no, while having fun.

YYENO

Unfiltered

In a world where people prefer to hide their struggles, Unfiltered explores the thoughts many wrestle with. Created using various works from my first 100 days of studying in GSA, it seeks to communicate the rawness of human emotions and thoughts.

Unfiltered

Unfiltered

Portrait of a Feather

Feathers are typically viewed as a collective– be it as a covering for birds, in accessories, or even in household items. These objects are taken for granted and not given much attention or appreciation. This exploratory project seeks to bring attention to an everyday, overlooked object by isolating it– making each feather the focus instead of the supporting character. Drawing attention to the individual feather brings intimacy, and highlights its usually unnoticed beauty.

Portrait of a Feather

Portrait of a Feather

The Perfect Life?

The Perfect Life seeks to educate and highlight the plight and the atrocities committed against the Rohingya– a persecuted Muslim minority from Myanmar. The satirical approach adopted in the book stems from the apathy of the majority, whose ignorance is equivalent to saying that everything is perfectly fine. By adopting this approach, the book shows how twisted this mindset is and seeks to wake people up to the reality in front of them.

The Perfect Life?

Booker Prize Collection

An unraveling of the plot and characters as the story is revealed stems as my main inspiration for the redesigns of these Booker Prize winners. Readers can interpret their favourite stories through these covers, using the foldable segments to change the image on the front. This lets them continue engaging with the story even after finishing the book and create a memorable experience for the reader.

Booker Prize Collection

Extraterrestrial

'Extraterrestrial' explores the relationship between human behaviour and the mobile phone. How does it affect the way we see things and how do we act in these times when a video can spread across the world with a single click? The hand-drawn animation is used to create an ominous, almost horror-like tone, to drive a stronger message.

Anomiedia

The word anomie is a term used to describe a condition where society provides little moral guidance to individuals. And when the actions of certain social media ‘influencers’ are used as guidance for impressionable teenagers, what becomes of their own actions? Anomiedia is an image series that explores the link between the reality of social media and the facades clouding the true nature of these posts.

Anomiedia

The Epic of Gilgamesh

An adaptation of the historical 'Epic of Gilgamesh' based from the BBC podcast 'In Our Time', this version is retold from the point-of-view of the demigod Gilgamesh himself. The illustrations and typography evoke a more personal story than the original text which lets the reader relate to this larger than life character and even possibly see parallels in his situation to stories told in modern day.

The Epic of Gilgamesh

Real Plastic Love

100 Days

The first 100 days were full of workshops that dragged me through a lot, and taught me to expand my imagination, in a different way than I was previously used to. They challenged us to use our ‘mistakes’ and turn them into art.

Using pareidolia to form alphabets, and a form of typography from one of the previous assignments.

Ordinary-Extraordinary

Exploring ordinary daily cleaning products that we all use in our life; objects that we would discard without much thought. Inspired by Tanaka Tatsuya’s miniature innovations, it freed up the childlike side of my mind. Playing with the eye of a camera lens creates a whole new perspective. The lighting enhances the environment, the ‘negative space’ of the image. Overall, it expands the visual language by telling a story of how the mundane could possibly become extraordinary.

Water Slide

Presenting in a flip-up form is the most natural and pleasant way of exploring the content. Giving a sense of curosity which invites them to see what’s underneath, focusing on the content instead of figuring out how the controls work.

XEN

XEN presents itself as an interesting gift for your friends and associates, who are pottymouths. A manifesto that is often understood as a prescription, we wanted to create a snack that subtly reminds the special one that he/she is ‘foulmouthed’ yet in an unoffending manner. The premium handcrafted medication kit we designed contains edible mouth-watering finger soaps, encased in a pretty crude ‘X'. Enjoy!

XEN Infographic

Exratis is a virus that diagnoses individuals with symptoms of speaking excessive pexpletives, to the point of needing someone to point that out. Another obvious way to spot someone with Exratis is Sweacne; the more cussin’, more break outs. We all know that we want to have a great impressions, and XEN is here to help you out.

Battle of the giants

An independent research that focuses on mobile phone consumerism. Having a fresh approach towards uncovering how our phone reflects one’s personality. The goal is to find a new perspective.

The Fruit

Utilising clean aesthetics and simple illustration, this section focuses on the tech giant, Apple. Through monotonal in mood, the brand identity need not be explicitly mentioned and merely implied. It uses subtle details that Apple users might not immediately notice, but yet it is apparent to others that it reflects on who they are as a person.

The Green Monster

With a more vibrant mood, this chapter talks about how Android focuses on innovation, as well as their shortcomings. Having an experimental approach, this section uncovers how different features on different phones reflect each individuals’ personality and habits.

John Berger's Ways of Seeing – Voyeurism

By understanding sex and shifting the perspective of the woman’s role in society, this can help lower the rates of sexual assault, voyeurism and misogynistic tendencies.

OOH+ Sexuality Education

A non-profit organisation that delivers sex education that actually benefits, counsels & provides assistance to the young people of our society. Singapore’s sex education curriculum is not equipped to address and educate our young people, which makes them vulnerable.

OOH+ Sexuality Education

As teenagers are becoming more tech-savvy, they are exposed to unfiltered sex content which poses a high risk of early sexual relations and abuse of pornography.

Trailing Type

Using pen & ink calligraphy to explore typography over human body forms

Delirium

Delirium – an acute mental disturbance characterized by confused thinking and disrupted attention usually accompanied by disordered speech and hallucinations. An exploration of mental illnesses and expression of emotions with no words, just effects, mood, lighting & other techniques with music.

Something Different

A poster depicting my experience in Glasgow for my immersion trip. I constantly seek that same feeling I had a taste of in my present life.

House of Gentlemen

Tasked with melding the legacy of an author of highbrow status with a regular street shop, the House of Gentlemen sees renowned Scottish novelist, Sir Walter Scott’s legacy reintepreted in a socially conscious nail bar for men. A sartorial take on traditional and contemporary standards of chivalry (an occurring theme in many of Scott’s works), House of Gentlemen lets men get their nails primed to help the ladies with the door whilst contributing to society.

Nawwwledge

Take a logical no-nonsense subject and give it some mind-boggling, non- linear thought. Nawwwledge does so by relating intelligent yet often dull topics to situations and deliberations of millennial life. For this issue, the rules of cricket is used as a metaphor for life experienced by millennials. It is a sublimely educational and highly relatable read.

Your fate in my hands

Motivated by my long-standing struggle with procrastination, I went on a quest to uncover the source of this conundrum and the cure to end it all. This poem book is the result of an introspective research process, expressing what goes on through the mind of a procrastinator and how I cope with it. It is meant to evoke a sense of familiarity and solidarity in its readers and to show them that they aren’t alone in this fight.

Your fate in my hands

The poem book can be read as a two-page spread and/or unfurled into an accordion piece.

Environmental issues have been so much more important to me in recent years, and that has influenced the ways I approach the type of projects I want to do and how I want to execute them. For my Final Year Project, I wanted to explore the possibilities of how we can live with the least carbon footprint as possible. This will be done by tackling how HDBs can be reconfigured in order to be more self-reliant and self-sustainable. As we live through a strange time, through the COVID-19 pandemic, the notion of being more self-reliant and self-sustainable is more relevant than ever.

This collage was my way of expressing a ‘futuristic’ Singapore and how Archigram’s unbuilt projects could become a reality. My project was very inspired by Archigram and the theory of Rubanisation by Tay Kheng Soon. The idea of Plug-In City constantly evolving to meet the needs of people, and by having all the resources needed in one mega-machine – without harming the environment, was something that intrigued me. I wanted to combine those ideas, with the strategies of Rubanisation, to redefine how we live today so that we live with the least carbon footprint.

This is a series of materials made from waste. Gas, oil, consumerism, electricity, transportation and every other form of human activity, contributes to our carbon footprint. I asked myself, what if I could make my own spoon? Knowing that waste is a great carbon footprint contributor, I wanted to explore how household waste could be reused and made into something new, to kick-start the project. What if I made my own spoon using banana peels? That would mean I do not have to buy a new spoon - I do not contribute to consumerism and energy to produce a new spoon, and I get to reduce and reuse my waste, promoting a circular economy. 1. Milk + Vinegar 2. New-paper (made from waste paper) 3. New-clay (made from waste paper) 4. New-clay 5. Alternative Banana Peel Material 6. ABPM lamp shade 7. New-paper + ABPM 8. Slab of ABPM 9. New-paper 10. Weaving ABPM 11. New-paper + ABPM 12. Weaving ABPM with mesh

This neighbourhood is the site I chose as it already had a lot of existing amenities that I could work with to create a new masterplan. The analysis and masterplans done were based on the strategies of Rubanisation. My main objective was to ensure that no building was just purely residential, it had to be combined with another programming.

The diagrams of different configurations were a process of redistributing the existing amenities from the site, to one HDB building. Although this idea sounds like a Mixed Used Development, I was exploring an idea away from that typology, hence I decided on Diagram 6 as its configuration was most different from a MUD. I then translated this idea to a very draft collage to envision the type of spaces I wanted to have. To continue, I traced over the collages so that I could draw out how certain spaces could relate to one another. It was very important to sketch them so that they came together as one whole space. In order to redefine the way, we live, I chose to focus on a HDB building because it is the most common form of local housing.

What if HDB blocks had everything we needed? A pandemic-proof, zombie apocalypse-proof housing, because we would not need to leave our homes? My vision of a new HDB typology was to combine everything in a neighbourhood, into a singular block. Having urban farms are integral for residents to be able to grow their own food. This new typology is all about self-reliance, self-sustainability and a circular economy. This compilation shows the final iteration of the collage and how in reflects on a HDB from the site. The diagrams on the right show the circulation of the different spaces, programming and space planning.

To decrease carbon footprint, the principle of sharing is very important. For instance, not everyone cooks, hence, not everyone needs a kitchen. Layout explorations 1 and 2 were to explore the optimal potential of a HDB floor plate and how many bedrooms there could be by creating a central node of common areas. Traditional HDB units were eliminated for a floor to become one. With reference to my envisioned HDB typology, I decided to develop Level 9, which consisted of co-working spaces, farm, common areas and residential.

Inspired by Archigram’s Plug-In city and how it is able to adapt and change to the needs of its users, I wanted to incorporate this idea to the residential quarters by designing adaptable bedrooms. The bedrooms can be made bigger or smaller depending on the user. By having this flexibility, it lessens the likelihood of people having to move homes which in turn decreases the demand for new housing. Hence, this could possibly lessen buildings that need to be built and thus decreasing our carbon footprint.

This series of models is an ideation of furniture design. There is also potential to incorporate the earlier exploration of alternative materials, with the construction of the furniture.

This series of models is to explore the design of the common areas. I wanted to explore how people could come together, their co-existence in this new typology and their co-existence with nature. The idea was to create spaces without having to build solid walls, so that the spaces could be open and allow for natural ventilation to take place. By being more open, the common areas are also able to seamlessly connect with the other spaces.

Introducing the Outdoor Experience

There used to be a “Gulong Gulong park” that was famous as a gathering spot to the community back in the 1980s, however, it was taken away for the development of Orchard road. This project aims to design spaces to evoke the outdoor experience of rolling in the park and improve the quality of community life through the play of leveling and staggered platform that is ideal for a wide range of events from performances to community gathering.

Redefining Spaces

To counter the struggles of overcrowding issue, retractable seating that resembles the picnic experience is introduced to periphery spaces around the shopping mall to aid crowd control and improve the quality of life to the community.

Light and Shadow

The overall ambience of the park experience is enhanced by the shadow cast of the perforated plates through the natural lighting. Creating a dappled light effect that mimics the layer of leaves in a tree canopy, visitors sit under the ceiling feature feeling calm and cozy.

Interactive Design

With the strong influence of The High Line project, this project seeks to transform a neglected corner into an inviting picnic garden space for people to enjoy. The project seeks to explore an approach to design in which walls, floors and ceilings function as permeable membranes to allow shoppers to dwell in the space,

Addressing the overcrowding Issue in Lucky Plaza

The drive of this project started from an empathetic approach towards the needs of foreign workers based here who seek a sense of community and understandably crave a connection to home. The space is relatively hectic weekly (Sunday), there was not much space to hang out with restrictions everywhere. People are struggling to look for a place to interact comfortably without getting chased away.

Interior Spaces

The language is kept continuous, and occur at every level, in every possible space with the play of lighting, surroundings, materiality and forms into the building.

The Community Retreat

This project puts focus on reclaiming existing space, readapting a disused atrium, bringing it to life as a community meeting and event space for people to connect. Each level forms an intimate yet connective space for small groups to gather and at the same time provides a public frontage and awareness of the ongoing cultural regeneration.

Dwelling in the Retreat

Housed in the Level 2 Plaza, the large, stacking freeform pavilion shapes took reference to the square forms tiling of the existing building. Leaving no definitive lines between each of the structure’s components, thus blending the entire interior of the space together, as well as, forming furniture, walls and ceiling to function as a retreat for the community.

Design Ideation

Inspired by the versatility to endless possibilities by Bruno Munari “ a low wall becomes a seat, the church steps become a living room in which to meet, the open area behind the house hosts infinite soccer games in his hot playground project and the Storefront for Art and Architecture project by Steven Holl that introduces improbability and punctures the façade. The space is designed to bring harmony between the environment and the way the human body behaves within the space.

Versatility Design

The versatility of the design is expressed around the periphery spaces in the mall, making subtle design implementation into elements such as the floors, ceiling, walls and built-in elements, also creating moments of pauses in which one can rest and enjoy the serenity of their surroundings.

The living room

Project 3: The mall is my living room (co-existing). Since Funan co-living is located in the mall, using the layout to allow the resident of the co-living to venture out and use the entire mall as its living room, wardrobegamesdining to workliveplay.

open living

project 3: Co-living- using the idea of IKEA showroom, as a living space for my co-living where everyone is able to mingle and live together and experience a different experience of co-living.

The region rich in history and culture

Illustration of project site, Waterloo Centre, which sits amongst different building typologies, surrounded by rich Singapore culture and visited by people of different race and religion.

Map of intervention

Three interventions, each with different agenda, to sieve out the idea of Ornamentation that may happen at Waterloo Centre.

Sketched elements

Documenting distinct visual elements at site.

Taxonomy of elements

Taxonomy of visual elements extracted from site to speak of the lifestyle of the people, and the mix of old and new architecture.

Overwhelmed with ornaments

Section of Waterloo Centre that identifies existing and new ornamentation that introduce new functions.

The Jungle

Residents transform the site into a jungle where they grow plants and enjoy the sight of greenery outside their windows.

Iconic shop fronts

Part I: Each is a 3D collage of possible shop front design created by isolating the most iconic shapes and textures found at site.

Conceptualising new coffee shop

Part I: Iconic shapes and colours are employed to a busy coffee shop at Waterloo Centre to make it more memorable.

Model of intervention

Part II: Model of intervention outside a junior arts school located at a corner of third floor.

Glass blocks pods

Part II: Exterior view of intervention which shows the prominent material seen at site – glass blocks. The pods with varying heights and dimensions encourage exploration.

Extended play zone

Part II: The malleable sheer wall lets people on either side to connect. It is also lowered to appeal to children.

Waterloo Centre reimagined

Reimagining an ornamented HDB with striking colour, pattern, signage and plants to draw attention of the crowd.

No ornamentation

Part III: Conceptual model of intervention at the ground floor intending to link two major staircases. The cocoon-like pods amplify and transfer sound via metal conduits (represented by the coloured straws). Sound can be an ornament in space.

ornaments

Part III: Sitting area with concrete pods and metal conduits that amplify the sound of wind.

Keeping it neutral

Part III: Pods elevated off the ground to suggest lightness. Plants can help to dampen sound and soften the hard-concrete materials.

Introduction

IntrThe original definition of panopticon in relation to the prison environment, as discussed by Foucault has changed dramatically in the present day - to an all pervasive digital form of surveillance by governments and technology firms.oduction

HDB Corridor - Thief Deterrence

This project aims to explore states of ease and discomfort in public and private environments brought about by digital surveillance. Can interior design mitigate the fine line between surveillance for crime prevention and the crime of voyeurism?

HDB Corridor - Thief Deterrence

An initial idea of space appropriation by residential unit along a corridor.

Workplace - Controlled supervision

The use of views and perspectives are used in this office setup to maximise efficiency.

Workplace - Controlled supervision

Screens are used for privacy.

Workplace - Controlled supervision

Subtle differentiation of spaces within the same volume help to mitigate the ill of the open office plan.

Workplace - Controlled supervision

View from a workstation.

A collage that shows the overall aim of the project which is to understand the sensorial needs of hypersensitive individuals with autism and support them in spaces where they transit into an existing community.

Exploration of the spatial qualities of the communal garden by thinking through making.

In case of sensory overload within the community centre, hypersensitive individuals with autism could use the lounge, which is designed as a therapeutic healing space with interior elements that promote mental curiosity and stimulate the desire of experiencing the space.

The second part of the project is a redesigned hawker centre. The food stalls are placed within the high-stress areas while the seating area is placed nearer to the low-stress areas. The two areas are separated with the main circulation path. This redefines a spatial hierarchy which would help hypersensitive individuals with autism.

Seats that allows configuration are integrated with the redesigned hawker centre. The seats can be converted into booth seating if hypersensitive individuals with autism require a space of a sense of enclosure.

Pause spaces with seating are added into the hawker centre to provide opportunities for prospect while consuming meals. These pause spaces are clearly distinguished with a ring of landscape design which also helps with odour abatement.

The third part of the project is a community library. The library cantilevers above the communal garden, blurs the transition of exterior spaces into interior spaces and creates an inclusive environment for the local community.

Wandering to Dwell

The Dwelling - Located at 8b Canton St above the convenience store, Seven Eleven, the living room was designed accordingly to the preferences of eating instant foods that both inhabitants cultivated whilst they were wandering in Glasgow. For example, the living room boasts of an unconventional kitchen with a sit-down hotpot experience. This is so that the inhabitants would be able to get their instant food from Seven Eleven.

An elaborate floor plan recalling the activities that happened in Ada and Kelly’s accommodation in Glasgow. The map revealed certain habits cultivated from their wandering in Glasgow. For example, the kitchen was always in use as the food in Glasgow was expensive. This resulted in both the inhabitants going to TESCO supermarket frequently to purchase instant foods.

This section is a work in progress to translate these wandering experiences into a dwelling. According to Witold Rybczynski’s ‘The Most Beautiful House’ in the world, the entrance is a key component in setting the tone of the dwelling. Hence it was considered that the inhabitants can enter their dwelling through Seven Eleven to create a certain porosity to the living arrangement.

The wandering experience also extends beyond Glasgow. Based on the experience of a visit to St. Andrew’s Cathedral, the bathroom was designed in a way to facilitate reflection and pondering by including a prayer area as well as a shelf for scripture to encourage the meditation of the psalms. Meditation and prayer are acts that allow the inhabitant to truly dwell.

Based on wandering through the magazine Apartmento issue #24, it was realised that a house is a collection of all things and experiences. Hence, the bedroom was designed for the many items and clothes that were collected as a result of travelling. There is also a seat by the window to allow the inhabitant to look out onto the streets and wander vicariously.

Ada was inspired by Japan’s tiny homes where a young couple bathed under the sunlight. She also loved how the layout of the couple’s tiny home was open. There is also a ladder incorporated for Ada to climb up to the roof and wander visually through the scenery of the Singapore River. An opening on the wall beside her bed was designed to allow both Ada and Kelly to interact whilst still having the privacy of their own rooms.

So Close but So Far

SO CLOSE BUT SO FAR - This project is a speed dating laundromat and bar that is a continuation of the dwelling. It was found that wandering continues as we meet new people - we are the vessels in which our experiences are contained.  However, in light of the COVID 19 pandemic, this response looks at how people might still love without touching each other.

Inspired largely by Hippie Modernism, collages were made in an attempt to translate the visual aesthetic that closely simulated one on drugs, as well as the concept of not being able to touch each other.

The participant will first: 1) Order a drink from the enclosed bar at a safe distance from each other. 2) Proceed to engage in the different systems that would allow interaction without physical touch. 3) Couples can proceed to the enclosed kissing booths. 4) Designated areas for the speed dating hosts to have a view of the entire bar to facilitate the rotation of couples.

First impressions count. Inspired by the fish tank scene in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ as well as ‘A Minute of Silence’ by Marina Abramovic, the aquarium seats offer speed dating participants to interact without touching. It does this through a visually heightened experience.

LUSH Flagship Store (retail)

This project analyses how existing shopper’s habits in LUSH could be adapted and triggered in a flagship store by tapping into the sensorial aspects of a consumer. The project taps onto the existing senses of shoppers that makes them move and react in a certain manner within the store itself. 3 senses, “See, Touch and Smell” are observed, thus these senses are being used to develop deeper into the flagship store experience tapping onto these sensorial aspects, allowing shoppers to wander into the space, finding their own preferences. ​

Layout Plan: Proposed Zoning, Circulation and Material

The flagship store is separated into different zones which consists of different scents. These zones are separated based on the experience and scent. The proposed zoning, circulation and material provides an overall view of the space as well as the possible journey that could take place within the store.

Red Experiential Zone

Shoppers could place their head into the opening to get closer and feel the texture of the wall. LED strips from the bottom would shine in enhancement of the experience. The experiential wall (scratch and sniff wall) are used to contain the smell within the space instead of having it diffuse around the store, overwhelming the senses of shoppers. Upon scratching onto the experiential wall, it releases the scent of roses allowing shoppers to get a preview of the smell.

Transitional Space

The transitional space serves as a preview of the overall flagship store before shoppers enters. Different coloured pod gives a sneak preview of the senses that will be tapped into as well as associating the specific colours that matches with the scent and senses.

Yellow Experiential Zone

The texture wall for the yellow zone is left exposed in comparison to the other zones as the zone tapped onto its texture such as its smooth, citrus surfaces to provide a different experience to shoppers.

Passage Way

The passage(way) shows how shoppers can walk through the store by their senses through visuals and scents. Certain zones are placed closely to allow shoppers to follow the type of scent they prefer as they can smell 2 different scents while walking through the space

Inhabitation (Installation)

Inhabitation is an experimentation on multiple design concepts by studying the existing habits within the site, thus creating an installation which enhances and invites the existing habits to take place within the installation. Habits in this project pertain to the routine of people. This project is an installation, a temporary feature on site for a 3 – 6 months duration.

Portal of Memories

Modular cubes that are hollow serve as a portal of memories to users. These boxes are like a frame captured in one’s mind, creating memories. What one sees in each box may not be what others see, hence the “memories” captured in these modular cubes differ for each individual.

Reflective Memories

Mirrors trigger a form of reflected memories such that when one peers into a mirror, what they are seeing is being reflected. This reflection alters memory, as what lies before their eyes will eventually become a memory of the past. What one sees today will become a memory tomorrow. The mirrors reflect what users see, turning it into the past.

Inhabitation

This installation allows users to identify and interact with the modular cubes such that the big modular cubes can be used as a space where one sits to read. The smaller cube serves as a step to get from one space to another. It also provides users use it as a sitting or discussion spot.

The Irreversible Cycle: Life and Death (Exhibition)

The Manifesto project is a curation of an exhibition which consists of a constructed narrative that ties the selected collection of installations and art pieces together as a coherent whole, creating a themed exhibition space. A life cycle is defined as the developmental stages that occur during an organism’s lifetime. A life cycle ends when an organism dies. Life and death are a continuous cycle, making birth and death different ends of the same spectrum of existence. This continuing loop of life, death, and rebirth is at the heart of everyday living.

The Irreversible Cycle: Life and Death (Exhibition)

Spatial context of the exhibition which includes a summarised overview of the exhibition’s narrative and its journey from the beginning to the end.

Floating Time (Mid Life Cycle)

In the dark space where lights emitting are mainly from the exhibited pieces, a black curtain is used to separate the artworks so that the lights and its effect does not seep through the spaces, allowing visitors to immerse each space fully.

Decomposition (Dying/Decomposing Cycle)

The decomposition space consists of artworks which represents death and how it can also be in the form of decaying.

Corridor Transition (Death Cycle)

Leading to the next exhibited object, mirrors are placed with the intention of providing a preview of the next artwork, Archive of Deathclock, as well as having the visitors to be a part of the artwork.

Comfort Zone

Comfort Zone is a project that aims to improve the standards of gathering spaces. By looking at the liveability of an interior space through the users’ comfort and the overall spatial layout, a design intervention would be developed. Proposed design would then be applied to three sites with different typologies, and this aims to maximise the user experience of such spaces.

Recurring Language

The design language of ‘Steps’ has been identified to be a suitable design element that can evoke a sense of comfort in interior spaces. It does so by introducing the idea of ‘Versatility’ into the users’ experience. This element was then incorporated into the design interventions throughout each of the three sites, serving as a connection that links the seemingly different proposals together.

Don't Tell Me How To Study

Don’t Tell Me How To Study is a library project that aims to break the studying conventions of a library space. Proposed at Jurong Regional Library, the project focuses on promoting ‘Physical Comfort’ through the intervention of a steps design which creates a versatile study space, and ‘Visual Comfort’ with the incorporation of a uniform design language throughout the whole site.

Don't Tell Me How To Study

All forms of structural elements such as walls and doors on the site are removed, resulting in the steps intervention spanning across the library. Different spaces such as walking paths and areas to read books are thus all integrated and taking place at the same area.

Don't Tell Me How To Study

The stairs intervention is a safe design that, while appropriate for a library reading area, seems to be too ‘sensible’ aesthetically. A dose of ‘fun’ in the form of box features was thus added into the otherwise boring space. While they stand out, these box features are still in keeping with the sense of uniformity created by the ‘steps’ intervention.

Rest Well, Shop Again

Rest Well, Shop Again is a project proposed in Jurong East Mall (JEM). Although located in a shopping mall, this project focuses on the communal area in the mall’s Basement 1 floor and how well can shoppers rest in this given space. Hence, the proposal aims to inject a sense of calmness into the hectic mall environment, while attempting to blend into the mall surroundings.

Rest Well, Shop Again

Water is used as the medium to evoke calmness. Being a powerful sensory element, the use of water here was kept subtle to prevent it from overpowering the existing site. The intervention attempts to blend into the site, and thus the effects of water could only be experienced when shoppers use the space. Sensory characteristics such as sounds of water falling are also used to maximise the potential of water.

Rest Well, Shop Again

The shopping mall has walkways which are too restricted to be used as communal areas. Instead of forcefully doing so, subtle elements such as ceiling designs are instead incorporated into these spaces to create a visual link that ties the entire floor together. With this, the functions of the walkways are retained.

Sit Down Talk

Sit Down Talk is a project that aims to improve the comfort of the overall dining experience in a neighbourhood coffeeshop. Proposed to be at the Broadway Coffeeshop at Blk 286 Toh Guan Road, the project emphasizes on using the notion of ‘Decentralization’, an aspect that modern day coffeeshops lack, to bring back the coffeeshops’ original intention of being a welcoming space for everyone to gather and mingle.

Sit Down Talk

The site also presents an opportunity for a semi outdoor dining experience. This dining experience is emphasized with the selection of cork as the flooring material. Cork flooring provides a comfortable sitting platform for users, thus encouraging them to gather and sit on the floor. Not only does this freedom of choice emphasize on the sense of community, it also creates a versatile dining space that prioritizes the diners’ experience.