Humanity Washed Ashore.

A civilisation forced to abandon their home by the government and to seek asylum elsewhere. Hundreds of Rohingya refugees who are attempting to escape desperate conditions in their hometown remain stuck at sea. Even in these desperate times, the refugees' entry is being denied in countries. While some refugees are able to make it onto land, unfortunately, many wash ashore. 'Sarnar' is a typeface designed around the idea of micro-expressionism around the eye area. It is a typeface that translates human expressions into a semiotic. The semiotics are constructed and layered to compound meaning, just as how we learn to read expressions and emotions. The typeface, 'Sarnar', is designed to raise awareness of the plight and sufferings of the refugees stuck in the sea. Emotion is an innate human language. Governments tend to lack empathy in favour of economic and political gain. This seemingly abstract typeface is designed to elicit emotional response & encourage emotional decoding to understand the conditions these refugees are going through, in hopes of stirring up empathy from people.

Humanity Washed Ashore.

Guidebook.

Humanity Washed Ashore.

Artefact of communication.

Humanity Washed Ashore.

Artefact of communication.

Humanity Washed Ashore.

Overview

Plastic's Not Cheap.

Everyone knows that plastic bags are choking our planet. However, here in Singapore, many still expect supermarkets to provide plastic bags for the convenience of transporting home the goods. As plastic bags are free in supermarkets, many fail to see the consequence of plastic pollution. To persuade Singaporeans to change their behaviour, we have got to make the audience reconsider the value of free plastic bags and the cost it has on the future. 'Plastic is not cheap. It costs our future' is a campaign designed towards adults with kids. The campaign consists of a series of posters to raise awareness of the danger and consequences of using plastic excessively. It uses the play of famous and catchy nursery rhymes for the basis of the headlines. The poster art direction design encapsulates the consequences to the future generation if we continue the habit of using excessive plastic bags. The poster forces the audience to question what their price in the future is, and forces the agency back to them. The placement of the posters will be at areas where families usually hang out - bus stops near schools, playground, beach and parks.

Plastic's Not Cheap.

Plastic's Not Cheap.

Gaslight.

Gaslight is to manipulate (someone) by psychological means into doubting their sanity. With the majority of the world’s population already on social media, many of us may be unknowing victims of gaslight. Society invents a spuriously complex logic to change people whose conduct is beyond their mainstream. With the continued rise of using social media, many of us are naive into being conformed into adopting the socially acceptable form of opinions and thoughts. This magazine encourages the audience to form their morals. Always to be aware of the information received and to equip themselves with knowledge of being gaslighted into society’s norm. The magazine takes the audience on the journey of being gaslighted. It starts with the article on lying is a huge mistake, and honesty is the best policy. It then proceeds to the middle, where it suggests that maybe being truthful all the time is not healthy. The magazine ends with a suggestion that lying is okay and it encourages creativity in doing so.

There is No Wrong Body

As social media becomes the main form of media consumptions for most teenagers, many teenagers have left the social media’s feed feeling bad about themselves. With much emphasis on evaluating how people look, it has associated the teenagers with how they feel about their own bodies. They have to live through the unrealistic views of other people’s lives and peer pressure. My project centers on teenagers who have the need to fit in and worrying for not following the society's body goals. This is because of how they are being socially isolated, therefore leading them to try to conform to the society’s standard of normal. The idea of how appearance can form impressions especially body sizes.

There is No Wrong Body

It's a self-help book that shows how different body sizes are being appreciated across different cultures and countries. The illustrations are made to be more organic and natural. This book boost the teenagers’ self esteem and is personalize to each individuals as it allows them to write and reflect on their daily personal thoughts through the given activities in the book and at the same time, with the help of the illustration, encourage them to push on. At the end of the day, is there even a wrong body? My main message is to let the teenagers understand that there is no wrong way in having body. You do not need to conform.

There is No Wrong Body

This was an initial direction for the project. The idea was to create interactive walls at busy walkways. During golden hour or at any point of time when the sun cast shadows of the people on the wall, together with the illustration drawn on the walls, people are able to see the complete illustrations. They are part of the shadow play.

Together

Aging population for baby boomers are growing and as people grow older, they become less self-sufficient in terms of taking care of their own health and general day-to-day needs and obligations. More often or not, the children or grandchildren have to step up to take care of them because there is not enough medical care to support them. However, there is a greater concern for the children or grandchildren on juggling their daily lives and caring for the elderly. There are so many medical information for the elderly and sometimes they tend to overlook the emotional wellbeing of the elderly.Together is a medical app that promotes the preciousness of togetherness and bonding. The objective of this app is to provide a platform to remind people the need of constant interaction between them and their loved one in order to motivate them when going through chronic illnesses. Spend some time with them. Family members are able to document medical records in case of medical emergencies. Through this app, the elderly are empowered for their own medical and it acts as an invitation for conversations.

The Admiral's Beard

Men sometimes struggle with the way media portrays about masculinity and boldness. It becomes a pressure for them too, as society wants to uplift those values. Masculinity and boldness can be the cause of so many broken hearts and unsatiated desires. The thoughts to the construction of masculinity in everyday life can be draining and also reducing one’s self-esteem. Based on the literature of Treasure Island, The Admiral’s Beard is a hypothetical barbershop that brings out the ‘pirate’ in you. It centers on the idea of bringing out the adventurous and boldness in you. Adapting the personalities of the characters in the literature, the shop strives to gives you personality in order for you to continue with the bumpy road of life. It is a place for you to boost your inner strength and boldness, to give you that extra help.

Mark

We live in a society where we gaze in disbelief at the people who are the most passionate and fiery enthusiasts in collecting things. Sometimes these people live with mounds of unimaginable things that we question the motives behind the collection. We are a natural seeker in one-way or another. We seek and collect in any form. There are no goods of fixed value. They are valuable as long as people value them. Being a collector requires an emotional connection to these items. As the world moves to become more modern, collecting items become more and more attractive. These items offer a retreat back to simpler times when such products may no longer be produced. Mark is a magazine on collecting. Mark aims to highlight why one simply need to collect and keep things. In this issue, we cover on collecting Air Sickness Bag where majority sees it as waste product but to this community, they are little icons of the sky.

Mark

We may not realize that our motivation in collecting can be influence from a lot of different factors. One of such is our cultural background and how we are raised. Part of the magazine’s content talks about how one’s cultural background influence us in collecting things.

Stand Out Magazine

Drag queens; not just men with makeup and dressed in women’s clothing, and more than meets the eye. Beyond just performance, it is an art form. In this issue, take a peek into the transformation process of our local drag queens and be drawn into the artistry of it all.

Stand Out Magazine

Gen X, Y and Z in Singapore

This is a not so typical alphabet book about Generation X, Y and Z in Singapore. From queuing for the latest bubble tea for over an hour, complaining about little things and taking as many samples as you can carry, because they’re freebies. You ask what else seems absurd when you think about these situations. Having said that, this behaviour is sometimes what make us a true blue Singaporean.

OBTD (Obsessive Bubble Tea Disorder )

Bubble tea here. Bubble tea there. Bubble tea everywhere. This obsession locally, is getting out of hand. The resulting disorder, OBTD (Obsessive Bubble Tea Disorder) is showing up. A 10-day BBT Detox programme aims to soothe the withdrawal symptoms of this condition, and eventually cure it. The kit consists of all the essentials you need to cope with it

OBTD (Obsessive Bubble Tea Disorder)

OBTD (Obsessive Bubble Tea Disorder)

OBTD (Obsessive Bubble Tea Disorder)

Sexual Crime

Sexual crimes are rising, with 56 cases reported in Singapore's local universities in the last 3 years. Even though disciplinary action has been taken and security measures heightened, tech-enabled sexual violence has tripled since 2016. These series of posters are targeted at student perpetrators as well as victims, telling them that they can be reprimanded or molested anytime and anywhere; A single message that covers both sides of the spectrum.

Hook

Hook is a branding project that was inspired from my favourite childhood movie – Peter Pan. When re-watching it when I’m older, and upon researching more on the author, the interpretation of the movie took a dark turn from the perspective of Captain Hook. With this in mind, the message behind this was to enlighten people that fairytales could be just be an illusion under the influence. The logo and typography treatment was experimented by how I interpreted how Captain Hook’s handwriting would look like when writing with a hook for a hand. I experimented by attaching a brush to an actual hook from a hanger, and started exploring the messiness that ensued from his handicap. After experimenting, the final outcome resulted to be a mix of fairytale-like quirkiness yet honing a mysterious ominous tone to its branding, which highlights my objective and message well.

Hook

Hook

Hook

Hook

Hook

Hook

Civilization Typography

The language designed was my imagination of how I picture the future to be. Influenced by Elon Musk’s obsession of inserting microchips into the human brain, I would imagine that our civilization would turn to a civil war, where people are questioning if adding a digital layer into our anatomy would be the solution of the future. Since it seems to be predicted that the future is of unlocking our brain’s capacity with microchips, I studied parts of the human brain closely, and what each part functioned as. From here, I deconstructed anatomies and functions of the human brain and used its physical appearance as the structure of this language. The advancement of technology led me to the speech that Charlie Chaplin gave in “The Great Dictator” in 1940, where he talks about how humanity has been overcome with greed because of power and technology. The speech he gave is still relevant to the technological progression of the world today. Hence, I used excerpts of his speech to be translated into the language that has been designed.

Civilization Typography

Civilization Typography

Ordinary Extraordinary

An abstract brief that requires a break from the reserved perspective of everyday life. The art of photography has been a huge influence in the cornerstone to the ways of seeing. Society has followed suite and you can see evidence of this all-over social media. With that in mind, this project aims to push boundaries and experiment with a play on pareidolia. In order to achieve that shift in paradigm, ordinary everyday objects were used as focus to be seen differently through the lens of the camera.

Ordinary Extraordinary

An abstract brief that requires a break from the reserved perspective of everyday life. The art of photography has been a huge influence in the cornerstone to the ways of seeing. Society has followed suite and you can see evidence of this all-over social media. With that in mind, this project aims to push boundaries and experiment with a play on pareidolia. In order to achieve that shift in paradigm, ordinary everyday objects were used as focus to be seen differently through the lens of the camera.

Ordinary Extraordinary

An abstract brief that requires a break from the reserved perspective of everyday life. The art of photography has been a huge influence in the cornerstone to the ways of seeing. Society has followed suite and you can see evidence of this all-over social media. With that in mind, this project aims to push boundaries and experiment with a play on pareidolia. In order to achieve that shift in paradigm, ordinary everyday objects were used as focus to be seen differently through the lens of the camera.

Ordinary Extraordinary

An abstract brief that requires a break from the reserved perspective of everyday life. The art of photography has been a huge influence in the cornerstone to the ways of seeing. Society has followed suite and you can see evidence of this all-over social media. With that in mind, this project aims to push boundaries and experiment with a play on pareidolia. In order to achieve that shift in paradigm, ordinary everyday objects were used as focus to be seen differently through the lens of the camera.

Love Letter to Chinese Cinema

Love Letter To Chinese Cinema is a project that explores the overlap between today’s Chinese youth, and their relationship with Chinese Cinema. How to Judge a Chinese Film by it’s Chinese-ness is an ironic and satirical kit, where warped and often Eurocentric perception of Asian cinema manifests itself into a tangible product. This kit uses hypocrisy as a visual language to question contradiction and double standards in the way that movies are now perceived.

Banana is local street description for Asians who have chosen to abandon or neglect their cultural identity in favour of a western one – yellow on the outside & white on the inside. Pinkerton syndrome.

Western vs Asian comparison – the notion of “worth” is often brought up when discussing Asian films, whether it is “worth” the watch, time and money. An endless handout of excuses.

Civi Type: The Man, The Skies, The Earth

A writing system born out of a dystopian future in 2064 that eerily mirrors the (future) present; war, environmental decline and viruses. Where mother tongues are forgotten, this system is used to indoctrinate and communicate — its purpose entirely functional and devoid of emotion. A writing system produced from analog and digital mediums, its form is derived from the functionality of Chinese logography and carries the characteristics of blackletter.

The system's handbook, bound in tradition Chinese bookbinding to echo its influence.

The four core functions of the writing system, conveyed purely through visuals. It lacks phonics & no symbol represents feelings nor inquiry. The cold, robotic nature reflects in its stiff and angular form.

The Plastic Problem

Plastic bags are portrayed sexually to create the image that sea creatures are getting choked without consent, consequently losing their lives. This project is catered to young adults, encouraging them to switch to a plastic alternative, Solubag, which is packaged like a condom.

The Plastic Problem

The Plastic Problem

72 Virgins: Terrorist’s Digest

This is satirical digest showcasing the dos and don’ts of terrorism. It is curated specially for someone who is a terrorist, or wants to be one. In this digest, there is a showcase of how race can be a deterrent from you achieving the title of being the most successful terrorist. I also chose to poke fun at how they brainstorm certain ways to make terrorism become “socially acceptable”.

72 Virgins: Terrorist’s Digest

72 Virgins: Terrorist’s Digest

72 Virgins: Terrorist’s Digest

Valaida Snow

Valaida Snow was an African American Trumpet player who sang and played Jazz music in the 1920s – 1930s era. This is an alphabetical record-styled diary, illustrating Valaida Snow’s struggles with racism, as well as her experience getting captured by Nazis for two years.

Valaida Snow

Valaida Snow

Plastic Problem

Plastic is essentially everything, we are surrounded by it. It was initially advertised as the future, we no longer need to hoard glass packaging, food are kept fresher in plastic. It is old fashioned to not use plastic. We were told that it is the future, it keeps everything fresh. It is cheap and dispensable. Plastics are the future, save the trees and use plastics. Recycling old plastic advertising images and some taglines, into today's context. Recycling the idea into a new one, see what I did there? My TVC also reuses ads from 1997 by APC, people often gets defensive when called out. We should approach this delicately as people are Compassion Fatigued and Desensitized to Global Warming. Let the audience feel smart figuring out themselves. Recycling the 1997 plastic tvcs copywriting and footages of what plastic has done to our planet to create stark contrast in the video. Hoping to spread awareness through nostalgia and non-conventional way.

Healthcare Packaging

Create a virus or illness including name, symptoms and cure. Chingus was take inspiration from a capitalism as a pandemic. Back in October 2019, NBA and Disney were under fire for censoring themselves to work with China, receiving backlash. When China refuse to work with corporations, they tend to lose millions in revenue. (Avengers are owned by Disney, there are special scenes added into the franchise to enter theatres in China.) (A NBA player tweeted freedom for HongKong in 2019, China was displeased and banned all NBA from showing in China, losing millions in revenue in just a week. The NBA manager made a public apology soon after. So much for American and their "freedom".) This project centered on mostly propaganda. The right tone needs to be set through mock ups. Flyers and posters are shot out of the plane into the streets, sirens will ring and the speaker will spread word of Chingus.

Illustration Book

A self-initiated project, my first illustration project. All the content and illustrations are done by me. It was fulfilling to be able to write my stories. The book is eerily long, the bodycopy is long as well. Each character is the idea of a feeling. Using research of others experienced and their accounts of falling. Painting the mental image of emotions and ideas of certain elements and human instincts.

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?

Arsenal Football Club Official Magazine - Feb Issue

Me being a huge Arsenal fan, I did not want to have football players on the cover page as most designers would, instead I used their mascots to portray the clubs, Arsenal (Cannon) and Tottenham Hotspur (Blue Chicken) respectively. The main attraction is in the centre, The cannon is ready to blast the chicken to outer-space. This way I could add some fun to the cover page design.

It was quite a challenge to design this page. This was my first time doing a “print design” as I’ve been designing for the screen (digital) my whole life. Layout placements in print design can be very important, but I didn’t want to compromise on my digital skillset for this particular page. Therefore I fused both styles. Now read the RED letters from top to bottom. What do you get?

I thought it would be quite interesting to show all the French players who have played for Arsenal Football Club during it’s 134 year old history. As such this would be the complete list of French players from the year 1886 - 2019.

I had a lot of flexibility and fun working on the design on this page in particular because of how I managed to cleverly merged 2 different Arsenal Third Kits (Pink & Cyan) into 1 page. By doing so, not only does it not look regular and dull anymore… It also looks energetic and youthful!

The last one would be a collage of many more different page layouts and designs that are featured in my own edition of the Arsenal Magazine. 

For more information, visit https://www.behance.net/gallery/96609881/Arsenal-Magazine-Design.

Incuba - Luxury Healthcare Packaging

INCUBA is a microchip that is inserted and incubates in the human body which reverses the effects of procrastination by monitoring and re-balancing the different levels of hormonal and negative chemicals changes in the human body.

This is my design process where I came out with some rough sketches digitally with pin-point accuracy and measurements done to scale for the development stage for product prototyping. I also made a breakdown of the different parts needed to put the prototype together to finalise the design.

This is the “Chip base Plate” where the placement of INCUBA chip will be for display.

Once the top half of the packaging is opened and remove, underneath this is what you will see. The Emblem of the INCUBA chip design (hexagon-shaped) and a Manual for the user to know how the product functions.

The last one would be a collage of many more different page layouts and designs that are featured during the Product shot on INCUBA.

For more information, visit https://kingkumarart.myportfolio.com/incuba

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 Men's Mall

A collage of *SCAPE in its current condition. In our fast-paced city-state, economic development occurs an unprecedented rate. To keep up and increase density, the wasteful practice of replacing older buildings with new ones is considered the norm. Existing properties are also under constant pressure to renovate and upgrade to keep relevant. The purpose of this project is to speculate the possibilities of how under-utilised spaces in *SCAPE can be readaptedto give it a new breath of life.

The Men's Mall

Site map of *SCAPE and its surrounding in Orchard Road.

The Men's Mall

Process. Sketches and ideation of how the users will be moving through the space with swinging walls and display fixtures.

The Men's Mall

A diagram on layout studies that will be adopted in the Men’s Mall. (top) A maze layout has a fixed path and a maze of spaces for product displays. It also extends the distance users traveled in the store. (middle) A grid layout, most common in stores as it is very convenient and speedy. (bottom) Freeform layout facilitate in exploration and brings users to visit more parts in the store

The Men's Mall

Layout Plan of the Men’s Mall.

The Men's Mall

Interior of the high-end men’s fashion store. A tightly curated selection of products is displayed, encouraging customers to explore other parts of the store.

The Men's Mall

Interior of the high-end men’s fashion store. A tightly curated selection of products is displayed, encouraging customers to explore other parts of the store.

The Men's Mall

The Fashion Gallery is a flexible space that can be converted to suit various events such as workshops, seminars and product displays and aims to increase the awareness of the brand’s philosophy.

The transition of light to this sacred corridor

The light guides us and sets the mood. “In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary.” By Le Corbusier.

At a state-of-mind

The lighting goes seamlessly through our journey. At the start, the lights define the familiarity between us and the object that represents the dead.

The movement of bricks

The attention of the loose bricks starts to reunite as we walk further into the corridor, creating a wall of memories.

The transition back to reality

At the end of the journey. The brick wall starts to lose its tension and fades off to the lights, that transits us back to reality and daily routine.

Roof Terrace of Chong Pang Community Club

Located away from the crowd and noise of the community club, the unused roof terrace creates the opportunity to take us away from our hectic and stressful lives to peace and relaxation. Natural-like and flowing water feature helps to set the mood of this space.

Pods for 2

Pods for two is where personal information are keep safe, with the adjustable soundproof curtains the amount of privacy can be controlled. The fabric paper on the outsides blurs our identity to make us feel comfortable and confident.

Pods for 5

Pods for five is where a small group can exchange ideas and remarks. This idea was inspired by the Japanese seating culture. In this case, we are submerging ourselves, making us feel like we are diving into our journey of overcoming our loss.

Pods for 9

Pods for nine is the maximum amount of people that a counsellor can handle on the topic of grief. The gap between the ceiling and the pod allows us to look out to the sky and view the movements of the clouds as we overcome our thoughts.

Itten X Aēsop

Initial collage showcasing the synergy between Swiss Colour theorist Johannes Itten and Melbourne’s health and beauty franchise Aēsop. The bold contrasting colours of Itten’s art works complements the colour scheme used by Aēsop.

Aēsop X Itten

Window design grounded by the principles and theories of Swiss Painter and Colour theorist Johannes Itten designed for Aēsop’s stores.

Axonometric Study

Site study diagram of Golden Mile Complex The intention for the structure was to create a lively environment and a vertical city in contrast to the homogenized cities. Golden Mile Complex comes from the concepts of the Linear Cities of architect Le Corbusier.

Impressions

Artistic impression of envisioned design concept of play space located in Golden Mile Complex.

Play Space Perspective (East Lobby)

A new play space located in the Golden Mile Complex, focusing on the effects of light and shadow where sun shades rotate anti-clock wise throughout the day.

Play Space Perspective (West Lobby)

The play space focuses on generating a space that caters for relaxation enabling users of the space to experience Live, Work and Play in the same building.

Reclaiming Spaces

Typical shop in Golden Mile Complex where shop spills out beyond boundaries while the tenant place make shift markers defining their own boundaries. A lawless spillage of shops creating a reclamation of space demonstrates The Right to the City concept developed by French sociologist Henri Lefebvre in 1968.

Accentuated Pipelines

Unique pipelines that forms character, identity and uniqueness to the Golden Mile Complex.

Unique Characteristics

The image shows shops spilling out of their de-marketed zones and unique floor tile patterns in relation to the accentuated pipelines across the atrium of the Golden Mile Complex.

Lawlessness

The image shows the plan in relation to the pipes added years after original construction running above unique floor tile patterns that cover the ground floor. Further demonstrating how shops spill out.

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.

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.

Adjacent Play Space

This project explores ways to bring about playfulness in adults; to relieve stress relief, develop social skills, to allow for relaxation and to provide “escapism”. The installation is located in front of Ocean Financial Centre and is open to use for all who are passing-by. Enhancing their experience on what they deem as escapism / leisure in Raffles Place is key rather than physical play.

Adjacent Play Space

My models made were inspired by Bruno Munari’s geometrical shapes and Alexander Calder’s theory of the relation between things, to create “private-ness” as most adults there are comfortable being in their own zones like using their phones, talking to friends and looking around. Iteration one consists of most models but seem too enclosed. While visual play is being explored, play in this project is about embracing “private-ness” in the open space.

Adjacent Play Space

The proposed design works around existing circulation with visual play, movement, and interaction. Having natural lighting, there can be a play of colours that will reflect on the ground. The shapes hanging is an interactive installation, allowing to be pulled down or rotated while able for one to sit on it. This might make one feel more comfortable if they want to have a certain private physical boundary.

Retail Play

“Retail Play” This project leverages on the activeness in teenagers to create an interactive experience with the displayed products. Located in 313 Somerset, Level 1 and 1M, for the fashion brand, Bershka, the design centers on the idea of decentralisation. Bershka is about fashionable colours, contemporary furniture designs, and for it positions itself for adventurous young people who are aware of the latest trends, music and social networks.

Retail Play

Observations of consumers were made, and models were presented on how products can be interacted differently. The circular shape is chosen as the final as it is more cohesive with boundless circulation as compared to rigid fluidity, and there can be interaction with both merchandise and forms.

Retail Play

Being a retail space, play in this project is interactivity. Although being able to see the merchandise from afar, there might be a gap between the levels that forces them to figure out how to get there. The coloured areas indicate fitting rooms, rails, and a platform for the products.

Retail Play

With decentralisation, all the non-load bearing walls and the mezzanine level were removed to create one space. Similar to model 7, the levels allow one to figure how to get to certain products. Fitting rooms are incorporated throughout the forms so that consumers do not need to carry so many items all the way to fitting rooms at the end of the shop like most do.

Retail Play

Products are placed on different heights, materials, and colours to engage consumers. These platforms blur the line of a resting space and an area for merchandises.

Retail Play

Lights of different colours, shine from the grout of the surfaces giving it vibrancy. The different levels allow one to explore where they want to go next.

Retail Play

Tablets are provided for consumers to look at the merchandise all at once at the entrance. Similar to model 8, this spiral allows a clearer view of the merchandises on the red rail and green display.

Retail Play

A workshop area is found at the corner of the left, while the right has an alteration area and seating at the front for the seasonal fashion show. During the fashion show, models will be coming from all areas and have a runway at the empty space in the middle.

Retail Play

Similar to model 9, the extruded circle serves not only as a platform as there is different heights. The left shows an area for evening dresses while the right shows the alteration area, with the fitting rooms on the extruded platform.

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.

UOB Plaza installation

We commonly perceive boundary as a form of physical segregation, rather than as a state of mind. Using the construct of efficiency as a focus on this study, the physical intervention is designed disrupt the psychological boundary. The idea of boundary as a state of mind stems from the observation of people's behaviors during the course of their commute. In a journey, different events may occur, efficiency results in people being fixated on their next destination, often forgoing interacting with their surroundings, like an intangible imaginary boundary around an individual.

UOB Plaza installation

Much of these observations lay testament to Pierre Bourdieu's theory of Habitus, which mentions ingrained habits, skills and dispositions, the way that individuals perceive the social world around them and react to it. An intervention in the end brings about a platform of interaction to an open fast paced region. However this opens up a new question, must boundaries be blurred? or can they be balanced.

243 Joo Chiat Road

This project explores the notion of balance, using a shophouse unit at Joo Chiat Road to carry out this investigation. Joo Chiat has an interesting mix of contrasting functions under one roof, typically segregated by levels. Using existing functions of a bar, habitation and KTV, this project tries to build a reciprocal relationship by blurring the physically boundaries through an interconnection of the functions.

243 Joo Chiat Road

This project uses the idea that lights give preeminence to the active functions at a given time and vice versa. Forms used create different levels of privacy for various functions, whilst light and materials determine the degree of privacy. The denotation of shadows, light exposure over times of the day and form allow for allocating of functions, functions categorized according to their levels of privacy

243 Joo Chiat Road

In the space, activities of each function are exposed to one another. The KTV here can be seen in contrast to the bar, artificial lights from the KTV indicate its dominance in activity at night, while daylight of day reveals the bar open as an eatery and the active function of the moment.

243 Joo Chiat Road

Apart from lights to denote boundaries, forms and materials are important. Consistent materials that pertain to particular functions subtly indicate the domain of public and private. Difference in forms denote the difference in domains. The denser and more rigid forms indicate the habitation area, while more open areas denote the public areas. All of which are connected to each other in different ways. The question of balance in boundaries among functions may not solve immediate problems, but rather opens up avenues on boundaries and their intangibility, and how they can experiment with in the vast domain of interior design.