When Nur Amyra Mawan embarked on a BA(Hons) Interior Design programme at LASALLE College of the Arts, she was interested in how space design can improve both functionality and individual experiences. Her studies, combined with a passion for community, led her to the unusual question: how can we use interior design to help reintegrate ex-offenders into society?
Having witnessed the difficulties faced by ex-offenders and their families in reintegration, Amyra was inspired to create In Plain Sight, her final year project. In Plain Sight features space interventions in halfway homes that can help the rehabilitation process, encouraging ex-offenders to transition between the prison environment and the world outside.
“From this project, I learned that space design is more than what we observe with our eyesight. It is also much more than aesthetic. Hidden and intangible elements, such as space layout or air circulation, create an indirect but large impact on the environment that we sometimes overlook,” said Amyra.
BA(Hons) Arts Management graduate Ernie Martha was likewise driven by a desire to help the community with her research. Having worked with the National Gallery Singapore and National Heritage Board, Ernie has experienced first-hand the impact of COVID-19 on the arts and culture sector. Her final year project reimagines what access to museums could look like in a post-pandemic world.
"I want to emphasise the importance of art for the community in such a time and how the museum can adapt to the various lessons learned in moving forward towards new norms, and how to approach the public differently, especially with the increase in digital fatigue," said Ernie.
Photos: Berita Harian
