Final Year Project Showcase

Production Design

Breathing Space: Of Love & Choices (Industry Partner: Poetry Festival Singapore)

View of the set from an angle as our members tended to our visitors - answering their queries and doing palm readings.

Each of the 5 zones represented the 5 local poems we chose. The poems are as follows:
'Love Voyage' by Faridah Taib, ''#lovetoday' by Amira Yunos, 'Discussing Nationhood' by Cyril Wong, 'Advertisement' by Dan Ying, and 'Questions' by Harini V.
One of our interactive elements was a chalkboard activity. Visitors got to colour in hearts on a chalkboard to show how much 'space' they had left in their hearts 'for rent'. This is related to the representative poem, 'Advertisement' by Dan Ying, which talks of a heart that is burdened by previous heartbreaks.
One interactive element is the photobooth for the zone representing '#lovetoday' by Amira Yunos. Visitors could opt to get their photos taken by our member, Nur'Ain, as many times as they prefer, highlighting the obsession we all have with showing off only our most perfectly curated self online.
This photo was taken during the construction process. It shows two of our members, Fatmah and Asyira, painting a detailed sunset and ocean onto a blue cloth. This was later used for the zone representing 'Discussing Nationhood' by Cyril Wong.
This photo was taken during the construction process. It shows two of our members, Asyira and Jonamy, painting a wooden skin brown. This is for the zone representing 'Questions' by Harini V., and our goal was to create an old wooden texture.
This photo was taken during the construction process. The whole team is shown busy at work painting the 5 poetry stands as well as adding details to the wooden skin.

Fun fact: We built the poetry stands using cardboard!
Visitors were encouraged to not just admire the design and interact with the activities, but to also read and understand the poems. We were so thrilled to have many visitors discussing the poems with their friends and asking us questions as well. Our goal was to expose more of our peers to local poetry and we are very encouraged by the amount of students who have shown interest in this art form.
After experiencing the other zones, our members would direct visitors to the zone representing 'Questions' by Harini V., where they were encouraged to take a card - designed by our members, Jonamy and Lorraine - and craft their own poems or pen down their interpretations of any of the 5 poems.
One interactive element in the installation was the puppet box activity. This was for the zone representing 'Love Voyage' by Faridah Taib, and is to help visitors visualize the story presented in the poem, a story that talks about a love that is not equally balanced between both partners.
Visitors were given the opportunity to craft their own poems or pen down their thoughts and interpretations of the poems they just read. It was such a joy to see so many students thoughtfully writing down their thoughts and feelings, and we saw so many beautifully written entries.

PROJECT INFO:

‘Breathing Space: Of Love & Choices’ is an installation based on five poems published by Poetry Festival Singapore in different anthologies. The installation was the team’s interpretation of the selected poems and presented in an installation combining set, props, light and sound. Our team's goal was to make local poetry accessible to Singaporean youths by creating an immersive experience that could enhance the power of words and poetry. Our installation was split into five booths, filled with different props and activities such as a puppet box, an Instagram photo booth, a sandbox, a chalkboard heart activity and a write-your-own-poem activity. Visitors were able to scan QR codes to hear a dramatised reading of each poem.