Showcase of Final Year Projects at SUS Academy

 

It was April when I received a query from SUS Academy about connecting their final year student to work on his Final Year Project (FYP) in collaboration with a charity organization in Johor Bahru.

 

The reception counter at SUS Academy,
Menara Landmark, Johor Bahru

The charity organization they had in mind was the Johor Area Rehabilitation Organisation or JARO in short, an established brand for beautiful, quality products that are handmade by people with disabilities, which I had featured along with other proudly Johor brands in my third book.

 

Launched in December 2022, My Johor Stories 3: Proudly Johor, Then and Now, is the final instalment that completed the trilogy of My Johor Stories books.

 

Over the years, JARO has evolved into an established rehabilitation centre, recognized for its quality training and a unique brand of handicrafts for sale.

 

Event poster for Oh Shift!

JARO actively reaches out to offer the disabled opportunities to be gainfully employed in a creative and productive manner in their workshop with sections for bookbinding, basketry, tailoring and handicrafts.

 

With annual Government grants and public donations, JARO is self-supporting by marketing its products and reinvesting the funds into its daily operations.

 

I am familiar with JARO so it was my pleasure to connect SUS Academy to General Manager, Joseph Roy Arputham, to kick off discussions about this proposed project collaboration.

 

Fast-forward to September when I received an invitation from SUS Academy to their Open Day & Graduation Exhibition 2024 dubbed Oh Shift! that will showcase the Final Year Projects presented by some 20 final year students.

 

The Wild Wonders project in
collaboration with JARO

This showcase will celebrate the creativity of students in the Graphic and Multimedia Design programme that feature work from various disciplines like Illustration, 2-D and 3-D Animation, Photography and Visual Communication.

 

Established more than 20 years ago, Shift Your Sense Academy, better known as SUS Academy, is one of Johor Bahru’s most established digital design institutions that is revolutionizing education by shifting the paradigm in applying a more innovative and creative approach. 

 

The academy’s education programmes include the Bachelor Degree in Graphic Communication Design & Animation and Bachelor Degree (Hons) in Graphic & Multimedia accredited to Griffith College, Ireland and University for the Creative Arts in the UK, respectively.

 

A look at their address reminded me that the Academy was located within Menara Landmark, the tower adjacent to the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel at Jalan Ngee Heng.

 

Lee Wen Chung with his
Eat & Burn brand

Readers, familiar with My Johor Stories, are aware of my connection with this old road because I enjoyed my growing-up years at No. 154 Jalan Ngee Heng – our grandfather’s house – long before Menara Landmark existed.

 

Until earlier this year, an enterprising warong operator was doing brisk business on what was part of our driveway after our house was demolished to make way for the Jalan Tun Abdul Razak expressway.

 

On arrival at SUS Academy, groups of people were gathered around various exhibits but my eyes were riveted to the eye-catching display dubbed Wild Wonders that featured the familiar JARO logo and rattan products from their basketry section.

 

Wild Wonders is a product series designed by Gerard Tan Li Quan that feature animal patterns with local elements from Johor, used on JARO rattan products, fabric items and as book bindings.

 

Brian Foong Yu Heng with his
Tip-In brand

Gerard explained that his Wild Wonders creations are split into the Wonders series and Wild series.

 

While the Wonders series showcases a mix of natural elements and traditional designs that feature Malaysian animals with intricate patterns, the Wild series highlights the geometry of modern design with traditional flora and fauna.

 

“Wild Wonders is inspired by the wildlife and rich cultural heritage of Johor. We selected animals like Tiger, Tapir, Hornbill and Orangutan that symbolize strength and courage to create unique and fabric designs,” said Gerard.

 

These trendy fabrics in a choice of cotton and satin are turned into cushion covers, chair pads, scarves, tote bags and stylish sashes tied onto rattan baskets woven by JARO’s talented artisans with disabilities.

 

Lecturer Kelly Kee, was pleased with the successful collaboration that Gerard had with JARO to create his range of Wild Wonders designs.

 

Honest Sin Yao with her Ngam Ngam.co brand

She said that when the Academy approached them with their proposal, JARO welcomed the collaboration to develop new designs that will enhance their range of products to better appeal to a wider clientele of different ages.

 

Escorted by Kelly, I had the pleasure to review the exhibits on display where the students shared briefly on the concepts, inspiration and ideas about their FYPs.

 

Along the way, we were joined by English Teacher, Manjit Kaur, who encouraged the students to speak in English to share more information about their projects.

 

Wong Pei Sin presents her
story on Clara's Odyssey

In addition to Gerard, the Visual Communications students who exhibited their FYPs in this showcase were Chong Zhi Yu, Elaine Ma Lee Lin, Ezio Lee Yi Chen, Lee Wen Chung, Honest Sin Yao, Chew Ern Tong, Liew Wai Sheng, Veezard Soong Wei Ming, Stella Ng Chuu Huey, Yu Jun Jack and Brian Foong Yu Heng.

 

The students who created 3-D Animation FYPs were Cinthia Lew, Darren Tay Kia Siang and Edwin Ang Jia En while Tow Zhi Xuan’s FYP was in 2-D Animation.

 

The FYPs in Illustration were by Vivi Tam, Wong Pei Sin and Happy Leong Khai Shuen while the FYP in Photography belonged to Angel Lee Yee Xin.

 

Among the exhibits was an interesting board game dubbed, Flaming Mountain – Journey to the West, created by Veezard Soong that came complete with attractive tokens and guidelines for players to enjoy the game with the Game Master.

 

Cinthia Lew presents her 
Yin Xin Ju hotel concept

Another was the exhibit by Brian Foong dubbed, Tip-In, a basketball brand inspired by the precision of the tip move, dedicated to providing high-quality jerseys and merchandise that aim to encourage more interest in the game of basketball.

 

The Eat & Burn brand for a retro American-style exhibit by Lee Wen Chung caught my eye with a car-themed food truck that serves bagel burgers and milkshakes in a nostalgic setting of auto shows that feature classic cars and American all-time favourite food.  

 

Young storyteller, Wong Pei Sin, presented Clara’s Odyssey in an illustrated storybook with lovely three-dimensional, pop-up features to share Clara’s quest to discover the importance of self-discovery, acceptance and understanding.

 

With SUS Academy lecturers,
Kelly Kee [Left] and Shirley Lee [Right]

NgamNgam.co, a fashion label that gives new lives to pre-loved garments by Honest Sin Yao, presented a range of merchandise that she considers was ngam, Chinese language for ‘on pointe,’ to express one’s individuality.

 

Two young men who are passionate about 3-D Animation, Edwin Ang Jia En and Darren Tay Kia Siang, proudly presented their futuristic fantasy and sci-fi creations dubbed Chapter 23:18 and Echoes, respectively.

 

Meanwhile Cinthia Lew turned her long-standing appreciation of Oriental-style aesthetics into her Yin Xin Ju concept for a hotel with Huizhou architecture as the design foundation.

 

The wide range of exhibits was proof of the talent and creativity among these young people, something that may be honed and applied to a variety of industries.

 

My tour of the exhibits brought me back to Wild Wonders, the unique range of products designed in collaboration with JARO which I thought, has a huge potential to be developed for sale in JARO as well as from exclusive outlets.

 

Wild Wonders by
Gerard Tan Li Quan

Then Kelly was pleased to share that the Academy was already in discussions to take some of the students’ FYPs on a road show to present this showcase to a wider audience for them to appreciate the creativity and potential of their students’ talents.

 

This was an excellent idea to encourage the students with exposure to the public and for a real-world experience to ascertain the potential of their creations in the market.

 

SUS Academy is located at Unit 31-01 Level 31, Menara Landmark, No. 12 Jalan Ngee Heng, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor.

 

Note: Read more about the Johor Area Rehabilitation Organisation or JARO along with other interesting My Johor stories like Growing Up in Grandfather’s House, published in My Johor Stories 3: Proudly Johor, Then and Now.

 

My books are available from MPH bookstores nationwide and online from mphonline or physically from JARO and YSpace in Johor Bahru.