The award received as a finalist of the UN SDG Action Award 2019.
Every year, the UN SDG Action Awards, organised by the UN SDG Action Campaign, recognise individuals, civil society organisations, subnational governments, foundations and changemakers who are taking transformative action to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) across a range of categories: mobilizer, storyteller, campaigner, visualizer, connector, include and creative. Advocates are translating the global goals into local action, and are making an impact through innovation, dedication and collaboration.
One such advocate of the global cause is The One Academy and its team of students from Digital Media Design, who participated with their initiative titled “Our Sustainability – A Reminder Through Interactive Experience”. A project collaboration with Sunway Malls, interactive installation was chosen as the approach to bring SDG awareness to mall visitors. The challenge was set upon the 18 multimedia students, having turned it into a semester-long course project.
With restless efforts driven by creativity, grit and determination, they truly outdid themselves. In the campaign that has seen over 2,000 applicants from 142 countries, The One Academy team has emerged as a Top 3 finalist in the “Creative” category. Shedding light onto real-world situations, four interactive installations were presented to the public, reminding people of experiences that are otherwise taken for granted.
“Beyond The Garden Wall” is a replica of a low-income home that attempts to demystify the causes and effects of urban poverty. “SAW” (Sexist Arm Wrestling) is a game to raise awareness on gender equality, allowing the public to experience a representation of the frustrating social discrimination faced by women. “Mao” is an interactive flip book that tells a short story through animation displayed using Pepper’s ghost illusion technique, to convey how minor changes to our daily lifestyle can impact the environment. “Lights Out” highlights the awareness of light pollution and responsible energy use through switching off lights in a dark dome to bring out the stars.
According to the team, they chose the “Creative” category since the interactive installations created are essentially art installations. They are the students’ artistic expressions of what they believe the sustainable development goals they chose are about: no poverty, good health and well-being, gender equality, affordable & clean energy, sustainable cities & communities, responsible consumption & production, and climate action.
Indeed, it is an impressive feat to not only have contended in this campaign, but to have also emerged as a Top 3 finalist of a category in the UN SDG Action Awards 2019. Their efforts are applaudable and deserve commendation, making the country proud by showing nations across the globe that we too, highly regard and consider the SDG as important steps to make the world a better place. This recognition will greatly encourage these students to create more meaningful works and also inspire future students to follow the same path.
The One Academy is committed to providing the best art education programmes and continues to nurture its students passionately through its “Masters Train Masters” coaching philosophy, which has been practised for the past 28 years, by providing diploma and degree courses namely Advertising & Graphic Design, Digital Animation, Digital Media Design, Film Visual Effects, Interior Architecture & Design, Illustration, Fine Arts and Paris Fashion Design & Pattern Making. For more information on The One Academy, visit www.toa.edu.my or call +603-7875 5510 or e-mail your enquiries to [email protected].
The One Academy of Communication Design
https://edufair.fsi.com.my/theone
Cheang Lin Yew, The One Academy’s Department Head of Digital Media Design, receiving the UN SDG Action Award on behalf of the team at the awards ceremony in Bonn, Germany.
