Following the success of the Design Innovation Pop Up Studio in February 2019, we invited the local designers back to Institut Kraf Negara (IKN) for half to full-day masterclasses focusing on sustainability as an important feature of design innovation. The local designers talked about using alternative or waste materials, understanding the bigger picture of manufacturing and its impact on workers and the environment, alternative approaches to gathering design inspiration, and how best to tell the narrative of their work. The classes were delivered to a collection of students representing each of the 6 craft departments in IKN: batik, ceramics, metal, rattan, weaving, and wood.
The Masterclasses were held over 3 days in August 2019, and featured:
- Eleena Jamil of Eleena Jamil Architect
- Fern Chua of Fern Design Studio
- Nik Faiz from Ruzz Gahara
- Sasibai Kimis of Earth Heir
- Sherman Ong, photographer and filmmaker and Jesse Joy, a local embroidery artist
We were also able to have a masterclass by visiting UK artist and designer Eliza Collin in October. She experiments with materials and got the participating students to explore the other uses of the scrap waste from their craft practice. Find more photos of all the masterclasses here.