Event Recap
Watch the webinar recording below now!
Your Questions Answered
Our speakers David Teo (Chief Creative Technologist, Insert Coin), Olivier Bos (Chief Inspiration Officer, MeshMinds), Cheryl Catterall (Creative Director, Moment Factory) tackle more of your burning questions below:
What do you think is a common misconception about or pitfall in digital placemaking?
David: In my previous digital creation journey, I had tended towards using screens or projectors only. My breakthrough came when I tried to refrain myself from doing that, Ieading me to create a series of physical interactive works at Insert Coin. The driving engine behind each piece is very much digital, but the manifestation of the work has become very tactile. It gave me a broader view of what digital placemaking could be, and that it need not only be screen-bound.
Olivier: It is high maintenance and you need to be prepared that technology will not always work. Have a backup plan to convey your message. Keep the user centric in the experience.
Cheryl: That it is all about screens and somehow, not at a human scale or able to connect with citizens on an emotional level.
Where do you draw your inspiration from when you are dealing with different briefs?
Cheryl: We spend a lot of time with our clients up front to understand their needs. Since there are varying levels of familiarity and comprehension about digital tools, there needs to be a dialogue where we educate the client on the different aspects of a multimedia project and work with them to determine which means are the best to achieve their objectives.
Do you find that even without starting with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as impact measurement metrics, you’ll still end up with up with SDG-related metrics too? Does this mean that SDGs are too vast?
Olivier: Each goal has a certain target to focus on, which also guides you towards at least one or more of the goals. Even without starting with a SDG in mind, you are still contributing to an even better future. Just make sure you also have some form of measurement.
David, curious on how you came up with the company name Insert Coin? Intuitively, it reminds me of arcade machines where I had to insert coins to start them.
David: Yes, we were inspired by arcade machines! We wanted to capture the moment of anticipation when a player inserts their coin and eagerly waits for their game to begin. In the same spirit, our work encourages visitors to insert their participation. We then reward them with a magical moment!
Of all the digital placemaking projects you’ve worked on so far, which are your favourites and why?
Cheryl: I am quite partial to the National Arts Centre project because it has been fully embraced and appropriated by the community, and has become a living expression of the city. The AT and T discovery district is also very interesting since the system that was integrated allows not only content renewal, but also technological evolution over time to refresh both the images that we see and the experience.
Is digital placemaking necessarily ephemeral? Is there any way to make the art persist? Or is this against its spirit?
David: From what I have experienced and observed so far, people love digital because it gets updated often and quickly – allowing for new works and experiences to be constantly created and shared. I think we have to understand and accept its fast-changing nature and make use of that.
Olivier: It’s not! There are several technical ways to make it last longer, of course. It depends on the output. Bear in mind that technology is ever-evolving and requires maintenance.
Cheryl: The more permanent and adaptable it is, the more it persists and contributes to renewed value over time. The stronger that it infiltrates the collective memory, the more powerful it can become with each subsequent activation.
Details
The global environment has seen immense changes over the last several years, and even more rapidly so since the pandemic.
In this brave new world, brands and creatives alike have been turning to technological tools and platforms to recreate in-person experiences and community spaces in the digital realm, and to incorporate tech elements in physical spaces. It is a reminder that the spaces we inhabit or visit are not purely functional – they also serve to inform and enhance the human experience, and to connect us to our environments and each other.
In the fourth talk of the quarterly series presented by SEGD (Society for Experiential Graphic Design) Singapore Chapter, join three multi-faceted practices from Singapore and Canada as they discuss digital placemaking, immersive design and the use of digital tools for multi-sensorial spatial experiences. Learn how these creatives are using a mix of traditional and digital tools to create new placemaking opportunities and experiences to engage their audience.
To register for the talk, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/digital-placemaking-tickets-310308219237
About the Speakers:
- David Teo, Chief Creative Technologist, Insert Coin
David Teo is a founder and chief creative technologist at Insert Coin, a Singapore-based company that specialises in bringing interactive and playful contraptions to retail, F&B and public spaces. He is constantly looking out for new and unexpected ways to create magical moments to delight his visitors. He has so far created many joyful works for brands and organisations such as Google, Hermes, UNIQLO, Singapore Changi Airport, F1 and Singapore Science Centre.
Notable projects include Shanghai World Expo (2010), Singapore Pavilion, numerous interactive and engaging works were created to mesmerise the visitors and Singapore F1, Temasek Suite fit-out (2015, 2016, 2017), where he and his team introduces entertaining and engaging works into F&B spaces for the F1 event.
- Olivier Bos, Chief Inspiration Officer, MeshMinds
Olivier Bos spearheads creative technology ideation from concept to reality and assists with business strategy at MeshMinds. Olivier’s interests revolve around exploring the meaningful intersections between technology and art. His vast knowledge of tech trends is usefully aligned with his passion for using technology for good causes worldwide. Olivier helps to foster an uplifting environment by creating meaningful relationships with the people around him. He works hard to nurture genuine, lasting relationships between artists, creative technologists and multinational organisations to deliver impactful educational projects and programmes.
- Cheryl Catterall, Creative Director, Moment Factory
Over her 25 year career, Cheryl Catterall has specialised in heading up multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-impact experiences, with a particular focus on the integration of new media technologies into architectural and public space design. Drawing on her a professional degree in Architecture from the University of Waterloo and a certificate in set and costume design from the National Theater School of Canada, her career has followed a path leading from installation and performing arts, to immersive exhibition design, and the creation of multimedia experiences for permanent and temporary installations in both institutional and corporate settings. Her passion is the design of responsive environments where digital engagement is seamlessly woven into the architectural and citizen contexts.
About the Moderators:
- Yann Follain, SEGD Singapore Chair / Managing Director, WY-TO
Yann Follain is the founder of WY-TO’s Singapore practice and co-founder of WY-TO architects in Paris. He has built a rich multicultural experience from his formative years in Indonesia, France, and Singapore. Embracing multidisciplinary approaches to grow the Singapore practice has established Yann’s diverse expertise in sustainable architecture, cultural curation and exhibition design. Together with his team, WY-TO received the Future-Maker award at the Beijing Global Innovation Conference, an Honourable Mention at the international Red Dot Design Competition in 2016 and finalist at the INDE. Awards in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Yann is also an Associate Member of the Singapore Institute of Architects since 2013 and served as a member of the Advisory & Commissioning Panel for the Public Art Trust within the National Arts Council Singapore from 2015 to 2017. He is a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) from 2017 and the Singapore Chapter Co-Chair of the Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD) from 2021.
- Olha Romaniuk, SEGD Singapore Chair / Creative Director, Devarch
Olha Romaniuk is a creative director at a design-build firm Devarch and a co-chair of SEGD Singapore Chapter. With a background in architecture, Olha Romaniuk has honed her spatial and environmental design skills working at architectural and exhibition design firms in the United States and Singapore. Currently, a creative director of Devarch, Olha oversees projects in entertainment, attractions, cultural and commercial sectors in Singapore and the region.
An avid proponent of taking a holistic approach to every design challenge, Olha believes in meaningful and purposeful solutions that go beyond the pure aesthetics or latest trends. She is inspired by designs that break the mould – whether it is through the exploration of construction methods, innovative space planning, graphics or simply through rethinking everyday objects.
Organiser
Society for Experiential Graphic Design
The Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD) is the global, multidisciplinary community of professionals who plan, design and build experiences that connect people to place.
SEGD’s mission is to promote awareness of and lend support to the professionals In this diverse field of experiential graphic design, nurture demand for design excellence within the built environment and serve a source of education and inspiration for our community. Furthermore, SEGD seeks to continue to define and refine our standards of practice, promote collaboration across multiple disciplines and strengthen ties with educational programmes that provide the academic underpinnings of our field.
To find out more about Society for Experiential Graphic Design, please visit
www.segd.org
Contact
Name: SEGD Singapore
Email: singapore-chapter@segd.org
