Malaysian installation recognised at global fest

Chan and Sunway Malls chief operating officer Kevin Tan with the team involved in the project.

SUNWAY Malls and The One Academy represented Malaysia during the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Action Campaign’s Global Festival of Action in Bonn, Germany.

Their entry, “Our Sustainability – A Reminder Through Interactive Experiences”, was presented with the SDG Action Finalist Award under the Creative category.

Their entry was the only Malaysian finalist amongst 2,000 participants from 142 countries.

They competed alongside a Grammy Award winner, IBM USA, UK International Paralympic Committee, the New York City Mayor’s Office and more.

Held since 2017, the SDG Action Award recognises individuals, civil society organisations, subnational governments, foundations and private sector leaders who are advancing the global movement for SDG in the most transformative, impactful and innovative way.

Sunway Malls chief executive officer HC Chan said this recognition is just the first in its efforts to push further in implementing SDG initiatives.

“In line with Sunway Group’s commitment to the United Nation’s goals, this achievement puts Sunway Malls on the global map.”

In August last year, Sunway Malls spearheaded a brand partnership with The One Academy to illustrate the SDGs through four creative and interactive installations in the first ever SDGs public exhibition in Sunway Pyramid.

Held over a weekend, the exhibition saw 22,000 visitors learning the importance in advancing SDGs.

The installations were conceptualised, engineered and crafted by 18 students over three months to educate and raise awareness amongst shoppers on the roles they can play in their own capacity.

Multimedia design department head Cheang Lin Yew said this recognition goes out to the students for their hard work in creating a unique user experience via a cohesive integration of creativity, art, design and technology.

“We are proud of the students involved in this project. To be acknowledged in the Creative category because of the synergy

of art and technology, which is the core focus of our programme, shows that our students are on par internationally,” said Cheang.

The brand partnership saw the infusion of Sunway Malls’ inter-departments professionals in knowledge transfer.

The creative design department guided the students to enhance their projects and advised on the requirements of industry standards and safety aspects of their installations while technical services, housekeeping, building services and security oversaw logistics.

The award brought to light many other initiatives such as a crowdmap for sexual violence from Mumbai, India; a data-platform tracking over USD10mil meant for social development impacting over two million rural lives across African communities; a project that uses creativity and participatory arts to tackle sexual and reproductive health and HIV in Malawi as well as a campaign showcasing the employment legacy of the London 2012 Paralympics.

Also receognised was a nationwide campaign that led to the repeal of a rape-marriage law in Lebanon, a blockchain-based token rewards project mobilising recycling entrepreneurs and tackling ocean plastic and global poverty in Haiti, the Philippines and the United States.

The award is part of the SDG Global Action Festival that brought together more than 1,500 political decision-makers, activists, experts, business leaders and creative people from over 130 countries.