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I am bilingual, fluent in both English and Chinese.
Hi, I'm Rachel! Current Research Assistant with the National University of Singapore, attached to the Social Science Research Thematic Grant "Foundations for Home-Based Work: A Singapore Study". Recent graduate of Master of Architecture (National University of Singapore) and MPhil Architecture in Urban Studies (University of Cambridge). I share an equal passion for research on urban studies and visual and communications studies. My dissertation investigated the dialectics of spontaneity and organization in social movements, using the case studies of the January 25 Revolution in Cairo, the 15-M/Indignados Movement in Madrid, and the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City; positioned at the intersection of urban theory, media and communications theory, and new social movement theory. Do contact me if anything here piques your interest!
My general interests are in the material culture of politics and social movements, Japanese fashion, playing the piano, and exploring undocumented cultures in Singapore. I also find Reality TV fascinating.
Do contact me if anything here piques your interest!
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-sim-50b493142/
Design Portfolio (Issuu):
https://issuu.com/racheljs/docs/rach_design_portfolio_writing_samples
EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, CAMBRIDGE, UNITED KINGDOM
MPhil Architecture and Urban Studies (Distinction), October 2021-June 2022
University of Cambridge
Supervisor: A/P Dr. Irit Katz
Dissertation: A study on the dialectics of spontaneity and organization in social movements, using the case studies of the January 25 Revolution in Cairo, the 15-M/Indignados Movement in Madrid, and the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City. The study is positioned at the intersection of urban theory, media and communications theory, and new social movement theory, and was conducted with the aid of original mappings constructed using QGIS, AutoCad and Adobe Illustrator.
Coursework includes: Graduate Research Methods, Introduction to Socio-politics and Culture of Architecture and the City, Architecture outside the Norm, Landscape: Image, Territory, Park and Hinterland, Managing Urban Change
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE
Master of Architecture, August 2020-May 2021
Supervisor: A/P Tsuto Sakamoto
Thesis: A study on the tactical appropriations of Singapore’s “Heartland” infrastructure undertaken by Opposition parties, situated at the intersection of urban theory, media and communications theory, and political theory. The study was faciliated by interviews and original mappings constructed using AutoCad, Rhinoceros, and Grasshopper.
Design Proposal: Explored the notion of aesthetics in disseminated political imagery, such as those generated during the 2014 Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong. Aesthetic parameters were extracted, after which political imagery was designed for Opposition parties, facilitated by use of original architectural modules situated in “Heartland” infrastructure. This imagery was to be disseminated via social media as part of Opposition party campaigns, facilitating the construction of alternative identities within Singapore’s political landscape.
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE
Bachelor of Arts in Architecture with Honours (Distinction), August 2016-May 2020
Coursework includes: Design 1-6, Options Design Research Studio 1-2, Reading Visual Images, History and Theory of Southeast Asia, Environment and Civil Society in Singapore, History and Theory of Western Architecture, Introduction to Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, Urban Design Theory and Praxis
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING, TONGJI UNIVERSITY, SHANGHAI, CHINA
Student Exchange Program, August 2018-January 2019
Coursework includes: Future of Retail Space, Frontiers of Architecture: Craft, Urban Design: Emergence, Evolution and New Topics, Urban Mobility and Transport: Emerging Issues and Planning Practices in China, Chinese and Western Classical Garden, Relationship between the Culture and the Moulding Arts in China, Quantifying the Immeasurable: Parameterizing Urban and Architectural Aesthetics using BIM and Virtual Design/Construction Methodology
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